Defence School of Languages UK BILC Professional Seminar

Defence School of Languages, UK BILC Professional Seminar for NATO/Pf. P countries BLED, SLOVENIA 2012

Teaching Specific Skills: Approaches to Teaching Listening & Speaking in the Arabic Language by Mr Hassan Almilaik Defence School of Languages, UK

Aim To introduce and describe: • Listening & Speaking in brief • Methodologies of Teaching L & S • The Main Challenges

DSL Mission • To train MOD personnel in foreign languages in order to support Defence operations and to realise the full linguistic potential of every student.

The Teaching of Listening • “Listening is a fundamental language skill, but often ignored by second language teachers” • Listening as Comprehension. • Listening as Acquisition. • Understanding spoken discourse.

Listening Strategies • Predicting – Predicting information or ideas prior to listening • Inferencing – Drawing inferences about complete information based on incomplete or inadequate information • Monitoring – Monitoring one’s own performance while listening, including assessing areas of uncertainty

Listening Strategies • Clarifying – Formulating clarification questions about what information is needed to make a fuller interpretation • Responding – Providing a personal, relevant response to the information or ideas presented • Evaluating – Checking how well one has understood, and whether an initial problem posed has been solved

Listening Strategies • Specific Listening task (MOL) • Preview the main idea before listening. • Rehearse language (e. g. Pronunciation & vocabulary). • Decide in advance which aspect of the text to concentrate on.

Listening Strategies • Specific Listening task (Gist) • Pre-listening activity ~ In pairs, students predict the possible words and phrases that they might hear • While listening ~ Students underline or circle those words or phrases that they have predicted correctly • Post listening ~ Pair process-based discussion– students compare what they have understood

Speaking • Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) • Diglossia – MSA and Regional Dialects / Variations • DSL Can deliver Training in the following dialects: – Iraqi & Gulf dialects – Egyptian & Levantine – Sudanese

Varied Methodologies • The Communicative Approach Focuses on aural comprehension – early speech production Individual Oral Practice (IOP). Transacting Business (Trans Bus) Situational Interpretation (Sit Int) Consecutive Interpreting

Varied Methodologies • The Direct Approach (Target) Lessons begin with social or military dialogue using mainly dialect or conversational style The use of transliteration

Varied Methodologies • The Grammar –Translation Method Reading Texts: are used for grammatical analysis Disconnected sentences: are used for translation exercises from the target language into mother tongue and vice versa

Varied Methodologies • Audio-Lingual Method • & Inclusion of ICT Intensive use of: Language Laboratories Visual aids Great importance is given to practise nativelike pronunciation

Main Challenges • Intensive exposure to the Target Language • Pressure of Time • Complexity of certain areas of the Arabic Language • Ability and Motivation • Surface Learning versus Deep Learning • Fluency versus Accuracy • Final Assessment (MLA)

Maintaining Arabic After Training • • Deployment to the Middle East On-the-job training. (OJT) Academic language training at unit level Dialect training in-house or at overseas facilities • Self-directed study using ICT

Listening & Speaking Questions?

For information about this presentation, please contact: Hassan Almilaik Arabic Language Wing, Defence School of Languages, UK Office Email: Office tel/fax: DSL Website: Hassan. Almilaik 108@mod. uk 044 (0) 1494 683364 www. mod. uk/Defence. Internet/About. Defence/What. We. Do/Trainingand. Exercises/DSL