Unit 4
Unit 4
Unit 4
There have been many different methods of teaching introduced over the years.
Here are some of the main methods which are used for Teaching English as
Foreign Language.
The Grammar-Translation method: Students have to memorise grammar rules and
vocabulary and practise by translating sentences from their mother tongue into the
foreign language. There is little time spent developing oral skills.
The Direct Method or Oral method or Natural method: This method advocates
teaching in only the target language. This method also focuses on teaching oral
skills, practice in having conversations, and improving pronunciation. Writing and
reading is developed later. Grammar is learnt using the inductive approach.
The Audio-Lingual method: This is a drilling method where a student listens and
then repeats. Students practise different dialogues for different situations.
The Structural-Situational method: A model pattern is introduced and often
practised with drilling. However, context is added to the scenarios. Grammatical rules
are learnt one at a time.
Task Based Learning: With this form of learning, the students are given a task and
try to work out the structure themselves. Often there is no formal instruction and
students must find the solution themselves.
The Silent Way:
In this method, the teacher will say as little as possible and encourages students to
create their own language, prompted by physical objects.
Immersion:
In this method, students are immersed in English throughout the day in school. They
are taught all subjects in English. This method is often used in Asian schools.
The Lexical Approach: In this approach, the students are taught the most commonly
used lexical chunks of words and structures. The idea is that common phrases are
taught.
Eclectic Approach: This approach uses all of the above teaching methods and bits
from the Communicative Approach below and uses styles which suit learners at
different levels.
Unit 9
By doing so, you will be able to foster, stimulate, or even rekindle your students'
motivation to learn.
If you are able to accomplish all of this, learning will happen regardless of whether
your students' motivation is extrinsic or intrinsic.
There's little doubt about it.
How the Teacher Can Influence and Drive Learner Motivation
Here are some practical ways in which you as teacher can influence and drive
motivation:
1. Make them aware of their own success:
A very simple yet effective way a teacher can motivate her students is to make sure
that students are aware of their own success. This message can be conveyed by a nod,
a tick, or a smile.
But a sense of pride and satisfaction may, of course, be enhanced by explicit praise or
approval, or by a comment in the student's answer book.
2. Set clear goals:
Students should be aware of the objectives of the task - both language-learning and
content. Tell them. For example, a guessing-game may have the language-learning
goal of practising questions, and the content goal of guessing answers.
We've mentioned before that some students, particularly adult students, may not want
too many fun activities. If you tell them the purpose of the game before you start, then
they will be more accepting of the fun element.
3. Explain purpose and usefulness:
It may seem obvious, but students sometimes need to know why they have to learn
something. For example, students may wonder why they have to learn prepositions.
If you explain to them that preposition errors are the most common form of mistake in
student writing, your students may be more motivated to pay closer attention to the
material.
At the very least, they won't think that they are wasting their time learning something
they think they don't need.
If only our algebra teachers had followed this guideline, we may have grown to
understand and like the subject!
4. Vary classroom topics and tasks:
Topics and tasks should be selected carefully to be as interesting as possible.
However, there are very few single types of activities that interest everyone, so you
should use a wide range of different ones over time. Even within a lesson, we can
organise a series of tasks that have students doing different things to keep them
engaged.
For example, you can get your students to listen to a dialogue about 'School Routines';
then have them complete a worksheet; then get them to compare their answers with a
partner; then have students partner up to create an original dialogue on the same topic.
Variety is a major key to success.
5. Employ visuals:
It is important for students to have something to look at that is eye-catching and
relevant to the task at hand. We'll discuss this later, particularly when we discuss
learning styles.
6. Generate tension and challenge:
Game-like activities provide pleasurable tension and challenge through the process of
attaining some 'fun' goal while limited by rules. The introduction of such rules (an
arbitrary time limit, for example) can add excitement to almost any goal-oriented task.
7. Create a fun atmosphere:
Entertainment produces enjoyment, which in its turn adds motivation.
Entertainment can be teacher-produced, such as jokes, stories, songs, or even dramatic
presentations. It can be in recorded format, such as movies, video clips, or television
documentaries. Other activities such as a role play and simulations that use the
imagination and put students in other situations can be very motivating.
It is important to note, however, that some people are inhibited and may find such
activities intimidating at first. As such, you especially want to try to avoid running
students up to the front of the class to 'perform' spontaneously.
8. Personalise learning:
Students are more likely to be interested in tasks that have to do with themselves or
their interests. For example, getting students to use their own or each other's opinions,
tastes, experiences, and suggestions as material can be very motivating since they're
relating the learning material to their own life experience and context.
We have taught boys-only classes in the Far East where the English Premier League
was king, as was David Beckham at the time. Every single boy in the class was mad
on football and anything to do with football, e.g. magazines, strips etc.
There was no need to motivate them when a lesson was built round, for example,
'What are the 3 questions you would ask David Beckham if you met him.' OR 'Draw
your own football strip and tell your group why you chose the colours and the shape
of the badge'.
9. Create open-ended exercises:
A cue which invites a number of possible responses is usually much more stimulating
than one with only one right answer. If you do this, the students' contributions become
more unpredictable. They are also more likely to be interesting, original, or even
humorous. For example, 'If I won 100,000 yuan, I would.....'
10. Give students a sense of autonomy:
An example of this would be to have students pick from a list of topics to debate. Or
you can have students find partners with whom they would like to team up with to
take part in a specific activity or game.
11. Assess students:
Whether or not a student admits it, regular assessment is a very powerful motivator.
The motivating power of tests, in particular, appears clear: students who know they
are going to be tested on specific material next week will normally be more motivated
to study it carefully than if they had simply been told to learn it.
Assessment is a very useful and needed incentive, provided there is not too much
stress attached, and provided it is not overused or given without purpose.
Unit 13 How to become an Outstanding Teacher
Must adhere to a Code of Practice for Teachers at all times
You'll find on your travels that many schools and organisations do not have a Code of
Practice that you are asked to follow. Don't worry about this - it's just the way things
are. It doesn't stop you from following YOUR Code of Practice.
So, where do you get this? Don't worry; we have one already made up for you.
YOUR Code of Practice has been developed by ACCREDITAT who are our
accrediting body. They developed it for EFL teachers.
It's based on their lengthy experience and the experience of EFL teachers.
Here it is:
ACCREDITAT Code of Practice for Teachers
At the heart of the ACCREDITAT Code of Practice for Teachers is:
►a conviction that excellence is achieved via competence
►a belief in the worth, individuality and dignity of each person
►a commitment to truth, excellence and democratic principles
►an allegiance to freedom to learn and teach
►a dedication to the principle of equal opportunity for all
Members of the EFL teaching profession are committed to demonstrating the
following values and ideals which underpin the profession:
Honesty and Integrity
►creating and maintaining appropriate professional relationships in the classroom,
school and workplace
►acting with impartiality, truthfulness and honesty
►displaying consistently high standards of personal and professional behaviour
►refraining from disclosing information about colleagues in the course of
professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is
required by law
►refraining from any abuse of a position of authority or relationships with students
or colleagues for financial, political or personal gain
►acting according to the law
Dignity and Diversity
►valuing diversity and treating students and colleagues equitably and fairly and with
care and compassion while respecting the uniqueness of family and socio-economic
backgrounds, cultures, races, religions and beliefs
►valuing the learning needs, effort, and potential, and acknowledging the
uniqueness, of each student
►improving the wellbeing and progress of those students with special needs
►fostering the valuing of diversity and encouraging the development of international,
multicultural, gender, and indigenous and other perspectives
►allowing, reasonably, the students' access to varying points of view
Respect and Trust
►acknowledging that relationships with students must be based on mutual respect,
trust and confidentiality of personal information, unless disclosure of any information
serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law
►acknowledging the contribution that mutual respect, trust and confidentiality make
to students' wellbeing and learning
►acknowledging the desires and hopes of the students and their employers
►acting with educational colleagues and the wider community in ways which
enhance the profession
►acknowledging the status, responsibilities and authority of colleagues
►remaining open to constructive criticism from peers and showing respect and
consideration for different viewpoints
Responsibility and Accountability
►giving priority to the education and welfare of all students in our care
►guiding and encouraging students to achieve their potential, ensuring all students
have an equal opportunity to achieve their potential
►creating interactive learning environments, rather than environments in which the
students are merely passive recipients of information
►regarding themselves as learners and engaging in continuous professional
development, and improving teaching and learning strategies for themselves and
colleagues
►working collaboratively, cooperatively and enthusiastically with colleagues and
other educational bodies in the best interests of the education and welfare of the
students
►taking precautions to distinguish between their personal views and others' views
►promoting the ongoing development of teaching as a profession
►upholding school and workplace policies, procedures and practices
►modelling the behaviour, attitudes and positive values which are widely accepted in
society and encouraging students to apply them and critically appreciate their
significance
Care and Protection
►having empathy and respect for, and rapport with, students and their employers,
colleagues and communities
►committing to students' wellbeing and learning through the practice of positive
influence, professional judgement and empathy in practice
►adhering to the school's student protection policies and procedures
►making reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning
or to health and safety
►refraining from any racial, gender, political, verbal, physical or emotional abuse,
embarrassment or harassment
►being generous with praise and giving positive inputs and feedback
Fairness and Justice
►being fair and reasonable at all times
►being committed to the wellbeing of individuals and the community and to the
common good
►resolving competing claims or problems arising from different ethical principles
and different interest groups through reflective professional discussion
Print this off and keep it with you at all times. Reflect on it frequently. It will serve
you well.
Calmness: a teacher must stay calm at all times.
Personality: a teacher has a positive and friendly attitude to life.
Knowledge: an outstanding teacher has an outstanding knowledge of their subject.
Good organisation: an outstanding teacher needs to be well organised.
Sense of humour: it's important to laugh and have fun.
Creativity and imagination: some of the best teachers offer a creative way to teach.
Resourcefulness: an outstanding teacher can make the most of what they have in
terms of resources like books, boards and classrooms.
Adaptable: there is no perfect situation in teaching and often an outstanding teacher
has the ability to adapt dynamically to circumstances.
Outgoing: an outstanding teacher is an outgoing person who doesn't mind laughing at
herself and looking a little bit silly. It's good to take a risk sometimes. I remember
doing head, shoulders, knees and toes in front of 100 Korean parents. I felt nervous at
first but felt great afterwards.
Reflective: we would like you to be a reflective teacher and be able to ask yourself
and your students and peers, 'What went well?' We will cover this in Module 17.
Collaboration: an excellent teacher will share ideas with colleagues and students. We
will look at some collaborative techniques in Module 4.
Innovation: Don't be afraid of trying something new. Try Karaoke or a game outside.
It's these lessons the students remember!
Technology: at the moment the Internet holds a wealth of information to help both
students and teachers. In Module 15 we will examine the importance of technology.
There are many qualities which make an excellent teacher. For me, an excellent
teacher is a person who is friendly and authentic and who can be creative when
explaining something to a student. A person who can think quickly and explain a
concept to any type of learner is an outstanding teacher.
An outstanding teacher is also a person who motivates a student to become an
independent lifelong learner who can adapt to our dynamic world.
All of you can be outstanding teachers.
Top Tips
Break large items of grammar, vocabulary and phonology into small parts when
teaching new concepts.
Present a new item and allow students to practise the new item.
Model structural form so that students can reproduce it and add context.
Start your ESL career using the PPP Technique and, as you gain experience, try
some of the other techniques.
It's crucial to understand a learner's background from the point of view of the
following: age, gender, religion, level, and socio-economic background.
Intrinsic motivation is where students want to learn English. It's possible to
encourage intrinsic motivation by offering context driven, fun lessons.
A teacher has many roles both inside and outside of the classroom and it's critical
to model calm and professional behaviour to your learners.
Show an authentic interest in your students.
An Outstanding Teacher is an individual who can connect with her learners and
build strong relationships.
Module 2 Teaching Skills
Unit 6: Impulsiveness/Reflection
In some cultures, such as most of the USA, learners are encouraged to give an answer
to any question quickly, while in other cultures, reflection is encouraged: time is
given by a teacher for children to consider all aspects of a problem before they give an
answer.
Impulsiveness rewards 'thinking on your feet' and being the first to speak, while
reflection rewards detailed, thoughtful answers.
Obviously, a student used to being taught in one way and moves into a classroom
where the opposite approach is the norm will be at a certain disadvantage.
Unit 7: Proxemics
The study of how close or far away people stand from each other when interacting is
called 'proxemics'.
Each culture has its own norms for the distance between two people standing and
conversing, and these norms may also differ for teachers and students.
Students from a culture where people stand closer together when conversing may feel
at worst rebuked or at best confused by someone standing further away, assuming that
this distance sends a subconscious negative message of some sort.
Unit 8: Volume
Another variant is the volume at which people pitch their voices for 'normal'
conversation. This can vary widely, even among subcultures, and will also put a
student at a disadvantage if either speaking too softly or too loudly is viewed
negatively by the teacher.
This style is good for class debates and presentations as all members of the group feel
equal.
Pairs:
This is a really good seating plan for getting students to practise activities. You will
also find it easy to walk around and monitor.
Rows:
Traditional rows are good for examinations and tests. It's also a good arrangement for
introducing new items as you can make eye contact easily.
Circles:
In the same way as a horseshoe works, all students feel equal and it's a very good plan
for presentations and video.
Groups:
In group plans, students can work together on projects and help each other.
Face-to-Face Pairs:
This type of plan allows students to practise and focus.
Teams:
In this style, the students in the inner and outer circle change positions after a task has
been completed or a set time has been agreed.
Buzz Groups:
In this design, one member of the groups gets up and moves to the next table. One
person from each group does this at the same time.
Unit 6: Making Clear Rules and Video 9
It's a good idea to set boundaries in the classroom combined with positive language
and praise.
It's crucial to give your students a clearly defined set of rules when you first meet. We
also recommend that you include your students in the design of these rules, so that
they take ownership and responsibility for the classroom and their fellow students.
Ask your learners whether they think the rules are fair or not and also ask them which
other rules should also be included.
Asking your learners what should be included in the rules will empower them.
Many of places you will work will already have rules. However, it's a good idea to set
your own mini rules in your classroom. It's critical that you explain to your learners
your expectations in the classroom as well as explaining your very important hopes
and goals for them.
I have always found telling my students how good they are and giving them praise
creates a wonderful classroom. Some of my rules are as follows:
Unit 3: Adverbs
Adverbs describe verbs. They are descriptive words, which are used to add detail to a
sentence. Adverbs add more important information to a sentence and also they can
make a sentence more interesting.
Please stop talking now.
The typhoon, which hit the Philippines, violently wrecked many homes.
Most of the time adverbs are made from adjectives by adding 'ly'. There are
exceptions.
Adverbs can be identified by how or where or when:
The dog ran quickly.
Adjective Adverb
slow slowly
sad sadly
soft softly
Exceptions
good well
fast fast
late late
How did the dog run? It ran quickly. An adverb of time and space is normally put at
the end of the sentence.
For example: James is going on holiday tomorrow.
Unit 4: Conjunctions
A conjunction is a way to connect 2 shorter sentences together. We can also call them
connectives. We like to use conjunctions to give a sentence a smooth flow and this
makes it easier for the reader.
Examples of conjunctions are: and, but, or.
If the writer uses too many conjunctions in a sentence, it becomes too difficult and
cumbersome for the reader.
Look at the examples below.
I am Jack. I live in Thailand. I am 25 years old. I like Thai food.
As you can see the sentences are short and a little robotic. To make the sentence flow
better we can add some conjunctions.
I am Jack and I live in Thailand. I am 25 years old and I like Thai food.
Conjunctions connect thoughts, ideas, actions, nouns, clauses, etc.
Jack went to Thailand to enjoy the wonderful scenery and local food.
The conjunction 'to' connects two sentences: Jack went to Thailand / Jack enjoyed the
wonderful scenery and local food.
Unit 5: Determiners
Determiners come before nouns. There are a number of determiners and most can be
found in the grammar reference book. The most common determiners are the definite
article (the) and the indefinite article (a).
Unit 6: Interjections
These words express feelings and convey extreme emotions like 'Wow', 'Hey', and
'Whoa'. Although they are technically meaningless, they add context to writing.
Unit 7: Prepositions
Prepositions are little words that tell where or when something is.
The key is on the table next to the door.
The toilet is down that corridor.
Prepositions of manner: by, via
Prepositions of amount: about, over
Prepositions of time: before, after
Prepositions of direction: into, towards
Prepositions of place: next to, in front of
Prepositions of cause: because, due to
Unit 8: Nouns
What are nouns?
Nouns refer to a person, place, animal or thing. They can convey an idea or a thought.
Here are some examples:
An example of a person is David Beckham.
An example of a place is London.
An example of an animal is lion.
An example of a thing is a spoon.
An example of an idea is curiosity.
Here are all of the different types of nouns in the English language.
The proper noun
The common noun
The concrete noun
The abstract noun
The countable noun (also called the count noun)
The non-countable noun (also called uncountable noun and the mass noun)
The group noun (also called the collective noun)
A noun will be either:
Proper or common, abstract or concrete, and countable or non-countable or collective
We now need to do some practice so that we know how to tell the difference.
What is the difference between a proper and common noun?
Proper nouns are the names of specific people or places. They should always begin
with a capital.
Jack is going to Thailand.
London is the capital city of England.
My daughter's name is Emily.
Common nouns are words for people, places, animals or things that aren't specific (as
opposed to a proper noun which refers to only one person, place or thing). Common
nouns can be countable or uncountable, singular or plural.
There are many horses in the field today.
The reason these are common nouns is because we don't know which horses these are
and we don't know the name of the field.
We can see from the two sentences below how we tell the difference between a proper
and a common noun.
Have you seen the book I was reading?
Did you see where I left Romeo and Juliet?
In sentence a), book is a common noun because it is not specific.
In sentence b), Romeo and Juliet relates to an actual book, a specific book, and will be
in capital letters as it refers to a proper noun.
What is the difference between an abstract and concrete noun?
An abstract noun is a noun which cannot be identified using one of the five senses
(taste, touch, sight, hearing, smelling).
For example:
It took a great deal of courage to dive into the swimming pool and save the boy.
'Courage' is an abstract noun.
Mr Smith had always wanted to follow his dream of becoming a great novelist one
day.
'Dream' is a good example of an abstract noun.
A concrete noun is a noun which can be identified through one of the five senses
(taste, touch, sight, hearing, smell).
For example:
Could someone please answer the phone?
In this sentence, 'phone' is a concrete noun because it can be identified using the five
senses. A person can touch it, see it, hear it and maybe taste and smell it.
Countable and non-countable
Countable nouns are nouns which can be counted, even if the number might be
extraordinarily high (like counting all the people in the world). Countable nouns can
be used with a/an, the, some, any, a few and many.
Here is a crocodile.
A 'crocodile' is a countable noun as would be cars, flowers and pots.
Non-countable or uncountable nouns are nouns which come in a state, or quantity,
which is impossible to count: liquids are uncountable, as are things, which act like
liquids like sand and air. They're always considered to be singular, and can be used
with a, some, any, a little and much.
An excellent way to remember an uncountable noun is 'love' and 'dust'.
And a group noun
Good examples of group nouns are a flock of sheep, a herd of cows,
an army or gaggle of geese, a school of fish or a troop of monkeys
Unit 9: Pronouns
Pronouns are used to replace nouns.
For example:
Jack went to Vietnam on holiday last year and loved the country.
We can re-write this sentence:
He went to Vietnam on holiday last year and loved it.
There are several subclasses of pronouns, but for now we will consider three main sub-
classes.
'car' is the object of the verb, i.e. the thing to which the action of the verb is
done.
Exercise:
Choose the subject and the object from the following sentences.
Jack went all over the world to find happiness.
He ordered 10 loaves of bread from the bakery.
In the event of emergency, please dial 911.
If you keep doing that you will hurt yourself.
The swimming pool was one of the best he had seen in his life.
Uses of verbs:
Verbs will tell us what is actually happening in a sentence, what the subject is doing or
going to do. Therefore, subjects can do just about anything and it's potentially amazing
what an action verb can do. We can use a verb to start and also change motion.
For example:
Jack ran to the swimming pool then swam 30 lengths. After he stopped his exercise, he
went home to relax.
In this example, the verb gave Jack motion and made him motionless at home.
The second use of a verb is to describe a noun.
For example:
I am tired.
I am sleepy.
Jack is funny.
We can divide verbs into main verbs (lexical verbs) and auxiliary verbs. The main verb
shows the action of the subject whereas the auxiliary verb helps the main verb.
For example:
I feel happy.
I was feeling happy.
Understanding auxiliary verbs or helping verbs:
Helping verbs help us decide which tense the sentence is in.
For example:
Jack used to like driving his motorbike until he bought his new car.
In this example, 'like' is the main verb and 'used to' is the auxiliary verb.
You can find out how to construct all verb tenses in the next few sections.
Numbers: 1 to 100
Jobs
Basic food
Family
Everyday objects
Elementary:
An elementary student can form very basic phrases in English.
Lexis and Grammar Syllabus for the Elementary Class
Here are typical areas of lexis and structures for your elementary class:
Verbs: Present simple in the positive and the negative, past simple, future simple
Quantities: How much?
Comparatives
Pre-intermediate:
A pre-Intermediate student has knowledge of basic grammar structure and a good range
of vocabulary.
Lexis and Grammar Syllabus for the Pre-Intermediate Class
Here are typical areas of lexis and structures for your pre-intermediate class:
Adverbs
Intermediate:
An intermediate student will be able to handle more complex structures.
Lexis and Grammar Syllabus for the Intermediate Class
Here are typical areas of lexis and structures for your intermediate class:
Upper Intermediate:
A student at this level will be confident and have a good command of all structures and
will have a wide range of vocabulary.
Lexis and Grammar Syllabus for the Upper Intermediate Class
Here are typical areas of lexis and structures for your upper intermediate class:
Third conditional
Reported speech
Modal verbs in the past
Verbs: I wish, to be used to/ to get used to, past perfect continuous tense, future
perfect
Advanced:
They will have an in-depth understanding of English Language.
Lexis and Grammar Syllabus for the Advanced Class
At the advanced level, students can communicate in English to a very high level and we
suggest the following syllabus for advanced speakers.
Try to cover the following:
Question tags
Phrasal verbs
The syllabus provided should be used as a guide. It's crucial to identify your students'
needs and teach what they need and would like to learn.
Always set the learning in meaningful context and play to your strengths.
You will all have a number of wonderful experiences that you can bring into the
classroom at any level. Sharing your life (to a degree) with your students will create a
warm and friendly classroom.
Many of you will use a textbook with a syllabus when you are teaching the different levels
of students, so don't worry about creating a brand new syllabus every time you walk into
a new school or classroom.
The learner's needs can be fully addressed and often he will learn more.
Disadvantages:
Small Classes:
Advantages:
Student-centred, as they are likely to have more time to speak than in large
classes.
In smaller classes, you can give more attention to your students and it's easier to
do fun activities.
Disadvantages:
Disadvantages:
Preparation will take a long time if you have 40 students of differing abilities.
Team games.
Peer to peer marking: this is where students mark each other's work.
Differentiation
Kinaesthetic:
These types of learner learn best by doing. They often like trying new ideas without
any guidance. You will notice a kinaesthetic learner because they will enjoy getting
up and walking around. They find it difficult to focus on a task for a long time.
Auditory:
A learner who prefers auditory learning will excel in listening and speaking, but they
will often struggle with reading and writing. You will notice an auditory learner
because they enjoy chatting.
For example:
To be able to use the present simple tense when you are talking about a hobby.
1. 2.
Teacher's Name: Level of Students:
Date: Age of Students:
Time of lesson and length: Class size:
Learning Aims/Objectives: Nationalities:
Add SMART Objectives Learning Outcomes /Success Criteria:
3. 4.
Resources/Materials to be used: Differentiation:
This will include board, pens, overhead Potential Problems:
projector, textbook and your material for
Strategies to deal with problems:
activities.
5.
Introduction / Warmer:
6.
Lesson Activities:
Timing Stage Interaction Reason for
activity
7.
Detail:
Activity 1:
Activity 2:
Activity 3:
Activity 4:
8.
Reflect and Cooler:
9.
Extension Strategies:
10. Cross Curricular Link and use of IT
Homework:
Get them to work in pairs, completing the table. Then correct them, asking pairs at
random to give their answers, confirming each pair got it right and checking
pronunciation by class drilling (the whole class repeating) and by random selection of
learners. Confirm and praise. Clear up any mistakes.
Remember what we call the 'cognitive burden'. That is, they can only take on so
much during this introductory lesson. If you attempt too much, it won't go well. So:
Ignore spellings where some words have a double letter in the comparative and
superlative, e.g. taller, thinner.
Use only single syllable words as longer words with more syllables are formed
with more and most, as you know, e.g. beautiful, more beautiful, the most
beautiful
Don't be over-zealous and try to tell them that we can use the superlative
without the, e.g. John is big, James is bigger and William is biggest.
These points will gradually be covered in follow-up lessons.
5. Production: Free practice which lets your students become more creative.
This final stage of the PPP technique is the production stage. This is where they
put the new learning into usage.
Step 1: Give each pair a handout - a copy of a world map with country names clear
and a range of country sizes added in. You may choose just to use a map of Asia or
Europe or the USA if you need more space to put in the sizes.
Identify who is A and who is B in the group. A is to select 3 countries, tells B what
they are and A writes in his workbook, for example, India is big, Australia is bigger,
and Russia is the biggest.
At the same time, B does the same for 3 countries but must choose 3 different
countries from those that B chose. A now reads his sentence to B who reads and
checks the sentence and country size and then B does the same with A.
Those who have finished faster than others can do another three countries.
During all this time you will be walking about, listening, answering a few questions,
giving help as necessary, but not teaching or interrupting the flow.
Ask some of the pairs to read out their selections. Monitor the structure of the
sentence and the pronunciation of big, bigger, the biggest. Confirm and praise.
Step 2: Then ask A and B in each pair to select 3 objects and describe them to their
partner, e.g. an eraser, pencil and school bag. Or they can point to objects or other
students in the room. Tell them that this time they must not use big. They must use
words they already used in the table, e.g. tall, small, thin, old etc.
Again, during all this time you will be walking about, listening, answering a few
questions, giving help as necessary, but not teaching or interrupting the flow.
Ask some of the pairs if they would like to come out to the front of the class and do
their activity in front of the class. Include other pairs, though, who can read out their
attempts whist seated.
Praise, praise, praise!
6. Review/Summary and Reflection: This is a chance to reflect on the lesson and
find out what the students enjoyed.
You will already have decided whether you feel they need to do a homework activity
based on this lesson or whether you will wait until you have covered the other points
mentioned under 'cognitive burden'.
If you do decide to give out homework, do it now before the cooler. If you leave it
till after the cooler, you'll find it harder to get their attention as they'll already be
thinking about going outside the classroom.
7. Cooler: This is a chance to end the lesson with a short fun activity and say
goodbye.
So, as we said above, this lesson would not be too challenging for you in terms of
explaining structures, grammar etc., but it would require a lot of preparation - and
energy.
Note that the learners have been involved in speaking, listening, writing and
reading during this lesson, which is what we should aim to achieve as much as
possible.
Remember! Follow our process outlined above when you start teaching. You
may need to tweak it here or there.
Remember: get the students to do most of the talking.
Timing:
Let's put that into context. You could divide a 1-hour lesson as follows. Remember:
this is not a definitive guide:
Introduction: 2.5 minutes
Warmer: 5 minutes
Presentation: 15 minutes
Practice: 15 minutes
Production: 15 minutes
Summary and reflection: 5 minutes
Cooler: 2.5 minutes
Interaction:
You can also show on your lesson plan who should be doing the talking at various
stages:
Teacher to Student = T-S
Student to Teacher = S-T
Student to Student = S-S
In Pairs = PR
In groups = GR
Eliciting information
Eliciting Information:
This means using questions to stimulate your students. Keep asking questions during
this part of the lesson. It's a good idea to keep eliciting throughout the lesson as it
creates spontaneity and you are also getting constant feedback.
It also means that you are not doing all the talking. However, be aware that stronger
students can end up answering all the questions.
If a lesson didn't go too well, then you can reflect on your eliciting and change your
lesson plan for next time.
Visual Aids:
When you are doing your presentation, use visual aids to demonstrate the examples to
your students. Use these in addition to using eliciting questions.
We know there are many different types of learners in the classroom: auditory learners
(learn by listening), kinaesthetic (learn by doing something), and visual learners (learn by
seeing something visually displayed), so use a variety of techniques.
Here are some examples of visual aids:
Flashcards: a flashcard is a card with an image on the front with a definition below the
picture or on the back. You can elicit information by showing a student the card and
asking: 'What's this?' You can use it for just about anything like jobs, food, animals, etc.
Games: Miming jobs or an animal is an excellent way to start a lesson.
Drawing on the board: Drawing on the board is huge fun and it really doesn't matter
how good you are because bad drawings sometimes create more fun. Stick men are
good.
Photos: taken from a magazine and can be used to create context to the Presentation of
your lesson.
Videos: YouTube has lots of materials for engaging students in the Presentation stage of
the course.
Realia: Real objects are excellent for starting the presentation stage of the lesson. For
example, you could use a glass with water to demonstrate amounts or words like 'about'
or 'nearly'.
Using timelines to show verb tenses: A timeline is a horizontal line showing the
present, past and future.
You can also use a timeline to show present and past continuous by drawing a wiggly
line above the original timeline.
Example: Present continuous:
I am speaking English now, over the present but continuing.
Past Present Future
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
xxxxxxxxxx
Board work:
Write clearly
Check spelling
Keep talking while you are writing so that the classroom does not go quiet
Controlled practice activities can also be varied using individual, pair or group work.
In the next stage, we will consider some activities which can be used in the Production
part of the lesson where students get the opportunity to become more creative as they
have more opportunity to use the new items more freely.
In the previous Modules, you learned the importance of adding context, students'
motivations, teaching skills, classroom management, the grammar basics and how to
plan. You have also learnt how to incorporate technology in the classroom.
We would now like you to start putting all these elements together to create an excellent
lesson and inspire students to become lifelong learners.
Teaching grammar using the PPP technique is no different from teaching any other
structure in the English language. You will present, have a controlled practice and then a
production activity.
You will start the lesson with a warmer and end the lesson with a cooler, and reflection.
Reflection will activate deeper learning skills, which will ultimately mean your students will
remember more.
In summary, in order to have the best possible grammar lesson, you will need to think
about the following factors:
The age of your learners: The age of your learners will affect the way you present
your new items. Younger learners will enjoy fun activities and will enjoy
playing games to understand verb tenses, whereas older learners will want to
understand the form structure of a verb tense being presented to them.
PPP Technique:
Introduction
Warmer
Present
Practice
Production
Summary/Reflection
Cooler
Unit 3: Form
Presenting the form of a grammar structure is critical because it gives you an opportunity
to show the student how the grammar is constructed.
For example:
We can show that this sentence is constructed by using: Should + have + past
participle of the verb.
You can show the form of any grammar structure or tense using this technique. Go back
and review the 'Summary Table of Verb Tenses' to remind yourself of the form of tenses.
Unit 4: Meaning
Once you have shown the students the form of your grammatical structure, you must try
to explain the meaning. It's important at this stage to add context, elicit information and
use CCQs to check understanding.
Let's consider the following example sentence:
You should have eaten more food before the examination.
This sentence is saying that the person did not eat enough food before she took the
examination and it conveys a sense of regret, meaning that if she had eaten more she
would have done better in the examination.
There are two aspects of meaning.
First, what is the literal or 'essential' meaning of the word, phrase, functional expression
or grammar structure?
Second, what does it mean in the context it's being used in?
For example:
He's wearing a red shirt. (red=colour)
His face is red - he's been lying on the beach too long. (red=sunburnt)
He was a well-known red. (red=political affiliations and beliefs)
Meaning is the mental image/comprehension that is generated by the grammar or
vocabulary. Students connect the grammar structure with the meaning. For example, the
past tense signals events in the past.
Once the teacher has presented the structure, he should talk about the meaning too.
It answers the question: What meaning does the vocabulary, functional expression or
grammar structure have in the (specific) context?
When you explain meaning in the Presentation stage, it's crucial to use your teaching
aids. These could be flashcards, video or a little bit acting or using gestures to convey
the meaning.
Usage
The words, functional expressions and grammar structures we choose to use are
determined by the situation we are in and/or what we want to communicate to our
listener(s). Usage is interconnected with meaning.
For example, Good morning! is a greeting we use with friends, family, our boss, etc.
when we see them before noon.
If we say Good morning! to a family member as he gets up in the afternoon (because he
was out late the night before), we are being ironic and perhaps indicating a bit of
disapproval. We would probably not say this to our boss when she comes in late.
Usage answers the question: When or why is the vocabulary, functional expression or
grammar structure used?
Unit 5: Pronunciation
It's critical to convey the phonology or the sound of a piece of lexis/grammar to learners
as the native speaker will often pronounce words in different ways from the learner.
For example, most native speakers would pronounce 'should have' as one word or as an
abbreviated word 'should've'. Students will have never heard this sound before and you
will need to practise this using drilling and repetition.
Module 11
Top Tips
The presentation stage of a writing lesson should be used to generate ideas or
present the structure of the activity.
The practice stage of a writing lesson should include: planning, writing and
checking.
It's imperative to teach the equal importance of these three parts in a written
piece of work.
Choosing the right writing material to suit the needs of your learners will be
crucial to the success of the lesson.
As the ability and confidence of your learners grow, you can move closer towards
a free writing exercise.
Reward all your students with positive feedback, praise and development
strategies.
Create a warm and friendly environment for your students to work in.