EFL learners at a secondary school in Thailand - Literature Assignment

Internal Code: MAS6502

Literature Assignment:

Adapting the teaching method for EFL by involving scaffolding is something that teachers can do. Scaffolding is a technique used in teaching practice which can be used in various ways to teach the content and reach the learning objective at the students’ grade level. The teacher should be able to identify when and how to use scaffolding and who it is best to use it for. However, scaffolding can also be used in an activity in class depending on the task assigned and the teaching approach used by the teacher. The scaffolding strategy can involve the use of the first language (L1) during instruction. When teachers use the target language (English) in class, there can be problems of misunderstandings and misconceptions. To overcome this, the teacher can scaffold their students’ learning by switching from the target language to the first language to help explain a particular point and make the learning activity go more smoothly. A study of EFL teachers teaching English at a graduate level in the province of Punjab in Pakistan found that the reason a good reason for a teacher to use L1 when teaching EFL learners is to express themselves clearly and better explain the grammatical features and lexical items in the text (MS, 2015). Also, the use of L1 in an EFL class can help the learners’ language acquisition of the target language, as it encourages them to participate and interact thus giving them confidence and helping them learn more easily and faster (Rios, 2013). However, although L1 is a tool or device that can be used for the benefit of EFL teaching, it should be used in a limited manner and with purpose at appropriate times and places such as for translation or explanation.