The Communicative Approach, and "Authentic" Texts
The approach to language learning that is utilized in this class is what is known as the "Communicative" Approach. Simply stated, this approach emphasizes using English as a medium of communication, using the language as a TOOL rather than an object of study. This is in strong contrast to other traditional approaches, especially those used in Korea, that focus on learning ABOUT the language rather than USING the language. One major feature of this approach is that it is primarily student-centered, rather than being teacher-centered. In other words, there is a strong emphasis on the students being active participants and initiators of communication instead of being passive recipients of "information" provided by the teacher; the teacher functions more as a facilitator rather than a knowledge provider.
As a corollary of the Communicative Approach is the importance of using "AUTHENTIC language materials". By "authentic" is meant language materials that are used by and for native speakers themselves, materials that were not specifically generated for the purpose of teaching English to non-native speakers. And along with the importance of using authentic materials has come a focus on authentic language situations, or what can be called "authentic communicative TASKS".
Another development in the teaching of English as a second language is the growing recognition of the role of CULTURE in language learning, so that "second culture learning" goes along with second language learning, and this is now accepted as a legitimate aspect of language acquisition.
Authentic materials that can be used in language teaching/learning would include newspaper and magazine articles, short stories, movies and TV shows, even TV commercials. One excellent and often overlooked source of authentic language texts is song lyrics. The immense corpus of popular song lyrics provides an almost inexhaustible source of authentic English language text materials that can be utilized by the language teacher in many contexts and at different language proficiency levels.
There are a number of reasons why I think the use of popular song lyrics as text can be a fruitful focus in teaching both language and culture. First, simply stated, everyone likes songs, so song lyrics are generally more appealing than other types of texts and can be a pleasant alternative or addition in any class. Although this is by no means the major reason for utilizing this approach, it does not hurt that in general students find song lyrics less boring than straight language texts.
Another important feature of song lyrics is that they can be approached from a literary point of view as poetry. Although seldom considered by mainstream academics to be "real" poetry, the fact is that songs are indeed poetry, and function as the poetry of the masses. Certainly not all pop songs are good poetry, but then not all that is written as poetry is "good" poetry either, and there are certainly plenty of examples of masterfully composed song having real literary quality.
Another reason that song lyrics can be seen as providing authentic language material is the fact that they are generally written in the common idiomatic language, and since they are the "poetry of the common man" the vocabulary is not particularly difficult. Popular songs often utilize highly idiomatic modes of expression indicative of contemporary colloquial styles of speech, and this provides interesting contextualized material for language study. Here the instructor needs to prepare the material carefully and must be able to explain the socio-linguistic context, the social levels of usage, and the implications and connotations of the vocabulary and grammatical forms used in the song.
While there are certainly universal themes to be found in many songs, there are also themes grounded in the specific culture, which offer valuable insights into the values and attitudes, the passions and preoccupations, the issues and conflicts of the society and the age. This aspect of the use of lyrics as text is especially useful in English courses within programs of Anglo-American studies. Accordingly, song texts can sometimes offer an intriguing view into the historical, political and emotional context of a society. It is for these reasons that I consider popular songs to be "windows" providing us with a unique view onto the culture and the times.
As a corollary of the Communicative Approach is the importance of using "AUTHENTIC language materials". By "authentic" is meant language materials that are used by and for native speakers themselves, materials that were not specifically generated for the purpose of teaching English to non-native speakers. And along with the importance of using authentic materials has come a focus on authentic language situations, or what can be called "authentic communicative TASKS".
Another development in the teaching of English as a second language is the growing recognition of the role of CULTURE in language learning, so that "second culture learning" goes along with second language learning, and this is now accepted as a legitimate aspect of language acquisition.
Authentic materials that can be used in language teaching/learning would include newspaper and magazine articles, short stories, movies and TV shows, even TV commercials. One excellent and often overlooked source of authentic language texts is song lyrics. The immense corpus of popular song lyrics provides an almost inexhaustible source of authentic English language text materials that can be utilized by the language teacher in many contexts and at different language proficiency levels.
There are a number of reasons why I think the use of popular song lyrics as text can be a fruitful focus in teaching both language and culture. First, simply stated, everyone likes songs, so song lyrics are generally more appealing than other types of texts and can be a pleasant alternative or addition in any class. Although this is by no means the major reason for utilizing this approach, it does not hurt that in general students find song lyrics less boring than straight language texts.
Another important feature of song lyrics is that they can be approached from a literary point of view as poetry. Although seldom considered by mainstream academics to be "real" poetry, the fact is that songs are indeed poetry, and function as the poetry of the masses. Certainly not all pop songs are good poetry, but then not all that is written as poetry is "good" poetry either, and there are certainly plenty of examples of masterfully composed song having real literary quality.
Another reason that song lyrics can be seen as providing authentic language material is the fact that they are generally written in the common idiomatic language, and since they are the "poetry of the common man" the vocabulary is not particularly difficult. Popular songs often utilize highly idiomatic modes of expression indicative of contemporary colloquial styles of speech, and this provides interesting contextualized material for language study. Here the instructor needs to prepare the material carefully and must be able to explain the socio-linguistic context, the social levels of usage, and the implications and connotations of the vocabulary and grammatical forms used in the song.
While there are certainly universal themes to be found in many songs, there are also themes grounded in the specific culture, which offer valuable insights into the values and attitudes, the passions and preoccupations, the issues and conflicts of the society and the age. This aspect of the use of lyrics as text is especially useful in English courses within programs of Anglo-American studies. Accordingly, song texts can sometimes offer an intriguing view into the historical, political and emotional context of a society. It is for these reasons that I consider popular songs to be "windows" providing us with a unique view onto the culture and the times.