Facultad de Educacin Pedagoga en Ingls.

8 Semestre

Teachers Beliefs Inventory

Students: Camila Barra Mara Jos Yez Class: Didctica Educacin Media Teacher: Rosa Delicio Date: 30th August 2011

Introduction

This teachers beliefs inventory has the purpose to find out the teachers approaches to ESL instruction. In order to do so we applied a questionnaire to analyze similarities and differences between the teachers and our results. The questionnaire we occupied consisted of two items: The first item is about the teachers beliefs of how English as a second language is learned and how English as a second language should be taught The second item is about language learning statements in which teachers have to indicate if they agree or disagree with them. After the analysis of the results we will know clearly the differences on beliefs of the teachers we interviewed and our own. The results we analyzed are in the annexes.

Analysis of the results

Our Results Item I Sentences: 2,4,6,7,14 Item II 1-Agree 2-Agree 3-Agree 4-Disagree 5-Disagree 6-Disagree 7-Disagree 8- Agree 9-Disagree 10-Agree 11-Agree 12-Agree 13-Disagree 14-Disagree 15-Disagree

Jennifer Herbst Item I Sentences:5,7,8,10,15 Item II 1-Agree 2-Agree 3-Agree 4-Agree 5-Disagree 6-Agree 7-Disagree 8- Agree 9-Disagree 10-Agree 11-Disagree 12-Agree 13-Disagree 14-Disagree 15-Disagree

Ximena Mallea Item I Sentences: 4,6,7,11,13 Item II 1-Agree 2-Agree 3-Agree 4-Disagree 5-Disagree 6-Agree 7-Disagree 8- Agree 9-Disagree 10-Agree 11-Agree 12-Agree 13-Disagree 14-Disagree 15-Agree

Item I Similarities In the item number one that has to do with the beliefs about how English as a second language is learned and how English language should be taught we found some similarities according to the results given. The statements in which the results coincided were as followed: 4- As long as ESL students listen to, practice, and remember the language which native speakers use, they are actually learning the language. 6- When ESL students make oral errors, it usually helps to provide them with lots of oral practice with the language patterns that seem to cause difficulty.
7- Language can be taught of as meaningful communication that can be

learned subconsciously in non-academic, social situations. Corresponding to the similarities we found a tendency that point out to develop the language skills of our students in a suitable environment, that is to say, students would feel more comfortable and self confident getting involve in a real situation that will provide them the opportunity to learn new things in a natural way. It is also concord in this tendency that students inevitably are going to make mistakes, because they are in their process of learning a new language. In order to improve this, oral practice is one of the best ways to improve their speaking skills especially with the patterns that are most difficult for them; for example: After students misspell a word, the teacher can repeat it correctly, so they could realize what their mistake was.

Differences In the item number one that has to do with the beliefs about how English as a second language is learned and how English language should be taught, we found some differences according to the results given. The statements in which the results differed were as followed:

2- As long as ESL students understand what they are saying, they are actually learning the language

5- ESL students generally need to understand the grammatical rules of English in order to become fluent in the language.

8- If ESL students understand some of the basic grammatical rules of the language, they can usually create lots of new sentences on their own

10- If ESL students practice the language patterns of native speakers, they can make up new sentences based on those language patterns which they have already practiced

11- It is important to provide clear, frequent, precise presentations of grammatical structures during English language instruction.

13- When ESL students make oral errors, it is best to ignored them, as long as you can understand what they are trying to say.

14- ESL students usually need to master some of the basic listening and speaking skills before they can begin to read and write.

15- It is not necessary to actually teach ESL students how to speak; they usually begin speaking on their own

Corresponding to the differences we found a tendency that point out the importance of understanding the grammatical rules and teach them, so students will be able to create basic sentences and become more fluent in the usage of the English language.

It is also concord in this tendency that students are learning when they understand what they are saying, but it is not necessary to teach them how to speak because they are going to do it eventually. General analysis of the Item I Between the similarities and the differences there is a stand out contrast, since in the first one is exposed the idea of teaching English language in a natural way which means through communication, that is to say, put into practice the communicative approach. In the other one, differences, is exposed the idea of teaching grammar as the only way of learning a new language, leaving aside the development of communicative skills.

Item II Similarities In the Item number ll that has to do with language learning, we found some statements that concord. The statements we agreed were as followed: 1. It is easier for children than adults to learn a foreign language. 2. Some people have special ability to learn foreign language. 3. Some languages are easier to learn than others. 8. It is easier for some who already speaks a foreign language to lean another one. 10.It is best to learn English in an English speaking country. 12.It is important to repeat and practice a lot. Differences The statements we disagree were as followed: 5. It is important to speak English with excellent pronunciation. 7. You shouldnt say anything in English until you can say it correctly. 13. If beginners are permitted to make errors, it would be difficult for them to speak correctly later on. 14. The most important part of learning a foreign language is learning the grammar.

General analysis of the Item II The similarities and the differences represent an extreme point of view of learning a foreign language. The first one talked about the things you have take into account to learn a foreign language, such as: age, place to learn, discipline and the abilities you should have. The second one, differences, mentioned something very similar in terms of the strictness, however, these states were focused on students master the speaking skill, for example: speak with excellent pronunciation.

Conclusion After the analysis of the two items we noticed that we have a clear difference between the teachers and our point of view, concerning the way how we think we should teach. The results of the teacher showed a slight propensity of teaching grammar as an important part of learning language, and on the other hand we think that grammar is only a complement and not the whole, because we believe that to learn a foreign language there are several other aspects we should take into account, for example:

Comfortable and suitable environment in which mistakes are welcome. We believe that to learn a second language it is necessary to create a comfortable environment in which mistakes are welcome because it will be like a natural and similar way in which we learned our native language. That is why we think our students will feel more comfortable and self-confident learning the new language

Provide you students with a variety of pedagogical strategies and materials This is another important thing to remark in the way how English language should be taught because we consider teachers should be able to use a variety of pedagogical strategies and appropriate materials to reach their objectives in their classes.

Finally, this teachers beliefs inventory, helped us to reinforce our own beliefs as future teachers in the way how we want to teach. And at the same gave us the opportunity to compare and realized the differences we have with teachers who are actually practicing their profession.

Annexes

Teachers beliefs Inventory Approaches to ESL instruction I. Read all 15 questions and select 5 statements that most closely reflect

beliefs about how English as a second language is learned and how English as a second language should be taught: Camila Barra and Mara Jos Yez Results The statements selected by us are as follows: 2) As long as ESL students understand what they are saying, they are actually learning the language We think if a student wants to communicate or say something intrinsically they understand the message they want to express, that is why they are actually learning. 4) As long as ESL student listen to, practice, and remember the language which native speakers use, they are actually learning the language. We think that the examples given are an alternative for learning English. 6) When ESL students make oral errors, it usually helps to provide them with lots of oral practice with the language patterns that seem to cause difficulty. We know students are going to make plenty of errors when they are learning, however, with a lot of oral practice with the more difficult language patterns, they would learn the language meaningfully. 7) Language can be thought of as meaningful communication but can be learned subconsciously in non-academic, social situations.

We consider the more meaningful situation the students face or get involve, the better will be for them to learn new vocabulary and to internalize the English language. 14) ESL students usually need to master some of the basic listening and speaking skills before they can begin to read and write. We believe that the best way of learning a new language is through a natural way because this will lead you to get the mastery in the language target. This is the same method we used to learn our native language. II. Read the following statements about language learning. For each statement

indicate if you agree or disagree: 1) Agree 2) Agree 3) Agree 4) Disagree; because we believe there are few people that are interested in learning other language in our country besides the global one which is English.
5) Disagree; because we think pronunciation is very important, but it doesnt

need to be perfect or excellent it has to be understood. 6) Disagree; because we think that the English culture it is not related or relevant for speaking English, it is just a complement. 7) Disagree; because if the students shouldnt say anything in English until they say it correctly, no one would learn any language since you need to make mistakes or errors to learn it. 8) Agree

9) Disagree; it depends on many factors for example: the motivation, abilities, customs, and so on. 10) Agree 11) Agree 12)Agree
13)

Disagree; we think students are allowed to make mistakes, because

in that way is how every people learn, and as a teacher you shouldnt be so strict correcting them all the time, because you would put limits in their learning process. 14)Disagree; we think that grammar is a complement to learn a second language but is not the whole of it. 15)Disagree; we believe is the other way around, is easier to understand than to speak a foreign language. Jennifer Herbst results I The statements selected by her were: 5) ESL students generally need to understand the grammatical rules of English in order to become fluent in the language. There are only few students who dont need to at least have a basic understanding of the grammar rules in order not only to be fluent but also error-free. 7) Language can be thought of as meaningful communication that can be learned subconsciously in non-academic, social situations. This is how children learn a language and if students are in the constant and continuous contact with native speakers, in a country where the language is English and if they are motivated and inspired, this statement is certainly true.

8) If ESL students understand some of the basic grammatical rules of the language, they can usually create lots of new sentences on their own Having understood basic rules, there is usually no limit to creativity and imagination. 10) If ESL students practice the language patterns of native speakers, they can make up new sentences based on those language patterns which they have already practiced This applies to students in an ideal situation of being exposed to lots of real-life situations. 15)It is not necessary to actually teach ESL students how to speak; they usually begin speaking on their own Yes, this is true, as long as a soon as they lose their fear and embarrassment, words usually come out on their own. II 1) Agree 2) Agree 3) Agree 4) Agree 5) Agree 6) Agree 7) Disagree; this is often the reason for students daring to speak. Students need to lose their fear of making mistakes 8) Agree

9) Disagree; We have brilliant mathematicians and scientist who speak several

languages. However, at school most students do tend to be more interested in both maths and science or in languages. 10)Agree 11)Disagree; it is an important part but not the most important. 12)Agree 13)Disagree; It is normal for every beginner to make mistakes. For a teacher it is important to know at what level to start correcting 14)Disagree; For the same reason that it is mentioned at the 11 15)Disagree; Most people find it easier to understand than to speak, specially at beginners level. Ximena Malleas Results I. The statements selected by her are as follows: 4) As long as ESL students listen to, practice, and remember the language which native speakers use, they are actually learning the language. In my opinion, if students develop the four skills, they will be learning the language. The students will have an approach to the language. 6) When ESL students make oral error, it usually helps to provide them with lots of oral practice with the language patterns that seem to cause difficulty. I think the best way to learn oral sounds is listening. Students are constantly listening and working with different sounds. 7) Language can be taught of as meaningful communication that can be learned subconsciously in non-academic, social situations.

In my opinion, students feel confident if they see language as a mean of communication rather than a set of words and structures. 11) It is important to provide clear, frequent, precise presentations of grammatical structures during English language instruction. I think its important to introduce the grammar structures in different ways, in a song, in a Role play, in an e-mail, etc. The idea is to captive students, that learning language is not as boring as they think. 13) When ESL students make oral errors, it is best to ignored them, as long as you can understand what they are trying to say. In my point of view, students have to enjoy learning, and feel pleased about themselves, and if they make a mistake the best way to correct them, its repeat their opinion but without the mistakes, in that way they realized what was the mistake. II 1) Agree 2) Agree 3) Agree 4) Disagree; I think that people of our country are good at learning a foreign language.
5) Disagree; it isnt important to speak English with excellent pronunciation.

6) Agree
7) Disagree; you have to take advantage of every situation to speak in English

although it isnt totally correct. 8) Agree

9) Disagree; I think it depends on the people, because sometimes they are really good at those subjects and also at learning a foreign language, so that isnt totally true.
10) Agree

11) Agree
12) Agree 13) Disagree; Students need to make mistakes but you have to find a good way

to them. 14) Disagree; I think grammar is not the most important part of learning a foreign language.
15) Agree; in my opinion its easier to speak than to understand a foreign

language.