Chapter XV Extra-Curricular Work

 

Extra-curricular work in foreign languages becomes more and more popular. This the subject recently published are a proof of the popularity of this work among foreign language teachers and its importance in attain­ing the aims and objectives set by the syllabus. However there are many schools where teachers either do not carry out extra-curricular work at all, or do if occasionally and monoto­nously. They probably think that work of this kind is not obligatory; it is just additional, therefore they may do it only if time permits. These teachers do not realize that their success in foreign language leaching depends lo a great extent on what interest they can evoke in their pupils.

Practice proves that extra-curricular work helps the teacher to promote greater interest in learning the language. It is necessary to bear in mind that extra-curricular work in our schools must be an integral part of the educational process. It is a mistake, therefore, lo consider this work as optional, additional.

THE ROLE OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR WORK IN LANGUAGE LEARNING IN SCHOOL

At present the Soviet Union is extending its international, economic, political, scientific, and cultural ties. The prac­tical knowledge of foreign languages becomes therefore a ne­cessity. Thus, the aims of foreign language teaching in schools are to develop pupils' ability lo speak and read in a foreign language. The curriculum emphasizes it. It is ob­vious that extra-curricular work is of great importance under such conditions: it gives an opportunity to create a language atmosphere for pupils; besides, pupils consider the language not as a school subject but as a means of communication, they use it to understand or to be understood in a situation where only English could be used, for example, when corresponding with children of foreign countries, meeting a foreign delega­tion, seeing sound films in the English language, listening to English songs, issuing school wall-newspapers, etc. Extra­curricular work helps the teacher to stimulate his pupils' interest in the target language. The language becomes alive to them. Extra-curricular work is of great educational value. The teacher can give his pupils a broader knowledge in geog­raphy, history, literature and art of the English-speaking countries.

Finally, extra-curricular work in a foreign language helps the teacher in fostering proletarian internationalism. Cor­respondence with the children of foreign countries provides the fulfilment of this task to a certain extent.

The experience of the best school teachers proves that extra-curricular work can be of great value and it is helpful in all respects if it is carefully organized, the material is thoroughly selected, and if the teacher can encourage his pupils to work hard at the target language by using modern methods and techniques of teaching.

 

HOW TO ORGANIZE EXTRA-CURRICULAR WORK IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

In organizing non-class activities for pupils the teacher should bear in mind that work of this type differs greatly from that carried out during the class period both in form and content, though it is closely connected with it. Indeed, the class-work must prepare pupils for non-class activities. For example, during the lessons pupils in the 5th, 6th forms as­similate the following sentence patterns.

Give me (him, her, us)... a.... Take...I Have you...? Is it a...? Has he (she)...?

During extra-curricular work the teacher suggests the pupils should play lotto or a guessing game where these sentence patterns are needed.

Extra-curricular work is voluntary. However, for those who wish to lake part in this work it becomes obligatory. Since through extra-curricular work the teacher can raise the level of the pupils' command of the language in general, it is bad practice to draw only the best, bright pupils into the work, as some of the methodologists and teachers recom­mend. No marks are given to the participants for non-class activities, although the teacher keeps a careful record of the work done by each of them. The results of extra-curric­ular work done can be evaluated when the school holds contests, pioneer assemblies, reviews of wall-newspapers, amateur art reviews, pleasure parties, etc., in the foreign language.

Since extra-curricular work is voluntary and based upon pupils' activity, initiative and creativeness, the Young Pioneer and Young Communist League Organizations should render help to the teacher to carry out this work. The teacher recommends various kinds of non-class activities to his pupils, selects the material and elaborates methods and techniques as to how this or that work should be carried out. The Young Pioneer and Young Communist League Organi­zations choose participants in accordance with their aptitude, and keep a record of the work done. Extra-curricular work may be closely connected with the work of the Young Pioneer Unit. It cannot be fulfilled, however, within the framework of the Unit only.

Since extra-curricular work is voluntary and based 0:1 active and creative work of school organizations and individ­ual pupils, when organizing non-class activities the teacher ought lo take into consideration the fact that the motive [or the activities is the interest the teacher stimulates in his pupils for learning the language both during class-periods and extra-curricular work.

It is quite obvious the teacher may succeed in promoting greater interest for studying the language provided he works skillfully in class, explaining new material in a clear and comprehensive way, using various methods and devices lo make his pupils active and interested in the work done, applying audio-visual aids, preparing exercises which give the pupils satisfaction of a job well done, making them feel their own progress in the target language after every lesson.

In carrying out extra-curricular work various forms should be used so that the majority of the class is able lo take part in it. The following forms of extra-curricular work are used at schools: individual, group and mass work.

Group work includes: (1) 'hobby' groups that work systematically; they are: play and game sections, chorus section, conversation section, reading and translation hobby groups, drama section, literature and art sections; (2) groups for temporary activities, namely to make up an album, to make a display-stand or a bookstand with English books and booklets, to illustrate a story read, lo organize a school library, etc.

Mass work includes: the organization and holding of a pioneer assembly in the foreign language; talks in that language; pleasure parties, conferences, Olympiads and con­tests, excursions lo films in a foreign language with follow­ing discussion; dramatization of the stories read; holding of guessing games; issuing wall-newspapers; making up school display-stands, etc. One of the most entertaining types of mass work that wins more and more popularity among pu­pils is с 1 u b work. The foreign language club gives an opportunity to have natural situations for communication in the foreign language. The work of the club may contrib­ute to international friendship among young people, as one of the main activities of the members of the club is estab­lishing contacts with foreign friends, mainly through cor­respondence. Sometimes guests from foreign countries may be invited to view performances of the club, in which case direct association with foreigners is established. Club work is varied in form and content. The work of English clubs is observed in „Иностранные языки в школе" and some other journals.

The club work of one of the.Moscow schools is a good example. Many pupils of the school took part in the club work. They worked in different sections, for example, the section of philatelists which made interesting stamp al­bums, or the section of young naturalists, who got different seeds from remote corners of the world. Its members grew flowers in the flower-beds of the school garden.

Unfortunately there are but few clubs in our schools. Teach­ers underestimate this mass work in foreign languages, and do not realize that work of this kind is of great educational and practical value.

To organize both class and non-class activities of pupils properly it is necessary to have a special classroom for the study of the foreign language. The classroom must be decorat­ed with portraits of revolutionaries, writers, poets, artists, composers, and other outstanding people of the countries whose language the pupils study. Decorations should be regularly changed, otherwise pupils get used to them and no longer notice them. Besides, changing decorations will help teachers to mark current events in life (e. g., centenary of some writer, scientist, or the visit of a prominent government leader lo our country). The room must be equipped with modern technical aids, such as a tape-recorder, an opaque projector, a film strip projector, a film projector, etc., and a set of slides, tapes, films, film-strips. The teachers should regularly enrich (his stock. Л map of the country whose language we study should be a permanent visual aid in class. There must be a book-case in the room with books in foreign languages, the stock of books being regularly increased, too. There must be various visual aids such as lotto, dominoes and other games in the room. To crown it all, a notice-board which shows pupils' activities must be hung there. On the notice-board one might find lists of pupils engaged in sec­tions, non-class activity programmes in the foreign language, hobby group work schedule, lists of recommended literature for independent reading.

 

THE CONTENT OF EXTRA-CURRICULAR WORK

AND HOW TO CONDUCT IT

The content of extra-curricular work is determined by the tasks set for each form by the syllabus, pupils' interests and their age characteristics. "For example, after the pupils have assimilated the linguistic material of lesson! (A. P. Starkov, R. R. Dixon) of the text-book for the fifth form, during non-class activities the pupils are told to-use those words and sentence patterns they have assimilated in a talk during tea. Some of the girls are told to lay the table.

The pupils have learned the following words:

1)lea, milk, water;

2)bread, butter, apples, sugar, salt, pepper, fish, meat, soup;

3)lay the table, be ready, pass, prepare, serve, have breakfast, have tea, have dinner, for breakfast, pour, spread (the table-cloth), wash, clean, help, put, please, thank you;

4)spoon, fork, knife (knives), plate, dish, saucer, cup.

The following words may be added:

1)coffee, cocoa;

2)sweets, gruel, sausage, cake;

3)brown, white (bread);

4)clear (the table), wash (dishes).

Help yourself. Not at all. Don't mention it.

The following conversation may take place: 1. While the girls are laying the table

—Get some bread and put it on the table, please.

—What bread shall I get?

—The white bread.

—We have white bread. We do not like to have brown bread for breakfast. We have it for dinner.

—Now get some butter and sugar and put them on the table, too.

 

—Where is the sugar-basin?

—1 don't know.

—Oh, I see the sugar-basin there with sugar in it.

—Is the tea ready?

—Yes, it is.

—Do we have milk on the table?

—Yes, we do.

The girls ask the teacher and the children to lake their seats at the table.

— Take your seats, please. Everything is ready.

2. At table

—Do you prefer tea or milk?

—I like milk better.

—As for me, I don't like milk. I like coffee.

—Do you like sugar in your milk?

—No, I don't like sugar in my milk.

—Which do you like better, fish or meat?

—1 like fish. And you, N.?

—I like meat better.

. — Give me some bread, please.

—Here you are.

—Thank you.

—Not at 'all.

The material covered and that which has been introduced is reviewed and learned beforehand.

In the 8th form, after the pupils have learned the linguistic material of "Great Britain", the following work may be done. It may be connected with travelling about the country. The map of Great Britain should be used on this occasion, but not the one that was used during the lesson. The work should be done so that it permits the pupils to broaden their knowl­edge in geography and learn some additional words and expressions. They may travel by air and sea, by train and by car or bus, and even on foot.

In the 9th form the text "London" gives pupils an opportu­nity to learn and become familiar with the map of London, its places of interest, its monuments, great people who lived there, etc. There are slides, film-strips, post-cards, and films about London which are to be used to foster pupils' interest.

Texts dealing with the life and deeds of outstanding people should be used for deepening pupils' knowledge and develop­ing their interest in language learning. Here are some exam­ples which illustrate the use of such forms of work as round table conferences.

An extremely valuable round-table conference on the theme "How V. I. Lenin Studied Foreign Languages" \v,-; arranged in one of the secondary schools of Riga. V. 1. Lenin's experience in studying Russian, Old Slavonic, Latin, Greek, German, French, Ukrainian, English, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Czech, Finnish and Bulgarian was discussed by the pupils of the 9th form and could not but encourage the pupils to study languages.

A similar conference on the theme "V. I. Lenin Abroad" was arranged in the 10th forms of the same school. The con­ference was arranged as follows: nine "delegations" from various countries occupied their seats around a nicely decorat­ed table. In front of each delegation was a small flag of the ir­respective country and the name of this country: USSR, Great Britain. Poland, Finland, Germany, France, Switzerland. Czechoslovakia and the flag of the Latvian SSR. The delegates spoke Russian, Latvian, German, English, French, Czech, Polish, and Finnish. Some interpreters were also present. The actual air of an international gathering pervaded the hall. The pupils had prepared their speeches in the given languages carefully and the participants were most attentive when their classmates, began to speak an unfamiliar lan­guage.

A third example, illustrating the injected international character of foreign language teaching dealt with Rockwell Kent. A press conference on the theme "Rockwell Kent's gift to the Soviet Union" look place in the 10th form. The purpose of choosing this type of lesson was to excite the pu­pils' interest in learning English. The process of the lesson can be described as follows. At the beginning of the lesson a tape-recorder was switched on and a noise peculiar to such gatherings filled the classroom.

Teacher: We are present at a press conference organized by the Ministry of Culture of the USSR. Some American correspondents have been invited to this conference.

Chairman: This press conference is dedicated to Rockwell Kent. My task is to announce the news of his gift to the Soviet people. The famous American artist and author R. Kent was a great fighter for peace, a great friend of the Soviet Union. He died on March 12. 1971, at the age of 88. Long before his death R. Kent presented a large collection of his paintings, drawings, and books to the Soviet Union.-

Secretary: Some years ago there was an exhi­bition of R. Kent's paintings in the Soviet Union. The pictures were exhibited in many cities and everywhere the people showed great interest in them. R. Kent's books have been translated into Russian and Latvian. Now you will see some illustrations to the Latvian trans­lation of his book "Skarba pirmatniba". (The pictures were projected, on a screen.)

A participant of the conference: For R. Kent painting was a means of communication, a form of speech. He met understanding and friendship in our country. R. Kent said: "Art belongs to those who love it most, and I want the Soviet people to have all my life's work."

A participant of the conference: Why has R. Kent not presented his paintings to the American people? Why didn't he ask an American mu­seum to take his pictures?

A progressive American correspond­ent: Several years ago he asked the Farnsworth Mu­seum in Rockland lo lake his collection. The director of the museum said they would be glad to receive such a wonderful collection. But soon after that R. Kent was asked to Washington by the McCarthy Committee where he was questioned about his political views. He refused to answer the questions. Immediately after this event the museum refused to take his pictures.

Chairman: Why did the American museum re­fuse-to take R. Kent's collection?

A reactionary American corre­spondent: I am a correspondent of the New York Times. I express the opinion of the ruling classes of our country. R. Kent visited the Soviet Union and found many friends there. He supported the communist ideol­ogy. He has presented many paintings to Soviet Russia. But who cares?

Chairman: A correspondent of the progressive magazine Novy World Review wants to answer your ques­tion, Mr. Green.

The correspondent: The fact is, that many people in America do care. People, who are tired of the cold war and who want peace and friendship, understand the purpose of R. Kent's gift and are happy about it. Extracts from his books were read and more illus­trations projected.

A few words should be said about additional material to cover the topic. There are several points of view on the sub­ject. Some teachers believe that extra-curricular work must only consolidate the linguistic material the pupils assimilate during classes and the task is to develop their speech habits on the material covered. So it is not necessary to give any additional material for the pupils to learn. There are some objections to this point of view. It is necessary that pupils should learn something new during non-class activities. Otherwise it will be difficult to stimulate their interest and make them active and anxious to do the work. Besides, it is difficult to make up natural situations to use the language as a means of communication within the material studied during the lesson. Everything must be done to provide fa­vourable conditions for "the pupils to speak, read, and write in a foreign language for their own needs. They need words and sentence patterns which they may use. And it is the teacher who should always be ready to help them. He shows the pupils how to apply their knowledge to the purpose. He presents some new words or structures which are neces­sary for this particular situation. The teacher need not be afraid of presenting some new material. Pupils will defi­nitely memorize it, if the new material is connected with their activity, their interests, their emotions and feelings. Of course, the material presented must be limited in amount, care­fully selected, and necessary for the given situations. Conse­quently some fresh material which is necessary to express a certain situation must be presented to pupils. And they will be able to assimilate it, as it will be closely connected with their activities.

Others think that extra-curricular work requires special linguistic material which may or may not be connected with the material the syllabus involves. These teachers are mis­taken, too. The success of extra-curricular work depends on many factors:

(1) the correlation of extra-curricular work with class work;

(2) the vividness of situations in which the additional material is needed;

) the enthusiasm of the pupils when new material is introduced.

Therefore extra-curricular work must be based upon class-work. Some linguistic material should be added.

In conclusion it is necessary to say that little is done in selecting material suitable for the purpose in each form for conducting extra-curricular work successfully. However, there is a lot of material for the teacher to use for extra-curricular work and he can choose the one he needs.

Methods and techniques the teacher uses for conducting extra-curricular work must aim at developing pupils' ini­tiative and creative power, on the one hand, and for provid­ing language surroundings, natural situations, making pupils use the language for their practical needs, on the other.
The role of the teacher is to set up a goal, to draw up a plan to supply his pupils with necessary material and help them whenever they are in difficulty. All the rest is done by the pupils themselves. The more they do themselves the better for them. It is necessary that the pupils of senior forms should help the pupils of junior forms. For example, a pupil is learn­ing a poem by heart which he will recite at a pleasure party. The teacher asks one of his senior pupils to help the child. Or many boys are known to be fond of mechanical aids. Why not employ them in demonstrating a film slide or a film? Of course, first they must be taught how to do it.

To sum this up we must say:

1.Extra-curricular work in a foreign language is an in­separable part of educational work, proceeding from the aims the syllabus sets.

2.Various forms of extra-curricular work should he de­veloped in schools to involve as many pupils as possible.

3.Technical aids should be extensively utilized to make the work interesting and effective.

4.Study of progressive experience both in our schools and schools abroad is one of the main tasks for the further development of extra-curricular work.

5.Carrying out investigations dealing with the content and methods of extra-curricular work is one of the main prob­lems to be solved.

 

Recommended Literature:

Программы средней школы. Объяснительна записка.

Oбщая методика обучения иностранным языкам в средней школе. Под ред. А. А. Миролюбива.

Questions for Discussion:

1.Extra-curricular work can stimulate pupils' desire lo learn a for­eign language. How?

2.Extra-curricular work should be closely connected with class work. Give some examples to support it.

3.Extra-curricular activities provide excellent grounds for the political upbringing of pupils. Give some examples to illustrate it.

4.Extra-curricular work permits the teacher to get to know his pupils more intimately thereby creating more favourable conditions for class work. Do you agree with it? Support your answer with some examples.

5.If you had to conduct extra-curricular work, how would you begin?

Activities:

1.Prepare a press-conference programme.

2..Make a report on the club work in a local school of your choice.