Issue 71 November EENGLISHNGLISH 2010 TTprofessionalprofessionalEACHINGEACHING

The Leading Practical Magazine For English Language Teachers Worldwide

On the subject of ‘language’ Simon Andrewes Myths, mysteries and mottos JJ Wilson No more size-zero models! Sonja Wirwohl Learning coach Daniel Barber and Duncan Foord

• practical methodology

• fresh ideas & innovations

• classroom resources

• new technology

• teacher development

• tips & techniques

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir Contents MAIN FEATURE TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS

ON THE SUBJECT OF ‘LANGUAGE’ 4 PINEAPPLE, PLEASE 24 Simon Andrewes appreciates the advantages Yen-Ling Teresa Ting hangs her lessons out on the line of a more general approach

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT FEATURES LEARNING COACH 1 53 MYTHS, MYSTERIES AND MOTTOS 8 Daniel Barber and Duncan Foord investigate how JJ Wilson finds a rich classroom resource we can encourage learner independence in oral histories MY LESSONS AS A LEARNER 55 BEING DEREK SIVERS 12 Anne Margaret Smith discovers professional Chris Roland gets his class to adopt a new identity development on the other side of the desk

POSITIVE AND POWERFUL PUNCTUATION 15 Beata Mazurek-Przybylska proves that TECHNOLOGY punctuation matters READING ONLINE 57 TURNING THE TABLES 18 Nicholas Northall develops his students’ reading Jan Harper puts her student in the driving seat skills with a little assistance from the internet

CORPUS DELICTI 2 19 FIVE THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO 60 Chris Payne incorporates corpora KNOW ABOUT: TEACHING ONLINE Nicky Hockly talks about tips for online tutors RELAX, RETHINK AND REFLECT 23 Grazyna Kilianksa-Przyblo uses word association WEBWATCHER 61 to discover new insights Russell Stannard quotes a quiz-making tool with plenty of options EAP: AN ALL-ROUND CHALLENGE 3 28 Clare Nukui concentrates on critical thinking REGULAR FEATURES ENQUIRE WITHIN 30 Michael Berman investigates intrapersonal intelligence PREPARING TO TEACH ... 40 May and might OVER THE WALL 34 John Potts Alan Maley applauds books that tell it like it is HOW WRONG CAN YOU BE? 63 LEARNING DISABILITY 5 37 Rose Senior Lesley Lanir considers comprehension difficulties SCRAPBOOK 42 NO MORE SIZE-ZERO MODELS! 46 Sonja Wirwohl champions achievable examples REVIEWS 44

JUST FOR THE RECORD 50 COMPETITIONS 41, 64 Katherine Short advocates a step-by-step approach to vocabulary learning INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION FORM 32

Includes materials designed to photocopy

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 1

www.diako.ir Editorial any contributors to this issue are concerned with her one-to-one student taking on the role of with identity. For Simon Andrewes, it is the teacher whilst she played the part of a student. This Midentity of the language itself which is the strategy proved beneficial in motivating the student main concern. He advocates the teaching of a general and getting him through his exams with a good grade. subject, called ‘language’, rather than a division of The teacher as student is also the theme of Anne language learning into compartmentalised units, such Margaret Smith’s article. By enrolling in a Polish as L1 and L2. language class, she discovered many of the realities JJ Wilson uses an oral history project to help his of the student experience and found these insights students research their family backgrounds – the myths invaluable in her professional development as a teacher. and memories that make them who they are. He In a similar vein, Nicky Hockly’s advice to anyone believes they can establish their own identities through hoping to be an online teacher includes becoming an a deeper understanding of where they come from. online student first. Chris Roland, on the other hand, gets his students to take on an entirely new identity, that of accomplished speaker and presenter Derek Sivers. By imitating, almost impersonating, Sivers, and delivering one of his well-crafted presentations themselves, they gain greater

confidence in speaking. Helena Gomm Editor Jan Harper also writes of changed identities in the classroom – in her case, this involved a role reversal, [email protected]

ENGLISH PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8HD, UK TEACHING Tel: +44 (0)1243 576444 Email: [email protected] Tprofessional Fax: +44 (0)1243 576456 Web: www.etprofessional.com

Editor: Helena Gomm Published by: Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd, Editorial Consultant: Mike Burghall Part of OLM Group, PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8HD Editorial Director: Peter Collin © 2010, Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd Designer: Christine Cox ISSN 1362-5276 Advisory Panel: Dave Allan, Ruth Gairns, Susan Norman, Janet Olearski Subscriptions: Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd, PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8HD Advertising Sales: Sophie Dickson or Sean Close, Mainline Media. Tel: 01536 747333 Fax: 01536 746565 Printed by: Matrix Print Consultants Ltd, Email: [email protected] Kettering, Northants, NN16 9QJ Tel: 01536 527297 [email protected] Número de Commission Paritaire: 1004 U 82181. Prix à l’unité = EUR14.75; à l’abonnement (6 numéros) = EUR59. Publisher: Tony Greville Directeur de la Publication: Tony Greville

Pages 31, 40–41, 42–43, 51 and 54 include materials which are designed to photocopy. All other rights are reserved and no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Cover photo: © iStockphoto.com / Marek Uliasz Cover photo: © iStockphoto.com / Marek

2 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir MAIN FEATURE On the subject of ‘language’ Simon Andrewes takes a philosophical perspective on language awareness.

here is little evidence to children may learn the L2 in a similar maturation through teaching. This belief indicate that an early start to way to that in which they learnt their is given credence by the, in themselves, learning a language leads mother tongue); but afterwards, ‘such a unsensational findings of an aptitude test Tautomatically to higher procedure is not only a waste of time but carried out by Peter Green, a colleague proficiency later in life. Indeed, a lot of runs more and more against the grain of of Hawkins’, back in the seventies, to evidence suggests that any lead the early the learner’. assess the ability children have to grasp starters may have acquired is quickly The quote is from Czech linguist structures, patterns, rules and regularities wiped out when they are joined in class Ivan Poldauf and is taken here from in a language they have never met before. by newcomers to the language. This was Eric Hawkins’ influential article This language learning aptitude that the argument of Ping Wang’s ‘Foreign language study and language Green demonstrated in his test was not convincing article in ETp Issue 68. awareness’. Hawkins is today revered as the same thing as verbal intelligence. One factor that cancels out the a pioneer of the concept and ‘school’ of Verbal (and non-verbal) intelligence, it advantages of an early start is the language awareness, his pertinent ideas turned out, was less decisive in the transition and the break in continuity on the role of awareness in language process of learning a language. between primary and secondary school. learning going back to the 1970s. My own experience coincides with Hawkins’ ideas are still relevant to One factor Wang’s in telling me that, while learning the current discussion on teaching and a language in primary school is treated learning languages, even though they that cancels out the as fun, it rather suddenly gets taken as a have in practice been ignored or serious business at secondary level. The marginalised over the years, largely advantages of an early pleasure of playing with or in a because of a lack of political will to start is the transition and language gives way to the chores of carry them out, due, in turn, to lack of learning vocabulary and irregular verbs, economic incentive. A bold assertion? the break in continuity of getting the tenses and gender We will try to justify it later. agreements right. between primary and To some extent, these contrasting Proposal teaching styles reflect the needs and secondary school abilities of the learners. It seems true The central and most radical element of that up to a certain age children have a Hawkins’ ideas on the role of language Developing this aptitude, focusing greater ability to mimic the sounds and awareness in language learning is his attention on structures, patterns, rules sound patterns of a language and absorb proposal for a new subject, called and regularities in language, would be the chunks of language spontaneously, but ‘language’, to be taught as a bridging content of the new subject: ‘language’. then this ability declines as a more subject between mother tongue and Hawkins reported how he drew up a cognitive need kicks in and the learner foreign language teaching across the programme of awareness of language, tends to start looking for parallels and school curriculum. starting in the primary school and aimed contrasts between the foreign language Underlying the proposal is the at equipping young learners to tackle and the native tongue. Before this conviction that we have a sort of natural the language challenges of secondary cognitive approach takes hold of the aptitude for learning language, developed education. In short, Hawkins’ proposal learning process, a ‘distant simulation of to different degrees in different people, for teaching language awareness was bilingualism’ might be attempted (that is, but one which is susceptible to further devised precisely to overcome the

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www.diako.ir is, generating new language that we have tongues. A brief perusal of UK Evidence shows never heard before; a use of language that newspaper The Guardian’s TEFL website is original and creative and which helps throws up the following examples: that learning a second us explore and make sense of reality, to ● In Malaysia, a programme to use come to terms with our personal and language takes place English as a medium of instruction social environment. The broader language for maths and science in state schools in a different part of awareness discussion that such a use of is being scrapped, firstly on the language might initiate could be more the brain than that grounds that English is less effective motivating and more fruitful, I would than the mother tongue in getting the suggest, than much of the pragmatically activated by mother- subject matter across, and secondly mundane linguistic content of the foreign because the dominance of English in tongue learning language classroom. Such coursebook the curriculum risks undermining the language of typical situations and useful students’ grasp of their first language. discontinuity in language teaching everyday functions is often stereotyped between primary and secondary levels. and unchallenging, compared to the ● Similarly, Uganda has dropped its But did we not previously say that creativity and originality of language policy of having English as the this discontinuity between primary and use that I witnessed in young learners official language of instruction in all secondary reflected a reality: that very outside the classroom. school years in favour of mother- young learners learn more This brings us back to the bold tongue teaching in the first years of spontaneously before the distancing assertion that we left hanging in the air primary. Giving children a more effect of cognition in language learning a few paragraphs back: that Hawkins’ thorough grounding in their mother takes over? Not really. For that early ideas on language awareness have tongue, it is argued, has brought learning process was never more than a remained on the periphery of language about an evident improvement in ‘distant simulation of bilingualism’ (my teaching due to a lack of political will. literacy, particularly in rural areas. emphasis) and it soon becomes Hawkins’ proposed new subject of ● In Norway, it is felt that English has ineffective, perhaps counter-productive. become so predominant that it As Hawkins asserts, evidence shows that threatens the continued existence of learning a second language takes place Language the mother tongue! English, it is in a different part of the brain than that awareness builds on feared, is replacing Norwegian, activated by mother-tongue learning. particularly in business and academia. Continuity is provided by a cognitive the natural capacity It is possible that in 30 to 40 years’ reflection on the aspects of language time, Norwegian will no longer be that appeal to the child: its rhythm and and inclination we used in higher education. ‘Do we want musicality, the pleasure of its sounds have from a very early that to happen?’ asks Sylfest Lomheim, and its rhetoric ... or, to paraphrase director of the Norwegian Language Brian Tomlinson, the process is likely to age to manipulate Council. start with experiential involvement, which engages the learner affectively language generatively Another argument in favour of having a and calls on personal responses to school subject simply called ‘language’ language, and leads on to analytical ‘language’ has no vested interests to stems from the multicultural, procedures which involve making promote it, no ‘lobby’ to press for its multilingual composition of today’s linguistic connections and discoveries as realisation. Over the last 40 years classrooms in many parts of the the basis for articulating generalisations English as a/the foreign language has developed world. Writing in 1999, and hypotheses. gathered momentum and become big Hawkins pointed out that there were As a teacher of young learners in business, and there are too many already some 180 different languages Spain, I observed how – particularly stakeholders with a vital interest in its spoken in London schools alone. from around the early teens – students continuing forward march for it to be Alongside English as the official would frequently ‘play’ with language in pushed aside in favour of the politically national language, the ‘language’ their free time before or after the lesson, innocent advancement of ‘language’ classroom has a place for all of these exploring differences and drawing with no socio-economic sponsor. That languages, or at least for those of them parallels between their mother tongue broader language awareness discussion relevant to the particular class and English and making hypotheses, which I see as desirable comes without membership. Language awareness can perverse in many cases, and deliberate any economic clout. be developed by drawing on these ethnic overgeneralisations based on these real minority languages to explore or false parallels. Some of it, indeed, differences and universals in language. would appear as graffiti – much of it Defence In such classrooms, language awareness rude – in a sort of ‘Spanglish’ in the Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons has a special role in nurturing a positive close vicinity of the school. why Eric Hawkins’ proposal should attitude towards and respect for This language awareness builds, in succeed. Among them we might mention minority languages and their speakers. my opinion, on the natural capacity and the evident failure of English teaching Extending familiarity with the structures inclination we have from a very early age programmes worldwide and the adverse and patterns of these languages will help to manipulate language generatively, that effect they are having on mother dispel prejudices and fears about them

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www.diako.ir language which would lubricate the providing a perspective that extends the wheels of international trade and learners’ language horizons and helps On the subject commerce, conveying information down overcome prejudices against ‘alien’ the lines of management and cultures. It feeds on a natural of ‘language’ transferring knowhow as effectively as inclination to play with language, possible. In this context, language is manipulating it in original and creative seeming alien or threatening. considered as a pragmatic skill, useful for ways. And it would have a positive Particularly challenged is the teacher’s getting what you want in the particular empowering influence on the learner’s traditional role as repository and linguistic environment, whether it be a mother tongue, ensuring a more critical provider of knowledge. On the other fresh, clean towel in your hotel room, and reflective sensitivity to the use of hand, the speakers of the minority outsmarting your business rival, or language in a social context. languages will find themselves more greater efficiency from your workforce. So Wang’s hankering for a greater highly esteemed as information sources. To illustrate the limitations of this role for the educative value of language The rise and rise of English as the one-dimensional view of language, I find as something intrinsically more valuable world’s lingua franca seems assured for it helpful to turn to Jürgen Habermas’s than the undeniably important the time being. But as the weight of the theory of communicative action (quoted development of proficiency and world economy shifts eastwards, it is by by Mathieu Deflem), which distinguishes competence in a foreign language is no means guaranteed. It is not possible between two different purposes of something that ‘language’ as a school to predict the future language needs of communication. On the one hand, we subject could cater for directly rather today’s students, and Hawkins suggests have communication that aims at ‘the than through the prism of the study of a that university students in the UK are successful realisation of privately defined particular foreign language. Many of the already dropping the language learnt at concerns he raises are, in my opinion, school in favour of a new one which is The greatest better addressed by the introduction of more relevant to the course being Hawkins’ bridging concept of ‘language’ followed. Indeed, many universities have argument in favour of as a school subject than by making a Language Resource Centre, which adjustments to foreign languages on the allows students to pursue precisely the ‘language’ as a school curriculum. Language and foreign language that has proved most relevant subject is to be found languages, let it be said, are to be seen to their studies. In this context, as complementary and not competing p ‘language’ on the school curriculum in the impact it could elements of the school curriculum. ET would have provided a sort of have on the student’s apprenticeship in learning how to learn Andrewes, S ‘English, foreign languages, a language. This, Hawkins suggests, mother tongue and its and language’ Modern English Teacher would be more useful than having learnt 16(4) 2007 a specific foreign language for which educative benefit Deflem, M (Ed) Habermas, Modernity and there was later no ‘need’. Law Sage Publications 1996 (out of print, in general but the relevant chapter is available But in the end, the greatest online at www.cas.sc.edu/socy/faculty/ argument in favour of ‘language’ as a deflem/zhablaw.htm) goals’. This, for me, is the pragmatic and school subject is to be found in the The Guardian TEFL website Max de impact it could have on the student’s functional communication of the classic Lotbinière, 10 July 2009 (Malaysia); Richard mother tongue and its educative benefit Communicative Approach, as outlined M Kavuma, 22 May 2009 (Uganda); in general. When Wang in his ETp in the previous paragraph, a language Gwladys Fouche, 23 May 2008 (Norway) article enters into a discussion about that tends to confirm rather than www.guardian.co.uk/education/tefl why the benefits of the early start are so challenge stereotypes. Contrasted to this Hawkins, E W ‘Foreign language study short-lived in terms of developing is communication ‘that is aimed at and language awareness’ Language Awareness 8(3 and 4) 1999 language proficiency, one of the issues mutual understanding’. This latter Bolitho, R, Carter, R, Hughes, R, Ivanic, that he raises is that of the ‘educative concept of communication is conceived by Mathieu Deflem as R, Masuhara, H and Tomlinson, B ‘Ten value’ of foreign language learning as ‘a process of questions about language awareness’ against the ‘mere’ development of reaching agreement between speaking ELTJ 57(3) 2003 language competence. subjects to harmonize their interpretations of the world’. This philosophical perspective Simon Andrewes has Value been TEFL-ing away sounds rather grand, but it boils down since the mid-1970s. At This issue, but in terms of ‘language’ to an approach akin to Wang’s desire present, he is DoS at the English department of a rather than ‘a/the foreign language’, is for the educative value of language higher educational another one dealt with by Hawkins 35 learning. It is an approach to language college in Greenwich, London. One of his years ago. In fact, it sounds as if Wang is that aims at contributing to the greatest defects as a implicitly referring to Hawkins’ work or learners’ personal development, teacher is that his attention is more easily at least to that of the school he fathered. developing their communication skills attracted to the grand For decades, the Communicative and nurturing a deeper understanding overview than the nitty- Approach enthusiastically embraced the of themselves and the world. Its gritty detail. needs of business and industry for purpose is to broaden the mind, [email protected]

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM Myths, mysteries and mottos JJ Wilson explores the n 1980, US President Ronald change through time, but the overall Reagan said, ‘All the waste in a message would remain: Do not go near power of oral histories. year from a nuclear power plant this mountain. Ican be stored under a desk’. A few Sebeok’s idea never came to fruition years later, it dawned on the US and the nuclear waste is still sitting in government that they had 40,000 tons storage. But what interests me is his of nuclear waste sitting in temporary proposed solution: going back to the storage. The Department of Energy ancient art of storytelling. Despite, or thus had a problem. They proposed burying it under Yucca Mountain, Nevada, but that had its drawbacks. Storytelling’s power Even if the general public could be persuaded that this was just fine, the can be seen everywhere nuclear waste would remain radioactive – newspapers, fiction, for another 10,000 years. How would future generations know to avoid the Hollywood, the fables mountain? To solve this problem, in 1984 the of pre-literate societies Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation hired linguist Thomas A Sebeok. He perhaps because of, the astonishing immediately discounted any kind of advances in technology that take place written warning. Language changes too each generation, Sebeok reckoned that quickly; in 10,000 years’ time no one the best way to store a message for the would understand the warnings of future was the oldest: word of mouth. today. He also ruled out other forms of communication; alarm bells, electrical signals and the like require a power Storytelling supply, which he presumed would be Storytelling has probably existed for as defunct in 10,000 years. Instead, Sebeok long as we have had language. Its power proposed the establishment of what he can be seen everywhere – newspapers, called an ‘Atomic Priesthood’. This was fiction, Hollywood, the fables of pre- to be a select group of scientists and literate societies. Every subject under ‘legend makers’ whose job would be to the sun has its stories: art has the tale of pass on the dangers of the waste van Gogh’s ear; physics has Newton’s through storytelling. Over the apple; biology has Darwin prodding generations, the precise message would Galapagos turtles; history has be warped, just as myths and legends everything. And as readers of this and

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www.diako.ir other educational magazines know, reassuring caveat that they do not have stories as pedagogical tools never go out Oral histories to tell us anything painful or overly of fashion. private. The content should not be allow the students merely a series of names, dates and Oral histories and teacher to get places: the teacher must stress that every family has its stories, its myths and its I first came across the power of oral to know one another, sayings; it is these – rather than mere histories while researching American facts – that are the lifeblood of the oral slavery. During the 1930s, the Federal as well as asking history. Writers’ Project interviewed thousands The form, I explain, should be a of ex-slaves. Many of the interviewees students to examine simple talk. I have always insisted that it were illiterate, and oral history was the their roots to find out come without technological aids such as only way of preserving their stories. The PowerPoint slides. This is because I mostly white American interviewers how they became believe technology can create a barrier recorded and transcribed the stories, between speaker and audience. Other often using phonetic equivalents to who they are teachers may disagree. capture the vernacular of Black Finally, the length will depend on Americans from the Deep South. The about these things. Others have said how the level and perhaps the number of pathos of the ex-slaves’ situation much they enjoyed finding out about students in the class. I usually ask them naturally moved me, but so did the their own and their classmates’ history. to speak for between five and seven language and the sense of myth-making. When I did the task with children, I minutes. Several of the interviewees claimed – noticed that it was a way to involve their some with evidence – to be well over parents (the children interviewed their Stage 2 100 years old. Their stories can be parents to learn their family histories), Next, I explain that they have about two found today in the Library of Congress, who didn’t speak English and thus weeks to prepare their oral histories, Washington DC, typed out – yellowing normally had no idea what their most of the preparation being done for paper and all – on ancient typewriters. children were up to in an English class. homework, although I do feed in And then it struck me that the oral The content gives an insight into the language, ideas and related activities history would make a great foundation students’ backgrounds, with the during class time. The first activity is to for a classroom task. Why? Because oral draw a timeline of their family, histories weave together people’s including everything they know about cultural identities and language. Three tips their family’s history before the students They contain family mottos, sayings, Here are three tips, which help the themselves were born. myths, mysteries, even legendary figures presentation part of the task run (in the US context where I work, every smoothly: Stage 3 family has a heroic and penniless The next stage is to get the students to pioneer who was the first family ● Firstly, some students will be prepare the oral history, including as member to come to the States). I then nervous. Try to identify these many anecdotes, family sayings and worked out a series of stages for my students early on and work closely family myths as they can. I encourage students to follow. with them at the preparation stage. Allow them to memorise them to write notes rather than a full text, although inevitably at this stage Sharing oral histories parts of a written script, but not to use it on the day. many will see it as a writing activity. Stage 1 ● Secondly, there is the question of To begin with, I model an oral history Stage 4 who goes first. Leave this to the by telling my own. I use photos and After the preparation stage, the students students to decide a few days documents such as my birth certificate record their oral histories. If your before the actual presentations. and passport. For teachers who are school has recording facilities such as a One way to do this is to leave the uncomfortable with revealing so much language laboratory, get them to record room, telling them, ‘I will be gone of themselves, an explanation of oral their histories repeatedly until they are for three minutes. By the time I get histories is sufficient. It is at this stage happy with them. The recording is for back, I’d like to see all of your that we talk about purpose, content, their ears only. This stage gives the names written down in the order form and length. students confidence and allows them to you will give your presentations’. The pedagogical purpose of the oral see which areas still need work. Perhaps This usually works for all but the history is to develop fluency while they are having trouble with verb tenses most intransigent classes. talking about a personal topic. The task, in chronological sequences, or maybe of course, has other purposes: it allows ● Thirdly, if you have a large class, it they lack adjectives to describe people the students and teacher to get to know is probably better to do a few oral and places. one another, as well as asking students histories per lesson rather than to examine their roots to find out how hear everyone at one time. It can Stage 5 they became who they are. One student be tiring listening for long After a few more days of preparation told me, on completion of this task, stretches. time, the students present their oral that it was the first time he had thought history to the class. If you are working

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www.diako.ir I am from ... Myths, I am from dust and sunlight ENGLISH and endless sky mysteries I am from a yellow slide with notches TEACHING on professional and mottos that my Daddy built with stolen wood I am from my mother’s bent back This is your magazine. in the context of the students’ home country (eg teaching Italians in Italy), and her witch’s laugh that frightens the We want to hear from you! crows there is a good chance they will also be able to bring in artifacts such as I am from the wrinkles on my grandmother’s hands documents and photos. During the ߜ presentations, the class listens and notes and the stories she told us in a madwoman’s whisper IT WORKS IN PRACTICE down any interesting anecdotes or perhaps things that were not clear. We I am from an adobe house Do you have ideas you’d like to share ask questions at the end and finish each that changes color with the sun with colleagues around the world? presentation with a round of applause. I am from the red poncho hanging on Tips, techniques and activities; the wall simple or sophisticated; well-tried Stage 6 that was blanket and tablecloth and or innovative; something that has After the presentation of the oral hiding place worked well for you? All published histories, there is one further stage I am from the dried out beetles contributions receive a prize! which acts as a kind of wrap-up to the under my bed Write to us or email: whole project: an ‘I am from …’ poem. I am from tamales and quesadillas [email protected] This poem both summarises and frying in a kitchen where one window extends the oral task in that the content lost its glass of the oral presentation is reflected in I am from church bells and sacraments TALKBACK! the poem, but the poem is – as most and a black suit I wore Sundays with TALKBACK! poems are – a distilled version of the the pants too short Do you have something to say about bigger story. Sometimes those students I am from the spaces where two an article in the current issue of ETp? who struggle while speaking in front of languages jostle and collide This is your magazine and we would the class are able to produce thoughtful, like ‘hey guapo!’ and ‘how’s your papi?’ really like to hear from you. even moving pieces. I am from the legends of Frida and Write to us or email: To set up the poem, get the students Diego to write a list of things – objects, [email protected] who lent us grace sounds, words, people, smells, tastes, I am from the wet black nose of my memories – that represent their Alsatian background. They then each create a Writing for ETp who one day lay down and bow- poem using the most vivid, powerful Would you like to write for ETp? We are wowed his way to Dog Heaven and specific of their ideas. The only always interested in new writers and I am from the slam slam honk clatter ‘rule’ is that each sentence in the poem fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice, bash should begin with ‘I am from …’. write to us or email: of the green-taxied city coughing its ૽ ૽ ૽ lungs [email protected] I am from everywhere and nowhere We have gone from nuclear waste to balancing two feet on a narrow wall poetry via ex-slaves’ interviews. The one and hoping not to fall Visit the theme in common is that of stories, and ETp website! perhaps the idea that language and Jaime A The ETp website is packed with practical identity are so closely bound together. tips, advice, resources, information and To finish, I will leave you with an JJ Wilson works at the example of an ‘I am from …’ poem, the School of Education, selected articles. You can submit tips Western New Mexico or articles, renew your subscription product of a recent high-level class. ETp University, USA. His most recent books (all or simply browse the features. published by Pearson) are Total English, Postcards www.etprofessional.com Eco, U The Search for the Perfect (Second Edition), How to Language Wiley-Blackwell 1997 (tells Teach Listening, which the story of Thomas A Sebeok and the won the Duke of ENGLISH TEACHING professional nuclear waste) Edinburgh ESU Award for the best book for Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd, http://www.georgeellalyon.com/ teachers in 2008, and PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, where.html is George Ella Lyon’s Speakout. His short fiction is anthologised PO18 8HD, UK website, which explains the origins of by Penguin and Pulp Fax: +44 (0)1243 576456 ‘I am from …’ poems and contains the Faction, among others. Email: [email protected] original, ‘Where I’m From’. [email protected]

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www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM Meeting Derek Being

Derek Sivers: entrepreneur, innovator, musician and successful TED presenter

Derek If you happen to be near a computer, please go to www.TED.com, type Derek Sivers in the search box and select his talk ‘Weird or just different?’ It is a two- minute talk full of great ideas. If it is your first time on the TED site, you may wish to spend a while browsing. Originating from an annual Sivers ‘meeting of minds’ in the areas of erhaps one of the most Chris Roland’s students technology, education and design (hence pleasurable experiences for an the TED abbreviation), the site now English language teacher is become successful speakers hosts talks on all topics and is an being able to step back, look P incredibly rich resource for teachers, all around your class and see a roomful of by imitating a successful the more so because there are subtitles people, every single one of whom is and interactive audioscripts for each completely engaged, at the same time, in speaker. talk, which can be copied and pasted a communicative activity you have just from the screen and used for follow-up set up. activities. This is one of a number of ‘little If you are not near a computer golden moments’ in an English teacher’s screen, read the transcript of the talk working term and definitely one reason from the TED site, which is given in the I am still in the profession. As regards box on page 13. task design, planning and execution, it There is an alternative audio tells me I am doing something right. In recording on Derek’s own site, past years I might have asked myself: www.sivers.org, which I also strongly Why couldn’t the boss have seen this recommend for the quality of his blog right now, instead of that awkward entries, two of which contain the ideas observation session I did last month? Or I incorporated in his talk: Japanese might have wished that this or that Addresses and Reversible Business colleague could have seen said activity Models. The beauty of the text above, in progress (admittedly, I have however, is that it corresponds exactly occasionally been known to drag other to what your students are going to hear. teachers into my classes because I was so enthusiastic about an activity – and welcome such interruptions myself, as Being Derek do my students!). These days, I am Okay, so here is where the ELT fun lucky enough to have regular starts. First, I show the talk to my opportunities to share my little golden students – for this a projector really is moments through workshops and necessary. I put the subtitles on to make articles, and that is what you have here: things as easy as possible at this stage. one of my own such moments that After watching, each student tells a hopefully will turn into something partner two points from the talk (there special for you. are plenty: Japanese addresses, Chinese

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www.diako.ir doctors, West African music, world map commentary to accompany what Derek the next task. In fact, all the activities and the saying about India). is doing onscreen. Derek’s talks are all above could be seen as familiarisation Each student then receives a highly visual so if you forget a bit, his for the task itself, so if students want to transcript and follows the text closely as next slide or gesture will act as prompt. listen even a fourth time, that’s Derek speaks, paying particular It is actually quite good if students see fantastic. attention to pronunciation, word and that the person improvising the Liam O’Brien, a colleague at the sentence stress, tone and rhythm. commentary is allowed to forget bits British Council in Barcelona, reports on Having the text actually in their hands and so, despite knowing the talk very his version of this stage of the activity: helps the students focus here. well by now, I normally make the ‘The set-up for this was dead easy: Next we check any unknown occasional ‘slip’ just to show that it does watch the video, then watch again with language items. Weird or just different? not have to be perfect. As a teacher, this subtitles, but this time pairs of students contains reasonably straightforward is your chance to be theatrical – so read the text aloud in real time (I told vocabulary for students of an upper- enjoy it! You may even receive a round them not to worry about fluffing, just to intermediate level and beyond, and of applause for your performance. get the rhythm back) with one student these are the levels I would recommend I then say: Now it’s your turn to be reading the first half and the partner the activity for. The students then read Derek Sivers. You’re going to do exactly taking over halfway through, like little the text to a partner. One student reads the same. We’ll start the talk from the tag-teams. Then they all read it aloud as the first half of the text and the other beginning but with no sound, no subtitles a chorus; it was like being in a church reads the second. At any given time, the and no reading from handouts. One of (albeit a secular one). And they all loved listening student is following the text as you will improvise the commentary to the it as far as I could tell.’ their partner reads, underlining any word first half of the talk and then hand over Then it is time for the improvisations. they think has been mispronounced. to your partner. Making sure everyone is ready, we start They tell their partner afterwards and At this point your students may the video, counting down 3, 2, 1, Go! It is summon me as final arbiter in the case panic slightly and may ask to listen, important that everyone starts on time – of any unresolved dispute. read or both, one more time before as this has a knock-on effect for the I then say: Right, now I’m going to trying themselves. Perfect! This is second speaker. Afterwards, I give the be Derek Sivers. I stand in front of the facilitative tension at its best. Now they students one last hearing of the talk projector and play the talk again. This want to hear the talk again and have a and another go at the improvisation, by time, however, I mute the sound, switch real reason to listen. Compare this to which time they are quite comfortable off the subtitles, and deliver the talk merely asking students to listen one with the task and really enjoying success myself by providing an improvised more time without telling them about at it. Here you can decide to monitor a

So, imagine you’re standing on a street And they say, ‘Well, streets don’t have So, for example, there are doctors in anywhere in America and a Japanese names. Blocks have names. Just look China who believe that it’s their job to man comes up to you and says, at Google Maps here. There is block keep you healthy. So, any month you 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. All of these are healthy you pay them, and when ‘Excuse me, what is the name of this blocks have names. The streets are you’re sick you don’t have to pay them block?’ just the unnamed spaces in between because they failed at their job. They And you say, ‘I’m sorry? Well, this is the blocks.’ get rich when you’re healthy, not sick. Oak Street, that’s Elm Street. This is And you say, ‘Okay, then how do you In most music we think of the ‘one’ as 26th, that’s 27th.’ know your home address?’ the downbeat, the beginning of the He says, ‘Okay. What is the name of musical phrase. One, two, three, four. He says, ‘Well, easy, this is district 8. that block?’ But in West African music the ‘one’ is There is block 17, house number 1.’ thought of as the end of the phrase, You say, ‘Well, blocks don’t have names. You say, ‘Okay. But walking around the like the period at the end of a Streets have names; blocks are just the neighbourhood, I noticed that the sentence. So, you can hear it not just unnamed spaces in between streets.’ house numbers don’t go in order.’ in the phrasing, but the way they count He leaves, a little confused and off their music. Two, three, four, one. He says, ‘Of course they do. They go disappointed. in the order in which they were built. And this map is also accurate. So, now imagine you’re standing on a The first house ever built on a block is [Here, Derek shows a conventional street, anywhere in Japan, you turn to house number 1. The second house map of the world, upside down.] a person next to you and say, ever built is house number 2. Third is There is a saying that whatever true house number 3. It’s easy. It’s ‘Excuse me, what is the name of this thing you can say about India, the obvious.’ street?’ opposite is also true. So, let’s never So, I love that sometimes we need to forget, whether at TED, or anywhere They say, ‘Oh, well, that’s block 17 and go to the opposite side of the world to else, that whatever brilliant ideas you this is block 16.’ realise assumptions we didn’t even have or hear, the opposite may also be And you say, ‘Okay, but what is the know we had, and realise that the true. Domo arigato gozaimashita. name of this street?’ opposite of them may also be true.

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www.diako.ir Members of Liam’s August 2010 class and of my own, being Derek Sivers

classroom. If you are of a similar I would, however, like to thank both mindset, you will probably enjoy Guy Liam’s students and my own for their Being Cook’s article on ‘intimate discourse’ and help with the photo shoot, TED for an repetition – if you don’t already know it. inspirational website and, most of all, thanks to Derek himself for giving me Derek ૽ ૽ ૽ the green light on this and for his sense of humour and positivity towards the Sivers When I first began teaching, I came idea from beginning to here. ETp across recommendations in the literature pair, get involved yourself as partner for to use short film clips with the sound Cook, G ‘Repetition and learning by heart: any student who has been working in a turned down for students to act out an aspect of intimate discourse and its three up to now or simply sit back and scenes. My aversion to butchering good implications’ ELT Journal 48(2) 1984 enjoy the buzz. I have audio recordings film footage aside, I can honestly say this of 12 students doing this, which I have is the first time I have found a recording Chris Roland is based at mailed to them and will use myself for a the British Council that I am really comfortable doing this Barcelona, Spain, and deeper analysis. Whether you record with. Why do Derek’s talks work so well? throughout the year is your students or not, I think you will be involved with as much I think it is a combination of factors: teacher training and surprised just how much new ‘successful they are purpose-written presentations, conference speaking as user of English’ language patterning, their length, pace, fun element, his is possible on top of his regular teaching schedule. especially on a phrase and sentence charisma as a speaker, the richness and He writes primary, level, learners can take on board in such quality of visuals and right level of secondary and business material for several a short time. challenge to learners. Derek has given publishers and is also My take on language learning is that two more talks at TED, one perhaps involved in projects such as Inanimate Alice and his you cannot say or write language that slightly more lexically tricky than the own PowerPoint stories you have not first learnt. That would be other, but I think that is enough from for very young learners at www.regandlellow.com. magic, and expectations of magic are me. I shall leave you to discover more something I try to exorcise from the about Mr Sivers for yourself. [email protected]

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www.diako.ir WRITING Positive and powerful punctuation Beata Mazurek- ne could hardly imagine display very little motivation to master teaching writing to any the rules of punctuation, which they Przybylska offers ideas group of students without find complicated, unexciting and not Oteaching them how to very useful. for advanced writing classes. punctuate properly. However, for a The problem becomes even more number of reasons, punctuation seems serious when the learners are students at to be a skill that is difficult to master, a teacher training college and are likely even for more advanced learners. to become English teachers themselves in the future. Trainee teachers need to The matter of be able to use punctuation correctly in order to be able to teach it to others. punctuation They should also be aware of the fact The first reason why punctuation is a that poor punctuation not only makes a problem is that writing already requires a lot from the students, including control of content, organisation and Writing already requires language, which frequently leaves them a lot from the students, with no time or energy to remember punctuation. The second reason is that, including control of in the age of the internet and digital technology, punctuation seems to have content and language, lost its importance, especially for young which frequently leaves people. They communicate mostly via short text messages and emails, in which them with no time to punctuation is reduced to a minimum, remember punctuation thus saving time and money. In fact, not only punctuation but also spelling and grammatical correctness are sacrificed bad impression on the reader, but can in favour of brevity. In this climate, the also affect their understanding of a text. majority of students simply lose the Therefore, it is worth putting some habit of using punctuation marks, and effort into convincing students that punctuation is undervalued. As their punctuation is the hallmark of good exposure to well-structured and well- writing, and a tool which can help them punctuated sentences decreases, so, express themselves better. And, last but perhaps unsurprisingly, learners tend to not least, it can also be fun.

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www.diako.ir Answers: sentences containing commas. In pairs, A woman: without her, man is nothing. they work out the rule for each Positive sentence. Examples include: A woman, without her man, is nothing. 1 Nevertheless, he was a very and powerful 3 the convict said the judge is mad handsome guy. Answers: punctuation 2 We have a big problem, to be ‘The convict,’ said the judge, ‘is mad.’ honest. The convict said, ‘The judge is mad.’ All this could be achieved through a 3 The boys, who were often lazy, had a well-planned procedure for introducing A more challenging activity involves a great time hiking in the mountains. punctuation marks and practising their short text (a poem or a letter), which 4 This is my car, not hers. use. In this article I will suggest a few could have two different meanings, activities which help me raise my depending on how it is punctuated. The 5 Well, I like that house. students’ interest in punctuation as a teacher can either tell the students this 6 We are a bit tired, aren’t we? skill in its own right, as well as adding or just ask them to punctuate it, an element of humour to our classes revealing the other version later. Here is When the students are ready with their and boosting the students’ creativity. an example from Lynne Truss: rules, they compare them with those of other pairs and finally, as a class, we Dear Jack Punctuation matters produce a final list. For example: I want a man who knows what love is all Students are usually more motivated to about you are generous kind thoughtful ● Use a comma after certain discourse learn something when they are shown its people who are not like you admit to markers, like nevertheless, however, usefulness. Thus, the beginning of their being useless and inferior you have etc. (Sentence 1) adventure with punctuation (or more ruined me for other men I yearn for you ● Use commas to separate off advanced punctuation) can start with I have no feelings whatsoever when we additional information at the end (or making them realise that punctuation are apart I can be forever happy will you beginning) of a sentence. (Sentence 2) matters. It is also the right time to revise let me be yours (or introduce) the names of particular Jill ● Use commas to separate a non- punctuation marks, some of which defining clause. (Sentence 3) students easily confuse or even forget. Answers: ● This could be done by drawing the Dear Jack, Use a comma to separate two common punctuation marks on the I want a man who knows what love is contrastive parts of a sentence. board and eliciting their names from all about. You are generous, kind, (Sentence 4) the students. I usually start with the thoughtful. People who are not like you ● Use commas after words like well, yes full stop, comma, question mark, admit to being useless and inferior. You and no. (Sentence 5) exclamation mark, apostrophe, colon, have ruined me for other men. I yearn ● semicolon and quotation marks. I then for you. I have no feelings whatsoever Use commas before question tags. write up a sentence (or a few sentences) when we are apart. I can be forever (Sentence 6) which could be punctuated in various happy: will you let me be yours? The lists of sentences and the rules can, ways to convey different meanings. This Jill of course, be much longer, depending activity could be done in small groups, or on how familiar students are with with the students later explaining how commas. In addition to sensitising the the use of particular punctuation marks Dear Jack, students to the way commas are used, influences the meaning of the sentence. I want a man who knows what love is. this activity is also excellent writing As most of my students have had some All about you are generous, kind, practice, which requires clarity and experience of writing and punctuating thoughtful people, who are not like you. grammar awareness on the part of the sentences, they usually come up with at Admit to being useless and inferior. You students. least a few correct suggestions. Examples have ruined me. For other men I yearn. In the next stage, pairs of students of well-known sentences which lend For you I have no feelings whatsoever. are asked to produce further sentences, themselves to being punctuated in When we are apart I can be forever similar to those in the examples. They different ways include: happy. Will you let me be? write them without punctuation on a 1 what is this thing called love Yours, piece of paper and give them to another Jill pair to punctuate. Again, the activity is Answers: not just a punctuation exercise but also What is this thing called, love? The comma gives practice in controlled writing. What? Is this thing called love? As the comma is the most frequently What is this thing called ‘love’? used punctuation mark and the most The semicolon What is this thing called? ‘Love’? difficult for students to master, it The semicolon can combine two ‘What is this thing called?’ ‘Love.’ requires clear rules and a lot of practice. independent clauses, replacing a full I usually start with a deduction activity stop, provided that they are closely 2 a woman without her man is nothing in which I give the students a list of connected. Thus, it can be used to break

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www.diako.ir the monotony of a text and to make it Quotation marks backward slashes (/ \), the tilde (~), the more cohesive. I give my students a list dash (–), round brackets ( ) and square of sentences and ask them to decide The use of quotation marks is mostly brackets [ ], as well as the more familiar which of them form pairs that can be related to direct speech, so it is not full stop (.), comma (,), question mark combined using a semicolon. Examples difficult to find interesting materials for (?), exclamation mark (!), colon (:) and include: practising them. You can show your semicolon (;). students a short scene with a dialogue Of course, this could also be done 1 I enjoy classical music. from a film (preferably one they know with pen and paper. and like) and ask them to write the 2 The lead singer of the band was too dialogue down as direct speech, using ill to perform. ૽ ૽ ૽ correct punctuation. Alternatively, the 3 The British are said to be poor at activity can be done the other way The role of punctuation in our lives learning foreign languages. round: the students receive a text of the may be changing, but it is still a feature film dialogue transformed into indirect 4 Nevertheless, the other members of good writing and an indication of speech and their task is to rewrite it as decided to perform. literacy. That is why it should be they think it was delivered in the film. definitely be taught in writing classes. 5 Strauss’s waltzes are my favourites. Later, they watch the film and check. By making sure it is taught in an This can also be done with part of a attractive and meaningful way, we can 6 The Dutch are considered to be good radio interview or an extract from an at it. also use it to enhance our students’ audio book. Both activities provide an powers of self-expression. ETp Answers: excellent opportunity for listening 1 and 5, 2 and 4, 3 and 6. comprehension practice as well. Students can also be asked to punctuate Cory, H Advanced Writing With English in Use OUP 1999 The colon famous quotations and then match them with their authors. Truss, L Eats, shoots and leaves Profile The colon, which can be used instead of Books 2003 conjunctions such as so and because, is Revision and Beata Mazurek- often used to introduce an idea that is Przybylska has 15 years’ an explanation or continuation of the consolidation experience in ELT, one that comes before the colon. For teaching classes of all Punctuation quiz levels. Since 2003, she example, They knew something strange has been teaching Punctuation practice can take the form had happened: all the clocks were going writing to teacher of a quiz. This could be done with the trainees at a teacher backwards. Asking your students to training college in help of short extracts from well-known finish sentences containing a colon will Wroclaw, Poland. novels, from which all the punctuation Besides punctuation, she not only help them to see how the colon has a particular interest marks have been removed. The students’ is used, but will also encourage them to in peer correction and task is to punctuate each extract and new words in English. be creative. Here are some more then guess the title of the book. [email protected] examples of sentences they could be To make it easier, you can put the asked to complete: number of the particular punctuation ߜ I think he is in love: marks to be used under the text, or next I suddenly remembered the fortune to the line from which they have been IT WORKS IN PRACTICE removed. teller’s words: Do you have ideas you’d like to share Ann was absolutely shocked: Punctuation race with colleagues around the world? Tips, techniques and activities; Another idea is to provide students with Students should know the names and simple or sophisticated; well-tried the beginnings of sayings, in which the the use of most of the punctuation or innovative; something that has colon separates the comparative part marks on the computer keyboard. This worked well for you? All published and the explanatory part. For example: could be practised by giving them a list with the marks, their names and the contributions receive a prize! Studying is like ______: ______rules about how and when to use them. Write to us or email: Falling in love is like ______: ______The students then match each mark [email protected] with its name and function. The next Life is like ______: ______stage is a dictation where the teacher Our college is like ______: ______says the names of the marks and the TALKBACK!TALKBACK! students type them as quickly as they Do you have something to say about The students finish the sentences and can, competing to get as many right as an article in the current issue of ETp? then write some more, similar ones possible. themselves. This is a partly-controlled To make this trickier, use some of This is your magazine and we would activity as far as sentence structure is the less common marks, such as angle really like to hear from you. concerned, but at the same time it gives brackets (< >), double quotation marks Write to us or email: a lot of scope for students’ creativity. (“ ”), the ampersand (&), the asterisk [email protected] The idea is borrowed from Hugh Cory. (*), the ‘at’ sign (@), the forward and

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www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM Turning the tables Jan Harper finds that a little role reversal brings real results.

eaching English as a foreign these things were all about. During this language in a one-to-one time I made a series of notes on things My student’s situation, especially when that needed attention. Tworking in a virtual We included short spells of work on concentration improved classroom, requires a lot of variety – grammar and then went back to and the lessons he and a few tricks – to keep the student’s reading, writing and talking about what interest. When dealing with adults, it is interested him. The grammar sessions set me got more and generally a matter of keeping the later became something that he actually lessons fresh and interesting, adjusting wanted to do. more difficult as his the pace as necessary and having plenty confidence grew of ideas up your sleeve. With younger My teacher students, it is sometimes more difficult Then it was time to put the second stage to capture their interest, and I make This became a regular thing and he of my plan into action. I informed him sure I always have a few alternative looked forward to ‘teaching’ every few at the start of one lesson that he was plans to hand, just in case I fail to weeks. His concentration improved and now the teacher and could use any text, engage them immediately. However, a the lessons he set me got more and subject or lesson plan he wished in new student of mine recently threw my more difficult as his confidence grew. entire lesson planning out of the order to teach me. This gave me a window. The student in question was a chance to find out how much he knew, ૽ ૽ ૽ thirteen-year-old boy who was studying as well as how he preferred lessons to be This approach could be adapted to any for the IELTS exam. His English was conducted. one-to-one teaching situation and could about upper-immediate level and I knew He took a few minutes to think also, with a little thought, be used in a that I needed to find a way of grabbing about how he was going to teach me group. It is a way of testing the student, his interest from the start. and then asked me to prepare for a dictation exercise. He read a short piece and getting a bit of competition going from a Harry Potter book and I typed it without creating stress. That young man With younger onto the screen. Before I had finished, really wanted to learn enough grammar he had corrected two spelling errors and and vocabulary to catch me out, and students I make sure adjusted some punctuation. One of the when he did, I admitted it and praised spelling errors was deliberate, but the him. At the end of 12 weeks he scored 8 I always have a few other was not. in his IELTS test, a very good result, so alternative plans to ‘There,’ he said, ‘it’s very hard when the technique must have been effective. someone has a strange accent and you I believe that making learning English hand, just in case don’t know the story you are typing. fun is essential, especially for younger I fail to engage them Maybe I should go a little slower for you students and that once the pressure is next time.’ taken out of the learning situation, the immediately He certainly made his point and results really do multiply. ETp that was my first lesson. Jan Harper was born Next, he placed a long piece of text in England and on the screen and asked me to underline travelled the world My student as a child. She was a the adverbs. I asked him what adverbs writer and teacher First of all, I wanted to find out what were and he explained very adequately. who worked a lot via virtual classrooms. he knew, and what he didn’t, without Then adjectives and conjunctions As a result, her putting him under stress by setting a followed. I queried the meanings of a students came from test. So I set about finding what his few words and he answered me like an all over the globe. interests were. My early lessons included expert teacher on most of them. A material from the Harry Potter books, couple of others puzzled him and he Sadly, Jan died in August while this issue of the UK TV series Dr Who and material excused himself while he consulted his ETp was being finalised. We would like to about NASCAR wrestling, and his dictionary. He had shown his expertise thank her daughter, Lesley, for kindly allowing us to go ahead with publishing her conversation skills improved very and knowledge without even being mother’s work. quickly as he had to explain to me what aware that he was being tested.

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www.diako.ir RESOURCES This is known as Data-Driven Learning (DDL). DDL is learner-centred in that it is a discovery-based or inductive approach to learning. The student becomes a kind of language detective who investigates and finds clues and evidence about patterns of language and what they mean. One criticism levelled at DDL is that the language of concordances is beyond lower-level learners. This is a fair Corpus comment, so we must underscore how important it is to select only appropriate examples for use in the classroom. We can also use graded readers, and even texts from coursebooks to create our own concordances, provided that they offer natural-sounding examples of language. Rachel Allan’s corpus of 22 Penguin Graded Readers illustrates how delicti graded-reader concordances show Chris Payne atones n Issue 70 of ETp, I confessed to students language patterns in a not having taken advantage of manageable way (www.nottingham.ac.uk/ for his crime and converts corpora as a teaching resource. A english/IVACS/allan.ppt). Icorpus provides useful language to corpora. learning opportunities for students. It is a tool that is accessible to all teachers, A corpus is a tool and its use does not involve the possession of arcane computer skills. that is accessible to all Word counts give us frequency teachers, and its use information about words, but the best way to see how words are actually used does not involve the and what their meanings are is with a concordance. Concordances arrange a possession of arcane text so that examples of the key word, computer skills or node, appear under each other as in the example below – for watch. They show us what words typically come In some cases, teachers and students before the key word (known as ‘left- do not have access to a computer in the sorting’) or after it (‘right-sorting’). classroom, but this does not preclude In this second article I will look at the use of concordances. Teachers can how we can exploit concordances, and prepare and enlarge printouts of suggest some activities to use with concordance lines before class or get students without the need for a students to compile their own computer in the classroom. concordances using a good corpus- based dictionary, such as the Macmillan Concordances in the learner dictionaries. Class-made concordances are more eye-catching classroom than those on a computer printout. Students can be trained in how to use They can be fun to design, appeal to corpora and concordance lines directly. visual learners and, most importantly,

If I notice the banker fidget and look at his watch, I may well conjecture that the game is about to Dogs often enjoy a run along the beach but watch out for any traces of tar which could adhere to their feet or From which place we could safely watch the bombing of the city by the Germans. I don’t I wanted only to go down to the summer-house and watch the leaves falling until night fell with them it is on tomorrow night on BBC 1 and you must watch it at nine thirty in the studio and he Of er blockages all time. The AA Road watch say it’s particularly bad Strathclyde and Although the match might be colourful to watch, it would hardly be good football.

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www.diako.ir 1 The movie is doomed to run way over budget 2 She was kidnapped as she was on her way to an interview with Corpus 3 He’ll do it while he’s on his way back to Berlin 4 in a fun and humorous way. In addition to the book 5 Excuse me, is this the way to the Eiffel Tower? delicti 2 6 It’s still way too early to talk about 7 and what it’s actually going to mean about the way you organise training courses help learners really notice a language item in context. 8 She was lost and didn’t know the way home Let us now look at some activities with concordance lines that can be done Meanings of way in this concordance: The students read each other their without having a computer in the A journey = 2, 3 lines and together try to guess the key classroom. Right direction or road = 5, 8 words. This activity can be made easier Style or manner = 4, 7 by writing up the missing key words on 1 Find the context Much, to a great degree = 1, 6 the board, along with some distractors. Aim Activity C 4 To understand meanings of words in Concordance race This activity gives lower-level learners context practice in identifying word classes. We Aim The students are given a concordance can give students a concordance sheet To draw attention to near synonyms with the key word and the words after for like. They have to decide in which and to show that words are rarely it, but not the words before the key lines like is a verb and in which it is a synonymous and interchangeable in all word. The teacher dictates a line from preposition. For example: contexts before the key word (not in order), and I like chocolate. This activity is for four teams of the students must decide where to write My brother eats like a horse. students. Write eight enlarged it in the concordance. concordance lines on four sheets of This activity can also be done vice- 3 Find the key word card, choosing a mix of lines from the versa – the teacher dictates lines from near synonyms that you are going to after the key word and the students have Aim use, but with the key words missing. the key word and the words before it. To raise awareness about common Some examples are big/large and collocates and meanings of words fast/quick – you can have a big or large 2 Multiple meanings Prepare a sheet of concordance lines garden, but rarely a large problem. Display the four sheets of card Aim with four or five examples of different around the classroom, on the board, the To make out the meaning of a word key words you want to focus on. Put the walls or the door. when it is used in different ways students into pairs. One student is given the lines before the key word and the Now write each key word on eight Activity A other is given the lines after the key separate pieces of card and stick them As an example, we can take the key word. in one place in the classroom. word hand, meaning ‘a part of the Each student now has a different Each team of students is assigned body’ and ‘to give someone something’. part of several sentences with the key one of the concordance sheets. They The students are given the concordance words missing. An example is shown have to stand up, go to their sheet and lines and are asked to work out how below, where the missing words are way read the lines in order to work out the many different meanings the key word and bill. correct key word. has, and what they are. Here I have suggested a word with Student A Student B just two meanings, but you can, of course, use key words which have more We believe that the best ______to explore and experience a country than two. And yet my electricity ______is larger than the gas one. Activity B This was the best ______to govern the church This is the opposite of Activity A, in Football tops the ______in this edition that the students are given the meanings ______of the key word, in this example, way. She was on her to an interview with one of The students are given numbered Are you on your ______out to market? Me too. concordance lines in which the key word I don’t mind a big heating ______but I don’t want a big phone has four different meanings. Below the ______concordances, you write the four Take the money to pay this out of my account different meanings, and the students If you don’t want your ______itemised. Remember have to write the line number next to the We’re very happy with the ______the album’s selling. meaning it corresponds to. For example:

20 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir I had a quickquick word with Mickey. He is going to miss a bigbig game. In the 1990 replay ENGLISH It’s a bigbig mistake to get intellectual about TprofessionalEACHING Exciting car, it’s a very fastfast car but it’s a very safe car. Which is the fastfast lane. This is your magazine. Her banker arranged for largelarge sums of money to be We want to hear from you! Let’s have a quickquick look at these types of media. People go off politics. A largelarge majority of people, Labour and Tory. ߜ

Then they run to the key words and whereas in Spanish the preferred IT WORKS IN PRACTICE stick them in the node position on their preposition is of (‘de’) which makes for Do you have ideas you’d like to share sheet. The winner is the first team to endless mistakes, even at advanced levels. with colleagues around the world? complete all their concordance lines Tips, techniques and activities; successfully. 6 Do-it-yourself simple or sophisticated; well-tried The example above shows how the concordances or innovative; something that has concordance sheets might look at the worked well for you? All published Aim end. contributions receive a prize! To encourage the students to become Although this activity involves a Write to us or email: certain amount of preparation, it can experts on their key words [email protected] easily be reused. It is fun and it This activity is suitable for all levels. It generates a lot of discussion among combines the use of an authentic text students. with texts in the students’ coursebook. They would benefit from having After choosing an authentic text, TALKBACK!TALKBACK! their own individual photocopies of this select the grammatical or lexical items Do you have something to say about activity to keep and do on their own as you want your students to learn. Give an article in the current issue of ETp? revision. one word to each student, or two words This is your magazine and we would to each pair of students. really like to hear from you. 5 Collocation and Ask them to find their word in the Write to us or email: text and write one concordance line for colligation [email protected] it. The key word should be lined up in Aim the middle of the page and written in a To notice frequent collocates of words different colour, or highlighted in some and common patterns of grammar way. Writing for ETp words Once the text and its salient Would you like to write for ETp? We are Activity A language have been studied, ask the always interested in new writers and The students look at a concordance students to find other example fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice, printout and have to identify four or sentences with their given words in the write to us or email: five of the most common collocates of texts included in their coursebooks. [email protected] the key word. They can also focus on They then line up their example specific word classes before and after sentences on their concordance sheet. the key word, such as common Follow-up: The finished concordance Visit the adjectives before nouns, nouns after sheets could be written on card and verbs, etc. ETp website! displayed in the classroom. Alternatively, The ETp website is packed with practical Activity B the students can blank out the key word tips, advice, resources, information and Concordances can raise awareness of and the rest of the class has to guess the selected articles. You can submit tips how prepositions and other grammar missing word. ETp or articles, renew your subscription words behave. The students can study or simply browse the features. concordance examples in order to see Chris Payne is the owner of Paddington what prepositions are used after School of English and www.etprofessional.com particular adjectives or verbs. has been teaching in Spain since 1993. He I recommend tailoring this activity has published several ENGLISH TEACHING professional so that you can focus on words whose articles on ELT and is particularly interested in Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd, prepositions in the students’ L1 are a greater focus on lexis PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, unexpected when compared with in language learning. PO18 8HD, UK English, or are completely absent. For Fax: +44 (0)1243 576456 example, the word depend will show Email: [email protected] examples followed by on or upon, [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 21

www.diako.ir Language Learner Literature Awards 2010 Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 Language Learner Literature Awards. Congratulations from The LLL Awards are given by the Extensive Reading Foundation ENGLISH (ERF), a not-for-profit organisation that supports and promotes EACHING extensive reading in language education. The winning book in each Tprofessional of five categories is chosen by an international jury, taking into account the internet votes and comments of students and teachers to all the winners and finalists. around the world.

Young learners Adolescent and Adult: Intermediate

૽ Winner ૽ The Magic Brocade ૽ Winner ૽ Michael Jackson by Sue Arengo, illustrated by Nancy Lane by Vicky Shipton Published by Oxford University Press Published by Mary Glasgow Magazines/Scholastic ISBN: 978-0-1942-2561-8 ISBN: 978-1-9057-7582-8 Judges’ comments: The Magic Brocade, a Judges’ comments: This is a well-written, retelling of a classic tale, was judged by ESL balanced account of the life of a great students to be meaningful and to encourage entertainer. One student points out ‘This book readers to ponder matters of virtue. The main tells me how a person changed himself because characters take great risks and make great of being famous’. There are excellent additional sacrifices to triumph in the end. Nothing, even snippets at the end of the book. language learning, comes easily. . Finalists The Mind Map by David Morrison Finalists Pinocchio retold by Sue Arengo (CUP); Playing with Fire: Stories from the Pacific (OUP); Para-Life Rescue! by Sue Leather Rim retold by Jennifer Bassett (OUP) (Heinle Cengage)

Adolescent and Adult: Beginner Adolescent and Adult: Upper-intermediate and Advanced

૽ Winner ૽ The Winning Shot ૽ Winner ૽ The Best of Times? by Sue Murray by Alan Maley Published by ILTS and Hueber Verlag Published by Cambridge University Press ISBN: 978-3-1924-2976-7 ISBN: 978-0-5217-3546-9 Judges’ comments: The Winning Shot takes Judges’ comments: The Best of Times? is the the reader on a journey of sport and family, story of a troubled teen coping with his parents’ with a bit of a twist in the tale. separation. The story is fast-paced and moving. Finalists Gone! by Margaret Johnson (CUP); As one reader put it, ‘It keeps you reading Storm Hawks by Helen Parker (Mary Glasgow continuously and makes you eager about what Magazines/Scholastic) is happening next.’ Many readers praised it for being ‘realistic,’ ‘close to life’ and a story ‘that could happen to anyone’. Finalists The Kalahari Typing School for Men retold by Annette Keen (Pearson Longman); Safe Adolescent and Adult: Elementary House, adapted by Philip Hewitt (Easy Readers) ૽ Winner ૽ Titanic by Tim Vicary Published by Oxford University Press ISBN: 978-0-1942-3619-5 2011 Awards Judges’ comments: Even working at such an elementary level, the author manages to convey Have you enjoyed a reader that was facts in a reliable and interesting way, and it is clearly well-researched. ... it has some quasi- published in 2010? The nomination and fictional aspects in the narrative that give the voting procedures for the 2011 Language reader some thrill, even though we know the end of the story. Learner Literature Awards will be posted on Finalists The Secret Garden adapted by Elizabeth Ann Moore (Black Cat); Number the Stars the ERF website (www.erfoundation.org). adapted by Edward Broadbridge (Easy Readers)

www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM Relax, rethink and reflect Grazyna Kilianska-Przybylo experiments with verbal association.

he inspiration for this article words, verbal association tasks may Those provided by the slightly more comes from Scott Thornbury’s enable teachers to think ‘outside the experienced group evoke the image of a video presentation entitled box’ and discover new insights about teacher who is concentrating on two T‘6 things beginning with R’. themselves. things: the teaching/learning process and This presentation reminded me that their own attitudes towards teaching. verbal association tasks can be a very ! In his presentation, Scott These more experienced trainees reflect powerful resource in the hands of Thornbury gives examples of the or, in other words, rethink, re-question overloaded and busy teachers. words beginning with R that are related and reformulate their ideas. They are to the teaching profession. Before you sufficiently courageous to initiate their Tasks for students read on, you might like to stop for a own research and report its findings to moment, relax and think about what others. They also feel responsibility for Verbal association tasks combine two your list would contain. Remember, the some of the stages of their lessons and goals: linguistic (practice or revision of words should relate to teaching and notice the relevance of the teacher’s material) and personal (promotion of should all begin with the letter R. reaction. Their inclusion of reading self-expression and creative thinking). I asked two groups of people (30 in probably refers not just to the reading For this reason, they are ideal for each group) to brainstorm their verbal that is done in class but reading that arousing the students’ curiosity and associations on the topic of the teaching teachers do for themselves. waking them up in early morning profession. One group consisted of pre- lessons. These tasks help to deliver service trainee teachers with no formal ૽ ૽ ૽ lessons from nothing and, as such, will experience of teaching. The second save a lot of preparation time. Here are group was composed of trainee teachers To sum up, it seems that trainee teachers a few examples of such tasks: with limited teaching experience (up to with no experience of the classroom are 1 Think of six things beginning with the two years). In the following tables, their concentrated on the process of teaching letter R. associations are listed according to and learning, whereas those with a little frequency of occurrence. more experience tend to focus on 2 List as many different four-letter teaching and finding a professional path. words as you can which begin with Group 1 Group 2 Look back at the list you produced. the letter K. (trainees with (trainees with What does it say about your attitudes to 3 Think of as many adjectives as no teaching one to two years’ your profession? ETp possible that you can use to describe experience) experience in a house. teaching) Thornbury, S ‘6 things beginning with R’ 4 Think of as many adjectives related to Teacher Training Workshop DVD ● ● personality as you can. Reading Reflection Macmillan Books for Teachers 2008 ● Rules ● Risk-taking www.macmillanenglish.com/methodology /authors/videos/Scott-Thornbury.htm Tasks for teachers ● Repetition ● Research ● Revision ● Response/ Grazyna Kilianska- Verbal association tasks are also useful ● reaction Przybylo is a lecturer in in another way. Used by teachers, they Response the Institute of English at ● ● Revision the University of Silesia, can help uncover beliefs, or at least Remembering Poland, where she is a things which are meaningful to them ● Reading teacher of English and a teacher trainer. Her and, consequently, lead to a better academic interests understanding of their own teaching Despite some minor similarities, the include: reflective teaching, learner-centred philosophy. In addition, they may shed outcomes differ considerably. The words instruction, language some light on teachers’ priorities and provided by the trainees with no and intercultural help them re-examine certain aspects of teaching experience focus on the awareness. their classroom behaviour. In other teaching process itself and its content. [email protected]

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www.diako.ir TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS ૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽

acquire around six to eight words per lesson would be through memorisation based on endless oral repetition. The mere thought of pointing to pictures accompanied by whole-group and then individual repetition for even ten minutes made me feel faint. And what about the concept of plurals? Not only would this mundane memorisation and Pineapple, repetition process challenge my own limited patience, these young children would surely hate English for life if I did not devise something more interesting. As my own son was in this group, and I had always believed that logical reasoning skills would get him further than memorising the multiplication please! tables before first grade, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and Yen-Ling Teresa Ting makes vocabulary repetition for merged the challenge of vocabulary learning with the cultivation of logical her pre-school pupils purposeful and painless. reasoning skills. I drew a series of vocabulary ‘clotheslines’ upon which a ne of the challenges in approach. For example, for those of us sequence containing three or four items teaching English as a foreign living in non-tropical Italy, it is quite was organised. These item sets were language to young children amazing when a four year old says repeated in sequence along the entire is that they receive so little ‘Ananas per favore’, since pineapples, if length of the clothesline, which snaked exposureO to English outside the lesson. available at all, are found in the exotic along the page, with the problem being Unless they are English-teaching produce section of the supermarket that many sets were missing different nannies or run an EFL kindergarten, and are a rare occurrence on the Italian items. Figure 1 illustrates a very simple most teachers meet with their young dinner table. And if the child can also three-item set, which clearly shows the learners for only a few hours a week, add in the please, parents can brag children that the target sequence is making it difficult to establish the about this utterance for years to come. scarf, jumper, coat, and the unfortunate highly-contextualised continuity by Imagine my surprise, then, when I fact that some items have been blown which children learn their L1. It doesn’t examined the handbook of a popular off the clothesline. Fortunately, the take a linguist to understand that four and very valid lower A2-level English teacher has braved the wind and hours per week of learning English, certificate for children and found more collected all the fallen items. Each child spread over two lessons, is not exactly than 600 nouns in the ‘should-know has a copy of the clothesline and must the same as learning an L1 through list’, among which was pineapple. If we first figure out the sequence within the constant and authentically purposeful are amazed to hear the L1 ananas, we three-item set and, using the request, language use. Another challenge in will surely be entered in the book of ‘X, please’, ask for the items they need teaching a foreign language to pre- Amazing EFL Teachers if we get four- to complete the other sets on their literate children is exactly that: they year-old Italian children to learn entire clothesline. Once a child has don’t read yet. Much of our teaching pineapple! obtained a missing item, they must glue with older learners is reliant on the it in the correct place. In the example fact that they can already read and in Figure 1, the numbers under the first write and, more importantly, that they The solution set indicate how many scarves (4), are familiar with the concepts they have The following activity was developed in jumpers (5) and coats (4) the teacher already met in their L1, and must, the context of an intensive programme needs to have ready for each child. therefore, ‘just’ learn the L2 equivalent. offered over two months (eight 90- Since all the children receive the same minute lessons), which aimed to teach a clothesline, the teacher knows group of 18 kindergarten-aged children beforehand how many items will be The problem about 40 words, plus the concept of missing and can thus have these Since the average pre-school child has plurals. With such little learning time organised into separate piles or had limited life experiences, we cannot (which amounts to only 12 hours), the buckets. To avoid accidents, it is best to rely on this ‘just learn it in English’ only obvious way for the children to have the children seated at desks

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www.diako.ir TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS ૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽

Another sequence (sock, socks, shirt, skirt) worked on the pronunciation of the similar-sounding words skirt and shirt, but also incorporated the concept 4 5 4 of plurals with sock and socks.A clothesline using foot and feet along with shoe and shoes also worked well to provide an intensive exercise on plurals. I should add two suggestions, plus a note of caution regarding plurals. In the beginning, it is best for the children to ask for one missing item at a time so that they must repeat the lexis as often as possible. However, later on, you may encourage them to ask for ‘Two apples, please’, so they learn about the plural s. The second suggestion is that irregular plurals, such as feet, should be introduced at the same time that

Figure 1 children are mastering the ‘add an s’ rule, before they have a chance to say arranged in a circle, with the teacher items and completed their clothesline. foots and have it fossilized into their sitting on a chair with wheels in the And ‘please’ will be engrained for life. young brains. For Italians, and I imagine centre but as close to the desks as Those children who finish first can all children who speak languages with possible. colour in their clothesline – silently – irregular plurals, foot/feet is not while the ones who finish later can do shocking at all and just one of those the colouring as homework. Having things people say. The caution is with Noisy, but necessary expended their voices, the children regard to regular nouns which are not I should warn you that this activity become surprisingly quiet when they only irregularly spelled but also involves a lot of loud young voices settle down to colour in their irregularly pronounced, such as scarf, repeating ‘X, please!’ innumerable times clotheslines, and teachers can use this which requires ‘Two scarves, please’ and as the teacher attempts to roll from as a moment of rest if they wish. not ‘Two scarfs, please’. In a previous desk to desk to give each child their Although the clothesline completion article (ETp Issue 54) I offered a simple requested item. The classroom can part of this activity is not exactly quiet, rule about how the suffix s on plural become quite noisy as the children if the stoic teacher can see beyond the regular nouns and even the ed suffix on compete for the teacher’s attention in noise and ‘hear the learning’, the end regular verbs is a matter of minimal order to obtain the items they need. definitely justifies the means! mouth movements, and children find However, teachers should realise that this ‘lazy mouth rule’ quite easy to this loud repetition is necessary for apply. However, as they are pre-literate learning. Contextualised repetition and Simple, but adaptable and cannot see that the word scarves instant feedback/reinforcement is This activity can, of course, be adapted has more to do with ‘add an s’ than exactly how children learn their L1. EFL to suit various learning targets. For ‘irregular noun’, we should treat it like teaching needs to devise contexts example, I used a four-item sequence an irregular noun and provide single where authentically-motivated repetition covering three words: strawberry, pictures representing two scarves is necessary, and the urgent desire to strawberry, pineapple, apple. Strawberry was rather than have the children ask for complete their clotheslines prompts all repeated in the sequence because it is two separate ‘scarfs’ to fill two gaps on the children to repeat their requests, quite a mouthful for Italians and is also their clothesline. either individually or in chorus, until the quite different from the Italian equivalent, The clothesline in Figure 2 shows item is obtained. If the teacher fragola. The adjacency of pineapple and how the activity can be made more recognises the necessity of repetition apple was also not coincidental as challenging, since the sets of items are and finds the courage to survive 20 pineapple is a mouthful to pronounce. divided by a big dot on the line but the minutes of ‘Scarf, please!’, ‘Jumper, please!’ Although pineapples are exotic, the sets can continue onto the next line, and ‘Coat, please!’ uttered simultaneously word was similar enough to the familiar rather like words in a sentence. To add and at all volumes, the children will have apple that just one appearance of the variety from lesson to lesson, the repeated each target item at least 33 word pineapple was sufficient to allow clothesline may also be presented in a times by the time they have got all the the students to acquire it. spiral.

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www.diako.ir TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS ૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽

Pineapple, Phillip Burrows please!

To focus attention on one particularly difficult item, the sequences may contain L1 cognates such as the sequence banana, orange, kiwi, watermelon, where banana and kiwi are the same in Italian and orange sounds like the Italian arance, thus concentrating the children’s attention on the word watermelon. Common features Figure 2 An important point to consider is that people tend to learn new information indeed figured out the sequence and words hung on the clothesline can be by categorising, where possible, novel learnt the words on the line. A child acquired in only 12 hours! And, input with familiar items. This activity is, reading my completed fruit clothesline amazingly, the children are not at all therefore, most effective when items of would say ‘strawberry, strawberry, bored with the repetition because it a set share common features, as in the pineapple, apple’ six times. However, serves a purpose. Moreover, the activity examples above (fruit, clothes, etc). This after having said ‘Strawberry, please!’ serves the equally important function of requires some pre-planning on the part loudly at least 33 times during the developing the children’s ability to of the teacher. So, for example, if the completion of the clothesline, these last recognise patterns, an important first four words you have to teach are six utterances of strawberry as they logical-deduction skill which will serve apple, arm, armchair and baby, these will ‘read in English’ is not really for the them well. be difficult to learn together as they purpose of learning but to boost the ૽ ૽ ૽ don’t form an obvious category. Spend child’s ego – they were smart enough to some time dividing the target words figure out the sequence and now also I have had opportunities to meet up with into meaningful sets. Another thing to know that fragola is called strawberry in the parents of some of these children five remember is that the item-limit of our English since they can ‘read’ their years later and hear them brag of their working memory is around five to clotheslines correctly. English is easy! children’s politeness and eloquence. One seven items. Therefore, sets containing couple even told of a visit to New York fewer items are easier to learn than Recognising where their child answered a waiter with sets containing more than seven items. ‘Pineapple, please’ when offered a choice In fact, a three to four item set is more The clothesline activity is most suitable between orange and pineapple juice. rhythmic and easier for young children for learning concrete nouns, and I have Knowing that I have helped children learn to learn: apple, banana, kiwi, orange is successfully hung out less healthy food vocabulary through intensive repetition almost a poem while apple, banana, kiwi, sets, such as pizza, chips, burger and hot- without them hating English (or me) is orange, coconut, pear, watermelon sounds dog, as well as dislocated body parts in very satisfying indeed! ETp more like a shopping list. singular and plural options, such as eye, eyes, ear and mouth. Although nouns Yen-Ling Teresa Ting is a teacher at the University such as address, cinema, farm and farmer of Calabria, Italy, and uses ‘Reading’ are difficult to represent through simple her PhD in neurobiology to render neuroscience Once each child has completed their drawings, animals, household electronics research accessible to teachers so they can clothesline, they come to the teacher (fridge, toaster, cooker, iron) and furniture improve their classroom and ‘read’ it aloud by saying the words. are quite suitable items, as are many practice, be it to enthuse learners about science via Although these children are pre-reading dreaded vegetables (broccoli, carrots, CLIL or enable young age, their ability to ‘read their onions, tomatoes). What is effective learners to become clotheslines’ gives the teacher the about this activity is its ability to elicit eloquent tourists. opportunity to evaluate if each child has so much repetition that any and all the [email protected]

26 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir An all-round challenge 3 EAP Clare Nukui suggests some critical thinking activities for academic and general English students.

ritical thinking, that’s about could provide some claims to draw out of 3 My friends cooked pasta for us last asking why, isn’t it?’ said one a hat. night. (just) of my students. Well, that’s a Give the students a little time to think 4 Since I have been in the UK, I have good start. Definitions of of arguments in support of their statement, ‘C visited London and Bath. (only) critical thinking are many and varied. I based on observation, experience, like Edward Glaser’s description of it as reflection, reasoning or communication, 5 What’s wrong? Oh, it’s a cold. (merely) involving three things: an attitude of being pointing out that these are the tools of a Note: the adverb generally comes after disposed to consider in a thoughtful way good critical thinker. be, before main verbs and between the problems and subjects that come Get them to take turns to stand up auxiliary verbs and main verbs. within the range of one’s experiences; a and make their claim. The other students knowledge of the methods of logical have one minute to challenge it, saying, Discuss with the class not only the enquiry and reasoning; and the skill to be for example: correct placement of these adverbs but able to apply these methods. what effect these adverbs have on how ● On what evidence do you base this My own definition is that critical the information is construed. For claim? thinking is the practice of challenging example, My youngest sister is just a ‘knowledge claims’. A knowledge claim is ● Do you know of any exceptions to your teacher suggests that the speaker is a statement which purports to be true. A claim? disappointed by her choice of profession. critical thinker uses reason and the rules Get the students to prepare mini- ● I am a better cook than my girlfriend. of logic to decide whether or not the dialogues using the above sentences. For What do you think about that? knowledge claim is to be accepted and example: to what extent. Critical thinkers will also ● How come most of the world’s most A: My youngest sister is a teacher. be aware of the language used by those famous chefs are men? seeking to persuade us of a truth and will B: Oh, is she just a teacher? At the end of the minute, the class has to take into account vested interests. A: What do you mean, just a teacher? decide whether to accept or throw out Examples of knowledge claims can easily the claim. B: Well, teachers are ... be found in exam-type essay titles such Those claims that are accepted could as ‘Human beings do not need to eat Play it up be used for essay writing – much of the meat in order to maintain good health Now ask the students to rewrite these preliminary brainstorming will already because they can get all their food needs sentences as superlatives, using the have been completed and evidence/ from meatless products and substitutes. verbs in brackets. For example: She’s a examples will have been aired and are To what extent do you agree?’. good teacher. (have) She’s the best thus available for students to use in their Critical thinking is something that we teacher I have ever had. writing. already employ as part of our daily lives. 1 My dad is a bad driver. (see) He’s … However, by making critical thinking skills more explicit, we can help our students Play it down, play it up 2 I have a comfortable bed. (sleep) It’s … to tackle essay questions of this type Level: Lower-intermediate 3 That was a tasty pizza. (eat) That … more effectively. Moreover, critical The critical thinker needs to be aware of thinking is not something limited to the how language can be used to manipulate 4 It was a difficult test. (take) It … academic sphere and, therefore, beyond people into accepting a knowledge claim. Talk about the effect of the use of the the remit of the general English language One technique is to either downgrade or superlative with your students. Even teacher. All students will benefit from over-exaggerate something, opposing though the listener may think you are honing their critical thinking skills. Here, I techniques which can both have the exaggerating about your dad’s driving in would like to present some short, fun effect of persuading someone of a sentence 1, they will think that he must activities to develop these skills, all of knowledge claim. This exercise can also be pretty bad, whereas if you just said he which could be used effectively in the help in the teaching of adverb placement was a bad driver, they might question general English or EAP classroom. and the use of superlatives and the why you thought so. present perfect tense! Just a critical minute Finish by putting the students into Play it down teams and giving each a pile of adjectives Level: Upper-intermediate/ Give the students the following list of face down which they take turns to turn Advanced sentences and ask them to decide where over and use to make superlative Ask your students to come up with some to place the adverb in brackets in each of sentences. Teams have to write their ‘knowledge claims’ in line with their life them: sentences on slips of paper, which they experience, such as ‘Girls are better display on the wall. The teams then 1 My youngest sister is a teacher. (just) cooks than boys’. As an alternative, if the compare and discuss each other’s students are unable to think of any, you 2 This car costs £1,500. (only) sentences.

28 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Positive or negative? What’s my bias? ● Being subjective: That is not true in the case of my family. We had a cat before Level: Upper-intermediate Level: Advanced and now we have a dog, and she’s a When we choose a word, we need to be As William Sumner points out, everyone much better pet. aware of its connotations and how this has subconscious biases, and therefore can affect how we present statements critical thinkers must question their ● Appealing to common beliefs: Everyone and arguments. Equally, when we listen reflexive judgements before making knows that dogs make better pets than to arguments from other people, the decisions. cats because they are more loyal. words they choose will affect the way we Ask the students to discuss their ● Invoking peer pressure: Dogs are much receive and interpret their message. opinions on the following topics in pairs: cuter than cats. Don’t you want to be Students need to be aware that by going 1 Smoking like Paris Hilton and accessorise with to a dictionary and choosing a word, they your dog? are also choosing a stance. 2 Education ● Ask the students to put the following 3 Childcare Invoking anger: Cats are terrible pets. adjectives into the table below, using They are always killing birds and making 4 their dictionaries to help them. Housework a mess in other people’s gardens. 5 Science obese stingy quiet well-rounded Such arguments can be replaced by the 6 Travel scrawny challenging tranquil thin use of logic and the construction of a sound argument such as: mind-bending slim economical 7 Religion thrifty dead difficult overweight 8 Homosexuality Dogs can be seen to be better pets than cats for several reasons. First of all, dogs 9 Technology need to be taken out for walks, so they Neutral Positive Negative 10 Marriage provide exercise for their owners. In term term term addition, dogs like being part of a group, When they have finished, ask them how so they are naturally more companionable they think their opinions might affect than cats, which are solitary creatures ... them if they were to be asked to contribute to a debate on the following topics: ૽ ૽ ૽ ● Asking smokers to pay more taxes to There is a place for the teaching of cover increased medical costs; critical thinking not only in the world of ● Setting up a crèche at your workplace universities and English for Academic to allow mothers to return to work Purposes, but in every English class. more easily; Good critical thinkers are better equipped to make informed decisions and are ● Making a gap year compulsory for all better able to avoid being manipulated by high school graduates. such things as the media in their daily When they have completed the table, ask lives. ETp them to decide which of the words to use Debating in the following sentences: Level: Intermediate and above Glaser, E An Experiment in the 1 That supermodel should eat more. A good old-fashioned debate, as Development of Critical Thinking She’s too ______. advocated by Edward Glaser, brings Teachers College Record 1941 together many critical thinking skills and Lubetsky, M, Lebeau, C and Harrington, 2 He’s always counting the pennies, D Discover Debate Language Solutions is excellent training in applying these never buys anything unless it’s on sale 2000 methods. Discover Debate by Michael and never offers to treat anyone. He’s a Sumner, W Folkways: A Study of the Lubetsky, Charles Lebeau and David bit ______. Sociological Importance of Usages, Harrington is a great resource, with Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals 3 Our teacher set us some ______advice on how best to set up a debate Ginn and Co 1940 problems for homework, which I really and many suggestions for practice. enjoyed solving. Before a debate, it could be useful to Clare Nukui is help your students to recognise Programme Director of 4 After six o’clock when all the offices the International argumentation strategies that might be and shops have closed, this town is Foundation Programme used by the opposing team in place of (IFP) at the University of really ______. There is nothing Reading, UK. She logical reasoning. Good critical thinkers to do at all. teaches EAP and is also will avoid these strategies themselves, responsible for the pastoral welfare of the Check the sentences and discuss the but will be aware of, and know how to students on the IFP. She choices the students have made. Then deal with, their use by others. is the author of four books in the Garnet ask them to choose three other Here are some examples of different Education TASK adjectives from the table and to make up types of argumentation strategy based on (Transferable Academic Skills Kit) series. sentences with blanks for a partner to the proposition Dogs make better pets complete. than cats: [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 29

www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM Enquire within Michael Berman caters creatively for intrapersonal intelligence.

oward Gardner’s theory of doing as they do it. You can also But for those who love Multiple Intelligences encourage them to reflect on what has Time is eternity. accounts for why certain been done and to speculate on what is Students can be asked to write a parallel Hlearners object to working to come. poem, using the same format, on the in pairs despite the fact that it clearly subject of money or work: increases student talking time (STT) in Creative writing class. Gardner defines intrapersonal … is … intelligence as the capacity to Creative writing, especially the writing Too … for those who … understand oneself – including one’s of poetry, involves looking within and Too … for those who … own desires, fears and capacities – and appeals to the intrapersonal intelligence Too … for those who … to use such information effectively in type. But for those who … regulating one’s own life. Learners with … is … . 1 The following poem by Emily high intrapersonal intelligence prefer The activity can be adapted to fit into a Dickinson can be used for work on having an opportunity to look within topic-based approach. Other subjects to conditionals. The students can be invited first, before discussing their thoughts write parallel poems about could to write their own version of the poem, with others, and failure to cater for this include love, food, sleep, sunshine and starting with the words and fact in class can only lead to resentment. ‘If I can …’ rain. The activity on page 31 is designed with ending with ‘… I shall not live in vain’. this aim in mind, as it gives learners If I can stop one heart from breaking 3 Two further activities can be used to time to work independently before I shall not live in vain; facilitate creative writing. They are not groupwork takes place. If I can ease one life the aching only non-threatening but also good fun Or cool one pain; and can provide a lead-in to more Creative teaching Or help one fainting robin ambitious projects. Unto his nest again, Intrapersonal intelligence indicates the I shall not live in vain. Alphabet combinations ability to look within for causes and to Ask the students to write a list of Something learnt from an experience that find solutions to problems, and it is words, each one starting with a different includes deeper and wider purposes will perhaps the most neglected intelligence letter of the alphabet. Then get them to be more readily and more fully available type for teaching purposes. write at least three sentences that use for future performance than an item words from their list in alphabetical ‘Circle-time’ from an experience that has included sequence. Tell them to use as many of Circle-time provides an ideal way of only shallower, smaller-scale purposes. the words in combinations as they can, catering for intrapersonal intelligence in then compare results with the person class. A group of students works 2 The following activity also springs sitting next to them. For example: together in a safe situation where there from a poem and can be used to are agreed rules. They collaborate on reinforce the teaching point that the The drunk English football supporters personal contributions, affirmations, zero article is employed when talking started a fight outside the stadium. active and reflective listening and about a subject in general. Moreover, it Go home idiots! celebrations. Essay titles such as is being dealt with indirectly – the Two ugly violinists played a duet. ‘Mistakes I won’t repeat’, ‘My life in the conscious attention of the learner is future’, ‘How I’d be different if I’d being deflected from the goal – which is Column combinations grown up in a different culture’, ‘How a another reason why the information is Give the students the Who/What/Where Martian might describe me’, etc can more likely to be retained in the long- table on page 31 and ask them to write also help to facilitate looking within. term memory: four sentences each composed of one item from each of the columns. ‘Pole-bridging’ Time is When they have finished, ask them Another technique that can prove to be Too slow for those who wait to switch the parts around so each Who effective is pole-bridging – having Too long for those who grieve has a new What and Where, then students describe aloud what they are Too short for those who rejoice compare results with a partner.

30 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Twenty ways to make the world a better place Look at the list below and decide which suggestions you would be willing to take up. Add five suggestions of your own. Then get into groups to share your ideas.

1 Wear bright clothes once a week. It will cheer everyone up.

2 Telephone or write to someone you haven’t seen for five years.

3 Take a plant into your office, or take a packet of biscuits and buy everyone a cup of tea.

4 Turn off your TV and do something less boring instead.

5 Keep a bowl of fruit on your desk at work.

6 Pray. Not necessarily to God, just say a short prayer offering thanks at the end of each day.

7 Risk ridicule – smile at strangers, talk to shop assistants.

8 If you see someone lost, show them the way.

9 Don’t push in crowds.

10 Stop yourself saying ‘I’.

11 Take action on things you think are wrong or offensive.

12 If you have any clothes you haven’t worn for a year, give them away – to friends, relatives or charity shops.

13 Plant a tree. Put one in your garden or a local communal space.

14 Listen to children as you listen to adults – give them as many rights as you give yourself.

15 Take responsibility for your problems and don’t blame others for the situations you find yourself in.

16 ......

17 ......

18 ......

19 ......

20 ......

Who What Where Gardner, H Frames of Mind. The Theory of Multiple Intelligences Basic Books 1983 Gardner, H Multiple Intelligences. The The tourist guide spat at the tourists in Westminster Abbey Theory in Practice Basic Books 1993 Gardner, H Intelligence Reframed. The film star wore a pink dress at the awards ceremony Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century Basic Books 1999 The policeman broke down and wept in court Gardner, H Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons Basic Books 2006

The monkey climbed up a tree in the jungle Michael Berman works as a teacher and a writer. His ELT publications include A Multiple ૽ ૽ ૽ to the fact that most adults only become Intelligences Road to an interested in spiritual development and ELT Classroom and The Power of Metaphor (both Although interpersonal intelligence is ‘going within’ later on in life, and what Crown House) and In a well catered for these days, with plenty we focus on in class reflects our own Faraway Land and On Business and For Pleasure of pair- and groupwork opportunities strengths and interests. However, (both O-Books). For more built into most coursebooks, hopefully the material presented in this information, please visit intrapersonal intelligence remains a article will go some way towards www.thestoryteller.org.uk. neglected area. This could be partly due redressing the imbalance. ETp [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 31

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir Over the wall ... Alan Maley mounts an attack on misinformation.

hose who wield power have 9/11 conspiracy theories and the anti- Bad Science always been adept at vaccination movement. There are manipulating information to their chapters on creationism (and its Ben Goldacre is a medical doctor, and his advantage. From Machiavelli’s surrogate cousin intelligent design), book Bad Science is a one-man crusade T against the morass of quackery, sloppy The Prince to Orwell’s 1984, literary rulers pseudohistory and quack medicine. In have systematically misled their subjects demolishing the arguments for thinking and deception in the field of when it was in their own interest to do creationism, he notes the dangerous links medicine and nutrition. The book includes so. More recently, commercial interests it has with fundamentalist religion – both carefully analysed critiques of the claims have added their own kind of deceit to Christian and Muslim. ‘In rejecting of a large number of cases, including political misinformation. Vance Packard’s “Darwinism”, the developing world thinks homeopathy, nutritionists’ miracle The Hidden Persuaders was an early it is demonstrating moral superiority over products, Omega 3 as a pill for enhancing attempt to expose the unseen degenerate Western values. In fact … it is intelligence, anti-oxidants, detox manipulation of the consumer. Neil rejecting the scientific method itself, and treatments, vitamin C as a cure for AIDS, Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death thereby condemning future generations health scares such as the MRSA hoax sounded the alarm over the trivialisation to material and intellectual poverty.’ He and the MMR vaccination hoax. Along the of information by the mass media. There then deals with the pseudohistorical way, he completely discredits the work of is also the perennially useful guide to myths of The Da Vinci Code, Mormonism, bogus celebrity charlatans such as Gillian trickery in Straight and Crooked Thinking cult archaeology and Afrocentric history, McKeith and Patrick Holford, as well as by Robert Thouless. In recent years the all of which have wide followings despite the more dangerous activities of Andrew flood of misinformation, facilitated by the their manifest lack of a basis in fact. The Wakefield (the MMR scaremonger) and exponential growth of the media, seems chapter on Desperate Remedies is a Matthias Rath, who has the dubious to have reached epic proportions, frontal attack on alternative medicine and distinction of having persuaded Thabo however, and the number of publications quack nutritionists. These are dealt with Mbeki that AIDS should be treated with unmasking it has risen correspondingly. in greater detail by Ben Goldacre (see vitamin C not retroviral drugs. He also below). The final chapter examines the explains in careful detail how claims can Counter-Knowledge causes and scale of the problem: in be tested (plenty for applied linguistics particular, the explosive growth in the researchers to note here, too!) and In Counter-Knowledge, Damian variety and reach of the media, especially reveals how statistical and other trickery Thompson focuses on ‘misinformation the internet; the effects of free market can distort the truth. He takes the big packaged to look like fact’ so that we are capitalism on the way information is pharmaceutical companies to task for now facing ‘a pandemic of credulous selected, presented and interpreted (see their systemic misleading of the public, thinking’, ‘characterised by a casual Davies below), and the rise of and the media for their role in fostering approach to the truth’. He cites as fundamentalist beliefs. Plenty to think public misunderstanding of science iStockphoto.com / © Steven Robertson examples Holocaust denial, Satanism, about. through their preference for the

34 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir sensational over the more pedestrian mercenary, demagogic, corrupt press will On Bullshit truth. One of his striking observations produce in time a people as base as itself.’ concerns the way in which commonsense See also www.flatearthnews.net. As a fitting close to this catalogue, let me has been commodified. Referring to recommend a brief (67 pages) but dense ‘Brain Gym’, paid for by the British The Rise of Political Lying view from a contemporary philosopher. taxpayer, ‘You can take a perfectly Harry Frankfurt’s On Bullshit is a sensible intervention, like a glass of water The Rise of Political Lying is a remorseless systematic attempt to define the true and an exercise break, but add nonsense, indictment of politics in Britain under New nature of this flood of verbal ordure we make it sound more technical, and make Labour. It is scrupulously researched, wade through daily. He concludes that yourself sound clever.’ Likewise with the with all claims and accusations carefully ‘bullshit is unavoidable whenever advice of quack nutritionists: most documented from unimpeachable sources. circumstances require someone to talk people already know what a healthy diet This is presumably why the author, Peter without knowing what he is talking about and lifestyle is but nutrition ‘experts’ Oborne, a seasoned journalist, has not ... This discrepancy is common in public need to complicate and mystify it in order been sued for libel, despite quotations life …’. He argues that the requirement to to make a quick dollar. You have to pay like these: speak the truth has been replaced in for mumbo-jumbo: commonsense is free. ‘… Blair’s special gift is in saying recent times by the compulsion to Apart from its rigorous analyses, the what he does not mean, and meaning represent oneself as sincere: ‘a nice guy’. book is deliciously irreverent. See also his what he does not say.’ To this extent, ‘sincerity itself is bullshit’. website: www.badscience.net. ‘… Peter Mandelson lies on principle, Spot on! or just for the sheer hell of it.’ ‘Estelle Morris, the Education Secretary ૽ ૽ ૽ Flat Earth News … claimed that Mr Byers’ lie was not really In both the above books, the media have a lie, because anyone could see that what If we are to be more than mere purveyors been rightly accused of complicity in the he was saying was not true.’ Right! of language packaged in textbooks, and dissemination of falsehoods, half-truths, Part 1 documents the rise of lies and would aspire to a broader educational manipulation and deception. Flat Earth deception from Thatcher to Blair. The vocation, books like these offer a superb News places the media themselves under author asserts that having used lies to take introduction to critical thinking. They also direct scrutiny. Nick Davies, himself a power, Blair and his cronies then couldn’t include texts we can use directly both for journalist, offers a detailed account, rich stop, so that a whole culture took hold the teaching of language and for raising in fully-described examples, of the way where truth was downgraded in favour of awareness of the tricks it can play on us. this has come about. The takeover of political expediency. Henceforth, political newspapers by media moguls, whose life in Britain would be characterised by a Davies, N Flat Earth News Vintage Press only interest is in making more money, litany of lies, deception, smear, spin, 2009 has led to cutbacks in reporting staff. misinformation, partial information, Frankfurt, H G On Bullshit Princeton This, coupled with pressure to produce fabrication, manipulation of statistics, University Press 2005 Goldacre, B Bad Science Harper Books like these offer a superb Perennial 2008 introduction to critical thinking Machiavelli, N The Prince Bantam Classics 1984 articles faster and in greater quantity, has distortion, sleaze and sound-bites. Oborne, P The Rise of Political Lying The Free Press 2005 led to the inability to check on the truth of Part 2 sets out the rationale for this stories and to an overwhelming reliance mendacious culture, with extensive Orwell, G 1984 Penguin 1948 by journalists on the large agencies examples of the deviousness and Packard, V The Hidden Persuaders Ig Publishing 1957/2007 (Press Association, Associated Press and manipulation of facts by Campbell and Reuters) and on press releases and other Blair in the run-up to the Iraq war. The Postman, N Amusing Ourselves to Death Penguin 1985 oven-ready copy provided by PR whole sorry episode of weapons of ‘mass companies. PR companies do not operate distraction’ is exposed. Thompson, D Counter-Knowledge Atlantic Books 2008 in the public interest; they work for both In Part 3 he examines the Thouless, R R Straight and Crooked commercial and political vested interests. consequences: the corrosive effect on Thinking Pan Books 1953 The result has been a wholesale collapse political life, the loss of public trust in of principled journalism substituted by politicians and the massive growth of Alan Maley has worked in ‘churnalism’. ‘The failure to provide public cynicism. the area of ELT for over 40 years in Yugoslavia, context has multiplied, and divided into a In conclusion, Oborne offers six Ghana, Italy, France, preference for interest over issue; for the possible remedies: setting up websites China, India, the UK, Singapore and Thailand. concrete over the abstract; for event for the vetting of all public information; Since 2003 he has been rather than process; for the current over creating a National Statistical Service to a freelance writer and consultant. He has the historic; for simplicity rather than take control of information out of the published over 30 books complexity; for certainty rather than doubt. hands of government; making MPs more and numerous articles, and was, until recently, This applies in both print and broadcast, accountable; preventing unelected public Series Editor of the generating patterns of distortion so servants from becoming political masters; Oxford Resource Books consistent as to amount to a bias against and making political lying a crime for Teachers. truth.’ Quoting Joseph Pulitzer: ‘A cynical, punishable by law. [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 35

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM However, sometimes new information never reaches long-term memory because working memory’s management system causes it to be replaced by new input, leak away or disappear.

Phonological short-term memory Besides working memory’s faulty Learning managerial systems, one of its other components, the ‘phonological short-term memory’, plays a part, too. For instance, if all the input and processing systems are functioning normally, phonemes enter the phonological short-term memory as 5 they are perceived: identical in quality, disability 5 sound and sequence. They are then rehearsed sub-vocally for about two Lesley Lanir focuses on factors which seconds, creating a strong phonological affect reading acquisition. impression, and are then transferred to long-term memory for storage. y previous article, in ETp understand where and why students are Dysfunctions in the phonological Issue 70, discussed the struggling in other skills needed to read short-term memory process cause: ● nature of reading and comprehend successfully. a limited number of phonemes to enter; ● disabilities and how to phonemes to fade away before or M during rehearsal; help with automatic decoding and Problem areas ● reading fluency. Clearly, reading is a fragile or distorted phonological demanding activity requiring the Phonological perception impressions to be created. As I mentioned in a previous article, synchronisation of many processes and All of which leads to long-term storage poor phonological perception reduces skills that ultimately leads to the main of incomplete words or words stored in the quality of verbal input. As a result, goal: understanding the writer’s a degraded form. message. However, to achieve this end, words enter the short-term memory with: ● distortions and omissions: in addition to automatic code-breaking everywhere Problems with abilities, students need to have: – ‘rewhere’; Bluetooth – ‘blootoos’; ● ● a wide vocabulary; sound substitutions: thirst – first; hurt vocabulary acquisition ● knowledge of structure and syntax; – herd; In all classes, a number of students ● ● proficient comprehension strategies. swapping and reversals: remember – seem to invest enormous amounts of ‘merember’; suffer – ‘fusser’. As discussed earlier in this series, poor energy in learning lists of words and yet decoding interferes with the reading Serial memory cannot retain or retrieve them for later process. However, what’s more, many However, it is not only poor phonological use. This is because, if the above individual and joint studies, such as perception that causes sounds to switch processes are not working adequately, those by Baddeley and Gathercole, have around. Words and phrases consist of input is always distorted and stable shown that the following cognitive letters and sounds arranged in a specific phonological representations of new dysfunctions also affect learning to read: order. This sequence needs to be words are not formed and transferred to ● inadequate phonological perception; preserved to facilitate accurate processing long-term memory. ● limitations in serial memory; and retention. Serial memory weaknesses Consequently, every time a word is ● weak working memory; cause difficulties in handling sequential encountered, instead of the memory ● deficient phonological short-term information that surface, for example, in: retrieval system recognising its memory. ● remembering lists of numbers, letters phonological features and connecting it to a previously-made imprint, which Appreciation of the effects of these and words; ● repeating longer words or phrases will deepen and reinforce the memory of dysfunctions allows us to understand the existing phonological impression of where and why students are struggling without confusion; ● a word, another fragile, inaccurate word in many of the parallel skills needed for recalling what occurs first and what comes next. trace is formed. success in reading and comprehension, For example: the target word may be for instance: Working memory travel. However, on the first encounter it ● learning and retrieving vocabulary; Also referred to in previous articles, may be perceived as ‘trabel’, on the ● understanding complex sentences; ‘working memory’ or ‘short-term second ‘truffle’, on the third ‘trouble’, ● remembering details; working memory’ are concepts coined on the fourth ‘dravel’, and so on. ● identifying important points; by researcher Alan Baddeley in 1986. Similarly, Thursday may be perceived ● completing reading tasks. Working memory is a complex system as ‘firzdi’, and on consecutive meetings: Appreciation of these cognitive with limited resources that temporarily ‘thirsty’, ‘Tuesday’, ‘turzday’, or ‘durzdi’. dysfunctions also allows us to holds and manipulates information. As a result, long-term memory ends

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www.diako.ir more likely it is that it will be vocabulary acquisition also transfer to remembered; hence, shorter words will syntactic patterns – just on a larger scale. Learning be learnt more easily. For example, if a student has to learn How can we help? two words, eg dog and wedding, dog can The following strategies may prove disability 5 be rehearsed more often within the two- helpful: second memory span than wedding. ● Don’t teach two grammar items up being filled with many incorrect, Word length, however, does not only together. feeble impressions of non-words, or else apply to the number of letters and ● Provide printed rules and many it may automatically erroneously link syllables. Spoken duration is the key simple examples of the structure, an incoming word with its nearest factor, and a word that appears short in using known vocabulary. representation. length may actually be longer ● Explicitly teach grammar rules. phonologically. Take, for instance, the ● Employ colour coding to help How can we help? words my and in. Two sounds each, but differentiate between the different aâ To overcome this, teachers have to because of the long vowel / / sound in tenses – yellow for future, blue for consider ways of: my, its spoken duration is longer. present simple, etc. ● ● intensifying the input of the Consequently, longer words need many Use visual and diagrammatic ways to phonological features of a word to more rehearsals. represent sentence structure, eg different colours for different parts of speech. create deep, lasting impressions; The frequency and usefulness of ● Encourage actual production, rather ● deepening the semantic connections vocabulary items than using gap-fill cloze exercises or in order to ensure accurate long-term About a quarter of what we read and circling multiple-choice answers. storage. write is made up of 12 key words: he, ● Exploit comparative sentences, eg The the, I, of, was, and, it, to, is, a, if, in. One way to do this is to use a listen-and- compared with Half of what we read and write is made girl thanked the boy repeat method with no more than five , to up of only 100 words. If a non-learning- The boy was thanked by the girl words in one session. This means that emphasise meaning and differences disabled child needs about ten encounters even before tackling semantics, teachers between tenses and structures. with a word before it is fully registered have to model a word until a student can ● Provide gradually more complex in long-term memory, then a learning- repeat it verbatim. Inaccurate articulation sentences and ask the students to disabled child will need hundreds. usually accompanies poor phonological interpret probable meanings. Therefore, use word frequency lists to perception which, as shown above, leads ● Continually repeat and supply determine whether the words on the to incorrect phonological representations massive exposure to new structures in vocabulary list are necessary or not and being formed and the word not being varying written and verbal contexts. remembered. Correct, extensive modelling take into consideration that frequent and repetition ensures that deep, accurate words are not only more valuable but phonological imprints will be formed will be encountered repeatedly and Problems with reading and transferred to long-term memory. therefore learnt more easily. comprehension We can help accelerate this process Using different methods and Comprehension depends upon accurate by considering the following: exercises to deepen semantic decoding, fluent reading, awareness of The phonological properties of connections sentence structure, an extensive vocabulary words Helpful strategies include: and background knowledge, along with ● If we choose to teach words that have using pictures and strong colours; steady sustained attention, keen selective ● letters with similar sounds or that are using semantic mapping and word attention and the ability to manipulate, articulated in the same place in the webs; retain and retrieve information. ● Furthermore, students have to employ mouth, for example the word suspicion, using mnemonics; ● storage and recall will take longer using associations and contrasts; comprehension strategies such as ● because a weak phonological memory emphasising prefixes, suffixes, word previewing, predicting, scanning, finding will not be able recognise the distinct families and common morphological main ideas and supporting details, making features of each phoneme and make a roots; inferences and drawing conclusions. ● precise imprint of the word. Precise recycling and relearning previously With the multitude of processes and enunciation is needed with such words. ‘learnt’ vocabulary. skills involved in comprehending a text, it Likewise, to avoid confusion, we is no wonder that sometimes some of the should be careful not to teach similar- Problems with language weaker students seem to be reading but sounding words close together. For not comprehending. Yet the cognitive structure deficiencies mentioned at the beginning example, different and difficult; picture of this article are not the only disruptive and fixture; protest and produce. Words are not assembled arbitrarily into sentences; syntactic rules determine factors in reading comprehension, Word length and spoken length their order. because attention and concentration A word has approximately two seconds Since learning syntax requires also begin to interfere with the of short-term phonological memory remembering and sequencing larger understanding of longer reading texts. time to make an impression. The more chunks of phonological information, all To help pinpoint from where times it is rehearsed within this time, the the problems that occur during comprehension problems may originate,

38 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir below is a table of common setbacks ● broken down into smaller, more ● produce frequent short summaries; and their probable causes together with manageable parts with one short task ● use a glossary. some tips. These are based on the work for each chunk; of paediatrician and specialist in ● active – underline, circle, highlight: Tips for sequencing/organisation developmental learning disorders Dr key/new words, facts, main ideas, problems Mel Levine. cohesive devices, connectors, etc. The students need to know how to: ● Although the tips are divided into To help recognise salient points and order sentences to improve sequential headings, most of them will help overall manage selective attention, students appreciation; ● reading comprehension in all students, need to know how to: find cohesive devices that illustrate: learning disabled or not. ● predict; cause-and-effect relationships, series, ● extract specific information; additional information, temporal Tips for attention problems ● find the main message; sequences; ● To help sustain attention, the reading ● recognise text structures; identify paragraph structure and text comprehension task has to be: ● fill in outlines; organisation; ● ● time-limited; ● complete tables; fill in outlines, flow charts and time ● interesting and personally motivating; ● create semantic maps to organise and lines while reading; ● ● paced – have the students estimate the consolidate ideas as they read; create numbered lists of ideas in the amount of time they need to read, ● summarise. proper sequence of events; and also the amount they need to ● summarise facts in a logical order. fully comprehend what they read; Tips for memory problems ૽ ૽ ૽ ● clear, with commonsense aims that The students need to know how to: are clearly defined; ● recognise organisational patterns; The acquisition of reading in a second ● preceded by specific tasks that help ● identify the main ideas and or foreign language is a major locate precise information while supporting details; accomplishment for any student, but reading; ● fill in visual diagrams and flow charts; hopefully this article has given an insight into the major challenge it presents for Recurring problem Areas to check Recurring problem Areas to check students with learning disorders or disturbances, and the effort they need to Slow reading, poor ● automatic decoding, Remembers main ● selective attention comprehension since cannot process ideas but not facts ● over-reliance on perform tasks that many take for meaning own knowledge granted. Working on reading skills also ● word knowledge ● memory retrieval assists the development of probably the ● sustained attention Understands explicit ● over-reliance on two most demanding language skills, Slow reading, good ● automatic decoding texts, but poor literal meaning writing and spelling, which will be comprehension ● fluency inferential ● sequencing/ discussed in the next article. ETp comprehension organisation and Poor comprehension at ● word knowledge integration of sentence level ● syntactic awareness information Baddeley, A Working Memory OUP 1986 ● working memory ● level of processing Gathercole, S E and Baddeley, A D ● sustained attention Good understanding ● text structure ‘Phonological memory deficits in Good comprehension ● fluency of narrative texts, but knowledge language disordered children: Is there a at sentence level, but ● sustained attention finds expository texts ● memory retrieval causal connection?’ Journal of Memory poor at passage level ● self-monitoring difficult ● prior knowledge and Language 29 1990 ● ● Better at remembering sequencing/ word knowledge Gathercole, S E and Baddeley, A D information from the organisation and ● sequencing/ beginning of texts than awareness of content organisation and Working Memory and Language from the end structure integration of Lawrence Erlbaum 1993 ● working memory information Gathercole, S E, Hitch, G, Service, E and Martin, A ‘Phonological STM and new ● ● Poor overall word knowledge Remembers material automatic decoding word learning in children’ Developmental comprehension despite ● syntactic awareness read orally better than skills Psychology 33(6) 1997 good decoding skills ● self-monitoring read silently ● sustained attention ● memory Levine, M A Mind at a Time Simon and ● background Remembers material ● working memory Shuster 2002 knowledge read silently better ● overall language ● attention than read orally processing Levine, M Developmental Variation and Learning Disorders Educators Publishing Remembers information ● saliency determination Difficulty with ● selective attention Service 2001 from the end of texts (selective attention) summarising ● sequencing/ rather than from the ● working memory organisation skills Lesley Lanir is a beginning ● memory retrieval freelance writer, lecturer ● expressive language and teacher trainer who Remembers facts but ● word knowledge skills has been involved in not main ideas ● text structure teaching English for over knowledge Can answer questions ● memory 15 years. She specialises ● integration of ideas with text available, ● self-monitoring in learning disabilities and foreign language ● ● memory retrieval but has difficulty with selective attention learning. She has a BA in ● working memory summarising and English and Education, ● dependency on recall CTEFLA/RSA and an MA explicit information in Learning Disabilities. ● level of processing [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 39

www.diako.ir DESIGNED TO PHOTOCOPY

PREPARING TO TEACH ... May and might

John Potts may be able to help you tell the difference.

Ai It may be sunny at the weekend, so let’s do Cii Candidates may not use electronic devices such as something if it is. iPods or mobile phones.

Aii It might be sunny at the weekend, but it doesn’t Di You may have told me that formal dress was required. look too hopeful. Dii You might have told me that formal dress was required. Bi May I ask who is calling? Diii You might have told me that formal dress was required! Bii Might I ask you a rather personal question? E Your job may be boring, but at least it’s really well paid. Ci Candidates may use a dictionary throughout F You might be more careful with my camera – it’s the examination. expensive!

ᮡ MEANING ᮡ FORM ᮡ USE In Ai, the speaker feels that there is some chance of Both may and might are modal Bi is considered polite, and sunny weather (say 50%). auxiliary verbs. Bii very polite indeed (and also rather formal). In Aii, the speaker feels that there is less chance of Like all modals, may and might are sunny weather (say 20%). followed by the infinitive without to. Ci and Cii are both There is no third person s in the formal, and often written In Bi and Bii, the speaker is asking whether something affirmative, and negatives and rather than spoken. is possible or permissible. interrogatives are formed without Ci means that the use of dictionaries is definitely using the do auxiliary. permitted/allowed. ᮡ PRONUNCIATION Di, Dii and Diii show how modals In sentences Ai, Aii, Di Cii means that the use of electronic devices is definitely can take on past meanings by using and Dii, may and might are forbidden. have + past participle. often stressed, to indicate Di means that perhaps you told me this, but I’m not the degree of (un)certainty very sure. ᮡ FUNCTION felt by the speaker. Dii means that perhaps you told me this, but I’m very Modals are frequently associated with In sentence Diii, however, unsure. functions, and any modal may might isn’t stressed – told express a number of different carries a big stress. Diii means that you definitely did not tell me this, and functions. you should have done. The intonation patterns of Ai and Aii express degrees of Dii and Diii are, therefore, In E, the speaker accepts that the job is certainly boring, likelihood or probability, often to make also very different. and contrasts this with the fact that it is well paid. predictions if referring to the future. In sentence E, may isn’t In F, the speaker says that the other person is certainly Bi and Bii request permission. stressed – boring and well not being at all careful with the camera. paid carry the stresses. Ci gives permission or authorisation. In sentence F, too, might ᮡ Cii refuses permission/authorisation, PROBLEMS isn’t stressed – careful and, and hence serves as a prohibition. In sentences Diii and F, might has a counterfactual particularly, camera carry meaning: in both cases, the opposite is actually true. In Di and Dii express uncertainty big stresses. Diii, you didn’t tell me, and in F you are not being about the past. careful. Diii expresses a reproach, criticism, There are some speakers who always consider might irritation or even anger. should be used as a hypothetical or subjunctive form, E expresses concession. and do not accept it as the weaker ‘more uncertain’ form of indicative may. F is a reproach, criticism or warning.

40 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir DESIGNED TO PHOTOCOPY

PREPARING TO TEACH ... May and might

ᮢ CONCEPT QUESTIONS ᮢ SITUATIONS Dii You might have told me that formal How sure are you? Make one set of Trade-offs Make a worksheet with two dress was required. cards with dates (eg 2015, 2020, 2040, boxes or columns of data – column/box Am I sure that you told me? (No.) 2050) and another set with events (eg A is negative (eg slow trains, boring job, Am I a little unsure, or very unsure? (Very.) polar bears/extinct). Alternatively, you etc) and column/box B is positive (eg can make a worksheet with the data in cheap tickets, good salary, etc). The Diii You might have told me that formal two boxes. Students work in pairs to students work in pairs and match an dress was required! produce their predictions, using will/ item from A with one from B. They then Did you tell me? (No.) may/might/won’t according to how combine the two items in one sentence Am I sure about that? (Yes, 100 percent.) sure they feel about their prediction: using may, eg The trains may be slow Should you have told me? (Yes.) eg By/In 2050, polar bears may be but at least the tickets are cheap. How do I feel about that? (Irritated, even extinct. angry.) It depends how you say it Make a Extension 1: You can have a follow-up Why? (Because I wore the wrong clothes, worksheet of pairs of sentences using activity in which the whole class felt embarrassed, etc.) might have + past participle which are compares its predictions and identical, except for the fact that one E Your job may be boring, but at least it’s discusses which is most likely. ends in an exclamation mark rather than really well paid. Extension 2: You can also create a a full stop. The students practise the Is your job boring? (Yes.) personalised version, in which learners resulting difference in stress and Am I sure? (Yes, 100 percent.) make predictions about their own intonation: eg You might have told me Is it well paid? (Yes.) futures. that she was the boss versus You might Am I sure? (Yes, 100 percent.) have told me that she was the boss! So what point am I making? (That the pay Polite pairs Make a set of cards, each compensates for the boredom.) with one noun or verb – shuffle the cards and place the deck face down. John Potts is a teacher F You might be more careful with my The students work in pairs, taking and teacher trainer based camera – it’s expensive! in Zürich, Switzerland. turns. Student A turns over the top He has written and co- Are you being careful? (No, definitely not.) card and forms a request using may. written several adult Should you be? (Yes.) coursebooks, and is a For example: dictionary > May I Joint Chief Assessor for Why? (Because it’s my camera, not yours borrow your dictionary?; borrow > May the Cambridge/RSA and it’s expensive.) I borrow your pen? Student B replies CELTA scheme. And how do I feel about this? (Annoyed, with Yes, of course you may. [email protected] irritated, angry, etc.)

COMPETITION RESULTS

12334526278 3 9 Congratulations to all those readers who successfully completed our Prize Crossword 41. BELL I GERENT L H 2107 7 1110The winners, who will each receive a copy of the Macmillan English Dictionary for EAN N OAAdvanced Learners, are: 310111126 131111311514 LABOUR ZOOLOGY Jessica Abt, Ennetbaden, Switzerland Niels Elmer, Mellikon, Switzerland 11 11 4 6 14 15 OO I RYW Betty Andrianopoulos, Tripoli, Greece Alexander Herzer, Iserlohn, Germany 7 6 8 4 16 4 7 17 18 12 3 NRT IMINDFULEncarnación de la Arada, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Aneta Naumoska, Skopje, Macedonia 510 192 102 GA VE AESpain Bernadette Roberts, Bailén, Spain 478256103 10 2018 INTEGRAL A C F Reba Brockington, Cambridge, UK Sheena Weinlein, Neuenmarkt, Germany 71133 62212208 NOL L REJECTAnthony M De Gabriele, Attard, Malta 51061727 108 218 GARDEN AT T 12345678910111213 221427 234814224724 BEL I GRNTHAOUX SYENPITYSINK14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 21 18 11 2 11 YWMD F VC J S PKXO JF OE O 4 12 3 1 2 10 12 2 21075121052 422 IU L BEAUELANGUAGE I S 209 4 72094 3 310 22225 154 7 2 1223117 CH I NCH I L LA SEX WINE UPON 10 20 20 1 4 892 342322 AC C B ITHE L I PS 17 8 6 2 2 14 26 12 4 8 DTREEYQUITVirginia Woolf

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 41

www.diako.ir SCRAPBOOKSCRAPBOOK Gems, titbits, puzzles, foibles, quirks, bits & pieces, quotations, snippets, odds & ends, what you will Theatre Theatrical quotes superstitions ‘Theatre is life. Cinema is art. Television is furniture. ’ (Anon) The following things are all considered to be ‘Those who have f the theatre: free theatre tickets a unlucky in the world o (Chinese proverb) re the fiercest critics.’

● Real money ‘Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very high-class way to earn a living. After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of ● Real jewellery four.’ (Katherine Hepburn) ● Flowers (when given to actors before a show; ‘She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B.’ carnations are particularly unlucky – this goes back ereby a theatre director on Katherine Hepbu (Dorothy Parker to a 19th-century custom wh rn) would tell an actress that her contract was being ‘I’m a skilled professional actor. Whether or not I’ve any talent is renewed by sending her roses; a gift of carnations beside the point.’ (Michael Caine) meant that her contract was being terminated) ‘Acting is all about honesty. If you can fake that, you’ve got it ● Peacock feathers made.’ (George Burns)

● The Bible ‘I’m a Method actor. I spent years training for the drinking and carousing I had to do in this film.’ ● Certain colours: green and blue (unless countered (George Clooney on Eleven Ocean’s by also wearing silver) in the UK; green in France; ) purple in Italy; yellow in Spain ‘Why am I so good at playing bitches? I think it’s because I’m here actors not a bitch. Maybe that’s why Miss Crawford always plays ● Whistling in the green room (the area w ladies.’ wait prior to going on stage) (Bette Davis) ● Macbeth (instead, it is referred to as ‘the ‘Poor Ingrid – speaks five langua Saying ges and can’t act in any of them.’ (Sir John Gielgud on In Scottish play’) grid Bergman) ● Talking to a fellow actor while looking at them in a mirror e proper way to ● Wishing an actor ‘good luck’ (th encourage them is to say ‘Break a leg!’) A quick-thinking actor An actor playing the part of Napoleon was enjoying great success, which made one of his fellow actors, who was playing the part of a marshal, very jealous. During one scene, Napoleon had to read a long letter brought to him by the marshal. The actor had never learnt the letter by heart; he would simply read the text off the pages brought to him by his colleague by the glow of the footlights. One night, the jealous actor brought the letter, sealed in red, and handed it over with a malicious smile, saying, ‘Read, sire.’ When Napoleon opened the envelope, he found that the pages were as blank as his memory. In a moment of panic, he cursed both the instigator of this nasty trick and himself for being too lazy to learn the text in the first place. As he watched his colleague savour the moment, he had a stroke of genius and began to smile himself. Handing the letter back to the joker, he said, ‘We have no secrets from you, marshal, you read it.’ © iStockphoto.com / John Janssen

42 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Theatre quiz Upstaged ‘She’s not so great, offstage ’ a fellow actress once proclaimed of the Test your knowledge of the theatre. legendary American actress, Tallulah Bankhead. any time.’ ‘Darling,’ ‘I can upstage her 1 From which Greek word do we get the Tallulah Bankhead retorted when told of these remarks, word comedy? ‘I can upstage you without even being on sta a) komos At their next performance, she proved her point. In oneg scene,e!’ while b) kamos her rival was engaged in a long telephone conversation, Tallulah was c) comedia supposed to put down the champagne glass from which she had d) chaos been drinking and make her exit.

2 When did the first actor appear on That evening, she ca refully placed the half-filled glass in a precarious stage? position, teetering at the very edge of the table, half on and half off ... a) 44 BC The audience – their attention riveted by the endangered glass – b) 534BC completely ignored the other actress. It turned out that Bankhead had c) 1210 surreptitiously attached sticky tape to the bottom of the glass. d) 1599

3 What was the first actor’s name? a) Tragos © iStockphoto.com / Eduard Härkönen © iStockphoto.com / Eduard b) Aristophanes c) Luvvius d) Thespis Trying 4 What was the first theatre in England called? too hard a) The Curtain As a young aspiring b) The Globe actor, Peter O’Toole was c) The Rose overjoyed to have landed d) The Theatre a tiny part as a Georgian 5 In a theatre, who or what is ‘the house’? peasant boy in a a) the audience Chekhov play. Although b) the actors the script simply called c) the light and sound crew for him to come on stage, d) the set announce ‘Dr Ostroff, the 6 If a crew ‘strike’ a set, what have they Mousetrap horses are ready’ and done? marathon exit, the ambitious a) put the set onto the stage O’Toole decided to play is a play by crime writer b) taken the set off the stage The Mousetrap the peasant as a boy of at began life as a short c) painted the pieces of the set Agatha Christie th , written steel, the future Stalin. Three Blind Mice d) broken a piece of the set y called radio pla He perfected Stalin’s in honour of Queen Mary, the consort of 7 Where is ‘stage left’? slight limp, made himself King George V. It began a record- a) to the actors’ left when on stage facing e London stage on 25 up to look like him, and shattering run on th the audience carefully rehearsed the November 1952 at the New Ambassadors b) to the left of the director, no matter still running today, though line, delivering it with a Theatre and it is which way he or she is facing tre. It has subtle nuance of socialist it has moved to St Martin’s Thea c) on the audience’s left when facing the ances. resentment ... clocked up over 23,000 perform, who stage f David Raven Since the death o in On opening night, the d) on different sides for different plays most durable actor made history as the excited audience was 8 An actor walks ‘upstage’. In which the play for his 4,575 performances as duly intrigued by the direction does he or she go? Major Metcalfe, the cast has been entry of the angry a) to the front of the stage change usually changed annually. This peasant, who, turning to b) from the floor onto the stage occurs around November, and was the Dr Ostroff, suddenly c) to the back of the stage Peter Saunders, the original initiative of Sir announced, ‘Dr Horsey, d) onto a walkway above the stage producer. There is a tradition that the the Ostroffs are ready.’ lady and the new leading

retiring leading 1a; 2b; 3d; 4d; 5a; 6b; 7a; 8c 7a; 6b; 5a; 4d; 3d; 2b; 1a;

Answers lady cut a ‘Mousetrap cake’ together.

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www.diako.ir Reviews

to forward the book’s agenda. Translation in Language Readers may feel a little unsettled by Teaching this ‘hit and run’ style, as it is by Guy Cook unanchored by any core research or OUP 2010 single thesis. Some readers will also 978-0194424752 undoubtedly want more examples Translation in Language Teaching is a new of translation tasks, though this is addition to the Oxford Applied Linguistics beyond the remit of the text. series. In it, Guy Cook explores the issues Students of applied linguistics, surrounding why translation fell out of individuals on higher-level teacher fashion in mainstream language teaching training courses, as well as any towards the end of the 19th century and language teacher who has why most methodology movements of the wondered (or worried) about the 20th century also disregarded it. Cook’s place of translation in their work, objective is to reassess translation against will benefit from reading this the still-prevailing taboo about its use in book. Guy Cook manages – in many quarters. He surveys key criticisms fewer than 160 pages – to of translation, including its apparent survey and champion the use inseparability from Grammar Translation, of translation in language the charge that it promotes inauthentic teaching. His text is not a texts, the accusation that it is an solution, however, but rather a call for inauthentic process compared with more research on this much-maligned stand-alone lesson in themselves. communicative or task-based activities technique and an insightful request not to They could also be useful for teacher and the idea that it represents an dismiss translation out of hand. development sessions for relatively new authoritarian classroom technique. Peter Lyn teachers. I myself found Teaching Marshalling a wide range of academic Cambridge, UK Vocbabulary inspiring, and it made me sources, and often turning criticisms of want to go straight back into the translation on their head, Cook skilfully classroom and use the techniques – and presents many insights. Teaching Vocabulary that’s after over 20 years’ teaching. Part One of the book reviews the (Pre-intermediate, B1) This DVD covers everything trainee position of translation as the Direct Teach TEFL DVD teachers will need to know in order to Method and then Communicative by Jennifer Book and Philip Berman conduct a successful vocabulary-based Language Teaching emerged. It also Teach TEFL 2010 lesson. It has an introduction, followed by reflects on the more recent recognition of Available from www.teachtefl.co.uk further sections showing the stages of a bilingualism and describes a variety of vocabulary lesson: Setting the context, types of translation. Part Two homes in This is the first of a projected set of DVDs Eliciting the target language, Concept on evidence-based, educational and from Teach TEFL aimed at trainee teachers checking, Drilling and further concept pedagogical arguments for translation as on CELTA and CertTESOL courses. They checking, Boardwork, Practice activities, a classroom technique today. It also show actual teachers and students in Production activity and, finally, a touches on the situation of language action, and each DVD will focus on a Language review. The film shows an teachers who do not know the first particular area of classroom methodology. actual class in action going through these language(s) of their learners, as well as The DVDs have been developed by stages with their teacher, and is the validity of using translation in classes Jennifer Book and Philip Berman in extremely practical. with mixed first languages. response to a distinct lack of video The class filmed for this DVD was a I particularly enjoyed the discussions materials to help train EFL teachers, and pre-intermediate-level group of of different types of translation in Chapter are very professionally produced (the film multilingual students, at various levels 4 (there are many, upon close inspection) crew is BBC-trained – and it shows with within the Council of Europe’s B1 band: and how translation can sit with excellent sound, lighting and photography), an authentic class, in other words! It was surprising ease in a variety of educational with various camera angles to help trainees a relatively small class of nine students, philosophies (Chapter 6). Less enjoyable, focus on student–teacher interaction, use and it would be interesting to see if however, is the abundance of of gestures, boardwork and classroom further releases in the series deal with abbreviations and acronyms throughout management issues. As such, the DVDs larger groups, as trainees intending to (TILT, SLA, CLT, CLIL, etc) which seem to could also be used for lesson observation work in contexts outside the UK may be dog most applied linguistics texts. tasks on pre-service courses with no loss faced with considerably larger class sizes. Another concern is that Cook’s text of authenticity: they would provide an That said, the methods and techniques appears to flow with surprising ease and excellent back-up resource for teacher used in this particular DVD were sound pace from one assault to another in order trainers, or they could be used as a and adaptable to bigger groups.

44 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Reviews

I used the material with a group of trainee teachers in the first week of their CertTESOL course, and although one or two seemed a little intimidated by the obvious quality of the teaching on show (a scene where the teacher writes up the phonemic transcription of the target vocabulary at lightning speed was met with incredulous gasps!), they got a lot out of seeing what was clearly an experienced and very professional teacher in action. It was also helpful to see a well-developed rapport between teacher and students – something trainee teachers can often struggle with. Within each chapter, there is a pause for comment by a narrator who addressed the key learning points, and this was useful as a springboard for further discussion about what the trainees had seen, and for them to suggest alternative As this is the first in the series, it will a dozen items last for 40 minutes but, as methods they might use in their own be interesting to see if there is a DVD in this film clearly demonstrates, there’s a lessons. In this particular DVD, for the pipeline which focuses on presenting lot more to teaching vocabulary than just example, it was a long time before the new vocabulary in a little more detail, as asking the students if they know what a teacher used any boardwork to focus on this film focused primarily on eliciting word means! pronunciation of the adjectives being language – adjectives and clothing – I can see this series of DVDs elicited, and this prompted a good which the majority of the students becoming an extremely useful tool for debate as to when to use boardwork and already knew. Only one word seemed to trainers to supplement input sessions the needs of individual learners – a be new to the students shown. and to provide an alternative viewpoint couple of trainees said that when Having said this, the DVD provides an for trainees to consider, but it will also be learning a foreign language themselves, excellent platform for trainers to build a handy resource for any school to help they liked to see the word as soon as from, and it would be easy to use it to refresh and re-focus tired teachers. possible, and so a separate debate show teachers how to present and The highest praise I can give to this ensued about learner styles. practise new vocabulary, and then go on DVD is that it makes even experienced It was good to have material from to production tasks. teachers want to get back into the another source which backed up all the The lesson in Teaching Vocabulary classroom and follow the advice given, issues of best practice we try to expose runs for about 40 minutes and thus and that is no mean feat! For trainees trainees to during their initial teacher encourages trainee teachers to teach a and new teachers, the DVDs in this series training and to show them that there are language point thoroughly. At first, they should be of real and lasting benefit. recognised standards and methods used might think they would struggle to make Steve Button throughout ELT that they can aspire to. a vocabulary lesson containing only half Nottingham, UK

Reviewing for ETp ߜ ENGLISH Would you like to review books or EACHING other teaching materials for ETp? We Tprofessional are always looking for people who are IT WORKS IN PRACTICE interested in writing reviews for us. Do you have ideas you’d like to share Please email with colleagues around the world? ENGLISH TEACHING professional [email protected] Tips, techniques and activities; simple or Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd, for advice and a copy of our sophisticated; well-tried or innovative; PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, guidelines for reviewers. You will need something that has worked well for you? PO18 8HD, UK to give your postal address and All published contributions receive Fax: +44 (0)1243 576456 say what areas of teaching you a prize! Write to us or email: Email: [email protected] are most interested in. [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 45

www.diako.ir WRITING written answers, annotated with comments and given the band score that such an answer would get in the real exam, and the use of peer review has been filtering into language teaching for some time. I have started using the peer review strategy in order to rely less on native- speaker coursebook models and to produce a more realistic example text in No more the light of what a specific class is actually capable of. A negative situation In my experience, a typical IELTS writing class tends to follow one of size-zero three structures: 1 Teacher sets homework; students write at home alone when they least feel like it; students submit work, teacher hands back corrected piece; students do next homework; same mistakes appear again. models! Let’s be honest, very few students spend Sonja Wirwohl n response to calls from its much time addressing their mistakes, and readership, a German women’s even fewer actually re-write their pieces finds achievable aims magazine recently took the radical of work. As the students are motivated Istep of banning professional by the outcome, ie the grade, the and peer review lead to models from its pages. The unattainable process of writing frequently ends with ideal of skinny, size-zero teenagers was one glance at the mark at the bottom of communication and bravely replaced by the natural beauty the page. In this situation, valuable of ‘real’ women. opportunities for learning are wasted, as confidence. Do we need a similar revolution in the issue of redrafting and improving our approach to exam writing? one’s own work is not addressed. Particularly in low-level IELTS exam 2 Teacher presents model piece of classes, I have observed that teachers’ writing; students produce similar piece. efforts to help their students obtain the required exam result in writing can lead Instead of encouraging the students to to frustration and a painful awareness for use the language natural to them, model the students of their own inadequacies. writing tends to lead to a desire to copy Just as being confronted with the flawless the linguistic features of the model. If, bodies of supermodels may make us feel however, the level of the text we have inadequate, so presenting students with chosen is beyond the linguistic reach of perfect texts tends to trigger exasperated our students, as most native-speaker exclamations along the lines of ‘I can’t examples are, lower-level students in write like that!’ Refreshingly, some exam particular feel constrained by language coursebooks do now present student- that they have not yet assimilated, leading to an over-reliance on the model and – more often than not – confusion. Let’s be honest, very 3 Students write; work is corrected, then few students spend a model piece of writing is handed out. In my experience, the ‘Here’s one I much time addressing prepared earlier’ approach can make their mistakes, and students feel devalued and demotivated, since the accuracy of the perfect even fewer actually coursebook model seems beyond reach. re-write their This approach can also convey a feeling of ‘Yes, students, fine, you gave it a try, pieces of work but look, here’s how you’re meant to be writing’.

46 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir 3 Is there much repetition? Can you can be sufficient, and I have found that Teacher correction suggest synonyms and alternative the strategy works equally with just expressions? introductions or conclusions. and the students’ 4 What aspect of the work is particularly 4 Exchange of student texts in revision of their own good? Think about issues such as pairs or groups work don’t seem to offer sentence structure, organisation, I organise the class according to student linking, clarity, punctuation, etc. How preferences, numbers and abilities. enough opportunities could you improve your own piece by When using pairwork, I have found that working on these aspects? Ask your pairing students of similar abilities for learning partner for advice. enhances both student confidence and During the discussion of their critique, learning outcome. In all three approaches, an the students responded to their partner’s 5 Peer review enormous gap lies between the student suggestions, thus reflecting on their own The aim is both to examine strengths output and the ‘ideal’ piece of writing. writing and enabling their partner to do and identify points for improvement. Teacher correction and the students’ the same. This set the class buzzing with Setting clear guidelines in the form of a revision of their own work don’t seem to heated creative discussions. In a further checklist is crucial to the success of peer offer enough opportunities for learning, collaborative stage, the students were review. If students know what they are as the process of writing, editing and given the choice of working individually looking out for, the review is likely to go redrafting is not fully exploited. or in pairs to produce their pièce de beyond a search limited to grammar For this reason, I have started to résistance by redrafting and making any and spelling mistakes. In determining experiment with less reliance on the necessary changes. Once the students were the scope of the review, I would suggest native-speaker model, trying to exploit happy with their final drafts, these were either analysing a short text in some the students’ collective abilities to typed up and published on the class blog, detail, or narrowing the scope for a produce their own model instead. The enabling further comments to be made. longer text in order to set realistic goals. best way of doing this proved to be As the lesson was so well received, 6 integrated peer review stages, which my the class agreed to hold a peer review Discussion of suggestions students needed to get used to at first, session every time a piece of writing Another option is a group review, in but quickly learnt to appreciate and had been set for homework. In addition which two or three students work actually enjoy! to raising the students’ curiosity about together on pieces of writing from other writers’ work, it also added a little another group. This leads to extremely gentle pressure on them to complete fruitful discussions in class, which can A positive experiment their homework, as they knew it would be continued in further input lessons. (If On an IELTS exam course with be discussed in class. there is time and interest, stages 4–7 can intermediate-level students, I decided to be repeated in groups in order to introduce the peer review strategy in Student-generated maximise feedback and to optimise relation to a Writing Task 1 practice opportunities for learning in mixed- exercise, which involved writing a models ability classes.) description of a diagram detailing the The following are the stages I use to 7 manufacture of tinned tomatoes. create student-generated model texts in Production of a revised draft The first lesson consisted of a peer review sessions: Students work individually or in pairs language focus and consolidation of the to produce the best possible piece of 1 passive. At the beginning of the second Language focus work, including suggestions made by lesson, the students analysed the task and Although a language focus session is their reviewers. not absolutely necessary, it sets the brainstormed vocabulary and grammar 8 Distribution of student- which would be appropriate. This was scene and provides an ‘anchor’ which gives the students a basis to work from. generated models followed by a brief discussion of two In some ways, this stage is the one that selected stages in the diagram. In the Of course, it is also possible to adapt the strategy by inserting brief periods of is most neglected. The best way of writing phase, the students were given ten appreciating and utilising the student- minutes to write up a description of these peer feedback in lessons other than those concentrating on writing skills. generated models is to encourage further stages. I then paired them up and asked comments and reviews. Depending on them to exchange their work. After some 2 Preparation in terms of ideas the teacher’s and students’ degree of initial reluctance, the students scrutinised and language technophobia, this can be done by way each other’s work, addressing the By focusing on and analysing the task, of circulating photocopies, which are questions I had displayed on the board: this stage activates the students’ returned to the author with comments, 1 Did your partner cover the main schemata, refreshes their knowledge and or by setting up a class blog or space in points? Is anything missing or too supplies the building blocks needed to a virtual learning environment for detailed? complete the task. students to upload their work. This way, the students enjoy both the satisfaction 2 Did they integrate the passive 3 Setting of the writing task of having produced a piece of work for appropriately? Find examples in their The writing task does not have to be a the whole class and that of having text. complete exam task. A short paragraph created a future point of reference.

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www.diako.ir What is the teacher’s role? Are there any drawbacks? Although the students might happily be Firstly, peer review is time-consuming, No more peer reviewing, it is wrong to think that as texts need to be exchanged, reflected the teacher is redundant; far from it. upon, discussed and rewritten. However, The teacher needs to monitor I suggest experimenting with the size-zero proceedings closely in order to respond strategy as I have found it is time well to any issues arising on the spot. This invested. Above all, it builds on skills requires a high degree of flexibility and that the students will needing in their ability to think on one’s feet. Whilst future academic careers, which is what models! monitoring, it is also worthwhile noting most IELTS candidates aim for. down general issues that can be flagged Secondly, the success of the peer Why should I integrate up in a feedback session at the end of review models depends mainly on the peer review? the lesson, and language points that students’ willingness to offer and accept need addressing in more detail, as these criticism of their work. However, peer The process of reviewing other learners’ can form the basis for future lessons. editing does not have to replace teacher writing helps students to identify what correction, and I always give my they consider ‘good’ writing and reflect students the option of handing in their on why this is the case. Peer review also individual work for further comments. raises awareness of aspects of language The main effect of The one major difference now is that I that could improve their own work. As peer review sessions, am making further comments on a the examples stem from a student of piece of writing that has been reflected similar linguistic abilities, the in my experience, on and improved, rather than dealing motivational factor of achievability is with work that was hastily scribbled far higher than having work corrected has been an increased down without being redrafted. by a teacher. level of intrinsic Most importantly, though, creating ૽ ૽ ૽ peer-edited pieces of writing reduces the motivation reliance on the native-speaker model or In summary, I have noticed that creating the teacher as the ultimate authority, peer review texts has led my students to and teaches the students skills of giving Feedback need not be limited to the view their writing lessons in a different and accepting constructive feedback. written word, either. Praising and giving light. More often than not, written exam examples of constructive collaboration practice in class consists of a timed How do the students within groups leaves students feeling period of silence during which students positive about the process of peer write, or a language presentation session benefit? reviewing itself. A knock-on effect, in followed by extensive writing homework. The main effect of peer review sessions, my experience, has been an increased Using the peer model strategy, students in my experience, has been an increased confidence and competence in speaking can reconsider their writing classes, level of intrinsic motivation. Rather than skills. seeing them as an opportunity for feeling intimidated by an unattainable If peer reviewing is new to the class, communication, socialisation and coursebook model, the students leave it is well worth revising language of constructive feedback. ETp the classroom feeling that they have praising and making suggestions Sonja Wirwohl has been worked hard at acquiring redrafting beforehand in order to enable the an English teacher and skills that are applicable to any of their students to discuss other people’s work in examiner since 2000 and is currently involved writing. In encouraging them to work a positive and constructive way (‘I really in the provision of EAP collaboratively to review and redraft, we like the way you structured your answer.’ at University College, London, UK. A self- do more than just pay lip service to ‘Why don’t you try using a passive here?’). confessed ‘wordaholic’, student-centredness by elevating their she has a passion for written language in all own work to take centre stage. Can the strategy be its creative expressions. A further benefit is the creation of a highly constructive classroom adapted? atmosphere. As opposed to making Of course, peer reviewing can be used [email protected] writing an entirely solitary pursuit, peer with any type of writing. The reason it review classes add a sociable aspect to works so well in exam classes is that a it. In addition, peer review generally mutual evaluation of required criteria, TALKBACK!TALKBACK! results in confidence building for such as task fulfilment, serves to students of all abilities. A student who address the crucial issue of reworking Do you have something to say about finds grammar challenging may be able and redrafting one’s work in line with an article in the current issue of ETp? to help with spelling, or think of what the examiners are looking for. This is your magazine and we would synonyms for a word that has been Rather than dedicating whole really like to hear from you. repeated frequently. This way, it is lessons to peer evaluation, brief periods Write to us or email: possible to capitalise on each can be inserted into any lesson focusing [email protected] individual’s strength. on productive skills.

48 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir VOCABULARY Just for the record Katherine Short supports her students by helping them stage their vocabulary learning.

ost teachers will be You can demonstrate this by giving the the students to compare their familiar with that feeling students a sentence cut into single notebooks, and take pride in the best of frustration when their words to put in the correct order, presented or the most detailed pages. Mstudents forget words or followed by a sentence divided into I recommend that each page should phrases they have only recently been phrases to put in the correct order. have vocabulary related to a single topic taught. And many teachers struggle Which is easier? The sentence divided on it. Some students might be tempted when correcting writing or giving into phrases, of course. If you are going to keep words in alphabetical order – but feedback on speaking – wanting to tell to build a house, would it be quicker to then where will they place useful phrases the students that ‘it’s the right word, but build it with tiny bricks (like words) or such as the best day of my life was …? it sounds wrong like that’. big blocks (like phrases)? Similarly, if Under T ? Under B? Other students To address these problems you need your brain wants to construct or might want to keep a chronological to make sure that your students actively interpret language, it’s easier to work record, with every word they learn in a engage with new words and phrases in with bigger chunks than single words. single long list. These students would the first place. This means they must It’s also important to emphasise that if have difficulty referring to their notes to learn how to identify useful vocabulary, they look at words in isolation, (eg keep, find a phrase they only half remember. record it effectively, learn relevant up, with), they may feel as if they know To demonstrate the effectiveness of information about it and then learn to their meaning, whereas in fact if the recording words by topic, you can show use it correctly. Of course, they will also words are used in an idiomatic phrase the students three groups of words for 60 need to memorise it! That’s quite a few (ie keep up with), they have a completely seconds each and ask them to memorise stages, and we actually need to teach different meaning. them. The first group of words can be in our students how to do this, because it The very action of choosing their own alphabetical order, the second in random doesn’t come naturally and it’s not words to learn means that the students order, and the third group arranged by always a quick and easy process. have a deeper and more personal level of topic. Which group could students James Venema’s article in Issue 70 of engagement with them than they might remember the most words from? ETp demonstrates how important it is for have with words simply presented in a The other advantage of recording words students to make words their own. Here I vocabulary box. Also, getting the students by topic is that the students can go back will outline my own strategy for getting to pick words from a text ensures that and add words to topics when they the students to expand their vocabulary they have seen them used in context and come across new ones, as well as in an effective and meaningful way. will, therefore, have access to more making the notebook much easier to information about them and how they refer to and a valuable learning tool. Stage 1: are used (for Stage 3, below). Identifying useful vocabulary Stage 3: How do your students meet new words Stage 2: Learning relevant information and phrases? In lists, in vocabulary boxes, Recording vocabulary effectively Your students have now got their brand in texts? The trouble with lists and boxes The next stage is to record the new new books open at a blank page, and is that someone else, usually a coursebook words and phrases. Insist that your written the topic at the top. Is it enough writer, has chosen which words the students keep vocabulary notes separate just to copy out the words and phrases students should learn. Students may look from the rest of their notes. They can that they have underlined? Not really. at these words and feel intimidated by either keep a separate notebook or use You need to train them to include as the number of unknown and possibly the back of their existing notebook, but much useful information about the out-of-context words they have to learn, the precious vocabulary must be kept word or phrase as possible, for example and they may simply not bother. separate from the daily mess of class a translation, an example sentence, A more effective strategy is to ask notes, homework and other exercises. common mistakes, related grammar, the the students to choose the words they Try to make the students proud of the opposite, the phonemic script, etc. want to learn from a text. After reading new and diverse words that they One way to introduce this is by asking or listening to a text, ask them to ‘collect’ – compare the vocabulary students to match cards with these underline the words and phrases they notebook to a stamp album, with a types of information and examples. On think are useful, and want to learn. range of words from different sources page 51 there are some photocopiable Emphasise that it’s better to record all collected in one place and arranged cards you can use. Copy and cut them phrases than single words. carefully. It’s a good idea to encourage

50 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir translation change = cambiar

The money which is returned to someone dictionary definition who has paid for something which costs less than the amount that they gave.

I’m really bad at keeping other personal sentence people’s secrets.

The shop assistant gave me the example sentence wrong change. Always check your change before you leave the shop.

phonemic script /si*krPt /

simple markers of unusual pronunciation com(b) (b is silent)

stress ısecret

Keep a secret collocations Tell a secret

dependent prepositions about: tell a secret about …

love + -ing related grammar eg I love cooking

picture lips

He told that … mistakes He told ME that …

secret: noun word family (adj, noun, verb) secretive: adjective

opposite introvert ࠻ extrovert

highlight difficult spelling achieve (i before e)

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www.diako.ir students devote to their vocabulary Just for the record notebooks, the more likely they are to remember new words and phrases. out, and then ask the students to match ENGLISH each of the cards on the left with the At the beginning, give them plenty of time TEACHING correct example. in lessons to practise this sort of detailed Tprofessional recording. Do it yourself on the board Of course, they can’t record this much with a few words, and then let the information about every word – it would This is your magazine. students work in groups to find take too long. Depending on the word information about a single word. You We want to hear from you! itself, and your students’ level and native could then give them a few words each language, the information will be different. to research for homework, and ask them For example, let’s take the adjective to share the results in the following ߜ quiet. Even very low-level students will lesson. And remember, they don’t have to recognise this word but, like many record this much information about every IT WORKS IN PRACTICE apparently simple words, even high-level single word, only what is useful for them. Do you have ideas you’d like to share students may not use it 100 percent with colleagues around the world? correctly. They need to know: Stage 4: Tips, techniques and activities; ● pronunciation: There is an unspelled Using words correctly simple or sophisticated; well-tried j / / sound in the middle, and the word or innovative; something that has has two syllables, unlike , which Now you’ve done most of the hard quite worked well for you? All published it is often confused with. work, and it’s up to the students to do the work of moving the words off the contributions receive a prize! ● spelling: It’s tricky to spell, with three pages and into their heads so that they Write to us or email: vowels in the middle. flow smoothly out of their mouths or [email protected] ● other forms: It’s usually an adjective, pens. However, you can help the process but it’s also useful to know the adverb by giving suitable writing and speaking quietly and the noun quietness. Higher- tasks which will guide them towards TALKBACK! level students should also know that using the new language in context, TALKBACK! quiet can also be a noun, as in peace thereby consolidating their learning. Do you have something to say about and quiet (and even, rarely, a verb). For example, if the students have an article in the current issue of ETp? ● useful collocations: peace and quiet, collected a lot of phrases related to This is your magazine and we would keep quiet, a quiet life, have a quiet houses, ask them to describe their own really like to hear from you. word (with someone). Learning home, and compare it to their dream Write to us or email: expressions like this will increase the home. Or if they have been learning [email protected] range and sophistication of your weather words, encourage them to keep students’ language. a weather diary for a week. ● meaning: It’s not the same as silent – When you give feedback on this writing Writing for ETp there might still be some noise, but and speaking, try to limit your feedback Would you like to write for ETp? We are not much. Are there two different to their use of vocabulary: allow some always interested in new writers and words for quiet and silent in your grammar mistakes if they are being students’ language? fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice, experimental with new words. write to us or email: The more of this kind of information your students can record, the better. For ૽ ૽ ૽ [email protected] many words, you will have to help them By guiding your students through these by pointing out tricky pronunciation, or four stages, you can feel confident that reminding them of grammar or supplying Visit the you have given them plenty of support them with useful collocations. Emphasise in expanding their active vocabulary, ETp website! by demonstrating with simple words like and helped them take control of their The ETp website is packed with practical quiet that they may feel as if they ‘know’ a own learning. ETp tips, advice, resources, information and word if they recognise it, or if they can selected articles. You can submit tips say it in their own language. However, Katherine Short is a or articles, renew your subscription they can’t really say that they know it in senior teacher at the British Council, or simply browse the features. English unless they can actually use it Colombo, Sri Lanka. effectively, and that this kind of detailed She has been teaching www.etprofessional.com English since 2003, information will help them with that. and keenly promotes As well as using the original context learner autonomy by coordinating the self- ENGLISH TEACHING professional of the words, students can use access centre resources Pavilion Publishing (Brighton) Ltd, dictionaries or online concordances to and workshops. She PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, also trains local school find this kind of information. It is, of teachers of English, as PO18 8HD, UK course, very time-consuming to pay this well as British Council Fax: +44 (0)1243 576456 teachers. much attention to each individual word, Email: [email protected] but the more time and thought your [email protected]

52 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir TEACHER DEVELOPMENT Learning coach 11 Daniel Barber and Duncan Foord advocate shifting the focus in the classroom away from teaching towards greater learner independence. In the first article of a series on learner coaching, they ask: Why are we so wrapped up in teaching? Shouldn’t we be more concerned with learning?

Imagine two one-to-one teaching The first learns a lot in his lessons One focus scenarios: on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. He also devotes Saturday mornings to his So if we are to help our students 1 Good teacher – bad student homework. This is what his learning achieve their potential, there needs to be 2 Bad teacher – good student profile may look like: a shift in emphasis in our lessons Which student will learn most, do you towards ensuring they learn effectively think? Classroom-centred learning on their own. Here are the differences, If you believe that the second is at their starkest, between teaching- likely to produce better learning centred teaching and learning-centred outcomes, then it may seem strange that teaching: most of the focus in methodology books, magazines such as this one and A teaching focus A learning focus talks given at conferences is on teaching The teacher’s The teacher’s role is to techniques and classroom activities, not

Friday a.m. Friday p.m. role is to teach help the learners to Sunday a.m. Sunday p.m. Monday p.m. Monday a.m. Tuesday a.m. Tuesday p.m. Tuesday

learning techniques and self-study Saturday a.m. Saturday p.m. Thursday a.m. Thursday p.m. English. learn for themselves. activities. How often do you see articles, a.m. Wednesday p.m. Wednesday books and talks on helping your The teacher’s The teacher’s role is to Now let’s look at the profile of a students become better learners? role is to motivate motivate independent student who knows how to study alone; You may say that of course teachers classroom learning outside the are concerned with learning, that’s what who is able to monitor and maximise learning. classroom. teaching is all about, it’s only natural his motivation without the teacher’s that they should phrase it from their intervention; who, understanding the The experience The learning process own point of view. After all, we live in need for regular review to learn in the classroom outside school is ‘student-centred’ times where best practice effectively, returns to his studies for a is memorable. memorable. is all about catering to individuals’ few minutes every day; who regards his learning styles, where we make sure that time in the class as a valuable Homework is an Homework, or rather students enjoy their learning experience opportunity to consolidate and extend expected addition self-study, becomes through songs and games and student- his personal learning programme: to classroom the core of the centred activities. All well and good. learning. learning process. But this is still a teaching-centred Learner-trained learning approach which sees the lesson as the Learning styles Learning styles are focus, some two hours a week of a are catered for. explored and developed. learning process which has the potential to expand into many more hours of Responsibility for Responsibility for independent study. Time with your learning lies with learning lies with the teacher is important, certainly, but it the teacher. learner. isn’t the only learning moment in the Friday a.m. Friday p.m. Sunday a.m. Sunday p.m. Monday p.m. Monday a.m. Tuesday a.m. Tuesday p.m. Tuesday Saturday a.m. Saturday p.m. week. It’s a highlight, but not Thursday a.m. Thursday p.m. Learners are Learners are Wednesday a.m. Wednesday p.m. Wednesday necessarily the only one. dependent on the independent from their teacher to teach teacher and can learn An ‘ideal’ English learner, maybe, but a them. for themselves. Two profiles learner we have the power to foster, Let’s contrast two ‘good’ learners and through awareness raising and explicit The objective in The objective in the their learning potential: one whose coaching. Coaching is an appropriate the lesson is to lesson is to prepare learning centres around his lessons, and term here: an athletics coach motivates, learn English. the learner for one who learns more independently monitors and advises but it’s the athlete independent learning. from his teacher. who has to put in the hours on the track.

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www.diako.ir TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

My teacher Circle the number that best reflects your English lessons. 1 = This never happens. 5 = This is always true.

● My teacher listens and speaks to me in English so I get lots of fluency practice in class. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher actively encourages me to bring queries to the class and clarifies my doubts. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher brings my errors to my attention. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher recommends reference books, storybooks, magazines and websites that I might find interesting, useful or entertaining. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher teaches me the phonemic symbols so that I can learn pronunciation on my own. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher shows me how to use a dictionary. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher expects me to do plenty of self-study. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher monitors my motivation levels and suggests ways of maintaining enthusiasm. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher shows me ways to memorise new language better. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher makes sure time is devoted in class to sharing our differing learning experiences and helping each other learn better. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher gives me real advice on how to improve my skills. 1 2 3 4 5

● My teacher helps me organise my work and manage my time. 1 2 3 4 5

In future articles in this series, we Daniel Barber is a Duncan Foord is Director teacher and teacher of Teacher Training at will take a closer look at learner- trainer. He has worked OxfordTEFL. He is based coaching techniques and ideas. Let’s in Mexico, Oxford, in Barcelona and is London and Barcelona author of The Developing finish by reflecting, or asking our and is now a teacher Teacher, published by students to reflect, on the learner- and trainer at Active DELTA Publishing, and Language in Cadiz, co-author, with Lindsay coaching services you provide for your Spain, where he helps Clandfield, of The learners. How will your students run English classes and Language Teacher’s respond to the questions above? ETp Trinity Certificate Survival Handbook, courses. published by iT’s Magazines. [email protected] [email protected]

54 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir TEACHER DEVELOPMENT My lessons as a learner Anne Margaret or several years I have taught Attendance the elementary-level ESOL Smith polishes her Polish. learners in my college, many Probably teachers in most settings are of whom are Polish, and I familiar with the challenges associated F with keeping adult learners on a course. thought it would be interesting to put myself in their shoes, and perhaps pick My Polish class started with just eight up a few words of Polish to help me in participants; by the end of the course the class. So, in September 2009 I signed we were down to five attending up for a beginners’ Polish class, running regularly, but this was not a problem for one evening a week, and I was right – it us, since it meant that we were able to was actually fascinating. In this article I have a lot of teacher attention. Two of would like to share a few of my the other participants were also reflections on the experience. involved in teaching Polish students, I am not going to focus on how and two had Polish partners. Our useful it was when I could translate a motivation was, therefore, collectively few words for my Polish learners; that is quite strong, but even so, none of us probably something that many teachers managed to attend every session. experience frequently. I will simply comment that, since I do not use a Apart from coursebook with my English class, and nor did my Polish teacher, I was the cultural insights surprised how closely the ESOL lessons I was teaching and the Polish lessons I I gleaned through was attending followed the same learning the language, progression from introductions, letters and numbers, through colours and the most useful classroom objects, to family members and jobs – before finishing the term, of lessons I learnt from course, with Christmas customs. These this ten-week Polish language areas were simply the ones we (independently) felt our learners needed course were to do with most immediately (and could handle classroom dynamics with minimal grammar input). Apart from the cultural insights I gleaned through learning the language, Finding the mental and physical the most useful lessons I learnt from strength to concentrate for another two this ten-week Polish course were to do hours after a full day’s work proved to with classroom dynamics, the activities be a challenge in itself. As the term we undertook in class and the factors wore on and I began to wear out, the affecting the attendance of adult evenings became darker and our learners. This last aspect is perhaps the classroom even colder. One week in most crucial for keeping a course November, after a particularly long, running, so I will start with this. tough day, despite my best intentions I

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www.diako.ir TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

the more practice and feedback I got, remembering new vocabulary accurately, the better for me!). I was surprised at pronouncing it correctly, and being My lessons my reaction to the situation, since I am confident that I would be understood. I not exactly a stranger to the language really valued the opportunities we had as a learner classroom but, as the weeks went by, I to work with one or two other students did find myself feeling a little more to practise the given phrases and work found myself making my way home confident. I put this down to two main together to make up ‘new’ utterances. instead of going to class. For students elements of group dynamics. Firstly, our Some of my classmates had Polish who have family responsibilities, or tutor was unfailingly positive and speakers at home with whom they could work even longer hours than I do, I can encouraging, and she was skilled at practise, but I did not have that luxury, well imagine the struggle to make it to gauging when to push a learner to and I know that many of my ESOL class every week. Rather than being practise more, and when to accept that learners do not live or work with English annoyed when students miss a session, I for the moment, for that particular speakers and so the two hours in my am now full of admiration for those class is their only ‘live’ opportunity to who do turn up regularly, even on those use the language they are trying to learn. grim November evenings. I really valued I was aware, too, that our tutor I was really pleased when I had a the opportunities we sometimes provided differentiated input letter in the post from my tutor, by working with a learner who had not outlining what the rest of the class had had to work with one fully grasped the language point, so as covered that evening and enclosing the to give extra help. This is a technique materials for me to look through. I or two other students that I also adopt in my class, while couldn’t make much sense of most of it, to practise the given making sure that my more able learners of course, but I felt that my absence have extension activities to move on to if from the group had been noticed. This phrases and work they finish the original task. However, as has motivated me to send materials to a beginner I found that for me there was students, in addition to my customary together to make up no such thing as too much repetition of ‘we missed you in class’ text, even if they ‘new’ utterances any material, and if my partner and I cannot do much with them on their finished a task, we often went through it own. It seems important to signal to again, without feeling that it was absent learners that they should try to language point, he or she had achieved becoming tedious. This was a useful keep up with their classmates. This links as much as was possible. This tacit observation for me, since I often fear in to a second important observation, acknowledgement of individual abilities that my learners will become bored if about the role that group dynamics – and differentiation in terms of they repeat something too often; now I and especially cohesion – plays in the expectation helped to foster a more know that this is unlikely, and that truly language classroom. accepting atmosphere in the group. mastering a phrase or understanding a Secondly, and perhaps most new question gave me a great sense of obviously, I began to feel more accomplishment and achievement. It seems important comfortable as I got to know the other to signal to absent participants better and could connect ૽ ૽ ૽ with them on a personal level. This learners that they brought home to me once again how Whilst I did find it hard fitting the Polish crucial it is to spend time at the beginning class (and homework) into my working should try to keep up of a course encouraging students to get week, I feel that I learnt so much more with their classmates to know each other on a social level, even than how to introduce myself and if that means using their first languages count to 20. It confirmed for me the instead of English; it is an investment importance for language teachers of Dynamics that pays off immediately, particularly being on the other side of the desk from for less confident learners. The quality time to time, and remembering again In my first Polish lesson I was surprised of pair- and groupwork depends on what it feels like to be a learner. ETp how little the other participants seemed good relationships forming early on. to want to talk. I found their reticence Anne Margaret Smith has taught English in a strangely contagious and, instead of variety of contexts for taking the initiative and introducing Practice 20 years. She also works with dyslexic myself, I sat quietly, waiting for the Most language teachers recognise the learners and offers formal lesson to begin. I also noticed value of setting up small-group and workshops to other teachers who want to that when our tutor asked a question of pairwork activities so that learners can find out more about the class, or asked for a volunteer, I was practise new language in a non- inclusive practice. uncharacteristically reluctant to threatening situation. Even apparently respond, even when I thought I knew ‘simple’ things like counting to 20 threw the answer (and despite knowing that up challenges for me in terms of [email protected]

56 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir TECHNOLOGY four online articles which support the contents of that day’s or week’s lessons. For example, if our topic of the week was the environment, I would send my students links to some articles connected with this theme – perhaps a news item on climate change, an article on attempts to counter deforestation, etc. These links could be sent via email or by using an online environment like Blackboard, or Reading even Facebook as many of my students have Facebook accounts. See the box at the end of this article for examples of materials I have used to support some common coursebook topics. Classroom support online Here are some ideas for using online Nicholas Northall supports his students’ classroom articles in order to support classwork. 1 reading with extra help from the internet. Classroom discussion The texts taken from the internet can be used as the basis for classroom s Ray Williams puts it: a learner would need a vocabulary of discussion. For example, the students ‘Learners learn to read by around 5,000 words in order to read receive links to two texts: one putting reading: there is no other way.’ for pleasure, but at least 10,000 words the case for the reality of global Yet how many of us fill our to study at university. Reading in A warming and one more sceptical about reading lessons by asking our students quantity will help students extend it. They are asked to read the articles to read short extracts and then analyse their vocabulary, understand words in and come to the next lesson prepared to them profusely? Obviously there are context and cope with different forms discuss their responses. Alternatively, the many reading skills which can be of words. students could read hard-copy versions developed in the classroom, such as ● Thirdly, they can practise reading of the texts in the classroom and then, skimming, scanning, and identifying longer texts to increase their reading in groups, orally summarise what they grammar structures and vocabulary in stamina and to improve their global have read. One student from each group context. However, working on these skills reading skills, such as understanding could then present the main points of means that our students do not actually the wider meaning of a text. This is their article to the rest of the class. spend that much time actually . reading essential for students who need English In order to fill this gap, therefore, it is 2 for higher or further education. A reading diary always a good idea to try to motivate Students complete a diary, noting down them to read more in their own time. In ● Fourthly, free-time reading can ensure what and how much they read every this article I want to describe how we improvements in general language day. As well as recording the online can do this by sending students online ability by giving learners the articles, they can also include anything articles to support their classroom work. possibility to move from intermediate else they might have read. The contents to more advanced levels of proficiency. of the diary could then be used to Online reading ● Finally, reading in their free time can promote discussion (see above). There are several benefits to getting ensure improvements in students’ 3 Just read them! students to read in their own time. Here exam results on tests such as IELTS Students are sent links to the texts and are some of them: and FCE. are simply asked to read them. They are ● Firstly, by reading more, students can told that if they read them, this will improve their reading speed. Olwyn Online articles support their classwork. However, they Alexander and her colleagues assert Christopher Green believes that reading are not obliged to do this. that the average native speaker of done in a student’s free time, when English reads at 300 words per minute combined with classwork, can greatly Authentic articles (wpm), whereas many English influence their linguistic development. If Although it might be a good idea to language students can only manage the free-time reading follows the same send students links to online articles, 60 wpm. By reading as much as theme as the classwork, students can how do we know if those articles are repeat and reinforce vocabulary, and possible, students are able to increase suitable for them? In Issue 65 of ETp, their speed of word recognition. think about the topic from a different Rafael Sabio gave an excellent summary point of view. ● Secondly, students can improve their of how to select online materials for A great way to do this is to send vocabulary by reading. Patricia Carrell students in terms of relevance and them weekly links to between two and and William Grabe summarised that appropriateness. In this article I will

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 57

www.diako.ir You paste your text into Oxford Here are some common coursebook 3000, and it gives you the following topics with articles which could be information: used to support them (correct at the Reading The text (excluding the title) has 571 time of writing but, of course, online words. This could be a good length of articles do come and go!). text for pre-intermediate students to Communication read in their own time. ● Communication: a definition: online Ninety percent of the words are part http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ of the Oxford 3000. This tells you that Communication concentrate on how we can assess the you were right: this text, according to ● Google phone is latest move vocabulary load of an article and the website, has many useful words. against cell phone status quo: change it, if necessary, to suit our However, it is more suitable for www.newscientist.com/blogs/ learners. Fortunately, there are a couple advanced-level students. But as it is a shortsharpscience/2010/01/google- of websites that will do this for you: good article, you want to adapt the text kicks-off-cellphone-spe.html to suit your pre-intermediate students. Oxford 3000 Text Checker The environment You might consider the following: Go to www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/ ● EU ‘holds firm’ on climate goals: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/ teachersites/oald7/oxford_3000/oxford_ 1 Focusing on vocabulary 7673684.stm 3000_profiler?cc=gb. As previously mentioned, building ● Gulf state rescues £3bn wind farm Paste your text into the first white student vocabulary is incredibly in the Thames Estuary: box and click on ‘Submit’. The page important. Therefore, you could focus which then appears will indicate the http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol on the words highlighted by Oxford 3000 /business/industry_sectors/natural_ percentage of words in the Oxford 3000: in class and then use the text to support resources/article4958968.ece that is, according to the website, ‘words this. Some of the words highlighted Sport which should receive priority in vocabulary from the article about transport cited ● Faster than a bullet – the 1,000mph study because of their importance and above include: , , , fading chugging risky car: usefulness’. Words not in the Oxford 3000 wavers and signified – and you might will be highlighted in red. Words from www.guardian.co.uk/technology/ want to teach these. Others, such as 2008/oct/23/motoring-land-speed- specialist lists (arts, science and business Brazil and motorbikes, might already be record and finance) will be highlighted in blue. known to a pre-intermediate group and ● Space diving: the ultimate extreme Be careful, as the Oxford 3000 could be ignored. sport: sometimes has a habit of adding an 2 http://space.newscientist.com/ apostrophe to words. For example, Editing the text article/mg19626261.700-space- words such as it’s and we’ve appear with You could edit the text. This would diving-the-ultimate-extreme- an extra apostrophe, giving it’’s and mean either replacing the highlighted sport.html we’’ve. words with synonyms or rewriting the text completely. Compleat Lexical Tutor Alexander, O, Argent, S and Spencer, J Go to www.lextutor.ca. Click on 3 Self-study EAP Essentials: A Teacher’s Guide to ‘Vocabprofile’, then ‘VP English v.3’. You could show the students how to Principles and Practice Garnet Publishing Paste your text into the white box, and operate the text checker websites 2008 click on ‘SUBMIT’. You will then see a themselves so they could use them for Carrell, P L and Grabe, W ‘Reading’ In Schmitt, N (Ed) An Introduction to breakdown of your text: the 1,000 most self-study. The information supplied Applied Linguistics Hodder Education common words are highlighted in blue; would indicate to the students which 2002 the next 1,000 most common words in words they will need to look up in their Green, C ‘Integrating extensive reading in green; words taken from the Academic dictionaries and which words they the task-based curriculum’ ELTJ 59(4) Word List are in yellow; and other should already know. 2005 words in red. Sabio, R ‘Choosing online materials’ ૽ ૽ ૽ English Teaching Professional 65 2009 Assessing the difficulty Williams, R ‘Top ten principles for Sending your students online texts, with teaching reading’ ELT Journal 40(1) 1986 of a text or without support, is extremely Let’s say that with your pre-intermediate- Nicholas Northall works motivating as students are dealing with at the English Language level students you are looking at the authentic, ‘real’ English and Teaching Centre at the topic of transport, and you find a good understanding it: they will get a boost University of Sheffield, UK, where he teaches article on cars and motoring at from knowing that they are reading EAP and CALL and www.newscientist.com/article/dn9922. articles written for native speakers. contributes to the Centre’s teacher training You read it through and decide that it Furthermore, many students do most of programme. He has will provide quite a challenge for your their reading online anyway, and will be worked in the UK and Slovakia and has been students to read unsupported, but you more likely to read something from teaching for over ten are unsure about what to do next. their computer than from an A4 years. Last year he passed the MA TESOL. That’s where the word checking websites handout with the word Homework at [email protected] can help. the top. ETp

58 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir TECHNOLOGY In this series, Nicky Hockly Five things you always wanted to know about explains aspects of technology which some people may be embarrassed to confess that teaching online they don’t really understand. In this article, she explores (but were afraid to ask) teaching online.

Is teaching online and teaching providing timely, relevant and individualised able to add a range of multi-media 1 f2f (face-to-face) so different? responses. You’ll find a list of ten key materials (audio, video, images) to it. Let’s first define our terms. By online online tutor skills at http://bit.ly/5aZi8J. 3 Integrate a range of Web 2.0 tools into teaching, I’m talking about teacher-led What else does online teaching tasks for the online part of your course. online work with students. I’m not talking involve? For writing practice, how about getting about setting students self-study ‘drag and 3 the students to create blog entries on a drop’ grammar exercises to do on the So far, we’ve talked mainly about the class-related topic and then to comment computer at home. So if we are clear that liveware, or human element (also on each other’s blogs? For reading teaching online includes having direct sometimes unfortunately referred to as the practice, they could follow a news story personal contact with the students, with ‘wetware’!). Of course, to teach online you online for a week, and then report back in the students using the online medium to also need to use hardware: a computer, a podcast on how it developed. For communicate and interact with each other microphone or headset, webcam, internet language practice, why not get them to and the language, there are, indeed, many connection, and even perhaps a digital develop online quizzes for each other? similarities between face-to-face and online camera. And you will need software: There are many ways you can create teaching, at least in terms of underlying computer programs and tools with which imaginative and engaging online language pedagogical principles. But there are, of to deliver your course content and foster tasks that require interaction. A list of my course, some major differences. There communication. These include VLEs 12 favourite online teaching activities is are a number of key skills that teachers (Virtual Learning Environments), such as at www.emoderationskills.com and can develop to become effective online Moodle – see ETp Issue 65), social http://sixthings.net. ‘emoderators’ (a term often used in the networking sites (see ETp Issue 61), wikis literature, meaning online teachers). and even online discussions lists. Any other tips for teaching online? What makes for effective online My school wants 50 percent of 5 teaching, then? 4 a class online. Where do I start? One of the greatest learning experiences 2 I’ve ever had was taking an online course Good online teaching will put plenty of This so-called ‘blended’ option (offering as a student myself. It provided an emphasis on interaction and part of a course f2f, and part online) is immense amount of insight into the communication, but this communication is becoming increasingly common. The experience of learning. I became very mediated by a computer. If the students are problem is that teachers are very rarely aware of how important ongoing praise, studying 100 percent online, and the group offered guidance on how to do it support and timely feedback are. If you never meet f2f, it is especially important effectively, even if they are offered technical take a good online course, you will also to allow plenty of time for socialising advice on how to use something like a be exposed to best practice in online activities, not just at the beginning of a VLE. The trick is how to make the online learning and teaching, and should see course, but throughout on a regular basis. part of your course work well! Here are a examples of effective online task design These activities enable the group to get to few basic steps to get you started: as well. It could be a teacher training know each other and to ‘gel’, which will in 1 Look at your course syllabus, and decide course, or one on a topic such as turn foster a sense of responsibility towards which parts could be offered online and photography or cooking. Good luck! each other and help ensure that online which would be better dealt with f2f. It is pair- and groupwork function well. It is usually much easier to deal with reading Nicky Hockly has been also important to build in direct channels involved in EFL teaching and and writing work online, and to keep teacher training since 1987. of online communication between speaking for the f2f classroom, for She is Director of Pedagogy individual students and the teacher, and of The Consultants-E, an example. However, the online part of the online training and to monitor motivation and participation course still needs to involve communication development consultancy. constantly. A private online journal, only and interaction between the students. She is co-author of Learning English as a Foreign accessible to the individual student and Designing engaging online pair- and Language for Dummies (John teacher, for example, is one way to provide groupwork tasks is a key skill here. Wiley & Sons) and Teaching such a channel. Another key online Online (Delta Publishing). She maintains a blog at teaching skill is creating a sense of your 2 Decide what tool you are going to use www.emoderationskills.com. to deliver the online part. A VLE? A wiki? own presence on your course. You need to Contact Nicky at [email protected] make clear to the students that you are Ensure that you are familiar with how and let her know of any ICT areas you’d like her to reading and responding to their work by your chosen tool works, and that you are explore in this series.

60 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Russell Stannard samples WebWebwatcher a sophisticated quiz making site.

hen Webwatcher first started, I remember writing about Embedding video online quizzes and tests, which at the time were one of These are all sites which allow their video content to be Wthe few ways of creating interactive content on the embedded: web. With the introduction of Web 2.0 and the ability to upload and interact with online content, the original quiz makers lost ● www.blip.tv some of their appeal. However, it is well worth returning to them On this site there is a ‘Share’ button on the left. as they have moved on and many now offer the chance to ● www.youtube.com embed video and pictures, keep track of people who take the You normally find the ‘Embed’ button underneath the quiz and offer feedback. In this issue we are going to take a look video. When you click on it, you will also be given some at the free version of ProProfs quiz maker. There is also a options regarding size and background colours. version for which you have to pay. ● www.metacafe.com There is an ‘Embed’ button under the video. Once you www.proprofs.com click on it, you will be provided with a variety of settings. These appear above the video. Making the quiz Signing up to ProProfs is simple. Once you are logged in, you the students could make a pop music quiz, where they embed need to click on Create A Quiz. You then have two choices. videos of the songs and artists they like and then add questions. Choose Scored Quiz. You have to start by giving your quiz a title They could make a quiz about travelling by using some of the and a description and you can also add some tags; the tags millions of videos related to travelling that they can find on make it easier for people to search for your quiz and should YouTube. Many video sites, such as TeacherTube, 5min, Vimeo reflect the topic and content. One thing I like about this site is and Metacafe, allow their content to be embedded. Just look out that you make all the quizzes on one page, though if you are for the ‘Embed’ button, which allows you to grab the code and using the free version, they will be presented to the students on paste it into your quizzes. separate pages. There are five quiz types and they all work more or less in the same way. You can add question after question Changing settings and, each time, you can change the type of format. So you can Once you have made your quiz, you have a few settings that you mix multiple choice with multiple answers, multiple choice with can change. You can set a pass/fail rate for the quiz. You can one answer, true/false, fill in the blanks – you can even add an instruct ProProfs to issue a certificate if the user gets a certain open-ended essay question. You simply click on the type of number of the questions correct. ProProfs will also track the question you want to create. With each question type you need users and provide information to the teacher on their to indicate clearly what the correct answer is. However, with the performance. You can even set a time limit so that the students essay type question there are no correct answers and the user have to do the quiz in a certain amount of time. All these simply writes in their answer and uses the quiz maker to submit settings are found in the Score Settings area, which you can find it. In this case, it is the teacher who has to check the work. at the end after you have added in your questions. There are If you choose the multiple answers type question, then the three tabs: Score Settings, Message Settings and Quiz Settings. first thing you need to do is write in your question. Below you Message Settings allows you to add a banner. This way you can can add in your answers. Make sure you select the answers that package the quizzes as if they are part of your school or are correct by ticking in the box at the side. Obviously, you can institution’s own materials. Quiz Settings deals with things like have more than one correct answer. You can also add an privacy and the quiz layout. If you have the free version, each explanation at the end, which gives additional feedback to the question in your quiz will appear on a separate page, but if you users once they have answered the question. This can be used have a paying account, you can have it appear on just one page. for all sorts of things, such as giving more details about the You can also choose to have an email sent to you each time answer or even directing the users to other websites or giving someone takes the quiz. All these things are pretty easy to set. them links to pages with more information. I have made a video which takes you step-by-step through Adding features the process of making a quiz with ProProfs. You can Notice that you also have the option of adding a picture or access this at: embedding a video alongside your question. This can be really www.teachertrainingvideos.com/proProfs/index.html good as you can take content from video sites like YouTube and

TeacherTube and embed them into your quizzes. Russell Stannard is a principal lecturer in ICT at the Of course, it doesn’t always have to be the teacher that University of Westminster, UK. He won the Times makes the quizzes. You could get your students to make quizzes Higher Education Award for Outstanding Initiatives in Information and Communications Technology for his and then get other students in the class to complete them. This website www.teachertrainingvideos.com. He was also is actually fairly easy to do as the formatting of the quizzes is one of the winners of the 2010 British Council ELTons awards. pretty simple to master. You could even get the students to watch the training videos I have made for these quizzes (see Keep sending your favourite sites to Russell: [email protected] below) and then tell them to make a quiz at home. For example,

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 61

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir In this column Rose Senior explains why certain teaching techniques and class management strategies are effective, and identifies specific issues that can assist all language teachers in improving the quality of their teaching.

How wrong can you be?

ome years ago I found myself programme than many of his classmates, in the days before digital photography and teaching a class of students who and he was prepared to think about and mobile phones, Malcolm had painstakingly had come to Australia from a discuss current issues as fully as he could. cut pictures of a wide variety of girls out of Svariety of countries for intensive With assessment tasks that required the glossy magazines: blondes, brunettes and English study. The majority of them were in class to read texts, summarise their dark-haired beauties, girls with brown, blue their early twenties: lively and outgoing content and provide personal responses, and green eyes, girls of Caucasian and young people, keen to improve their Malcolm revealed himself to be a deep Asian appearance, skinny girls and English, make new friends and experience thinker who expressed original views and plumper girls, girls with smiling and sultry living in an English-speaking country. One presented innovative solutions to expressions, and so on. Intrigued by the student, Malcolm, stood out from contemporary problems. handouts, students around campus had the crowd. A few years older than Malcolm revealed In contrast, the student been only too keen to answer Malcolm’s his classmates, Malcolm dressed himself to be a deep of whom I had high questions – with the result that he had conservatively, was deliberate in expectations answered collected data from 50 students: two-and- his movements, took his time thinker who expressed the ‘response’ sections a-half times the required number. over learning tasks and spoke in original views of the task in a hasty When the course ended, I assumed that a hesitant way. I remember manner, expressing I would never see Malcolm again. But I was thinking to myself, ‘Malcolm is a pretty superficial views and handing in his work wrong: four years later I ran into him in the unexciting guy. I’ll let him plod along at his ahead of time without reading through university coffee shop. Looking relaxed and own pace and hope he gets on OK’. what he had written. confident, he explained that he had just Those of us who teach intensive The most striking way in which completed a computer science degree and English language classes are familiar with Malcolm displayed originality and would shortly return to his home country to the experience of facing waves of new application occurred towards the end of take up a job that he had been offered on students every few weeks – and learning to the course, when each student in the class the strength of his A-grade honours project. match names to faces and establish was required to devise a questionnaire, I congratulated him on his high achievement relationships with each new group as interview a sample of students on campus, and ventured to ask him what had been quickly as we can. At the end of short analyse the data they had collected and the key to his success. Determination, said courses, most students quickly disappear. present their findings to the Malcolm, explaining that he It is relatively unusual to be able to follow class. The students’ brief was I shall always had moved in with Australian the progress and personal development of to find out more about young remember Malcolm students (rather than take the individuals once they have moved on to a Australians: how they lived, easier option of sharing with different programme or institution – or what their interests were, how because he taught me students from his own returned to their home countries. much time they spent doing an important lesson country) and that in the early After the course had finished, I was different activities, and so on. days he had pestered his invited to pilot a foundation studies course Many of the students needed considerable flatmates to discuss assignment topics and for overseas students wishing to enter help, not only with the focus and design of lecturer expectations until he understood mainstream undergraduate programmes in their questionnaires, but also with the fully exactly what was required to do well. my university. Nobody could be more manner in which they would approach I shall always remember Malcolm surprised than I was to find that Malcolm students and ask for their cooperation. Not because he taught me an important lesson: had enrolled on this course – particularly so Malcolm, who quickly became so deeply that the students who appear to be the since most of the students were already absorbed in his project that he required no quickest and smartest often do not go as proficient in spoken English. I remember assistance at all. far as the quietly determined students who comparing Malcolm unfavourably in my On the day of the presentations, study in strategic ways to achieve their mind with one particular student, who was Malcolm chose to go last and, as he goals. ETp so bright, confident and fluent that I was pinned a colourful backdrop over the sure that the gap between his level of whiteboard (these were the days before achievement and Malcolm’s would widen PowerPoint), I suspected that we were in as the course progressed, with Malcolm for something special. In a confident being left far behind. How wrong I was! manner and with a twinkle in his eye, Rose Senior is a language teacher educator A short way into the course, it became Malcolm announced that for his project he who runs workshops and presents at conferences around the world. evident that Malcolm was more interested had sought to discover which kinds of girls in the topics and themes of this task-based Australian boys liked best. Since this was [email protected].

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 71 November 2010 • 63

www.diako.ir Prize crossword 44

ETp presents the forty-fourth in our series of prize Ten correct entries will be drawn from a hat on 10 January 2011 crosswords. Send your entry (completed crossword and the senders will each receive a copy of the second edition grid and quotation), not forgetting to include your of the Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, full name, postal address and telephone number, to applauded for its unique red star system showing the Prize crossword 44, ENGLISH TEACHING professional, Pavilion Publishing frequency of the 7,500 most common words in English (Brighton) Ltd, PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8HD, UK. (www.macmillandictionary.com).

20 13 15 15 6 3 24 1 15 6 12 13 1 18 VERY FREQUENT WORDS FAIRLY FREQUENT WORDS *** Intelligent or good at doing * A small insect that lives in large 11624171322something organised groups *** Indefinite article * A tool for cutting down trees 5 1 17 20 4 24 17 5 22 6 *** ___ You Like It is a play by * To heat a liquid until it starts to William Shakespeare. become a gas 22 20 24 3 17 1 7 10 24 19 26 17 I *** One of the parts of your head * A glass food container with a lid 1 18 17 16 202622181 6 3 that you hear with and a wide top *** Not healthy * A school subject involving 19 23 1 17 17 22 22 *** Pronoun calculations *** If you have much of something, * British slang for a pound (money) 7 179 6 242616 21173 1719 you have a ___ . * Someone who is either a brother or P *** Something you have not done a sister 6 17 2 6 6 14 17 16 correctly LESS FREQUENT WORDS *** The opposite of yes 11 17 8 8 22 6 6 20 26 – A document that gives personal *** It was __ cold, the pond was details, sometimes with a photo 161722 11941716175226 frozen. – Father (old-fashioned) *** A member of an army – A playing card with only one 25 16 9 4 19 26 13 *** Without a bend or curve symbol, which is either the highest or *** A word used to form the lowest in a suit 6251719620461924 24116 infinitive of a verb – A large monkey with no tail that *** The highest point of something walks on two legs *** The opposite of down 12345678910111213 – Lasting only for a very short time I *** A line of water that rises up on – If time does this, it passes. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 the surface of the sea – Unable to do something P FREQUENT WORDS – A car with no roof, often used as a ** An attitude that makes people military vehicle To solve the puzzle, find which letter each number represents. You treat someone unfairly – The plural of ox can keep a record in the boxes above. The definitions of the words ** To look at someone or – A friend (informal) in the puzzle are given, but not in the right order. When you have something for a long time – If you are in a ___ you don’t know finished, you will be able to read the quotation. ** A narrow or pointed end what decision to make. – To put new money into a business 1 1017256 1962563 22624 15 – The period of the year when it is

14 20 4 10 26 26 22 1 19 7 1 19 24 6 3 8 summer – A flat cake with deep square marks 6 3 6 11 1 24 10 15 14 6 18 13 4 17 24 on both sides – A short high sound made by a dog 12619 Mark Twain – Great energy, effort and enthusiasm – Thank you (informal)

64 • Issue 71 November 2010 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir www.diako.ir