Methodology of English Teaching PDF

METODOLOGIA DE LA ENSENANZA - APRENDIZAJE DE INGLES TOPIC 1 TEACHING TODAY English as an International Language (EIL)  English as a global means of communication  It has no national owner (no longer seen as the language of the UK or USA) English as a Lingua Franca (EFL)  Speak...

METODOLOGIA DE LA ENSENANZA - APRENDIZAJE DE INGLES TOPIC 1 TEACHING TODAY English as an International Language (EIL)  English as a global means of communication  It has no national owner (no longer seen as the language of the UK or USA) English as a Lingua Franca (EFL)  Speakers of English whose L1 is another language  English as the means of communication among speakers of different first languages Characteristics of EFL (do not impede understanding)  Forgetting the -s in he/she/it  Confusing the relative pronouns “who” and “which”  Failing to use correct forms in tag questions (e.g. isn’t it? Or no? instead of shouldn’t they?)  Inserting redundant prepositions e.g. “We have to study (about)…” LANGUAGE TEACHING APPROACHES AND PERSPECTIVES 4 main ideas on how we acquire second/foreign languages 1. Intuitive acquisition: Learn L2 the same way as L1, by means of extensive exposure to the L2 in authentic communicative situations 2. Habit formation: Mimic, memorize and drill the patterns of language until we produce the correct forms automatically 3. Cognitive process: Language involves the understanding of underlying rules: If we master them, we will be able to apply them in different contexts 4. Skill-learning: We are taught the rules and then practice them until we master them and use them fluently and skilfully. Grammar - Translation  Explanation of grammar rule by teacher in the L1  Grammar taught deductively, starts by giving the rules, then examples, then practice  Translation of texts from and to the target language  Focus on written form and formal registers  Emphasis on accuracy rather than on fluency The direct method  Focus on oral communication  High emphasis on listening and speaking  Learning takes place the same way we would naturally acquire L1  Ban the use of L1 in classroom  Grammar not taught in an explicit way Audio - lingualism  Idea: Language is a set of habits learnt by repetition   Focus on spoken forms + attention to pronunciation  High use of teacher-led drills, memorization and repetition  Aims at accuracy rather than fluency PPP (Presentation, Practice, Productive)  Suggested stages rather than a whole methodology  Presentation of target language (pronunciation, meaning and form) + controlled practice + production free practice  Based on skill-learning view of language acquisition  Focus on grammatical accuracy  Teacher-centered The communicative approach  Language for communication and best learnable through naturalistic or intuitive acquisition  Learners perform communicative tasks (e.g. Problem-solving)  Communication more important than accuracy  Learner-centered The post-communicative approach  Primary of language is communication  Activities should involve using language in a meaningful way  Incorporating techniques from previous methodologies (explicit instruction of grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation etc.) AND translation or memorization of dialogues Total Physical Response (TPR)  Memory is enhanced through association with physical movement  Students are required to carry out instruction by physically performing the activities (e.g walk to the window, pick up the pen) MOTIVATION AND GAMIFICATION Motivations involves 4 aspects 1. A Goal 2. Effortful behaviour 3. A desire to attain the goal 4. Favourable attitudes toward the activity in question Motivation is classified as integrative and instrumental or intrinsic and extrinsic Integrative motivation Learner wants to integrate in the community (and culture) of speaker of that language Instrumental motivation Learner wants to learn for material or educational benefit (e.g. get a better job, pass an exam) Intrinsic motivation There is no apparent reward except the activity itself. People do it for their own sake. Motivation is associated with the activity of language learning itself. Extrinsic motivation Learning based on the perceived benefits of success in learning and penalties of failure Exercises are fuelled by the anticipation of a reward from something external. Rewards can include prizes, grades, positive feedback etc. How to increase students´ motivation? 1. Importance of English: Remind students of its importance for Everything (e.g. work, entertainment etc.) 2. Fostering their self-image as successful language learners: Be supportive 3. Interesting classes: Try to make your classes varied and interesting (e.g using appealing topics, songs, games) GAMIFICATION Refers to the application of game elements & principles (e.g. points) to non-game contexts  Games appeal to core aspects of human mind (e.g interest, curiosity, a challenge)  Powerful tools able to engage us for longs periods of time, motivate us to do smth Gamification in the classroom Pros 1. Increases students’ engagement 2. Creates enthusiasm 3. Provides instant feedback 4. Makes social connections Cons 1. Decreases students’ attention span 2. Cost 3. Student assessment 4. Game logistics CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE It exists when teacher and students accept and consistently observe a set of rules relating to classroom behaviour in order to teach learning efficiently How does discipline look like in a classroom? (1) Learning is taking place. a. A disciplined classroom may lead to more learning with teacher losing time managing the students.  (2) It is quiet. a. Not necessarily, there might be a noisy-pair or group in a disciplined one. Teacher should ensure its quiet enough for students to hear the teacher and each other. (3) Teacher is in control a. Definitely. The responsibility for it must have the teacher. They decide how long activities will progress. Does not mean being inflexible. (4) Teachers and students are cooperating smoothly. a. Main evidence (5) Students are motivated. a. Not necessarily. If they’re motivated to learn, it’s easier to teach. A class of unmotivated students may be disciplined (6) The lesson is proceeding according to plan. a. Not necessarily, but likelier that it happens if the class is disciplined (7) Teacher & students are aiming for same objectives. a. If students are aware of the aims of the lesson, they are also more likely to be disciplined (8) Teacher has natural charismatic authority. a. Makes it easier to control classes Tips for maintain classroom discipline 1. Be firm with students at the start, relax later 2. Get silence before you start speaking 3. Look at the class when speaking, learn how to scan 4. Prepare lessons thoroughly and structure them firmly 5. Make sure your instructions are clear 6. Treat them with respect … Discipline problems Before the problem arises…  Make an agreement with the class about what is and isn’t acceptable at an early stage  Plan lessons carefully so students feel a purpose and keep focusing  Give clear instructions. Too much hesitation on the teacher´s part may distract students & diminish their confidence in the teacher´s authority  Keep in touch: scan, monitor the classroom When the problem is beginning…  Deal with the problem quickly and quietly   Don’t take it personally  Don’t use threats The problem has exploded…  Catch your students by surprise by “exploding”  Give in. If they don’t want to do an activity, change to a plan B  Make them an offer they can´t refuse  Call in assistance from a higher authority TOPIC 2 LESSON PLANNING AND TASK DEVELOPMENT Preparing your lesson 1. Follow a proper order a. Try to choose “the best route” b. Try to not to apply the same sequence of activities every day 2. Lesson components (what to include?) 3. Plan varied lessons Lesson-plan template  Prepare your lesson in advance and write it down  Using a template may help o Aims and learning outcomes o Timing of activities o Variety of activity How to set lesson goals?  Lesson goals in terms of what students are expected to achieve  Topic is not a goal, but helps you to develop your objectives  Try to cover all the skills  Identify specific linguistic content to be learnt  prescribed by course textbook or course curriculum  At the beginning of the lesson, tell students what you will do Tasks  Identify specific tasks to be completed by students  Tasks should allow students to use the vocab, grammar & strategies  Include (non-)communicative activities If… 1. The foreign language material is too difficult 2. Task to slow 3. Too much time spent on organization or mother tongue explanation The amount of learning will lessen. Tips  Always keep your eyes open  Always have a Plan B  Try to end on a positive note   At the end, have to reflection on how it went FUNCTION OF THE TEACHER  Instructor e.g. providing information  Activator e.g. of the use of English  Model of the language  Provider of feedback (oral/written)  Supporter (consider mixed ability classes)  Assessor  Manager (organizing group work)  Motivator (consider both case of high level of motivation and low) Tips for effective lessons 1. Plan your lesson 2. Prepare outlines or PowerPoint presentations 3. Make lesson comprehensible e.g. make pauses, give students time to process information 4. Check for comprehension 5. Make students use the target language in class 6. Pay attention to paralinguistic features e.g. pronunciation, intonation, eye contact, rhythm INTERACTION PATTERNS Most common type of feedback of classroom interaction: ‘IRF’ = Initiation - Response - Feedback  assessment, correction, comment Teacher centered e.g. Teacher talk, choral responses, open or closed ended teacher questioning Students centered e.g Collaboration, individual work, self-access Genuine questions Promote authentic communication. Teacher really wants an answer. Normally open-ended e.g. What would you like to do after high school? Display questions Are not authentic communication. Ask students to demonstrate knowledge. Normally close-ended and require short responses e.g. What is the past tense of “take”? Blooms Taxonomy Creat e Evaluat e Analyze Apply Understand Remember 1. Create: Produce new or original work e.g. design, construct, conjecture 2. Evaluate: Justify a stand or decision e.g argue, defend, select 3. Analyse: Draw connection among ideas e.g differentiate, organize, relate 4. Apply: Use information in new situation e.g. execute, implement, solve 5. Understand: Explain ideas or concepts e.g. classify, describe, discuss 6. Remember: Recall facts and basic concepts e.g. define, duplicate, list Key takeaway  Keep in mind the purpose of your questions  Use a of mix questions  If necessary, write your questions in advance HOMEWORK Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Revising the contents studied in class Less free time Put work into practice Students don’t like homework Develops responsibility & time management Time-consuming Help practice for the exam Overload Students Can be copied The role of homework With younger students, homework as reinforcement of what has been done in class, where most learning takes place  Finishing tasks, they haven’t in class  Re-reading a text (which they have already read in class) With older students, homework helps to continue learning outside the class and foster their autonomy as learners  Essay writing  Recommend reading  Creative assignments Making homework work  Take time to explain & give clear instructions  Say why  Make homework a component of the grade  Limit homework by time rather than quantity  Provide extras or optional homework assignments  Give feedback e.g. correcting at home, say the right answer on the board etc. TEACHING VOCABULARY & GRAMMAR What is vocabulary? Refers to the words/ vocabulary “items” in the language. Lexical items vs. grammatical items: Lexical items (nous, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) are “open sets”, whereas grammatical items (e.g. determiners, pronouns, prepositions) are “closed sets” Denotative meaning Literal meaning (i.e. dictionary definition) Connotative meaning Emotional or positive-negative associations implied Meaning relationships  Synonyms: Items that mean the same e.g smart, clever  Antonyms: Items that mean the opposite e.g. dark, light  Hyponyms: Items that serve as specific examples of a general concept e.g. dog, lion  Co-hyponyms: Other items that are the same kind of thing e.g. red, blue, brown  Superordinate: concepts that cover specific items e.g animal superordinate of dog, cat, bunny Incidental and deliberate teaching and learning Vocabulary learnt in incidental way e.g. through listening, reading etc. or in a deliberate vocabulary- teaching way, in the context of a formal school course Deliberate vocabulary-teaching procedures Aiming at teaching new items  Select the items to teach e.g. usefulness/frequency  Present the items Reviewing vocabulary  “Expanding rehearsal” o a given item should be first reviewed soon after it has been learnt o If students remember it, the delays should be systematically increased  becomes part of permanent vocabulary  Review tasks: single items or items in context Implications for teaching new vocabulary  The easier are word is to spell and say, its more quickly remembered  Useful to learn words in pairs/groups  Teacher can help students remember new words by connecting them to some personal experience VOCABULARY ASSESSMENT Vocabulary tests formats   Multiple-choice  Gap fills  Dictations  Translation of the items  Sentence completion Questions to consider when designing/selecting vocabulary items 1. Does it check receptive knowledge of the target item, or does it tell us if the students can produce the items in an oral exam/written form? 2. Does it require students to contextualize them? 3. Does it assess aspects other than meaning and form e.g. connotations? 4. How easy is it to check and grade? WHAT AND HOW TO TEACH GRAMMAR Explicit teaching Grammar rules are explained: explanations + focused practice Implicit teaching Grammar rules are not explained. Students hear, read and use the correct grammatical forms Ideally, a mix of both types of procedures Presenting and explaining grammar  Grammar explanations towards the beginning of the lesson  Teach form & meaning e.g. use pictures to make explanation memorable  If substantial difference of English and L1, it can be compared the meaning of the structures of both languages  Provide example of the target item in meaningful contexts  Explain it in L1 if they understand it Grammar rules Deductive process: giving the rules yourself and then working on examples Inductive process: Giving first the examples and letting students work out the rule for themselves Important Teachers should help students go from form-focused practice (controlled and accuracy-oriented exercises) to meaning-focused practice (use it in context) Include both type of tasks 1.1 Grammar assessment Classic examples of grammar-test items Close-ended test items: Require one predetermined right answer  Multiple choice  Matching halves of a sentence  Gap fills  Rewriting using a given word Positive: Quickly graded Negative: Difficult to design, doesn’t mean students are able to produce the target grammar in their own unguided output Open-ended test items: Students write own phrases, sentences or longer passages and there is not one correct answer  Open-ended sentence completion  Sentence composition Positive: students show that they can produce the grammar Negative: Time consuming, difficult to assess Translation in grammar testing  Open-ended up to a point  Errors in English grammar are rooted in L1  To test whether students don’t use imitation of L1 is to require them to translate something from L1 to English TEACHING LISTENING AND SPEAKING Goals and problems in teaching listening To prepare for a listening:  Relax  Don’t try to translate  Use the context to help you understand  Listen to as many different voices as possible Main goal: for students to cope with the natural listening situations that they are most likely to encounter in real life Characteristics of face-to-face interactive situations in real-life  Informal/ colloquial style  Improvised speech  Visual contact  Immediate response  Purposeful listening Features to teach and warn about to students Vocabulary  Higher use of “imprecise” vague terms (e.g. stuff)  Higher use of “informal” terms and prefabricated chunks (e.g. call it a day) Grammar and syntax  “somewhat” ungrammatical (e.g. use of unfinished sentences)  Clauses joined into long sequences by coordination (e.g. use of “and”, “but”) Pronunciation  Pronunciation is often slurred, can differ from phonological representation  Weak forms are common, as well as elision or (dis)appearance of sounds Other features:  “Noise”: Bits cannot be understood and become meaningless  Redundancy (e.g. repetition, paraphrase)  Varied accents How to improve my listening? 1. Timetable regular practice: dedicate to listening to smth in English every day 2. Expand your range: Listening to podcasts, radio or the news 3. Practice in chunks: Target focused practice e.g. 2min chunk of a podcast 4. Repeated practice 1.1 Designing listening activities Design features and tips  Does it prepare our students for real-life listening situations and how practical is it in the classroom?  Provide students with the topic in advance, avoid pre-teaching too much vocab  Give students a purpose so they listen selectively for relevant information  Include tasks that have intermittent responses during the listening  Make sure it’s interesting and manageable Type of listening  No overt response: We can understand by their facial expressions and body language if they understood  Short responses: Students write a word/symbol  Longer responses  Extended responses: Listening as a first stage in an extended activity involving reading, speaking etc. GOALS AND PROBLEMS IN TEACHING SPEAKING Main goals: Activity gives students the opportunity to talk a lot, language is used appropriate to students’ level 4 Main problems  Shyness and inhibition to speak in the L2  Finding things to say about the topic  Low participation of individuals  L1 use in classes where some or all the students share the L1 Possible solutions  Reassure that making mistakes is normal  Use small pair-work or group work  Base activity on easy language  Choose topics which are interesting for your students  Make students aware of the purpose of the activity Some techniques for getting students to talk  Discussion questions e.g. What to do at the beginning of a speaking activity to make students feel more inclined to participate?  To help understand instructions is to use gestures to show what you want Designing speaking activities 1. Topic-based activity: students talk about a topic 2. Task-based activity (goal-oriented): students achieve the objective collaboratively by means of interaction Interactive oral fluency activities  Dialogues to be performed by students in pairs in various moods or roles  Describing pictures  Solving a problem Pronunciation   Teach sounds that lead to miscommunication like phonemes that produce a difference in meaning  Teach stress-time vs. syllable-timed Rhythm  Teach Intonation patterns  Teach how to convey stress to convey different meanings Activities for pronunciation  Focused explanation  Imitation by the students of pronunciation of sounds  Receptive awareness-raising TEACHING READING AND WRITING 1.1 Beginning reading and reading tasks Knowing the meanings of a word in a text ensures understanding only if you have some knowledge of the subject matter  Learners need to know 95-98% of the words of a text in order to understand it easily Phonemic awareness  Refers to a “pre-reading stage where the students become aware of the separate sounds in the language for which they will later learn the corresponding letters”  Learned by age 5-6  Learned by e.g. Rhyming, building words with the same endings, recognize and identify the sounds of letters  Reading aloud is useful at the early stages of learning the letters  Silent reading gives students the opportunity to go through the text at their own pace and focus on meaning Fluent and extensive reading Characteristics of fluent reading and implications for teaching 1. Language level (comprehensible text) 2. Content (accessible) 3. Speed (learners read fast) 4. Selective attention (learners focus on relevant bits)  READING STRATEGIES 5. Unknown vocabulary (learners are not worried by it) 6. Prediction (learners think ahead) 7. Motivation (motivated to read) 8. Purpose in reading Reading strategies  Reading quickly to find a specific piece of information (scanning)  Reading quickly to get the gist of the text (skimming)  Guessing unknown words from context  Using prior knowledge to work out meanings  Identifying main ideas 1.2 How to promote fluent writing  Writing has to be systematically taught & cannot be “picked up” Difference of formal & informal writing  Grammar and lexis  Punctuation  Detachment (from reader)  Editing and redrafting  Length  Explicitness What skills do writer need?  Getting the grammar right  Using a range of sentence structures  Having a range of vocabulary  Punctuating meaningfully m  Spelling accurately  Linking ideas and infos across sentences to develop a topic … Teaching fluent writing  Fluent writing “aims to improve students’ ability to compose written text for communicative purpose”  Focus on meaningful writing following the conventions of particular genres  Make students aware of differences between formal & informal writing  Provide students with a model Writing tasks 1. Provide a model 2. Make students aware of the criteria to be met 3. Develop self-assessment and promote reflection on the process of learning The process-writing cycle First draft  No assessment  Support (e.g. providing key vocab) Writing in class 1. Collaborative planning: in small groups, students can think of the content and structure etc. 2. Five-minutes writing activates, helps concentration 3. Multiple contributions: one student writes a sentence and pass it to the next to continue DEALING WITH ERRORS IN THE EFL CLASSROOM Error correction  Form of interaction: telling students what was wrong and the correct form Function: to prevent mistakes becoming fossilized or permanent Main problem: error correction leads to improvement but not immediate 1.1 What and how to correct?  Correct everything  Underline errors  Students want to be corrected  Want to be told the correct form  Students think they should rewrite  Most students don’t like to be corrected by other students  Make general comments addressing the areas that need to be improved Correction techniques and tips 1. Oral Correction Method a. Recast: saying the correct version, no comment b. Elicitation: eliciting the correct form (if students can say it) c. Clarification request: asking for a clarification of the meaning d. Explicit correction: saying explicitly that there has been a mistake and say the correct form e. Repetition: repeating the incorrect utterance (rising intonation) DEALING WITH ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION IN EFL 1.1 Functions and types of assessment Function: In order to…  Evaluate students overall level  Evaluate student’s progress  Evaluate how well students have learnt specific material during a course  Evaluate students’ strengths and weaknesses Summative and formative assessment 1. Summative Evaluating students’ overall level or progress  provide a grade rather than feedback, at the end of the period, carried out by class teacher 2. Formative assessment Evaluating students learning of specific material or their strengths and weaknesses  Provides clear feedback (aims to future learning), in the middle of the period of learning (e.g unit tests), carried out by class teacher 1.2 Test design  Consider the formats for vocabulary and grammar (e.g. multiple-choice, gapfills)  Decide on the marking system and criteria  Tests that promote comprehension via listening and reading and fluency & accuracy in speaking and writing need a different set of techniques