The role of music in young learners oral production

THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN YOUNG LEARNER´S ORAL PRODUCTION

















DANIEL FERNANDO PÉREZ NIÑO

























NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBIA
HUMAN SCIENCES FACULTY
BOGOTÁ
2009
THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN YOUNG LEARNER´S ORAL PRODUCTION












DANIEL FERNANDO PÉREZ NIÑO












ADVISOR

Melba Libia CárdenasPhilology and languages English













NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBIA
HUMAN SCIENCES FACULTY
FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT
BOGOTÁ
2009

CONTENTS



1- INTRODUCTION

1. STATING THE PROBLEM
2. JUSTIFICATION AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS
3. OBJECTIVES
1-3-1 GENERAL OBJECTIVES
2. SPECIFICOBJECTIVES

2- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

1. MUSIC AS AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD
2. YOUNG LEARNER’S LEARNING
3. ORAL PRODUCTION’S THEORIES

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY


3-1 RESEARCH APPROACH

3-2 PARTICIPANTS
3-3 RESEACH PROCEDURES
4. CONTEXT
5. PARTICIPANTS DESCRIPTION6. COLLECTING DATA INSTRUMENTS
7. DATA ANALYSIS AND CODIFICATION
8. RESULTS

4. CONCLUSIONS
5. PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS
6. FURTHER RESEARCH

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANNEX





INTRODUCTION



Learning is a long process, which depends not only on the inner abilities of the student, but also, on the method chosenfor teaching any subject. Although Howard Gardner (1993) in his theory about multiple intelligences said that there are many different ways of learning, we have to take into account our methodology and how we use other disciplines in order to make easier the learning process.


Learning an alternative language is different to learning any different kind of subject. This is the conclusion that Ihad after studying English for almost five years. It is different in the way that you do not learn just structures and vocabulary. While you are learning a foreign language, you are learning the culture involved in that language, and you are learning thousand of years of history behind this language. In other words; you are acquiring a different way of thinking.


That is why learning andteaching a language should be a different process. You cannot teach a language, just by receiving hundreds of information from someone standing in front of the students. You, as a language teacher, have to be smart and using different alternatives to teach the main components of languages such as: Listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. This is not a thing that you can teach only by using ablackboard. A language teacher should use interactive activities in order to generate real language production in their students.


As a language student (in this case English student) I have to say that learning by doing is the best way of learning the components of English. Ludic activities and games are useful to apply what you learn in a specific context; however, there is another way ofteaching English. You can use alternative disciplines in order to teach the language components before mentioned. Some language teachers use science or theater for teaching English or French, but others use music for the same purpose. It was interesting for me to see how music can be applied in the teaching language’s theories and how is the reaction of students by learning a language by using thisdiscipline.

1.1 STATING THE PROBLEM


One thing that we as language researchers have to keep in mind is how we teach a foreign language. We cannot follow the traditional way in which the teacher is in front of their students, writing several structures on the blackboard. This is the typical method used in elementary and high schools, and that is why in these places there is a low...