R.F. Zhussupova, K.M. Nabiyeva

L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University

Teaching English language to gifted students of journalism speciality in L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan

 

This article presents a perspective on teaching English language to gifted students of journalism speciality in L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, Kazakhstan. It displays various definitions of giftedness, and strategies in teaching English to gifted students.

The article also concerns with English language activities and exercises that further promote and develop students’ foreign language proficiency as well as their knowledge of professional terms regarding their speciality. Moreover, it reports on incorporating a set of books into the English language curriculum for gifted students of journalism speciality: “Cambridge English for the Media” and “Grouchy grammarian: a how-not-to guide to the 47 most common mistakes in English made by journalists, broadcasters, and others who should know better”.

Key words: giftedness, language learning strategies, motivation, journalism

Introduction

Journalism is by all means an important profession, and it requires a lot of skills from a journalist. Nowadays one of those skills is English language proficiency. Indeed, a foreign journalist apart from professional competences must possess a fair knowledge of English language. One doesn’t have to imagine the convenience of knowing English language and its application in professional purposes. The news are being broadcast 24/7, and keeping up-to-date with all the world’s events is possible only with a good command of English language. Another reason to know English for a foreign journalist is an opportunity to work with international news agencies where knowing English is a necessity.

Creating opportunities for gifted students is always a key to the country’s prosperity and fortune as it is an investment into the future of the country. The general giftedness is the foundation for the development of special giftedness. The hypothesis about the existence of general giftedness was pointed out by the English psychologist Francis Galton in the middle of XIX century. And in 1929 Charles Spearman presented the two factor intelligence theory which explained the high degree of correlations in diverse tests by the general factor of mental energy, i.e. the majority of special factors define the success of implementation of a certain test.  For a long time there have been many discussions among the proponents of  quantitative evaluation of primary abilities (Edward Lee Thorndike, Louis Leon Thurstone) and the proponents of “general factor” (Hans Eysenck, Cyrul Burt and others). Thanks to the researches of J. Guilford, E. Torrance and D. Bogoyavlenskaya psychology distinguishes two types of general giftedness: intellectual and creative giftedness (creativity) [1, 16-20].

Defining students’ linguistic giftedness

Giftedness is a term used synonymously with labels such as “high intelligence” or “aptitude or talent” to describe specific pupil behavior. Intelligence is thought to be an immutable constant that is distributed normally throughout a population.  Gagné (2003) asserts that gifted students are those whose potential is distinctly above average in one or more of the domains of human ability, such as intellectual, creative, social or physical [2, 10].

More specific to language learning, Piirto (1999) summarises the characteristics of gifted learners pertaining to Social Studies and Language Arts as enjoying language/verbal communication, engaging in intellectual play, enjoying puns, having a good sense of humour, organising ideas and sequences in preparation for speaking and writing, suspending judgement, entertaining alternative points of view, being original and creative, being sensitive to social, ethical and moral issues, liking independent study and research in areas of interest, and using these qualities in writing: paradox, parallel structure, rhythm, visual imagery, melodic combinations, reverse structure and unusual adjectives/adverbs [2, 24].

Eysenck and Barrett (1993) comment that giftedness nearly always involves high IQ, although other factors are acknowledged. Giftedness is a term used synonymously with labels such as 'high intelligence' or 'aptitude or talent' to describe specific pupil behaviour. Intelligence is thought to be an immutable constant that is distributed normally throughout a population [3, 79].

Heller (1992) provides a working definition: “Giftedness is thus defined as the individual cognitive and motivational potential for – as well as social and cultural conditions of – achieving excellent performance in one or more area such as in mathematics, languages, or artistic areas with regard to difficult theoretical vs practical tasks”. This broad definition, which presents giftedness as a range of cognitive and affective behaviours, a combination of these may need to be present in the more successful language learner who consequently may be described as gifted, and the presence of certain characteristics in some learners may indicate or predict future gifted performance [4, 49].

Some aspects of foreign language learning are explained by cognitive theory, in that cognitive learning accounts for a learner developing procedurally, by being provided with opportunities to practise using what they know, and so gradually improving their performance. Anderson (1983) points out: "Human intelligence comes from both having the right knowledge and making it available at the right time" (p. 69). Cognitive theorists of foreign language learning including Anderson (op.cit.), McLaughlin (1983), Rumelhart and McClelland (1986) and Bialystok (1990) are interested in the processes involved in learning the foreign language and generally believe that linguistic information is one type of information processed by the brain [3, 50].

A second definition includes 'creativity', measured usually by divergent tests such as unusual word associations. Creativity can be interpreted as both a trait and a product according to Eysenck (1993) who expresses the view that high intelligence, persistence and motivation are needed to create an original piece of work. Specific skill areas or aptitudes can be identified early and affective behaviours such as motivation, a fundamental aspect of giftedness, according to Renzulli (1986), should be monitored. Heller (1993) backs up this view that a combination of intelligence and creativity predictors lead to a better prognosis of outstanding achievement [3, 80].

Freeman (1998) asserts that the essentials for a gifted learner to enable them to develop creativity in their field include: motivation, knowledge, opportunity, creative teaching style and encouragement, acceptance of one's personality and the courage to be different. Renzulli (1978) refers to three common characteristics: above average intelligence, creativity and perseverance, which are present in individuals judged to be exceptional [3, 23]. Johnson (2001) explores one characteristic: the influence of attitude and refers to 'need achievement'. "It may be that people tend to divide themselves into “high achievers" and "low achievers" in general. The "high achievers" strive to do well at everything, including learning languages" [5, 134].

Strategy-based approach in teaching English to gifted students

A strategic approach, which takes the initiative regarding foreign language teaching and learning, is a predictive rather than reactive model of foreign language learning planning. It responds in a practical way to the language needs for the twenty first century and could ultimately be responsible for steering the future form and focus of language learning at an operational level in education.

A variety of methods can be used to address the educational needs of gifted students, and it is important to match the student to the program. Ideally, a school should offer a continuum of services, or an array of services that vary in types and intensity. Services should address different learning styles, learning paces, and levels of content. Descriptions of programming options are typically offered for gifted students with references to supporting research.

Acceleration—the process of allowing high-ability students to progress through school curriculum at a rate faster than the average. These students are able to cover the same amount of material, with the same degree of understanding as students in a regular classroom setting, but in a shorter time frame. Teachers of the gifted need to be aware of the nature of motivation and note any observable variations, which may result in an acceleration or deceleration of pupil progress in foreign language learning and level of competence and performance. Motivation could be a strong predictor of the gifted, creative linguist whose rate and depth of learning intensifies as a result of consistently high levels of motivation towards the target foreign language and culture. They may continue to maintain interest and persevere with the long-term learning of a foreign language when the short-term tasks become cognitively more demanding [6].

Differentiation—the modification of instruction based on a student's academic needs. The content, process, product, or learning environment can be modified to address the needs of the learner. For example, working with a mixed ability group can be a challenging call for any teacher. Coming up with a range of different tasks for such kind of class would be a smart solution. Tomlinson and Imbeau (2010) describe differentiation as creating a balance between academic content and students' individual needs. They suggest that this balance is achieved by modifying four specific elements related to curriculum:

Content — the information and skills that students need to learn

Process — how students make sense of the content being taught

Product — how students demonstrate what they have learned

Affect — the feelings and attitudes that affect students' learning. These curriculum-related factors are based on student need in three areas:

Readiness — students' preparation for learning specific information or skills

Interest — what appeals to students and thus motivates them to learn

Learning Profile — how students approach the task of learning

The goal of differentiated instruction is to create learning opportunities that make allowances for differences in how individual students learn in order to ensure equal access to important academic content. Content may be modified for students who need additional practice with essential elements before moving on; however, the expectation is that modifications in other areas will ultimately allow all students to master the same key content [7].

Enrichment—provides students with experiences in regular classrooms that are additional or supplemental to the established curriculum. The enrichment experiences are planned with students' particular needs and abilities in mind.  Tangherlini and Durden (op.cit.) comment on the paucity of provision for good linguists within good education programmes: "The good education tradition has contributed precious little to the practice of foreign language instruction: in fact, one of the least effective methods foreign language "enrichment" - derives from the good tradition. Nothing is a purer waste of time than programs which encourage dabbling in a variety of foreign languages" [8, 435]. They reinforce the value in encouraging pupils to communicate with what they know to develop 'inner speech' which lends support to the use of the theories of Vygotsky (1978) in the foreign language classroom. Correction of errors should be minimal initially and come later with more formal instruction. They appear to discourage the introduction of more foreign languages, which seems unnecessary unless there are strategic reasons [9].

Practical implementation of the Strategy-based approach in teaching English to gifted students of journalism speciality

We see the reflection of the strategy-based approach in introducing into the classroom such books as “Cambridge English for the Media” and “Grouchy grammarian: a how-not-to guide to the 47 most common mistakes in English made by journalists, broadcasters, and others who should know better”.

First of all, the textbook “Cambridge English for the Media” has been specifically designed for teaching students of journalism speciality. The book consists of eight wholesome units: Newspapers, Radio, Magazines, Television, Film, New Media, Advertising, Marketing. These units are also divided into sub-units and are aimed at revealing student’s linguistic potential. The book focuses the attention on the development of four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing, and students get to practice English in full swing [10].

Another book we suggest for teaching journalists is “Grouchy grammarian: a how-not-to guide to the 47 most common mistakes in English made by journalists, broadcasters, and others who should know better”. Unlike the first book we mentioned this one is focused on grammatical and lexical nuances of English language. The author Thomas Parrish points out that mistakes that are often made by journalists. Thus, it is a great source for young journalists to get acquainted with the examples this book provides [11].

Activities and exercises for students of journalism speciality: creating cohesion in texts, writing introductions and conclusions, expressing modality, planning for writing a newspaper article, planning the agenda of a news broadcast, writing a film review, brainstorming sessions, a project vision statement etc.

Conclusion

The proposed activities and exercises provide a significant efficiency in English teaching for students of journalism speciality. The strategy-based approach reveals students’ linguistic potential, and further develops four basic language skills: listening, speaking, writing and reading. The books suggested in this article for teaching English to journalists can be used separately or in conjunction to cater for the needs of gifted students.

References

1.                                                                             Galskova, N.D. Modern methods of Foreign language Teaching: Teacher’s Book [Text]. – Ì.: ÀRÊÒI, 2000. – 165 p.

2.                                                                             Duygu Işpinar Akçayoğlu. Exploring the role of strategies-based language instruction in teaching English to young gifted learners.  A PhD dissertation Adana, 2011 – 206 p.

3.     Hilary Faulkner. Predicting Gifted Foreign Language Learning and Performance. University of Nottingham, 2003. – 366 pages.

4.     Heller Κ.A. (1989) Perspectives on the diagnosis of giftedness. The German Journal of Psychology. 13(2): (pp. 140-59).

5.     Johnson, K. (2001). An introduction to foreign language learning and teaching. Harlow: Pearson.

6.     VanTassel-Baska, J. (2004). The acceleration of gifted students' programs and curricula. In Karnes.

7.     Tomlinson, C.A., & Imbeau, M.B. (2010). Leading and managing a differentiated classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

8.     Tangherlini, A. and Durden, W. (1993) 'Strategies/or nurturing verbal talents in youth: the word as discipline and mystery'. in Heller, K.,Monks, F. and Passow, A.H. (ed) (1993) International handbook of research and development of giftedness and talent. Oxford: Pergamon pp.427-442.

9.     Vygotsky, L. (1978) Mind in Society: The development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

10.  Nick Ceramella, Elizabeth Lee, Jeremy Day (2008). Cambridge English for the Media. Student’s book with audio CD. Cambridge, United Kingdom.

11.  Thomas Parrish. (2002). Grouchy grammarian: A How-Not-To Guide to the 47 Most Common Mistakes in English Made by Journalists, Broadcasters, and Others Who Should Know Better. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.