An Analysis of Teachers’ Classroom Application of the Eclectic Method to English Language Teaching in Multilingual Zambia
- March 11, 2020
- Posted by: RSIS
- Categories: IJRISS, Language and Literature
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue II, February 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186
David Sani Mwanza
The University of Zambia
Abstract: – The Eclectic Method is the recommended method for teaching English as a second language in Multilingual Zambia. This implies that teachers need to posses the required competencies and skills to apply the method in multilingual classroom with learners of diverse abilities and language backgrounds. Through the use classroom lesson observation and interviews with 30 teachers of English drawn from 6 secondary schools in the Central Province of Zambia, this study provides an analysis of teachers’ classroom application of the Eclectic Method and the challenges they faced in so doing. The paper also provides suggestions regarding what teachers should do to implement the method in under resourced and challenging contexts. The findings showed that while some teachers understood the method and applied it in the classroom, others shunned it for various reasons. Some of the challenges faced were lack of English proficiency among learners, poor training received by teachers and shortage of teaching materials which were needed for the method to be applied. By drawing on multimodality and its extended notions of Resemiotisation and semiotic remediation, the paper shows how teachers can still apply the eclectic method in under-resourced countries and contexts.
Key words: English, Teaching, Teachers, Multilingualism, Multimodality, Critical Discourse Analysis, Resemiotisation and semiotic Remediation
I. BACKGROUND
The history of language teaching has been characterised by a search for more effective ways of teaching language. Although much has been done to clarify these and other important questions in language teaching, the profession is continually exploring new options for addressing these and other basic issues and the effectiveness of different instructional strategies and methods in the classroom. According to Richards and Rodgers (2001), language teaching came into its own as a profession in the twentieth century. The whole foundation of contemporary language teaching was developed during the early part of the twentieth century. Since then, a number of teaching methods and approaches have been developed.
