The Fractal Approach to Teaching English As a Foreign Language

By Maurice Claypole

Language is a dynamic process, the hallmarks of which are self-organisation, self-similarity and chaotic determination. Instead of seeking simple solutions to complex problems, teachers and syllabus designers should be reaching out beyond existing course books and methodologies to embrace the lessons learned by other scientific disciplines.

The fractal approach envisages a new paradigm of language based on forms found in nature and indicates a goal-oriented method of developing teaching materials incorporating a holistic view of language acquisition.

This book outlines the theory, presents guidelines for implementing it in the classroom and gives practical examples of the fractal approach in action.

With this approach, Claypole 'steps away from ELT convention and offers a perspective from a very different world... His contribution to the field is definitely worth reading.' - Evan Frendo

• Language: English
• Publisher: LinguaBooks
• Release date: Sep 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781911369042

Book preview

The Fractal Approach to Teaching English As a Foreign Language

THE FRACTAL APPROACH

TO TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

DYNAMISM AND CHANGE IN ELT

Maurice Claypole

Copyright page

The Fractal Approach to Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Dynamism and Change in ELT

Maurice Claypole has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

Copyright © 2010 Maurice Claypole

Layout and design: Copyright © 2010 LinguaBooks

First eBook edition: Copyright © 2016 LinguaBooks

ISBN: 978-1-911369-04-2

A LinguaBooks publication

www.linguabooks.com

www.fractal-approach.com

Acknowledgements and thanks are due to TEFL-China, Warner Bros, BBC Worldwide, Sky News and Springer-Verlag for their kind assistance and permission to reproduce copyright material.

Every effort has been made to trace the holders of intellectual property rights and the publishers will be happy to correct any mistakes or omissions in future editions.

The image on the cover was created by Wolfgang Beyer with the program Ultra Fractal 3 and was retrieved from www.wikimedia.org. It shows step 11 of a Mandelbrot set zoom sequence featuring double spirals with satellites of the second order. The image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

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This book or eBook is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Fractal geometry

Fractal geometry will make you see everything differently... You

risk the loss of your childhood vision of clouds, forests, galaxies,

leaves, feathers, flowers, rocks, mountains, torrents of water,

carpets, bricks, and much else besides.  Never again will your

interpretation of these things be quite the same.

– Michael Barnsley, Fractals Everywhere

About the author

Maurice Claypole BA, MA (Lond), Cert Ed, MCIL, FCollT, AITI, PhD studied at the University of London and other institutions earning his doctorate with a dissertation on the role of artificial intelligence in EFL in 1990.  He has lectured in Technical English at Pforzheim University and in Business English at Nuertingen University and is currently Director of LinguaServe GbR, a language school and translation agency based in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. He is a University of Cambridge Local Examiner for English as a Foreign Language, a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists and of the College of Teachers. As a translator, he is an associate member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting and certified by the German Chamber of Commerce and DIN CertCo. Posts formerly held include chairman of the English Language Teachers Association Stuttgart (ELTAS) and member of the Committee of Management of the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL). Published works include the English version of The Fractal Company, an analysis of the European view of Business Process Reengineering and the Trade Union Interactive, a web-based EFL program incorporating a task-based approach to real-life case studies. He is currently working on a number of blended learning projects designed to integrate the classroom experience with a variety of technologies, including e-learning, streaming video, Skype conferencing and virtual 3D worlds.

Maurice Claypole is a regular contributor to various ELT publications, including English Teaching Matters, Business Issues and CALL Review.

Controversies in ELT, a collection of essays taking a critical stance on a number of topics relating to English Language Teaching was published in February 2010 and Translation in ELT is currently in preparation.

Abstract

Language is a dynamic process, the hallmarks of which are self-organisation, self-similarity and chaotic determination.  Instead of seeking simple solutions to complex problems, teachers and syllabus designers should be looking beyond existing course books to the lessons learned by other scientific disciplines.  This approach gives rise to a new paradigm of language based on forms found in nature and indicates a goal-oriented method of developing teaching materials combined with a holistic view of language acquisition.  In the classroom situation this means greater use of authentic material and an accompanying adjustment of the expectations of both teacher and student. Illustrations are taken from a variety of sources and levels and suggestions made for implementation in the classroom.

The fractal paradigm

What is the difference between the Fractal Approach to ELT

and previous approaches?

The paradigm used in the Fractal Approach...

•        presents more a more dynamic model of the language

•        concentrates on the output rather than the initial state of the language

•        assumes that identical inputs do not necessarily produce identical outputs

•        places more emphasis on non-verbal contributors to meaning

•        accepts more grey areas of acceptability

•        stresses the fleeting nature of the spoken language

•        is rooted outside language

•        sees language as a real-world phenomenon rather than as an artificial construct

•        emphasises