On Apr 20, 9:44 pm, K Trout <110so...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mar 31, 11:18 pm, "e...@compellingconversations.com"
>
>
>
> <howdo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Proverbs provide perspective
>
> > "Well begun is half done," goes the Greek proverb.
>
> > Short and memorable, proverbs often capture a point of view in vivid
> > words. We learn proverbs our entire lives - from our relatives, our
> > teachers, our friends, the media, and our literature. They contain
> > folk wisdom gathered through time and experience. They often capture a
> > common human experience.
>
> > Yet I like to use proverbs in ESL (English as a Second Language)
> > classes for three other distinct reasons.
> > 1. Students can share proverbs from their own countries. In ESL
> > classes where you have students from many different countries and
> > numerous first languages, proverbs allow students to affirm the
> > insights and experiences of their native culture. "Home is where the
> > heart is."
> > 2. Students can easily memorize proverbs. Using the right proverb at
> > the right moment gives students a tremendous sense of competency and
> > fluency in English - something that immigrants often struggle to
> > achieve. "No pain, no gain."
> > 3. Studying proverbs from around the world helps create a more global
> > education, and counters the fears of English displacing the insights
> > and words of other tongues and times. "The sky is blue everywhere" and
> > "birds return to old nests."
> > 4. Sharing proverbs shows a respect for tradition and the past while
> > students expand their vocabulary in a new, modern language. Many
> > immigrants, particularly older ones, have very mixed feelings about
> > their new lives in an English speaking nation. "Old habits die hard."
> > et "you're never too old to learn" gives hope.
>
> > For instance, an older immigrant from rural Korea learning English in
> > Los Angeles might find themselves also learning to live in modern,
> > culturally diverse city for the first time. While the formal subject
> > may be English, immigrants are also discovering new ways of living and
> > thinking in the school. Proverbs seem to affirm the concept that "the
> > more things change, the more they remain the same" and "the unexpected
> > always happens."
>
> > When I taught an advanced ESL conversation class to immigrants and
> > international students from many different countries at Santa Monica
> > Community College, I usually introduced conversation topics with a
> > classic American or English proverb. Students would soon be paired up
> > to interview each other and share experiences. When we returned
> > together for a group discussion, I noticed that students often
> > explained their answers using proverbs. I decided to "go with the
> > flow" and build proverbs into course materials. It works.
>
> > After all, "everybody is a student and everybody is a teacher.."
>
> > Ask more. Know more. Share more.
> > Create Compelling Conversations.
> > Visitwww.compellingconversations.
>
> > Eric Roth, the author of Compelling Conversations: Questions and
> > Quotations on Timeless Topics, includes over 200 classic proverbs, 500
> > witty quotations, and 1400 questions in his first book.
>
> I have been teaching English in the USA, Korea and Japan for over 15
> years and have a degree in English Linguistics as well as one in
> Teaching English as a Second Language.
>
> In my experience, teaching by proverb, idiom or cliche is dependent on
> the level of the learner as well as the current environment of the
> learner (in an English speaking country or in their native country).
>
> The primary reason is the cultural references that surround these
> sayings are generally accessible to the senses of sight and sound
> (sometimes taste and feel) in an English speaking country, which
> positively reinforces memory retention enabling the speaker to use the
> saying more naturally.
>
> A few problems I have seen are overuse, misuse in the English speaking
> country and complete lack of comprehension when taught in a foreign
> country.
>
> Personally, I cannot stand to listen to my students recite these silly
> phrases when they can just as easily use common terms.
>
> Finally, these people learning English as a second language are
> depending on us to assist them in communicating ideas effectively to
> improve their lifestyle. Thus, I do not think idioms are an essential
> part of the spoken vocabulary, though they certainly are necessary at
> times for understanding in conversations.
While too many English teachers fail to consider context in teaching
idioms and proverbs, this misunderstanding should not preclude one
from intelligently deploying proverbs in the classroom. You note,
correctly, that many times students are taught "silly phrases when
they can just as easily use common terms." True, and again, context
matters. Students might prefer the more poetic expression because it
displays their knowledge or appreciate its appearance on a popular
television or film. Clarity and brevity, virtues among business
writers and journalists, can be found in many practical proverbs too.
Your critique seems more focused on the teaching of rare or "silly"
idioms than proverbs.
Finally, it's important to distinguish between proverbs and idioms.
Proverbs are traditional, pithy expressions of folk wisdom that can be
applied in a wide range of common situation. Some expressions, like
the "customer is king" might be considered both an idiom and a
proverb, but those terms also tend to be very useful for English
language learners.
You will, I suspect, agree that students "learn by doing" and
"experience is the best teacher".
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