65Course Design and Material Development in Teaching of English:A Report on the Course proposed for First Semester Engineering College Students at CSVTU

Abstract

Abstract

Teaching English to First Semester Engineering College Students is a challenge. The students of first year college are 17-18 years of age. They have done their Higher Secondary School Certificate (matriculation).Before this they had five years of primary education and also Secondary Level (sixth, seventh and eighth years) and Higher Secondary Level (ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth years). The majority comes from regional language medium schools (in Chhattisgarh, it is Hindi). So, they have had six years of English at Secondary and Higher Secondary Levels. Those who come from English medium schools (they are not many) have had 12 years of English. In principle, therefore, they come to first year college with sufficient knowledge of the structure of English and they are supposed to understand and express themselves in work?able English. But in reality, that is not the case. Most students ?do? their English with the main aim to pass their examinations and they are able to do so with the help of bazaar notes (that are published every year before the examinations and are available in the market) and rote-1earning. Even most teaching is geared to prepare the students for the examinations rather than for enabling them to learn the language. Most students, therefore, when they come to college, suddenly realise that they need English if they wish to go for Engineering or Medicine, at least as a library language. They are frustrated when they are confronted with lecture-method teaching of English in the college classrooms. In short, there is always a wide gap in reality between the entry level proficiency (entry competence)-of the first year college students of General English and the take-off point in the teaching of English at college level that invariably results in cumulative language deficit. Therefore, this paper illustrates a report on the course designed and conducted at MM College of Technology for the first semester engineering college students. An attempt is alsomade to develop interesting course material based on this course design and a sample teacher constructed material is presented in this paperwith the focus of effective learning and teaching.