MOTIVATION (DEFINTION, GOALS, KINDS OF MOTIVATION)

Motivation is some kind of internal drive that encourages somebody to pursue a course of
action.
If we have a goal (something we wish to achieve), we will be strongly motivated to do
whatever is necessary to reach that goal. People involved in language teaching often say that
students who really want to learn will succeed no matter what the circumstances in which they
study are. So, the motivation that students bring to class is the biggest single factor
afecting their success.
Goals can be of dierent types. !here is distinction between short"term goals and long term
goals. #ong term goals might have something to do with a wish to get a better $ob at some future
date. %hort term goals might include such things as wanting to pass an end of semester test or
wanting to &nish a unit in a book. In general, strongly motivated students with long"term goals
are probably easier to teach than those who have no such goals.
!here are two main categories of motivation'
" ET!INSI" motivation, which is concerned with factors outside the classroom, and
" INT!INSI" motivation, which is concerned with what keeps place inside the classroom.
(ithin e)trinsic motivation there are two types of motivation'
" Integrative * for this kind of motivations, students need to be attracted by the culture of
the target language community, or wish to integrate themselves into that culture.
" Instrumental * students believe that mastery of the target language will be an instrument
in getting them a better $ob, position or status. !he language is used as an instrument in
their attainment of such a goal. %tudent+s motivation is aected by the student+s parents
or by student+s peers (his or her e,uals).
Intrinsic motivation can be in-uenced or determined by'
a) Physical conditions * !eachers should try to make their classrooms as pleasant as possible.
.ven where conditions are bad, it may be possible to improve atmosphere with posters,
student work etc on the walls.
b) Method * the method by which students are thought must have some eects on their
motivation. Method has to be interesting and ad$usted to the learning level and the
student+s age.
c) !he teacher * if teacher is positive personality, students will like him and there+ll be
possibility in achieving positive results.
d) %uccess * success plays a vital part in the motivation drive of a student. !o give student
very high challenge activities may have a negative eect on motivation. It will also be the
case that low challenges are e,ually de"motivating. Much of the teacher+s world in the
classroom concerns is setting up the right level of challenge activities.
Three #inds of Teacher
!here are three kinds of teacher'
" THE EXPLAINER: !his kind of teacher relies on /e)plaining+ or /teaching as a way of conveying
information to the students. !his teacher knows his sub$ect matter very well, but has limited
knowledge of teaching methodology. 0one with style or enthusiasm, or imagination, this
teacher+s lessons can be very entertaining, interesting and informative. !he students are
listening, occasionally answering ,uestions and perhaps making notes, but are mostly not
being personally involved or challenged.
!his kind of teacher relies mainly on e)plaining or lecturing. !he students are listening,
answering ,uestions and making notes.
" THE INVOLVER !his teacher also knows the sub$ect matter and he is also familiar with
teaching methodology. 1e2she is able to use appropriate teaching and organi3ational
procedures and techni,ues to help her students learn about the sub$ect matter. !his teacher
is trying to involve the students actively and put a great deal of eort into &nding appropriate
and interesting activities.
" THE ENABLER !his teacher knows the sub$ect matter and about methodology, but also has
answers of how individuals and groups are thinking and feeling within her class. 1is own
personality and attitude are an active encouragement to learning. 1e is con&dent enough to
share control with the learners. 0ecisions made in his classroom may often be shared or
negotiated. In many cases he2she sees him2herself as someone whose $ob is to create
conditions that will enable students to learn for themselves. %ometimes, when the students
are doing well on their own, this teacher could hardly be visible. !he eective teacher might
positively aect the learning atmosphere in a class.
The efective teacher'
" 4eally listens to his students
" %hows respect
" Gives clear, positive feedback
" 1as a good sense of humor
" Is patient
" Is well organi3ed
" Paces lessons well
" 0oes not complicate things unnecessarily
" Is enthusiastic and inspires enthusiasm
" 5an be authoritative without being distant
" Is honest is approachable
!here are three core teacher characteristics that help to create an eective learning
environment. !hese are'
" 4.%P.5! (a positive and non"$udgmental regard for another person)
" .MP16!7 (being able to see things from the other person+s perspective, as if looking through
their eyes)
" 68!1.9!I5I!7 (being oneself without hiding behind $ob titles, roles or masks).
(hen a teacher has these three ,ualities, the relationships within the classroom are likely to
be stronger and deeper and communication between people much more open and honest. !he
educational climate becomes positive and supportive. !he learners are able to work with less
fear of taking risks at facing challenges.
In order to improve the ,uality of our own relationship in the classroom we don+t need to learn
new techni,ues, we need to look closely at what we really want for our students, how we really
feel about them. It+s our attitude and intentions rather than our methodology that we may need
to work on.
Class management and atmosphee
5lassroom management involves both decisions and actions. !he actions are what are done
in the classroom, and the decisions are about whether to do these actions, when to do them, and
who will do them. !he essential basic skill for classroom management is to be able to recogni3e
options. 6t every point in the lesson, the teacher has options' to say one thing or to say
something dierent, to stop an activity or to let it continue, to do something or to do nothing.
:irst of all, we should respect our pupils and be realistic about what they can manage at an
individual level, and then our e)pectations will be realistic too. 6s a teacher we should treat all
our pupils e,ually.
1elping the children to feel secure
%ecurity is not an attitude or ability, but it is essential if we want our pupils to get the ma)imum
out of the language lessons. !he things which will help to create a secure class atmosphere are'
" Pupils need to know what is happening,
" 4espect your pupils,
" (henever a pupil is trying to tell you something, accept whatever he or she says *
mistakes as well.
" Pupils shouldn+t laugh at others+ mistakes and this has to be one of the rules of the class.
" .stablish routines' (Good morning;). 1ave a birthday calendar, so that you know when
everybody+s birthday is, and have a routine for what to do on that day.
" Give the children the responsibility for doing practical $obs in the classroom.
" 6void organi3ed competition, because language learning is a situation where everyone can
win.
" 6void giving physical rewards or pri3es.
" 0on+t give children .nglish names.
!he physical surroundings
7oung children respond well to surroundings which are pleasant and familiar. !eacher
should put on the walls calendars, posters, postcards, pupil+s drawings, writing etc.
.ncourage the children to bring in ob$ects or pictures or postcards and tell the rest of the
class a little bit about them in .nglish. 7our classroom is probably used for other sub$ects
or other classes as well, but try to have an .nglish corner * you need shelves, a notice
board etc.
6rranging the desks
7ou may want to arrange the desks in dierent way for dierent lessons, but it+s much
simpler if you decide on the most suitable arrangement for a lesson and stick to it. Moving
desks during a lesson is a very noisy and time"consuming business.
Grouping the children
$ive t%&es of students grou&ing are common in the classroom'
!he whole class working together with the teacher
!he whole class mi)ing together as individuals (chance to practice, this isn+t ideal grouping
for communicative work)
%mall groups (< to = people)
Pairs
Individual work
It is very important to mi) work in the classroom. Interaction between students and the
teacher is very useful because in that way students learn to speak to a native speaker or an
e)perimental user of language. In this way the students get (absorb) the correct picture of
language. >ut, if there isn+t much available time, if the teacher talks most of the time, then the
learners will get very little time to speak at all.
%mall groups (group work) * 0uring group work students use language to communicate with
each other and co"operate among themselves. In the group work there is greater possibility of
discussion, greater chance that at least one member of the group will be able to solve a
problem, when it arises. !he biggest problem is one of selection of group members, but a lot
of teachers form groups where weak and strong students are mi)ed together. 6 ma$or
possibility for group work is the idea of -e)ible groups. 1ere students start in set groups.
!here is possibility of heaving group leaders. !hey could have two functions' one would be
able to act as the group organizer * make sure that a task was properly done, that the
information was properly recorded or collected, and the other could be as a mini-teacher
where students could conduct a chill or a dialogue.
Increasing in the amount of students talking time, students use language to communicate
with each other, and co"operating among themselves.
Pair work * seems to be a good idea because it increases the amount of students practice.
Pair work allows the students to use languages and also encourages students+ co"operation,
which is itself important for the atmosphere at the class and for the motivation. %ince, the
teacher is no longer oppressively present students can help each other to use and learn
language. Problem is incorrectness. !eacher sometimes worry about noise and indiscipline. 6
lot depends here on the task we set and on our attitude during the activity. (e should try
making sure that the pair work task isn+t carried out for too long.
Individual work * is a good idea because students can rela) from outside pressure and
because they can rely on themselves rather than other people. >oth reading and writing work
can be focus for individual work. #anguage laboratories, listening centers, learning centers, and
individual computer terminals are ideal for students working on their own.
Ma(imi)ing student interaction in class' some ideas
" :irst of all, we should respect the learners.
" .ncourage a friendly, rela)ed learning environment. If there is trusting, positive supportive
rapport between learners and teacher, then there is a much better chance of useful
interaction happening.
" (e should rather ask ,uestions than giving e)planations.
" 6llow time for students to listen, think and speak.
" 6llow thinking time without talking over it.
" Increase opportunities for %!! (%tudent !alking !ime).
" 6llow students to &nish their own sentences.
" Make use of pairs and small groups to ma)imi3e opportunities for students to speak.
" If possible, arrange seating so that students can all see each other and talk to each other
(circles rather than parallel rows).
" !eacher doesn+t always need to be at the front of the class.
" 8se gestures and facial e)pressions to encourage students to speak and listen to each other.
" .ncourage interaction between students rather than only between students and the teacher.
" .ncourage co"operation rather than competition.
" 6llow students to become more responsible for their own progress. Put them in a situation
where they need to make decisions for themselves.
" .ncourage the ,uiet speaker to speak louder so that the other can hear.
*otential *roblems
! ! ! (!eacher !alking !ime) * the more teacher talks, less opportunity there is for the
learners. !hey need time to think, to prepare what they are going to say and how they are
going to say it.
.51? * if teacher becomes aware of his echoing * and then start to control it * we will &nd
that learners get more talking time and that they start to listen to each other more. (hen
teachers echoes they soon learn that they don+t need to listen to anyone accept him (the
teacher) because they know that he will be repeating everything. !hat has a negative eect
on interaction patterns within the classroom.
HELP!L "ENTEN#E #O$PLETION ?ften a teacher is so desperate for a student to say what
she wants them to say that she is already predicting the words the students will produce. If
students can complete the sentence themselves they need help * but help to produce their
own words and their own ideas.
#O$PLI#ATE% AN% !N#LEAR IN"T!R#TION" 8nplanned, unstructured instructions are
confusing to students. !hey probably understand only a small part of what teacher say * a
guess what she wants them to do.
NOT #HE#&IN' !N%ER"TAN%IN' O IN"TR!#TION" .ven the clearest instructions can be
hard to grasp * so, after you+ve given them, it is well worth checking that they have been
understood. 7ou can ask student to repeat back, asking @%o (ou un)er*tan)+,
EAR O 'EN!IN EE%BA#& In an active class the teachers will be given their teacher
feedback on what they have understood, what they think; Many teachers believe in the
importance of open, honest feedback, but &nd that in practice it can be hard to pet. If you can
open yourself up to the possibilities of really listening to what students have to say, then you
may that you can start to &nd out what they are really thinking.
IN"!I#IENT A!THORIT- . OVERPOLITNE"" 7ou should be/ say what they need to say
without waiting in inside wrapping. If you want to stop activity say * stop now, pleaseA :eel
your own nature authority and let it speak clearly.
THE R!NNIN' #O$$ENTAR- 0on+t give a running commentary about the mechanics of
past, present and future activities. !ell the students want they need to know and stop.
LA#& O "EL#ONI%EN#E 6 common cause of boredom in classroom is when materials
used are too diBcult or too easy. !he teacher should try to keep the level of challenge high
demanding. >elieve that they can do more than they are aware of being able to do * and
then help them to do it.
OVER HELPIN' . OVER OR'ANI0IN' 6 lot of /teacher help+ is actually /teacher interference+
and falls in the way of students working on their own. 6s long as you are around them, they
will look to you for help. Go away and they are forced to do the work themselves.
L-IN' 1ITH THE A"TE"T If you listen only to the &rst row people who speak it+s very easy
to get a false impression of how diBcult or easy something is, make sure you get constant
answer and feedback from many students not only of two or three of them.
NOT REALL- LI"TENIN' >ecause we are dealing with language as a sub$ect matter we are
concerned about the accuracy of what is said and to fail to hear the person behind the words.
5heck yourself occasionally are you really listening to your students or only to their wordsC
1EA& RAPPORT >ear in mind < teacher ,ualities that help to enable a good working
environment.
" 6uthenticity (being oneself without hiding behind $ob titles, roles or masks)D
" 4espect (on positive and non"fundamental regard for another person) and
" .mpathy (being able to see things from the other person+s perspectiveD as looking through
their eyes).
!The S"#$e%t Matte o& Engl'sh Lang"age Tea%h'ng(
!he main headings of the sub$ect matter of .nglish language teaching are'
" LAN'!A'E "-"TE$ that consider the meaning of the individual words (vocabulary or le)is),
how they interact with each other (grammar), how they sound (phonology), or the use to
which to which they are put in particular situation (function).
" LAN'!A'E "&ILL" listening and reading are called /receptive skill+ and speaking and writing
are called /productive skills+.
+anguage s%stems and language s,ills
#anguage systems'
E. Vocabular% (meaning of the individual word * le)is)
F. -rammar (how words interact with each other)
<. *honolog% (how words sound)
G. $unction (how are words used in particular situation)
#anguage skills'
E. %peaking
F. (riting Productive skills
<. 4eading 4eceptive skills
G. #istening
!A%t')'t'es and Lessons(
#2a**room acti3itie*:
6 basic skill in teaching .nglish as a foreign language is to be able to prepare, set up and run
@a single classroom activityH, for e)ample a game or a communication task or a discussion.
!eacher should prepare the activity before the lesson. 1e2she should be familiar with the
activity and the knowledge of his students. 1e should know how much time the activity will take,
he2she should think of possible problems or ,uestions, errors, what his role is going to be; !he
activities involve students in talking and listening to one another on a personal level. !his may
help students to build good relationship within the class and help creating a good working
atmosphere.
.ach of the activities is possible by using the same material in dierent ways, for e)ample'
!he class discuss the problem and possible solution
!he students write their feelings about situation at home
!he teacher dictates a situational description to the students and then invites one student
to invent and dictate the &rst line of the dialogueD another student does line two, and so on.
%tudents make up dialogue in pairs.
!he activity you will choose will depend on what you want for students to learn from it. Most
course book material will have clear instructions for doing a single activity with speci&c aims.
#earners do a grammar e)ercise individually than compare answers with each other
#earners listen a taped conversation in order to answer some ,uestions
#earners write a formal letter
#earners read a newspaper article to prepare for a discussion
#earners play a vocabulary game
#earners repeat sentences their teacher is saying
#earners replay a shop scene
!hese activities involve students in talking and listening to one another on a personal level.
!his may help to build good relationship within the class and help creating a good working
atmosphere.
!he teacher has a number of options in organi3ing the activity. :or e)ample the giving of
instructions'
a) %he could simply tell the class to read the course book for instructions and do the activity.
b) %he2he could give instructions orally.
c) %he could demonstrate the activity in front of the whole class.
d) %he could start with an introduction to the activity or she could include a feedback
discussion after the students have &nished the communication task.

.efore the lesson'
E. :amiliari3e yourself with material and the activity. !hink about organi3ation problems.
In the lesson'
F. Pre"activity"introduction and lead"in to activity. !his may motivate students.
<. %et up the activity" organi3e the students, give clear information. !eacher should organi3e
the students so that they can do the activity. !eacher should demonstrate or give e)ample rather
than e)plain.
G. 4un the activity (E. %tep) allow the students to work. If the instructions are clear, teacher
can let students do it by themselves. 1e should monitor over the situation, but not interfere. If
the activity is too diBcult, teacher should let students rise to that challenge, without letting them
lean on teacher.
I. 5lose the activity (E. %tep) * allow it to close properly. !eacher should try to sense when
the students are ready to move on. If you want to close the activity while students are still
working, give them a warning.
J. Post activity (feedback session, comparing opinions) * it may be very useful to have some
of feedback session on the activity. #earners can compare opinions, check answers, look at
problems arising, discuss the purpose of the activity and reactions to it etc.
!K'nds o& Lessons(
45 LO'I#AL LINE It means one activity leads to the ne)t, like a path.
6 KL>KL5 6ctivity 6 leads to activity >, and the activity > leads to activity 5.
In work on language skills, the se,uence of activities often moves from an overview toward
work on speci&c details. :or e)ample, the learners move gradually from general
understanding of a reading te)t toward detailed comprehension.
In work of grammar, &rst we understand an item of language, then practice it orally in drills,
ne)t step or path would be speaking work, and maybe some written e)ercises to con&rm our
understanding. !he teacher is hoping to lead the learners step by step through programmed
se,uence of activities.
!here is probably one clear ob$ective to the whole lesson. !he teacher has predicted possible
problems and diBculties and has predicted possible problems and diBculties and has
predicted ways to deal with them when they come up in the class.
!his kind of lesson is well prepared and the teacher knows the aim of it. It+s very certain that
the students will reach the aim of it during the lesson.
65 TOPI# !$BRELLA !his type of lesson may contain more ob$ectives than one. In this kind of
lesson, a topic (education) provides the main point for student work. !he teacher might
include a variety of separate activity (on vocabulary, listening, speaking, grammar) linked
only by the fact that the umbrella topic remains the same.
!he activities can often be done in a variety of orders without changing the overall success of
the lesson. In some cases activities may be linked.
!here may be a number of related or disparate aims in this lesson, rather than a single main
ob$ective.
:or e)ample'
E. 4eading article about 3oo2information about it * when does it start to work, how much
money the tickets cost.
F. %peaking * teacher shows them pictures of animals. %tudents work in pairs and each pair
chooses an animal they would like to see the most in a 3oo.
<. %peaking * teacher asks ,uestions about 3oo in general * what is 3oo like, have they ever
been to 3oo before, advantages and disadvantages of 3oo.
G. #istening * students listen some story or a report on tape (about 3oo)
I. Grammar " teacher ask students to make ,uestions or sentences about animals using
constructions' I like, I do, I prefer, I adore;
In the end teacher makes corrections and students read sentences accurately and with
correct pronunciation.
75 8!N'LE PATH In topic umbrella and logical line, teachers have already planned a lesson and
activities. !hey feel able to predict what language areas will be worked on, what problems will
arise and what will the students achieve.
!he essential dierence between this type of lesson and two previous is that teacher works
more with the people in the room, and less with material or plan.
!he starting point might be an activity or a piece of material but what comes out of it will
remain unknown until it happens. In this type of lesson teacher doesn+t predict or prepare for
the class so much, he creates a lesson moment by moment in the class. !eacher and learners
work together discussing problems and options, &nd new activities, respond to ,uestions;
It+s like a group of people walking through the $ungle in search of new e)periences and
learning. %ometimes the teacher leads, sometimes the students. :or this kind of lesson teacher
should know the students well, their abilities; #esson+s ob$ectives will be stated when the
lesson &nishes.
:or e)ample'
a) !he teacher asks' @1ow was the weekendCH 6fter the students answer, she chooses one of
the answers and starts discussion about that topic. 6fter a while she chooses one part of
an item of language a student has said. It can be for e)ample grammarD she invents some
e)ercises that will help students work on this.
!he teacher asks' @(hat should we do todayCH and waits while the class decides taking
care not to manipulate them into deciding something she wants them to do. (hen they
decide, she does whatever she has been asked to do.
In this kind of lesson teacher needs to be aware both of the people in the room and of
variety of options open to her.
95 RA'-BA' * !his kind of lesson is made up of a number of unconnected activities. :or e)ample,
class can start a chat on a speci&c theme, followed by a vocabulary game, pair"work speaking
activity and a song.
In this type of lesson there is no overall language ob$ective. .ach separate activity might
have its own aims.
!Spea*'ng(
Many people outside the world of .nglish language teaching seem to have the impression
that running a discussion class is something anyone can do * you don+t need any e)perience. Must
go in and talk. Imagine yourselfD probably you have no interest in the sub$ect, no relevant
knowledge or e)perience or motivation. If the sub$ect is relevant and interesting, if the students
already know about or are provided with information to give substance to the topic, if they feel
motivated to talk about it, if they really feel they want to say something, there is a good chance
something interesting would happen. !here may be several aims for discussion, but the main
aim is to provide an opportunity to provide an opportunity to practice speaking. 6ims may be the
practice of speci&c language (vocabulary of ecology). It+s usually a good idea to organi3e
speaking activities in pairs, or small group as well.
5reate the activity well
7our students may need some time before the speaking activity, to look up vocabulary,
make note or two
Giving students brief role"cards
4ather than giving the students a general topic to discuss, try setting a speci&c related
problem
%mall group (pyramid discussion)
Spea*'ng A%t')'t+
%peaking is perhaps the most demanding skill for the teacher to teach students to be able to
e)press their emotions, communicative intentions and reactions, e)plore the language and make
fun of it.
It is very important to practice speaking and when speaking is practiced, it is important to pay
more attention to -uency than on accurate sentences.
!here are a lot of communicative activities when students can practice speaking.
!he aim of communicative activities is to have one+s students become communicatively
competent.
6 basic procedure for a communicative activity might be'
a) !eacher introduces and sets up activity (teacher centre"staged)
b) %tudents do activity (teacher uninvolved)
c) !eacher gets feedback (teacher centre"stage again)
(hen a teacher gives a topic for a conversation, he should choose one which the students are
interested in, so that they would have relevant knowledge or e)perience about it, something
they are familiar with.
!eacher should give students some time to prepare for a speaking practice * not to write down
speeches, but maybe a few notes, perhaps to look up vocabulary in their dictionaries, and to
think through their thoughts.
$luenc% and "ommunications
%ome activities (as speaking) on classes are focused on -uency and some on accuracy.
(hen the focus is on -uency, teacher should not interrupt the student often to correct him, he
shouldn+t interfere in student+s speaking because it will bring less communication.
/rama and role &la%
0rama is an e)cellent way to get students using the language. It can be a very good start for
e)citing, listening and speaking work and it can be used as a tool to provide practice in speci&c
grammatical, le)ical or phonological areas. %uccess or failure of drama activities depends
crucially on the perceived attitude of the teacher and of the students.
%i) types of drama activity are commonly found in .nglish language teaching classrooms'
a) 4ole play * students act out small scenes using their own ideas and information.
b) %imulation * the intention is to create a much more complete, comple) @wordH
c) 0rama games * short games that usually involve movement and imagination (walking,
making a picture, puppets and dubbing).
d) Guided improvisation * a scene is improvised
e) 6cting play scripts
f) Prepared improvised drama * students in small groups invent a short scene or story that
they perform for the others.
If the main aim is to get the students to speak, then one way to help that would be for teachers
to reduce their own contribution. Probably the less they speak, the more space it will allow
students.
%imilarly, getting out of the way might be a help. If teacher stays at the front of the class, visible
and clearly keeping an eye over everything, that might put students o talking.
%ome ideas for correction work after a -uency activity are'
a) !he teacher writes a number of sentences on the board. %he2he gives the pens2chalks to
the students and encourages them to make corrections.
b) !he teacher writes up a number of sentences used during the activity and discusses them
with the students.
!he teacher invents and writes out a story that includes a number of errors she overheard
during the activity. %he hands out the story the ne)t day and the students in pairs or as a
whole group attempt to &nd the errors and correct them etc.
:Teaching Voca;u2ar(<
!eaching vocabulary is more than $ust presenting new words. 6 distinction is presenting made
between active and passive vocabulary. Acti3 e refers to vocabulary that students have been
thought or learnt and which they are e)pected to be able to use, while pa**i3e refers to words
which the students will recogni3e when they meet them but which they probably not be able to
produce. %tudents /know+ some words better than others, because some words are often used in
classroom, or have appeared in the reading te)ts which students have been e)posed to. ?ther
words may be those that students have looked up because they wanted to use them, or they
may be words that students have met and somehow /liked+.
:E2iciting<
Eliciting means dra0ing out information, language, ideas from students rather
than the teacher give them. It is a techni,ue based on principles that'
" %tudents probably know a lot more than we (e)pect) may give them credit for'
" %tarting with what they know is a productive way to begin new workD
" Involving people in a ,uestion and answer movement towards new discovery is often more
eective than simply /giving+ lectures.
!here are three steps to eliciting'
E. 5onvey a clear idea to the students using pictures, gestures or ,uestions.
F. !hen they supply the appropriate information, language etc.
<. !eacher gives them a feedback.
!eacher can elicit language, ideas, feelings, meaningful conte)t, memories, but can+t elicit what
the students don+t know.
(ith this techni,ue there is a reduction in unnecessary teacher talk and a ma)imi3ation of
student talk. !he students take an active part in the learning being involved even in the part of
the lesson that might otherwise be only teacher e)planation. !he teacher is able to state what
the students know and what should be worked on, what has to be improved.
!he language is learned through a process of guided discovery and it has bigger chances of
being memorable because of students+ involvement in the learning.
Eliciting is 0hen %ou don1t tell students the ne0 0ord or form, but as, from them to
thin, and tr% to elicit the 0ord or form for them 2rst.
!F'lles(
Most teachers &nd that they need a small collection of /&llers+ * things to do when they have
run out of other things to do, perhaps because the main activity went much faster than e)pected
Nand (even having stretched it) there is still seven"minute gap before the bell ringsO. :illers are
also useful at the start of a lesson as a warmer. :illers might be' word games, other games,
stories, pu33les, physical games and e)ercises, music or songs.
!Eos and Coe%t'ons(
Eo, I am agree.
T+pe o& eo, unnecessary word
Coe%t'on, !he teacher+s help Pup three &ngers (to represent the three words of the sentence)
and then picked out and throw away middle &nger. !he students looked pu33led, and then said
the sentence again without the middle word. !he teacher smiled and said /good+. @I agreeH.
Mistakes are de&nitely a /bad thing+ * not really to be encouraged. Many teachers nowadays
regard student+s errors as an evidence of progress. .rrors often show that students e)periment
with language, try out ideas, take risks, and attempt to communicate. .rrors give us a clear state
of what is wrong and what should be worked on. In dealing with errors teacher look for correction
techni,ues rather than simply giving students the answer on a plate. !eacher helps them to
make their own correction.
%o, the teacher+s aims when correcting might include'
" >uilding con&dence
" 4aising awareness
" 6cknowledging achievement progress as well as
" 1elping students to become more accurate in their use of language.
Error is a systematic mistake. .rrors should be corrected and correction practice must be
done through individual and class work. Errors are 0rongl% learned language.
Mista,e is an occasional wrong use of language. !he teacher should give a chance to
students to self"correct themselves (slip of a tongue). Mista,es could ha&&en to ever%one3
.)cept the grammar errors, there are errors in intonation. (hen work with oral errors in class,
teachers should make some decisions'
E. (hat kind of error has been made (grammatical, pronunciation etc.)
F. Is it useful to correct it.
<. (hen to deal with it (now, later, at the end activity;)
G. (ho will correct (teacher, student, self"correction, other students)
I. 8se the appropriate techni,ue to indicate an error to enable correction.
!here are two basic correction stages' sho0ing incorrectness and using correction
techni4ues.
E. Sho0ing incorrectness means that we indicate to the students that a mistake has been
made and if he2she understands this feedback, he2she will be able to correct the mistakes
and this self"correction will be helpful to him as a part of a learning process.
!here are a number of techni,ues for showing incorrectness'
a) 4epeating * we ask a student to repeat what he said using the word /again+ with
,uestioning intonation to indicate that student made an error.
b) .choing * we repeat what student says with a ,uestioning intonation to indicate that
something is wrong with the answer. (.choing is maybe the most eBcient way of
showing incorrectnessA)
c) 0enial * we can simply $ust say that the response is unsatisfactory and ask student to
repeat it. !his may sound a bit discouraging.
d) Questioning * we can say @is that correctCH asking another student in the class to
answer our ,uestion. !hat has the advantage of focusing everyone to the problem but
the student who made the mistake may seem e)posed.
e) .)pression * we can indicate incorrectness by e)pression or gesture. It can be
dangerous if student thinks that this kind of correction is for mockery.
In general, showing incorrectness should be handled with tact and consideration.
F. 8sing correction techni,ues
a) "tu)ent correction techni=ue* we can ask if anyone else can give the correct
response. (e can ask if anyone can /help+, but if we do this insensitively the student
who made the mistake might feel humiliated.
b) Teacher correct* *tu)ent* when we see that the ma$ority of the class have the same
problem, it+s appropriate that we make the correction.
:E>ten*i3e an) Inten*i3e Li*tening<
#istening to an entire piece, with a view to going an overall impression or understanding of
what it is about is termed /e)tensive listening+, or /listening for gist+. @Intensive listeningH or,
@listening for detailH is where the listening eort is concentrated on a small partition of the tape
(perhaps a sentence, or a short phrase, or even a word or a sound).
:E>ten*i3e an) Inten*i3e Rea)ing<
.)tensive reading is reading in order to gain an over"all understanding of a larger piece of
te)t, perhaps a story or an article.
Intensive reading is typically used with short sections or sentences when we need to
understand or study information or language use as detail.
Test'ng
If your head teacher asks you to prepare a test for your class, you can test'
a) !he students+ progress over the course so far (a progress test) or,
b) !heir general level of .nglish, without reference to any course (pro&ciency test).
!he aim of test is to see if students have learned and ac,uired the language they have been
studying and have been e)posed to.
Most internal school tests tend to be progress tests, most e)ternal are usually pro&ciency tests.
(hen preparing progress tests you can anything that has been studied. It usually means the four
language systems and the four language skills. 7our students+ course has probably included not
only reading and writing, grammar and vocabulary, but also speaking, listening, phonology and
function.
>roadly speaking there are two kinds of ways to write the ,uestions'
a) 0iscreet item ,uestions (items which only test one thing), and
b) Integrative ,uestions (items which test the student+s whole knowledge of the language).
!hese can be marked in two ways'
a) Ob5ectivel% (there is a clear correct answer and dierent marker would give the same
marks to the same ,uestion)
b) Sub5ectivel% (dierent markers might give dierent marks for the same ,uestion).
6 good test'
a) (ill seem fair and appropriate to the students (and to anyone who needs to know the
results * head teacher, other teachers, parents etc.)
b) (ill not be too troublesome to mark
c) (ill provide clear results that serve the purpose for which it was set.
(hen write tests, teacher should follow same rules'
a) 0on+t test what you haven+t taught.
b) 0on+t test general knowledge.
c) 0on+t introduce new techni,ues in tests.
d) 0on+t $ust test accuracy.
e) 0on+t forget to test the test
T%&es of tests
a) Multiple choice * choose a, b, c, d or choose item as a part of a dialogue or sentence.
b) :ill in gaps *
c) %entence re"ordering * put the words in right order to make a correct sentence.
d) Making a story * put the sentences in right order to make a story.
e) !ransformations * test of the student+s knowledge of synta) and structure (students have
to rewrite the sentences so that they have the same meaning but dierent grammatical
structure).
f) %entence"writing * %tudents are given a picture where they have to write what it is, maybe
use some structures;
g) :inding and correcting mistakes * %tudents have to cross out the incorrect word (e.g. 1e
will come when he will &nish the $ob.
h) 4ewrite sentence in correct .nglish
i) !wo"option answer * true 2 false, correct 2 incorrect.
$) Matching (pictures, words, sentences, pieces;).
k) 8sing given words * (put one word from the list below in each gap).
$EE/.A"#
#earning teaching is a desire to move forward, to keep learning from whatever happens. It
involves feedback from others and from ourselves about what happened.
#earning teaching is a belief that creativity, understanding, e)perience and character continue
growing throughout one+s life. #earning teaching is an aware active use of the e)perimental
learning cycle in one+s own life and work.
:eedback from learners
:eedback from others2 colleagues
:eedback from you
+anguage s%stems and language s,ills
#anguage systems'
I. Vocabular% (meaning of the individual word * le)is)
J. -rammar (how words interact with each other)
R. *honolog% (how words sound)
=. $unction (how are words used in particular situation)
#anguage skills'
I. %peaking
J. (riting Productive skills
R. 4eading 4eceptive skills
=. #istening
:Language Learning Theorie* an) Approache*<
9o one knows e)actly how people learn languages. !he idea of conditioning is based on the
theory that you can train an animal to do anythingD to do this you need to follow a three stage
procedures, where the stages are stimulus, response and reinforcement. 6 signal light is
operated (the stimulus), the rat goes up to a bar and presses it (response) and tasty food pellet
drops at its feet (the reinforcement). !he rat+s behavior is reinforced with a suBcient number of
times it will always press the bar when the light comes on. 4einforcement in this e)ample took
the form of a reward. #anguage is a form of behavior. !he same model of stimulus * response *
reinforcement accounts for how a human baby learns a language * hunger (stimulus) "S crying
(response) "S milk (reinforcement). .ehaviorism was adopted for some time by language
teaching methodologists, and the result was the audio"lingual method. !his method made
constant drilling of the students followed by positive or negative enforcement a ma$or focus of
classroom activity. !he language habit is formed by a constant repetition and reinforcement of
teacher.
"ognitivism 6 !he language is not form of behavior, 5homsky maintained. ?n the contrary, it
is rule based system and a large part of language, ac,uisition is the learning of the system. !he
idea that language is not a set of habits has informed many teaching techni,ues and
methodologies. %tudents are often encouraged to use rules to create sentences on their own.
6c,uiring a language is more successful and longer lasting than learning. !he suggestion
Trashen made is that second language learning needs to be more like the adult+s ac,uisition of
its native language. >ut how do children become competent users of their language. 6lthough
there may be some limits on the language that they hear, they are never taught of. !hey hear
parent. !heir gradual ability to use language is the result of subconscious processes. !hey have
not consciously set out to learn a language. It happens as a result of the input they receive and
e)periences which accompany this input. Much foreign language teaching seems to concentrate
on getting the adult student to consciously learn items of language input which the students
receive. Input is a term used to mean the language that the students hear or read. !his input
should contain language that the students already know as well as language they have not
previously seen * the input should be at a slightly higher level than students are capable of
understanding. Trashen called the use of such language to students 7rough tuning8 and
compared it to the way adults talk to children. !he suggestion made by Trashen is that students
ac,uire language on their own provided that they get a great deal of comprehensible input. !his
is in marked contrast to conscious learning where students receive &nely"tuned input * that is
language chosen to be precisely at their level. !his &nely"tuned input is then made the ob$ect of
conscious learning. Perhaps if language students constantly receive input that is roughly"tuned,
they will ac,uire those items of language that they did not previously know without making a
conscious eort to do so.
:Humani*tic Approache*<
#anguage teaching is not $ust about teaching language. It is also about bring students to
develop themselves as people. !hese beliefs have led to a number of teaching methodologies
and techni,ues which have stressed the humanistic aspects of learning. In such methodologies,
e)perience of the student is what counts and development of their personality and
encouragement of positive feelings as seem to be as important as their learning of the language.
In a book Ca'ng and Sha'ng in :oreign #anguage 5lassroom Gertrude Moscowit3 provides a
number of attractive activities designed to make students feel good and remember happy times
and events while at the same time practicing language. ?ther writers have used similar students+
activities. %ome editions concentrate on the students and their state of mind, seeing in their
wants and their rela)ation the key to successful training. ?thers allow a pre"speaking phrase
where students are not forced to speak until they feel con&dent to do so. !here is the one that
forces students to rely on their own recourses even when under the teacher+s direction.
:#ommunit( Language Learning<
"attempts to give students only the language they need. Ideally students sit in a circle outside
of which is knower who will help them with the language they want to use. (hen they have
decided what they want to say they do it in their language and the knower translates it for them.
In this way, students ac,uire the language they want to ac,uire.
:"ugget*opae)ia<
"is a methodology developed by #o3anov in which students must be comfortably rela)ed. !his
fre,uently means comfortable furniture and baro,ue music. In this setting students are given
new names and listen to e)tended dialogues. !he contention is that the general situation, the
adoption of a new identity and the dependence on listening to the dialogues will help the
students to ac,uire the language.
:The "i2ent 1a(<
7The Silent 9a%8 developed by 5aleb Gattegno is marked by the fact that the teacher gives
a very limited amount of input, modeling the language to be learnt once only and then indicating
what students should do through pointing and other silent means. !he teacher will not critici3e or
praise but simply keeps indicating that the students should try again until success is achieved.
:Language Learning Approache*<
!he fact that students are hearing or reading language that they more or less understand
must help them to ac,uire that language. If they are e)posed to language enough they will
almost be able o use some of it themselves. It may be that one of the teacher+s main functions
when talking informally to the class is to provide $ust that kind of comprehensible input. People
can ac,uire languages while they are doing something else. (e should try to involve students+
personalities through the use of humanistic e)ercises, and genuine e)change of ideas. (e can
get students to really concentrate on their own learning strategies and we can persuade them to
take change of their own learning as far as possible.
:Ac=uire) Language<
"is somewhat /better+ than learnt language because you would have to concentrate to
produce the letter. !his kind of division $ust doesn+t make sense. %tudents will not be able to
produce it immediately in conversation, but it will eventually come out. #earnt language which is
practiced does seem to become part of the ac,uired store. 6nother problem about ac,uisition is
that it takes a long time. Ma$ority of students study language for about two and a half hours a
week, for about thirty weeks a year.
:O9 TO TEA": -!AMMA!
Presenting grammatical units
Presentation is the stage at which students are introduced to the form, meaning and use of a
new piece of language. :or e)ample, they learn how ;/I/1 works with if they are being
presented with past tense ,uestions for the &rst time.
Presentation is the stage at which students can learn how to put the new synta), words and
sounds together. In this stage they learn the grammar they will later use.
Personali3ation * is the stage at which students use a new piece of grammar to say things
which really mean something to them. :or e)ample, if the teacher presents them Present %imple
!ense, the personali3ation stage is where they apply it to themselves by saying what they do,
what they like and so on. It+s often the &rst time students get a chance to use the new language
themselves. %ometimes, personali3ation is the &nal part of a presentation which is done through
the use of te)ts or picture.
The characteristics of good &resentation are'
a) 6 good presentation should be clear3 %tudents shouldn+t have problems or diBculties with
the meaning of a new language.
b) 6 good presentation should be e<cient 6 the aim is to get to the personali3ation stage as
soon as students can manipulate the new language.
c) 6 good presentation should be livel% and interesting 6 students should be involved
during a presentation stage. (ith the help of a good situation and lively teaching, it can be
one of the most memorable parts of a language course.
d) 6 good presentation should be &roductive * in other words, the situation the teacher
introduces should allow students to make many sentences and ,uestions with the new
language.
e) 6 good presentation should be a&&ro&riate 6 however interesting, funny or
demonstrative a situation is, it should be appropriate for the language that is being
presented.
!here are numbers of presentations that share some or all of the above characteristics'
E) 8sing charts
F) 8sing dialogue
<) 8sing mini"situation
G) 8sing te)ts for contrast
I) 8sing te)t for grammar e)planation
J) 8sing visuals for situations

/iscover% techni4ues
/iscover% techni4ues are those where students are given e)amples of language and told to
&nd ou how they work * to discover the grammar rules rather than be told them.
6t the most covert level this means that the students are e)posed to the new language, with
no focus or fuss, some time before it is presented.
6t a more conscious level, students can be asked to look at some sentences, where they have
to &nd the meaning and dierences between the sentences. In that way they ac,uire new
grammar rules (by &nding out how grammar is used).
!he advantages of this approach are clear. >y involving students in a task of grammar
ac,uisition, we make sure that they are concentrating fully on the work. It+s not $ust the teacher
telling the students what the grammar is, they are actually discovering information for
themselves.
It is important that these techni,ues are not suitable for all students on all occasions.
0iscovery techni,ues can take a long time and can be confusing. !he teacher should decide
when to use the activities, with what grammar and with which students.
!here are four types of activities (where discovery techni,ues are present), where students
discover new grammar.
a) Preview * students are aware of new language. !hey are e)posed to the new language.
!hey don+t concentrate on it at this stage, but this will help them at a later stage, when
they have to study it. 6ctivities such as reading and listening to te)ts e)pose students to
language in this way, because while students are practicing listening and reading skills,
they can also be absorbing new language.
b) Matching techni,ues * the point of matching e)ercises is to get students to work things
out for themselves, they have to make choices about what goes whit what and the activity
of making choices helps them to discover correct facts about grammar.
(.). !hey &nd out how ,uestion tags workA)
7ou+ve been to >ra3il. 6re youC
c) !e)t"study * another way of getting students to discover a new grammar is to give them a
te)t to study and tell them to concentrate on a way that grammar is used in it. The
&rinci&al aim is to get students to recogni3e the new language. !he point about this kind
of activity is that the teacher asks the students to work something out to;.
d) Problem solving " a very good way of getting students to discover grammatical rules is to
present them with e)amples of incorrect .nglish. !he teacher then encourage them to
discover what is wrong and why.
*ractice techni4ues
!here are four dierent types of (oral) practice techni,ues' drills, interaction activities,
involving the personality and games.
E) /rills 6 the aim of a drill is to give students rapid practice in using a structural
item. ?ften, this is done with the whole class * rather than with students in pairs
and the teacher is able to get students to ask and answer ,uestions ,uickly and
eBciently. 6dvantage of this kind of techni,ue is that teacher can correct any
mistakes that the students make and can encourage them to concentrate on
diBculties at the same time. >ut the problem with the drills is that they are often
not very creative. 6s soon as students show that they can make correct sentences
with the new item, the teacher should move onto more creative activities like the
interaction activities.
F) Interaction activities 6 one of the problems about drills is that they are fairly
monotonous. %ome way must be found of making controlled language practice
more meaningful and more en$oyable. ?ne of the ways of doing this by using
interaction activities. In that way students work together, e)changing information
in a purposeful and interesting way.
<) Involving the &ersonalit% * recently some teachers and material writers have
designed e)ercises which practice grammar, while at the same time re,uiring
students to talk about themselves in a more involving way than in previous
e)amples. !hey are asked discuss things that aect their personality and to
discuss things that aect their personality and to this sub$ect matter as a focus for
grammar practice (e). %tudents are practicing the present perfect. !hey sit in
circles and one after the other have to say' I+m Maria and I+ve never robbed a
bank.).
G) -ames have been used in language teaching for long time and they are especially
useful for grammar work.
I) 9ritten &ractice = grammar is often practiced alone through writing. %tudents
are fre,uently given homework e)ercises which ask them to practice speci&c
language items. (e can talk about' &ll"ins, written drills, word order, sentence
writing and parallel writing.
Generally, the activities are designed so that the students practice the language
while at the same time they are involved in an en$oyable activity. %tudents need to
practice their grammar a lot.
;Testing -rammar1
T%&es of tests'
(e can test a student+s ability to speak or write. (e can test student+s reading or listening
comprehension skills. Many tests include all these elements, especially public e)ams which have
four or &ve separate papers. >ut because marking written test is easier than marking oral tests,
and because written tests take less time, most tests are based on the written skills.
Public e)ams tests * how good a student+s overall command of .nglish is.
6chievement tests in schools and classrooms and are given after four or si) weeks study,
three or four units, after semester or year work.
!ests which are given in schools and classes to &nd out how well students have done are often
called achievement tests, and are given after G or J weeks of study, or after < or G units of a
course book, or after a semester or year+s work. !ests are usually written by heads of
departments or by teachers of individual classes.
9riting achievement tests'
(riting a test is an important $ob that demands skill and patience. Good tests show both
teacher and students how well they are all doing. !eachers should give everyone a chance to
show how much they have learnt. (hen writing test, a teacher should bear in mind the following
&ve rules'
E. /on1t test 0hat %ou haven1t taught. !he purpose of test is to &nd out how well students
have achieved what they have been study.
F. /on1t test general ,no0ledge. !eachers should test knowledge of .nglish, not knowledge
of the world.
<. /on1t introduce ne0 techni4ues in tests. If students are given a set of fumbled words
and asked them to reorder them to make a sentence, we would e)pect them to have seen
this type of activity.
G. /on1t 5ust test accurac%. %tudents must be given a chance to write a letter, a description or
an essay. Items which only test one thing * discrete items. !est items which test the student+s
knowledge of the language have been called integrative.
I. /on1t forget to test the test 6 when you write achievement test, there often can arise
unforeseen problems. Perhaps you forgot to write clear instructions, perhaps there are some
mistakes, perhaps the test is too diBcult, or too easy. >ut if the test is important for students,
you must try to ensure that it works. !he &rst thing to do when you have $ust written a test is
to show it to colleagues. !hey will often spot problems and may suggest improvements.
Teaching grammar
Grammar is a part of a language system where we learn how words interact with each other.
!he #ongman 0ictionary of 5ontemporary .nglish de&nes grammar as the rules by which
words e)change forms and are combined into sentences. !here are two basic elements in this
de&nition' the rules of grammar and the study and practice of the rules.
!he rules of grammar are about how words change and how they are put together into
sentences. :or e)ample knowledge of grammar tells us that the word /walk+ changes into
/walked+ in the past tense.
!hen, grammar is the way in which words change themselves and group together to make
sentences. 6lso grammar is what happens to words when they become plural or negative, or
what word order is used when we make ,uestions, or $oin two clauses to make one sentence.
!here are two ways of teaching grammar' covert and overt grammar teaching.

;"overt and Overt1
#OVERT 'RA$$AR TEA#HIN' is where grammatical facts are hidden from students. In this kind
of teaching, the students may be asked to do an information gap activity or to read a te)t, where
grammar is practiced or introduced, but their attention will be drawn to the activity or to the
te)t, and not to the grammar. (ith covert grammar, teacher helps the students to ac,uire and2or
practice the language, but they do not draw conscious attention to any of the grammatical facts
of the language.
OVERT 'RA$$AR TEA#HIN' means that the teacher actually provides the students with
grammatical rules and e)planations * the information is openly presented.
(hen people learn language they encounter a number of problems, especially with grammar,
which can be complicated and sometimes confusing.
In teaching grammar teachers should make a distinction between form, function and meaning
and use similarities and dierences between student+s own language and the language that is
being learnt, and various e)ceptions that all languages seems to suer from.
;$luenc% and communication1
(hen we talk about -uency and communication, an important consideration here is the aim
of activity. If the aim of activity is to improve learners+ accurate use of .nglish, then immediate
correction is much more appropriate is much more appropriate than in an activity where -uency
is the ob$ective. !his is very important distinction.
!here are other factors to take into account when deciding if a correction should be made like'
will it help or hinder learningC (hat is my intention in correctingC 9e)t ,uestion is when to
correctC !he ,uestion is when to correct' immediately, after a few minutes, at the end of activity,
later in the lesson, at the end of the lesson, in the ne)t lesson, never. !he distinction between
accuracy and -uency aims is important. If the ob$ective is accuracy, then immediate correction is
more usefulD if the aim is -uency then immediate correction is less appropriate and any
correction will probably come after the activity is &nished. Interrupting an activity in order to
correct s student could kill the activity. (hile the students are working teacher can collect a list
of errors. @(ho correctsH is ne)t important ,uestionC !here are' self"correction, student"student,
teacher"student, small group, all class, course books. 1ere are some ideas'
!ell them (there+s an error in the sentence)
:acial e)pression (surprise, raised eyebrows)
:inger correction
4epeat sentence up to an error
6sk a ,uestion (eg. (as this last weekC)
6sk a one word ,uestion (eg. !enseC PastC)
0raw a time line on the board
.cho sentence with changed intonation
(rite the problem sentence on board for discussion.
(hen you speak, you have to work on two things. ?ne is accurac% * getting everything
correct (correct sentences, perfect pronunciation and right choice of words). !he other is
>uenc% 6 speaking at a good speed and communicating easily with other people. In any
way, both accuracy and -uency are important.
!Tea%h'ng Engl'sh to %h'lden(
!here is a big dierence between what children of &ve can do and what children of ten years
can do. %ome children develop early, some later. (e have divided the children into two main
groups' &ve to seven years old, are all at level one, the beginner stage. !he :ive to seven years"
olds, level one, the beginner stage. !he eight to ten year old, may also be beginners, or they
may have been learning the foreign language for some time.
G.9.46# 516465!.4I%!I5% ?: 51I#04.9 :4?M :IU. !? %.U.9 7.64%"?#0%'
!hey can talk about what they are doing
!hey can tell you what they have done or heard
!hey can plan activities
!hey can argue for something
!hey can use their vivid imagination
!hey can understand direct human interaction
!hey know that the world is governed by rules. !hey may not understand the rules.
!hey use language skills long before they are aware of them
!he physical world is dominant
!hey have a very short attention and concentration space
!he dividing line between the real world and imaginary world is not clear
!hey are happy playing and working alone
5hildren do not always understand what adults are talking about. 6dults ask ,uestions but
children don+t always ask.
7oung children cannot decide for themselves what to learn
It is important to pri3e them
.IG1! !? !.9 7.64%"?#0%'
5hildren of &ve are little children. 5hildren of EV are relatively mature children with an adult
side and a children side.
!hey have very decided views
!hey can tell the dierence between fact and &ction
!hey ask ,uestions all the time
!hey are able to make some decisions about their own learning
!hey know what they like and about like
!hey are able to work with others and learn from others
!hey are competent users of their mother tongue
8nderstand abstracts
8nderstand symbols
Generali3e and systemati3e
!he period from I to EV sees dramatic changes in children but we cannot say e)actly when
this happened because it is dierent for all individuals. !he magic age seems to be around R or
=.
(ords are not enough * you will need to have ob$ects and pictures, and make full use of
school and your surroundingsD
Play with the language * make up rhymes, sing songs, tell stories, let them talk nonsense,
e)periment with worldD
4outines * have systems, routines, organi3e and plan lessons, use family situations
*lanning %our 0or,
!here is very little time available during a lesson for you to actually think. %o, if you and your
pupils are going to get the ma)imum en$oyment and learning, than the lesson must be
carefully planned. 6ll good teachers have plan, $ust as they are prepared to adapt their plans.
(hy good teachers plan their workC
E. It makes life much easier for you in the classroom.
F. It saves time' you can adapt the plan for future use, you get ,uicker at preparing work
with e)perience, you become aware of how much time activities take.
<. 7ou know what you will need for each lesson.
G. 7ou can see more easily how to balance your lessons.
I. It allows you to use more of your energy and enthusiasm to en$oy what you+re doing
instead of worrying about what ne)t to do.
J. 7ou can sometimes sit back and observe what+s going instead of planning the ne)t activity
in your head.
R. 6s pupils get older, they become more aware of how well"prepared the lessons are, and
they like to have well"prepared lessons.
(hen, how and with whom to planC
(e can divide planning into three stages' long, short term and lesson planning. 6lthough long
term planning is followed by short term planning, which is followed by lesson planning, the three
types of planning are dierent.
a) #ong term planning
" #ong term planning will take place either before or at the beginning of term, an you can do it
before you even see your pupils. If you can, discuss with other teachers, what they think about
aims and methods and assessment.
" !alk to the parents about what you intend to cover if this is at all possible.
" If you are using a te)tbook, look through the list of contents and the teacher+s guide. If the book
is topic"based you might decide to change the order.
" If you are not using a te)tbook, decide roughly what you want to cover this term and how long
it will take you for each unit (topic, language, item).
" If you are teaching in new surroundings, you should check where everything is and what there
is at school. !hings which are used in other sub$ects can be used in the .nglish lesson too. (Maps,
for e)ample are always useful and can be borrowed from the geography teacher).
b) %hort"term planning
" ?nce your long term planning is done, then the short term planning is much easier. 6 short
term plan usually coverts from three to ten lessons. If you have another teacher doing the same
work at the same level, you can work together at this stage, although many teachers prefer to
plan alone.
" If you are using a te)tbook, then much of the work at this stage is done for you. Most te)tbooks
are written by e)perienced teachers and the lessons are carefully thought out. If you are new to
teaching, then follow them as far as you can.
" #ook at the te)ts which are in one unit in the book, or which you have collected. 9ote down if
there is anything that you or the children have to make.
" 0ecide what language items you are going to teach.
" Make ,uite sure you know how the language items are used.
" 6ssessment is part of teaching, so write assessments into your plan at this stage.
0on+t let your short term planning get too detailed. It+s only a rough guide and what you hope to
cover.
c) #esson planning
" #esson planning has to be done before every lesson. If you have done short term planning,
then the lesson planning is easier' you know what+s gone before and what+s coming after.
" Most new teachers start o by writing very detailed plans, which become less detailed
with time.
" 1ere are some points to remember when making your lesson plans'
E. 0ecide when and how to use group work.
F. #ink this lesson with the one before and think about the one after.
<. !he time of the day is very important. 0on+t do long, noisy e)ercises at four o+clock on
:riday afternoon.
G. Indicate how much time you think each activity will take.
I. 6lways have more activities than you think you+ll need.
J. >alance' ,uiet 2 noisy e)ercises,
0ierent skills' listening 2 talking 2 reading 2 writing
Individual 2 pair"work 2 group"work 2 whole class activities
!eacher * pupil 2 pupil * pupil activities.
Spea*'ng A%t')'t+
%peaking is perhaps the most demanding skill for the teacher to teach students to be able to
e)press their emotions, communicative intentions and reactions, e)plore the language and make
fun of it.
It is very important to practice speaking and when speaking is practiced, it is important to pay
more attention to -uency than on accurate sentences.
!here are a lot of communicative activities when students can practice speaking.
!he aim of communicative activities is to have one+s students become communicatively
competent.
6 basic procedure for a communicative activity might be'
d) !eacher introduces and sets up activity (teacher centre"staged)
e) %tudents do activity (teacher uninvolved)
f) !eacher gets feedback (teacher centre"stage again)
(hen a teacher gives a topic for a conversation, he should choose one which the students are
interested in, so that they would have relevant knowledge or e)perience about it, something
they are familiar with.
!eacher should give students some time to prepare for a speaking practice * not to write down
speeches, but maybe a few notes, perhaps to look up vocabulary in their dictionaries, and to
think through their thoughts.
$luenc% and "ommunications
%ome activities (as speaking) on classes are focused on -uency and some on accuracy.
(hen the focus is on -uency, teacher should not interrupt the student often to correct him, he
shouldn+t interfere in student+s speaking because it will bring less communication.
/rama and role &la%
0rama is an e)cellent way to get students using the language. It can be a very good start for
e)citing, listening and speaking work and it can be used as a tool to provide practice in speci&c
grammatical, le)ical or phonological areas. %uccess or failure of drama activities depends
crucially on the perceived attitude of the teacher and of the students.
%i) types of drama activity are commonly found in .nglish language teaching classrooms'
g) 4ole play * students act out small scenes using their own ideas and information.
h) %imulation * the intention is to create a much more complete, comple) @wordH
i) 0rama games * short games that usually involve movement and imagination (walking,
making a picture, puppets and dubbing).
$) Guided improvisation * a scene is improvised
k) 6cting play scripts
l) Prepared improvised drama * students in small groups invent a short scene or story that
they perform for the others.
If the main aim is to get the students to speak, then one way to help that would be for teachers
to reduce their own contribution. Probably the less they speak, the more space it will allow
students.
%imilarly, getting out of the way might be a help. If teacher stays at the front of the class, visible
and clearly keeping an eye over everything, that might put students o talking.
%ome ideas for correction work after a -uency activity are'
c) !he teacher writes a number of sentences on the board. %he2he gives the pens2chalks to
the students and encourages them to make corrections.
d) !he teacher writes up a number of sentences used during the activity and discusses them
with the students.
e) !he teacher invents and writes out a story that includes a number of errors she overheard
during the activity. %he hands out the story the ne)t day and the students in pairs or as a
whole group attempt to &nd the errors and correct them etc.
-'t'ng A%t')'t+
In many classrooms writing activities are maybe less often found than those for the other three
skills. In spite of this, there are a lot of reasons when writing is as important and useful to
practice as the practice activities for other skills'
a) Many students have speci&c needs that re,uire them to work on writing skills'
e)amination, preparation and business .nglish are two common areas where written work
is still very important.
b) (riting involves a dierent kind of mental process. !here is more time to think, to re-ect,
to prepare, make mistakes and &nd better solutions.
c) It can give the teacher a break, ,uite down a noisy class, change the mood and pace of a
lesson, etc.
Activities
Important writing activities are'
a) Picture stories * can be a starting point, for writing e)ercises, but also very useful for
practicing speaking and listening. !he students are given a picture and they have to make
a story out of it.
b) (riting notes * individual work. .ach student writes a note and hand it to another. 9otes
run through the classroom and each student has to answer or write something back to the
one that wrote him.
c) 5opying * insisting on accuracy
d) 0oing e)ercises * (preparing students for a writing activity)
e) Guided writing * encouraging students to follow writing activities
f) :ree writing * more attention is paid on -uency.
%ome ways in which guided writing e)ercises can help students prepare for a writing task are'
a) %tudents think about the topic before they write
b) %tudents brainstorm ideas and approaches
c) %tudents discuss the topic with other students
d) %tudents do some preliminary writing e)ercises * making notes, answering ,uestions etc.
!here are some options available to teacher in correcting writing'
a) 8se a green or blue pen (not red)A
b) 0iscuss the marking criteria with students.
c) (rite the corrections in the margin.
d) 8nderline all errors of one type (e.g. all verb tense mistakes etc)
e) 0iscuss the work with the individual students
f) 8se errors from a number of dierent students+ writing to devise an e)ercise, ,ui3, game
etc.
g) %tudent mark each other+s work.
h) Give a dictation based on sentences from their work.
Ideas for 0riting tas,s
a) (rite real letters * e.g. to Members of a Parliament, to prisoners, to fan clubs etc. %end
them. Get replies. (rite back.
b) Publish your own newsletter, maga3ine etc.
c) 6dvertise (ideas, school events etc.) around the school, town, send in your ads to local
papers;
d) Instant poetry. 7ou could do this as a simple dictation.
e) #ong term pro$ects.
f) 5omputer word"processing.
g) %tudents prepare the teacher+s material etc.
!EA/IN- A"TIVIT?
4eading is, like listening, a /receptive+ skill and similar teaching procedures can be used to help
the learners. People read at dierent speeds and in dierent ways.
!here are two basic approaches to reading'
a) .)tensive reading * (-uent, gist reading) where the aim is to gain an overall understanding
of a te)t or story, where is less important to understand every word individually but to
catch up a general -ow of the story.
b) Intensive reading * (accurate reading) where we have to understand information or
language use in detail. Intensive reading is often used in short sentences or sections. !his
is how we might read a paragraph on philosophy or a grammar e)planation for an
e)ample.
In order to make students better readers, we must help them understand that it+s the most
important to read -uently and accurately and not to understand every word they read, or even
most words they read, but still achieving a speci&c and useful goal. !here are many activities
used to increase reading speed, but the most important are'
a) 4ead ,uickly and get the gist of a passage. (gist * the main theme of a te)t)
b) 4ead ,uickly and &nd a speci&c piece of information.
a) !he &rst idea is also known as s,imming. %kimming is mainly concerned with &nding key
topics, main ideas, basic structure etc. !he students are supposed to &nd answers ,uickly
without reading every word or phrase of the passage.
b) !he second idea is known as scanning. %tudents are supposed to &nd a speci&c piece of
information. !hey move their eyes ,uickly over the page, searching for key words or clues.
%ome ideas for reading tasks are'
a) Put these illustrations of the te)t in the correct order.
b) Put these cut"up paragraphs back in the correct order.
c) :ind words in the te)t that mean the same as the words in this list.
d) 4ead the te)t and &nd the mistakes in this illustration.
e) 4ead the te)t and make a list of particular items.
f) Give a headline to each section of the article
g) (rite a reply.
h) #ook at the title and the illustrations (but not the te)t)
i) %olve the problem
$) 0iscuss (or write) the missing last paragraph of the te)t.
k) Make notes under the following headings;
l) >efore you read the te)t, make notes about what you already know about the sub$ect.
m) Put this list of events in the correct order.
L'sten'ng A%t')'t+
(e can use listening, work in the classroom as a way to help focus on language systems (e.g.
grammar or vocabulary)
!eacher need to show students that they shouldn+t worry so much if they don+t understand
everything, but work more on catching the bits (or hearing) they do need to hear. If student
wants to improve his listening, than he needs a dierent approach.
(hen doing a listening activity, teacher should follow some rules'
E. !he activity must really demand listening.
F. !he aim mustn+t be simply memory test.
<. !asks should be realistic or useful in some way.
G. !he activity must actively help them to improve their listening.
I. It shouldn+t be threatening.
J. 1elp students to overcome diBculties and achieve speci&c results.
If we give students ,uestions before the tape is listened we help them in that way that we give
them opportunity to listen what matters, we give them a clear aim. If we do that, we turn our
activity our activity from a memory test into a listening task.
!his /,uestion &rst+ techni,ue is known as /task before tape+. !he word task reminds us that the
activity the students are asked to do may be something more useful, more realistic, more
motivating than simply &nding answers to comprehension ,uestions.