Using students' first languages in the classroom Summary: Using students' first languages in the classroom Whether it is better to use the students' first language (L1) in class or have an English-only policy is something that has been much debated and that has seen many changes of fashion over the years. It seems, therefore, that the only sensible reaction an individual teacher can take to this controversial subject is to neither accept nor reject the use of L1, but simply to search for an ideal level of its use in each individual class- maybe changing its use as the class progresses in level or changes in other ways. Here are some tips to help you spot if you have found your own perfect level of L1 use in your classes and how to adjust the level if you haven't reached that point yet. Possible signs that there is too much L1 in your classroom 1. Possible signs that you could usefully have more L1 in your classroom 1. Other signs that you might not have the balance of L1 use in class right 1. 1. Copyright © 2008 Alex Case
Connected speech Recently however, there has been a shift of focus towards the other systems operating within phonology, which may be more important in terms of overall intelligibility. What connected speech is How this affects native and non-native speakers Aspects of connected speech Working on weak forms Conclusion What connected speech is "English people speak so fast" is a complaint I often hear from my students, and often from those at an advanced level, where ignorance of the vocabulary used is not the reason for their lack of comprehension. When students see a spoken sentence in its written form, they have no trouble comprehending. Why is this? The reason, it seems, is that speech is a continuous stream of sounds, without clear-cut borderlines between each word. How this affects native and non-native speakers As native speakers, we have various devices for dealing with indistinct utterances caused by connected speech. How many words do you hear? Vanessa Steele How many words do you hear?
Error Correction 1 Therefore the aim of this article is not to be prescriptive, but to highlight some key areas. It is in 2 parts. In the first part we look at ... Attitudes to error correction Categorising errors A model for correcting writing The role of planning Practical techniques / ideas for correcting writing Attitudes to error correction Attitudes to error correction vary not only among teachers but also among students. The fact that English is their second language and great emphasis was placed on correctness at their teacher training college. As for students, we not only have to consider their age but also their approach to learning. Categorising errors We can categorise an error by the reason for its production or by its linguistic type. What's the reason for the error? To be sure about the type of error produced by a student we need to know where the student's interlanguage is (the language used by a student in the process of learning a second language). What type is it? 1. What type is it? 1.
Integrating pronunciation into classroom activities In my work as a teacher trainer I have been surprised at how often experienced teachers are reluctant to tackle pronunciation issues in class. I can think of at least two reasons why pronunciation tends to be neglected: firstly, the lack of clear guidelines and rules available in course books, and secondly the fact that isolated exercises once a month do not seem to have much of an effect. This is not surprising, however; like all other areas of language teaching, pronunciation needs constant attention for it to have a lasting effect on students, which means integrating it into daily classroom procedures. I find that addressing issues regularly during the language feedback or group correction stage of a lesson helps to focus learners' attention on its importance and leads to more positive experiences. Using student talk to teach pronunciationWord stressVowel soundsDiphthongsWeak formsSentence stressConclusion After the activity, on the board I draw a column with the heading /e/.
Checking Understanding Analysis of the language consists of two sub-stages, often known as highlighting and concept checking. Highlighting is taking the model sentence and showing, telling or eliciting what the problems are in terms of form, function, and phonology. Concept checking is checking the understanding of difficult aspects of the target structure in terms of function and meaning. Concept checking is vital, since learners must fully understand the structure before any intensive practice of form and phonology is carried out. Ways of checking understandingConcept questionsSome examplesLearning to construct concept questionsConclusion Ways of checking understanding Concept checking is normally achieved by the use of a set of questions designed to ensure comprehension of the target language, raise awareness of its problems, and to indicate to the teacher that the learners have fully understood. The question 'Do you understand?' Time lines to establish tenses. Target sentence: Look! Yes/no questions.
Asking questions Questioning is crucial to the way teachers manage the class, engage students with content, encourage participation and increase understanding. Typically, teachers ask between 300-400 questions per day, however the quality and value of questions varies. While questioning can be an effective tool, there is both an art and science to asking questions. Every question demands a response (except in the case of requests and suggestions), so that questions inevitably generate communication. However the quantity of questions asked needs to be considered in relation to general time constraints and the need to keep teacher talking time to a minimum while maximising learner contributions. Types of questions Purposes of questions Effective questioning Conclusion Types of questions There have been a number of typologies and taxonomies of questions. Display questions. What does ..... mean? Referential questions. What do you think about .....? Purposes of questions Effective questioning Conclusion Conclusion
Working in pairs and groups The advantages of pair work and small group work Gives learners more speaking time Changes the pace of the lesson Takes the spotlight off you and puts it onto the children Allows them to mix with everyone in the group Gives them a sense of achievement when reaching a team goal Teaches them how to lead and be led by someone other than the teacher Allows you to monitor, move around the class and really listen to the language they are producing Pitfalls and how to avoid them You could lose control of the class. How to set up pair and group work Be sure to fully explain the procedure before splitting the class up. Activities which lend themselves to pair work Roll the ball This can be used to practise any language that requires a question/answer pattern. Activities which lend themselves to group work Posters Used to practise categorizing skills, reviewing colours and names of toys. The advantages of pair work and small group work Pitfalls and how to avoid them You could lose control of the class.
A Task-based approach This article also links to the following activity.Try - Speaking activities - Task-based speaking - planning a night out Present Practice ProduceThe problems with PPPA Task-based approachThe advantages of TBLConclusion Present Practice Produce (PPP) During an initial teacher training course, most teachers become familiar with the PPP paradigm. A PPP lesson would proceed in the following manner. First, the teacher presents an item of language in a clear context to get across its meaning. The problems with PPP It all sounds quite logical but teachers who use this method will soon identify problems with it: Students can give the impression that they are comfortable with the new language as they are producing it accurately in the class. A Task-based approach Task -based learning offers an alternative for language teachers. Task The students complete a task in pairs or groups using the language resources that they have as the teacher monitors and offers encouragement.
Teens classroom rules posters - Smart white These posters are designed to be used on your classroom walls with teenage learners aged from 13 years old. This distinctive Smart white poster will appeal to teenage learners and comes with speech bubbles completed giving five key classroom rules: Try to use EnglishListen to your teacherParticipate in all activitiesRespect your classmatesArrive on time Classroom activity We also have a version of all our posters with blank speech bubbles for you to use with your class. Ask them to work in pairs and fill in the blank speech bubbles with their own ideas about what they think the five golden classroom rules are. Our posters are designed to help you in the classroom and remind your students about how to behave in class. Download and print your own poster below. Have a look at our other poster themes below and try our Badge Builders.
Grouping students Do you think about whether you’ve got a balance between pairs, groups, whole class and individual work? If you have activities for pairs and groups, do you let the students decide who they’re going to work with or do you decide? This tip looks at the advantages and disadvantages of the three main ways of grouping students. They are, giving students the choice, random grouping and selecting the groups yourself. You’ll probably find that no one way will always be the best choice for a particular group, but that you’ll use all three ways at different times depending on your students and the activities you plan to do. Giving students the choiceThe chances are, if you let your students decide who they want to work with they will always stick to the same people. Paul Seligson, a well known TEFL author and teacher trainer, recently gave a workshop about classroom management at a conference here in Barcelona. By Jo BuddenFirst published 2008
How to get started as an online teacher of English Have you thought about teaching English online? Emma Segev gives some practical tips and useful websites for getting started in one of our top five articles of all time, illustrated by artist Jamie Johnson. When I first started teaching in 2004, I was sceptical about the effectiveness of online teaching, but since then I have accumulated a lot of experience. I'd like to share with you a few things I've learned along the way. Getting started Contrary to popular opinion, I recommend starting your online teaching career by working for an established company. When choosing an established company, you'll need to find one that has students looking for lessons in your working hours (your time zone). Creating a blog In the last few years, I've created more of my own materials, usually on the back of envelopes, in notebooks, word files and on scraps of paper. Would you like to receive more articles like this? Becoming part of a network of teachers WIX is a free online website builder. Summing up