Levels of integration in the teaching of English (Term Paper Sample)

Levels of integration in the teaching of English There are different levels of integration. Based on the different areas of integration, we can expound on each level of integration with explanations on how we would integrate that aspect during language teaching. Integration is the way of bringing together or merging of two or more things to form one big whole. In English, integration is teaching of language in combination with or in linkage to other subject areas and knowledge areas such as using a poem to explain to a learner how simple sentences are constructed.There are five levels of language integration that explain how language teaching can be integrated into other areas of English when teaching. These are Integration of language and literature, Integration of material and media ,Integration of teaching and learning techniques ,Integration of the language skills ;listening, speaking, reading and writing and finally Integration of contemporary issues such as the most talked about issue and language. The levels are as explained below. First of all, we have Integration of language and literature. This refers to when a teacher uses language to teach literature or when they use literature to teach language. Language refers to the aspects of English such as phonology, semantics, syntactic and of English which are pronunciations of words, the meanings of words, the formation of sentences and the relation of words to the objects that they refer to.Literature is the written and sometimes the spoken works of language, for instance, poems, verses and novels. For one to be good in literature, they have to possess all the relevant language skills such as reading and writing which will enable him/her to pronounce the words just the way they should be pronounced and write the correct spellings. An English teacher can also use passages or poems from literature in teaching language skills. A good example of this a comprehension passage can be used to teach learners the reading skills. Secondly, we have the Integration of material and media. Technology keeps changing with time, and it becomes necessary for a teacher of language to be updated in all the advancements. Media platform s are also very many hence there are diverse sources of information. A teacher of language should teach his/her learners that language knowledge can be acquired from different sources and that media, other than books is another can be just as good a source of knowledge. for instance, the teacher can pick a concept from a book such as types of words and then bring in a radio for learners to listen to someone else explains the different types of words that there are.This helps to break the monotony of the teaching process and helps learners to enjoy the lessons more which would lead to higher levels of retention. The teacher should also encourage learners to watch television programs that help them to acquire language skill .an example of this is a program known as mind your language in which they deal with a different word, their pronunciations and even explain the context in which a word can be used. Thirdly, we have the Integration of teaching and learning techniques. Teaching techniques comprise of the teacher’s activities that he/she uses in an attempt to get the learner to understand what he/she is teaching while learning techniques are a learner’s activities that the teacher gives the learner to perform so as to assess whether or not the learner has understood a particular lesson. A teacher’s activities may include dictations, asking questions, teaching the class and even writing on the blackboard and marking the work issued. A learner’s activities may include writing notes, reading chats, discussing, answering questions asked by the teacher and even listening passively. The best way for one to bring about integration ,in this case would be to mix these activities so as to keep the learners interested by eliminating monotony. The teacher’s activities should also be reduced to a very minimal level and ensure that the teacher is only minimally active but that the learner is always active. This helps to keep the learner alert and interested in the class. The teacher should allow learners to discuss, ask questions, give presentations of their views and perform most of the activities such as constructing and giving example questions. This helps to make the teaching and learning process more learner-centered and makes the whole process easier. Next, we have the Integration of the language skills and grammar. The four language skills are listening and writing which are termed as the receptive skills, and speaking and reading which are termed as the productive skills. Grammar is simply the whole language structure i.e. the morphemes, syntax, semantics and the phonology. The listening skill is the most basic of all the skills, and this is what will help the learner to grasp and understand all the other skills and the concepts of grammar as it is how the learner will know when to speak and what to say, how to read and when it is time to write, he/she will know what is expected by listening.During the teaching of the speaking skill, the teacher can guide the learner to learn the different pronunciations of words and their use then teach them their spellings during the learning of the writing skill. The reading skill is meant to help the learners develop the spelling, pronunciation and even to enable the learner to develop on his/her thinking blocks of the learner i.e. increase the creativity of the student.It is therefore very clear that the language skills need grammar for them to be explained...