OER 1 Attitudes to languages and gender
4.2 Teachers – Activity 2
Languages and purposes
In these activities, you have options to plan and try out classroom tasks for students centred around the usefulness and purposes of different languages, with variations for pair work and class debate.
Read through the activities first and then plan a lesson.
The languages can be:
- A national language
- A local language
- English or other foreign languages such as German, French, or Arabic.
Why learn a language?
1. Are some more useful or important than others – why or why not?
2. In the EMEGen research, ‘English’ was often associated with ‘being educated’. What do you think? Why or why not?
3. Have students discuss this in pairs and then give their ideas for you to write on the board. You can create categories of reasons to learn a language, for example:
| Learning/thinking reasons | Social/personal reasons | Career reasons | Learn about the world |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Improve mental quickness Improve vocabulary Be smarter |
Increase confidence Make friends Better listening and understanding Interact with international visitors/tourists |
Increase job prospects Earn more money Get work in another country Serve my country Have interesting work |
Discover new customs and cultures Travel |
Variation: Language lesson activity
You can have this discussion in a language lesson.
Model questions, vocabulary, sentences and phrases orally and on the board, such as:
- ‘I enjoy / dislike [language] because…’
- ‘[Language] is important to learn because…’
- ‘As an adult I will need to know [language] in order to …’
- ‘I will / will not continue to learn [language] because…’
- ‘For me [language] is very useful because….’
- ‘English is not/is the same as being educated because…
‘My parents want me to learn [language] because…’
Variation: Subject lesson activity
You can have this discussion in a subject lesson.
- Are certain languages important to certain school subjects?
- Are certain languages important to certain careers?
Have students discuss the value of different languages to careers linked to the subject. For example, which languages are important to a career in science, engineering, technology, medicine, or journalism?
Have students say why, for example:
- ‘I will need [language] in my career as a [scientist, journalist, accountant…] because….’
Variation: Pair work
1. Organise pairs of students to talk to each other – single-sex pairs or girl–boy pairs, depending on your context.
2. Have pairs ask and answer each other the questions generated from the class discussion. Write vocabulary, sentences, phrases on the board to support students.
3. If it is permitted in your context, allow students to develop their ideas in the language they are most confident with, before having them interact or report back in English. For instance, they can make notes in a familiar language, and then practice orally in English.
Have each pair describe their partner’s ideas.
You can circulate and listen, encourage and offer suggestions, make corrections, and informally assess students’ participation, vocabulary and pronunciation, and their understanding of the topic.
Extension: Class debate
Building on the class discussion and pair work, you can organise a class debate about languages for different purposes, careers, academic ambitions or community life.
1. Have girls v boys, or mixed groups, depending on your context.
2. Allow students to use drawings, photos or pictures to support their points.
3. Allow time for students to prepare, practice and be ready.
4. During the debate, notice the participation of different groups of students.
