An Effective Use of Eclectic Approach in Teaching English as Second Language in India

Abstract

English is the language required by the world for greater understanding and it is the most international of languages. For over a century and a half, Indian intellectuals have been studying English. Today English has entered the fabric of India’s culture. We Indians are not native speakers of English: to us English is a second language. So, learning it is not as natural as it is to the native speakers. English is a source language as well as a link language. It has enriched our own languages; it enables us to have easy access to modern knowledge within the country and outside our country. Over the years there have been different methods employed for the teaching of English as a second language, each of which is more or less discarded in due course as a new method or approach takes its place. This article aims at exploring one of the modern approaches, named, Eclectic Approach, in teaching and learning English as a second language in India. No teacher can assert that a particular approach is the only one that he / she must use. It is important for the teacher to find out which approach will enable him / her to realize a particular objective under a set of specific circumstances. This Eclectic approach enables the teacher to choose his / her own style of teaching according to the capacity of the learners. This paper tries to expose the effective use of Eclectic Approach in ESL classroom as well as in English Literature classroom.