Year: 2013 | Month: June | volume 3 | Issue 1
Language Learning Through Media: Role of Radio
Abstract: <div>Language learning is based on the mastery of the four basic skills-listening, speaking, reading and writing. The first step in learning any language is listening. All the other skills depend on how far the learner has got the opportunity to listen to the language and that too by authentic speakers of that language. As English language is not the mother tongue (MT) of any group of people in India, so children do not get much practice in listening, as a consequence their speaking skill is also adversely affected. Although new approaches to English teaching like behavioral and humanistic approaches</div><div>provide better scope for practicing these skills but English teaching in Indian schools have not been oriented according to these approaches. The need of the hour is, that our English teachers get well trained in the four basic skills so that they can be a model speaker with accurate pronunciation and accent for their students and are well prepared to use modern techniques and modern approaches to make English teaching interesting and flawless for their students and are well equipped to supplement their classroom English teaching with other medias. Radio is a powerful media at present in our country due to its economic feasibility and its wide broadcasting. It offers the possibility of extensive deployment in education because of available infrastructure and low cost of producing programmes. Radio is the electronic magic carpet that has the capacity to transport educational opportunities to faraway places impacting our social, political and cultural life. Radio broadcast and interactive radio is a very good tool that can serve to supplement class room instruction</div><div>especially of English efficiently and effectively. Radio educational programmes can provide good speakers of English to students and give them a very clear and interesting explanation of grammatical concepts. Interactive radio can help to improve speaking skill. Although Radio broadcast no doubt has its potential in education but it has not been very well accepted and adequately utilized by schools. One of the main reasons of this is that teachers are not sensitive and are not trained to integrate the radio programmes with their class room teaching. The present paper discusses the ways to utilize radio in helping English teacher trainees to master English language in an effective manner and help them to utilize the benefit of radio in English learning of their students.</div>
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