As the novel coronavirus spreads, more and more schools and other educational institutes are converting to an online platform to continue their operations. Yet, many teachers, especially foreign language instructors, are struggling to understand the ins and outs of remote learning and looking for support to keep the sessions interactive.
Now that there is a complete change in the environment, they have multiple questions in mind. Will the old teaching techniques work or do they need to improve? Moreover, how to ensure if the students are grasping the correct pronunciation?
Well, the good news is, there are online platforms that provide users with a language-learning tool. But does that mean there would be no need for language instructors in the future?
Today, considering the current crisis we are in, there is a possibility that few language teachers may lose their jobs. However, that does not mean technology would replace the entire profession, but there are its own merits and demerits. In this article, we have discussed a few major points that make the role of a mentor important in the language learning process.
Why do you need a Teacher to Learn a Language
With online lessons becoming a norm in the 21st century, do you still need a teacher for the language course? Here are a few reasons to consider.
• Planned Lessons
If nothing else, teachers take away the responsibility of planning the material and scheduling your study routine. When you are learning with a professional, there is a lesser chance to have irregular classes. The instructor makes sure that you learn something new every day and complete the decided lessons on time.
• Proper Task Setting
Qualified language teachers may have a proven history of educating students like you who are keen to learn a new language. That is why you won’t have complaints regarding lesson mismatch or not up to the level of your qualification. As it is evident, they know there way around different materials, activities and exercises, trusting them can never go wrong.
• Source of Motivation
You might have felt that when you are studying alone, you lack motivation. It can either be because there is no inspiration or simply the lessons are dull and boring. In that case, an instructor can help refresh your mind and engage you with interactive lessons to get you back on the track. However, even if you are a self-learner, seeking guidance from a teacher can accelerate the learning process.
• Grammar and Pronunciation Help
As grammar is learnt by constant practice, the pronunciation comes from listening and imitating the words said by a third person. Here, a recorded voice on the language learning applications can be of little or no help. This is because unlike such tools, teachers can emphasize on the part that you are unable to speak. They not only aid you in overcoming your lacking but also explain every tiny bit of a word for greater understanding.
• Feedback on Assessment and Progress
Suppose you are trying to excel in essay writing and do not have someone to evaluate your performance. What will happen? You will think that everything that you have learned is correct. However, when asked by others, they may have a different opinion about the written essay or content. Similar is the case with the language learning. If you learn without a mentor, you would likely pronounce words incorrectly. Precisely, having an instructor guide you and assess you can help a ton. Not only are you deemed to get instant feedback on your exercises but progress as well.
• Immediate QA
Learning with someone capable of giving instant replies is better than the other ways. By having a direct link with a language professional, you can clear the misunderstandings the very next minute it arises. Be it related to the pronunciation, spelling or sentence formation, there is no delay in QA. Moreover, your chances of grasping the correct content are increases with the immediate support of an expert.
• Cultural Insights
With written and verbal knowledge, a language teacher can provide you with other relevant information that you did not know. It can either be about its people, history of the language – how it was found or the most popular sites where you can learn more about their culture. All these things may not be available on the application that you are thinking to opt for. Also, the teacher may share their part of the stories or adventures that are linked with the language, its people or place.
Now, it is up to you to decide whether you want to have a real-life experience teaching you or some electronic device restricting your imaginations.
Is The End Here?
However, if we consider the end of foreign language teachers due to coronavirus, there would be severe consequences. Some of which are stated below.
• Inability to Connect
If schools start firing foreign language teachers, students will have to bear countless losses. One of which is the ability to connect. As learning of a new language means you can communicate with a wider range of audience, you get to build life-long friendships.
• Limited Cognitive Power
People who speak and understand more than one languages have better problem-solving skills, improved memory, and the ability to multitask with enhanced concentration. Also, they tend to be more active as they listen to care what others have to say. So, removing the language course from the degree program might not be the greatest idea.
• Perspective
When you learn a second language it enables you to see things from a different angle. You become broad-minded as you explore the new language, its people and culture. Moreover, it improves your ability to compare two things. Because while learning about another culture, you shed light on your own and find both positives and negatives that you never considered before.
The Takeaway
The epidemiological situation across the entire globe will continue to develop in the coming times. More than 250,000 people have already died due to the COVID-19 and several others at risk of being infected if preventive measures are not followed. Unfortunately, with each crisis, not only the economy falls but each industry bears its fair share of challenges. Besides the business sector, the educational sector has also suspended its operations to contain the coronavirus spread.
Today, as each student is learning online, the language instructors are hopeful that the online tools will cater them until the pandemic is over. Yet, they also fear the consequences. What if the end of the outbreak brings their termination news? Will they ever be able to conduct traditional classes again? No one knows.
But the experts say that the face-to-face learning of a language will never go out of style. It is because not all the learners have the facility to access the internet or own a device in the first place. However, this is the best time for the privileged students to make the most out of the online tools, resources and platforms. They may get to learn the language from a different perspective and improve their self-learning skills.
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