Workshop on Learning English For Job: Problems and Solutions
Abstract
For thesurvival of human being or human civilization mutual communication; exchangesof views have been their inevitable needs. Language is the means of fulfillingthat inevitable need of communication. From the beginning of human civilizationman has been curious and self motivated to learn language (s) for their own needof communication. The need and eagerness of learning language lead them towardsvarious efforts of finding the means and methods of acquiring language. Theyhave gradually been trying to develop approaches or methods to acquirelanguage(s). These enthusiasm and efforts have not only been for acquiringmother language but also for other language(s). For social, political,cultural, economic, and various other needs learning second language (L2) hasalso been essential. However, man’s continuous and gradual efforts of findingthe ways and techniques of acquiring and learning language(s) have given birthto different methods of learning language. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)Method is one of them. English Language Teaching (ELT) in Bangladesh has beenan intensive academic task or practice for long span of time. This practice ofELT has recently been more a profession than academic exercise. The number ofinstitutions and teachers for ELT are getting increased day by day. They areusing certain method (s) and ideas to teach English. As ELT is considered to bea rather methodological teaching than teaching other disciplines of study,method of ELT is therefore one of the fundamental issue in the case. Method hasa great deal of impact on teaching as well as learning. Indeed a major questionof success in ELT lies with what method is getting used in teaching and howeffectively it is being applied or implemented. There has been use of methodsin teaching English to the speakers of other languages in different countries. Traditionally,Grammar Translation Method (GTM) has been the most commonly used method inBangladesh. With the changes of purposes and many other realities of learningand teaching English, method of teaching has turned from GTM to CLT inBangladesh. In the year of 2001 CLT was introduced for teaching English here inthis country. NCTB published English textbook written based on the principlesof CLT method. But the studies in the field like a study of Hasan (2004) showsthat the principles and techniques of Communicative Language Teaching are notbeing practiced appropriately in Bangladeshi educational institutions. Thepractices of execution of the new method here seem to be relatively lacking.Literature and observations show that though there have been studies and recommendationsduring last decades but still similar problems exist and there is nosignificant improvement in the practices of CLT.
Withcognition of diversity in ELT in the country, the proposed study aims atinvestigating the drawbacks in the implementation of CLT particularly in theprivate colleges located in different areas of Bangladesh. The study expects toidentify the causes of the existing gaps and find out probable solutions toovercome those gaps, along with contributing a better understanding of the aptuse of CLT method and its effective execution. At the same time this study isalso expected to provide insights for further researches in the relevant field.Nevertheless, this research thesis has been accomplished as an empirical studyto factually investigate the situation or real practices of CLT at privatecolleges. There have been varieties of research instruments involved in theprocess in order to collect valid data, and observe the facts more appropriately.Those include review of relevant literature, interviews with various parties e.g.students, teachers, who are concerned with ELT in Bangladesh especially atprivate colleges. Finally, the findings of investigation uncover that there arevarious deficiencies, responsible for the failure in implementation of CLT. Themajor lacking lies with teachers who are not qualified and trained enough forthe effective implementation of CLT. Many of them neither have any degree nor asingle training on CLT. The Materials they use don’t also always follow the principlesof Communicative Language Teaching method. Besides, the colleges’ environments,lack of students’ understanding and seriousness in following the principle ofCLT etc. are also remarkable causes which hinder the adequate implementation ofthe method. After analyzing the findings, the study lastly has found out someprobable solutions which are likely to work to solve the existing problems.Finally, the study suggests some other options for further research in thisarena.
Workshopon
LearningEnglish for Job: Problems and Solutions
What arethe benefits/outcomes of the workshop?
i)Learning about CLT.
ii) Whyand what type of English is needed for Job.
iii) Howto be prepared for Job market.
iv)Existing problems in Learning English for practical and professional life.
v) Waysto overcome the barriers in the path of learning English for communication.
vi)Introducing NEW METHOD of learning English.
vii) Learningabout NEW courses of English, offered by UGV.
viii)Certification of learners.
KeynoteSpeaker’s Biography
Dr.Sofe Ahmed, has been teaching English at university level since 2012 along withperforming the responsibility of Head of the Department of English. He completedhis PhD on “The Practices of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) at PrivateCollege Level in Bangladesh: Problems and Probable Solution”. Dr. Ahmed haspublished nearly fifteen publications (books and research papers) in world renownedpublishing houses, peer-reviewed, and indexed journals ,published in the USA,UK, Canada, Germany, Finland, India and many other countries.
