www.diako.ir www.diako.ir ContentsContents MAIN FEATURE BUSINESS ENGLISH PROFESSIONAL

IS READING ALOUD ALLOWED? 4 NOT ‘THEM’ BUT ‘US’ 29 Jeremy Harmer rehabilitates round-the-class reading Monica Hoogstad uses humour to break down cultural barriers

FEATURES TEACHER DEVELOPMENT CLASS-CENTRED TEACHING 8 Rose Senior finds group dynamics are key to establishing ALONE TOGETHER 51 a good classroom climate Deniz Kurtoglu Eken feels personal development is a fundamental factor in professional development WALKING STICKS 12 Ji Lingzhu arms her students with supportive listening strategies TECHNOLOGY

ACTIVITIES UNDER ANALYSIS 16 CHOOSING ONLINE MATERIALS 56 Myrian Casamassima explains why we need to make Rafael Sabio puts forward some suggestions for a close assessment of the tasks we assign selecting texts and videos

REVISING NEW WORDS 17 FIVE THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED 60 Angela Noble demonstrates that a vocabulary column TO KNOW ABOUT: MOODLE on the board has many benefits Nicky Hockly looks at a virtual learning environment

LANGUAGE LEARNING IS LIKE ... 18 WEBWATCHER 61 Dede Wilson’s wall posters provide insights for students Russell Stannard has all his questions answered and teachers alike

PHRASAL VERBS? THEY’RE EASY! 4 21 REGULAR FEATURES John Ryan finishes up his look at up ACTIVITY CORNER: 37 OVER THE WALL 27 PHONICS FUN Jon Marks Alan Maley recommends books that inspire creative writing

ELUSIVE ESSAY WRITING SKILLS 34 PREPARING TO TEACH ... 40 Cheryl Morris finds innovative ways to teach academic Colourful language 2 John Potts writing

A VOYAGE OF ADVENTURE 35 LET’S GET ENGAGED 63 Rose Senior James Porcaro sets goals and objectives for students and teachers IT WORKS IN PRACTICE 42 WHAT DO FOREIGNERS NEED TO SAY? 46 Peter Wells believes in teaching language that students REVIEWS 44 actually need to use SCRAPBOOK 54 LITERACY IN TWO LANGUAGES 49 Lois Spitzer sees success in skills transference between COMPETITIONS 41, 64 L1 and L2

TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION FORM 32

READY TO READ 23 Includes materials designed to photocopy Ana Lado examines criteria for choosing books for children

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir www.diako.ir MAIN FEATURE Despite the fact that all of the readers spoke impeccable English, some of them stumbled over the words. One couldn’t pronounce a name, one got mixed up with concatenation and another found the last sentence of the extract almost impossible to read intelligibly, at sight. Afterwards, we discussed what they IsIs readingreading felt like, and it wasn’t good! Amongst other things, they were nervous, they didn’t understand what they were reading or why, and they hated the experience of not being able to pronounce things correctly in front of their peers, or of fighting to make sense aloud of long, complicated sentences. aloud And yet all they were doing was what has been happening in language classrooms all over the world for ages

I have never really allowed?allowed? worried about reading Jeremy Harmer t a recent teacher-training aloud before, but for workshop in Bucharest, I recommends reading, handed out a text (see the various reasons it has box below) and asked the suddenly become more teachersA to read it out, one by one, repeating and rehearsing. sentence by sentence. I wanted this first interesting for me activity to start a discussion of what it felt like to read aloud. and ages – though, of course, I had History, Karen Bailey used to tell specially chosen a text that would challenge even the most competent her students before the whistle at English speakers. The question that Siete Vientos changed everything, arises, therefore, is whether it has always is the random concatenation of been that bad for students, even with states and events, nothing more. less challenging texts. And if it has, does The job of the historian is to check it have to be? that each of these happenings, I have never really worried about each of the realities under reading aloud before, beyond feeling investigation, is as unambiguous, faintly negative about it, but for various as verifiable as possible, so that reasons it has suddenly become more when describing the past, one interesting for me. In the first place, I could have confidence that one have recently observed it taking place was telling truths, not weaving when watching lessons – something fantasies. This was the kind of way which I haven’t seen for some time, she talked, and she was thought of despite many years of observation. as very academic, very precise. But Secondly, its value – or lack of it – became a point of discussion in a the stories of Siete Vientos and writing project where I am one member what happened there banished that of a team. And finally, in the last few style from her repertoire completely months I have read three articles on this because it suddenly seemed to her topic, which is all the more remarkable that history, people’s histories, the since for many years hardly anyone history of a place breathed in the talked about it at all. air and sticking to the rocks, is Sally Gibson, for example, explains more than dusty accretions of the reasons why people have been sources and references.1 against reading aloud, but argues for its many virtues. Costas Gabrielatos says

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir www.diako.ir www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM Class-centredClass-centred teachingteaching Rose Senior ponders the principles of group development.

ccepting that classes function Teachers can readily discern – often in class-centred ways with the myriad as groups is central to all through a spontaneous collective occurrences that are part of everyday effective teaching. Whether response by the class to an unforeseen classroom life. we like it or not, powerful occurrence – when the tipping point has The box on page 9 contains a groupA forces are at work in all been reached. From this point on, their selection of concepts from general classrooms. Classes of learners are not confidence grows and they feel more at research into group dynamics upon simply collections of individuals who ease with their class. which the ten principles of class group happen to be studying the same learning If teachers do not behave in class- development which I will describe in materials in the same room under the centred ways, their classes can quickly this article are based. direction of a teacher: they are groups tip in the opposite direction, with their of students whose individual or students either becoming a fragmented Group development collective behaviour both influences and learning community or, worse still, principles is influenced by the individual or uniting against their common enemy: collective behaviour of others in the the teacher. The following principles were developed room. Teachers, too, participate in class Class-centred teachers have a higher by examining a wide range of social group processes – with their teaching proportion of classes that function in a processes occurring during intensive and class management practices closely cohesive manner than do other teachers. English language classes containing related to the social evolution of their With their intuitive understanding of adult learners from a range of cultural class groups. group behaviour, class-centred teachers and linguistic backgrounds. Language teachers who keep in mind sense when to go with the flow and 1 that their classes function as groups allow social processes to occur naturally, Creating the climate have a class-centred focus and teach in and when to pull back and adopt their As with any new skill, learning to speak class-centred ways. Through their own more traditional teacher roles. a new language involves trial and error. behaviour and the ways that they relate Confidence, combined with consistency Nobody wants to appear foolish in to their students, class-centred teachers in personal behaviour and a willingness public and yet, especially in encourage their classes to evolve into to be flexible, are the hallmarks of communicative classrooms where learning communities in which the effective class-centred teachers. students are expected to interact with overall atmosphere of the class their peers in English, errors are influences the behaviour of individuals. Research principles inevitable. Students become easily upset The crucial moment when a critical when they mispronounce or misuse a mass of the students in a class starts to The relevance of group dynamics to word, or fail to understand something behave in ways that promote the education is well known. In their classic that somebody says – particularly when development of class cohesion has been book, Schmuck and Schmuck relate those around them are amused. defined by Malcolm Gladwell (quoted insights from research into how groups Class-centred teachers make an effort by Tollefson and Osborn) as the develop and function in classroom to create classroom climates in which it situations. Dörnyei and Murphey

Phillip Burrows ‘tipping point’. is clear that making errors is a natural provide an invaluable introduction to part of the learning process and nothing The tipping point group dynamics for language teachers, to be ashamed of. Such teachers while Hadfield presents an extensive regularly model desirable behaviour, collection of classroom activities for including behaving confidently and encouraging classes to develop and openly when they themselves make maintain a positive group feeling. In my mistakes. By smilingly admitting their own work I describe how teachers deal error (and thanking the person who

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www.diako.ir whispering with friends or using Group dynamics concepts mother-tongue talk in ways that make others feel excluded. ● A variety of social processes occur as ● The assigned group leader plays a small groups develop into cohesive key role in developing and 4 Convincing the customers groups, capable of maximum maintaining the unique culture of In any new group of learners one productivity. each group. question is always foremost in the students’ minds: is the teacher going to ● Group development processes are ● Leadership is not the sole prerogative often categorised into discrete stages of the group leader: many group treat me respectfully and fairly, and such as ‘forming’, ‘storming’, ‘norming’, members play roles that assist the teach me useful things in an effective ‘performing’ and ‘adjourning’ (Tuckman functioning of the overall group. and engaging way? This question is and Jensen). particularly important to students ● Leadership roles are of two types: whose whole future may depend on ● Distinct stages of small-group those that help the group progress being able to learn as much English as development, such as those listed towards its goals and those that help possible in as short a time as possible. above, must be treated with caution: the group to maintain its sense of If the teacher lacks an aura of they may not be readily identifiable, may togetherness. Both kinds of roles are professionalism because of their not be sequential and often overlap. important. appearance, manner of speaking or ● Challenging behaviour is a natural part ● Groups do not remain cohesive level of preparedness for the lesson, the of the group development process. unless progress is made towards the students are likely to feel put out. achievement of clearly-articulated Class-centred teachers are aware of ● Groups have a powerful normative goals. influence over the behaviour of group the need to gain the confidence of the members, encouraging individuals to ● Each group develops a unique culture students by demonstrating high levels of conform to the behavioural norms of that is shared and understood by all professionalism. Often answering the the overall group. the group members. question of a single student in a satisfactory way not only puts that student’s mind at rest, but reassures pointed it out) class-centred teachers flow from time to time, and so on. Once others, too. Even if a teacher cannot unconsciously create climates that they have established a connection with answer a tricky question, all is not lost: encourage students to use English in their class, teachers find themselves they can simply say they will check and less inhibited ways. included in a range of positive group provide the answer in the following lesson processes. (and, of course, remember to do so). 2 Making connections Most teachers are aware of the value of 3 Establishing expectations 5 Defining directions organising ‘ice-breakers’ for the first For classroom teaching to be effective, it The key feature that unites classroom lesson of any new class. These give is essential that the students know the communities is an overall sense of students the opportunity not only to behavioural expectations of their purpose: the idea that the students are learn each other’s names but also to teachers: which behaviours will be going with their teacher on a collective learn something about the backgrounds, condoned and which will not, what the learning journey. In their desire to have personalities, likes and dislikes and boundaries are, and what the their students engage in small-group skills of their classmates. Making consequences of uncalled-for behaviour interactive activities and tasks – or in connections at an interpersonal level, will be. Some teachers lay down the law their rush to complete a planned unit of even with limited levels of English, with sets of rules, others discuss (and work – language teachers sometimes paves the way for students to regard sometimes negotiate) with their classes forget the importance of making clear fellow class members – including those appropriate codes of behaviour and the the learning goals for each particular from cultural and linguistic reasons behind them, while other lesson. backgrounds that differ from their own teachers are neither clear nor consistent Class-centred teachers ensure that – as ‘one of us’ rather than ‘them’. This about their behavioural expectations. their students understand from the start makes it less likely that nationality or Class-centred teachers expect student the broad learning goals for the course friendship groups within the class will behaviour that encourages classes to and the rationale behind their teaching solidify into cliques. evolve into mutually-supportive approach. They also give their students Class-centred teachers recognise the classroom communities in which the the opportunity to express personal importance, not only of encouraging students feel comfortable, safe and learning needs and aspirations, students to make connections between protected. These teachers expect their explaining how these will be met. When themselves, but also of connecting students to behave in generous-minded students appear doubtful or personally with their classes. Developing ways towards their peers, helping and unconvinced, class-centred teachers rapport involves teachers trusting their supporting them wherever possible and negotiate learning goals with the class. students to behave appropriately, never behaving offensively. Typical Clear in their minds about the selection, treating all members of the class fairly, behavioural expectations of class- sequencing and purpose of each refraining from admonishing or centred teachers include respecting segment of the lesson, they maintain a punishing harshly, keeping their others at all times, laughing with but feeling of direction and collective emotions under control, going with the never at fellow students, and never progress towards achievable goals.

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www.diako.ir history. Apart from knowledge about have been together in the same class for Class-centred how individuals (including the teacher) up to 20 hours a week, emotions often routinely behave, and what the run high, with students exchanging teaching particular idiosyncrasies of individual email addresses, posing for group class members are, classes develop photos and pledging undying friendship. 6 Harnessing the headstrong collective memories of key events and Feelings are particularly strong if the All teachers are readily able to identify shared learning experiences in the life of class has functioned cohesively. high-profile students who have the the class: the day the electricity failed, Class-centred teachers know that it is potential to become troublemakers and the day when the class won an inter- important to mark the end of a course upset the social equilibrium of their class competition, and so on. by organising a special activity such as a classes. A natural instinct is to repress the Class-centred teachers make a quiz or a special sing-along session. behaviour of troublesome individuals by conscious effort to develop and Without this symbolic closure at the admonishing or punishing them harshly. maintain the collective memories of end of the course, term or school year, However, this is at best a temporary their classes, sensing that by so doing it can take students longer to sever ties solution and one that commonly leads they sustain a feeling of solidarity. with their present teacher and adjust to to an increase in undesirable behaviour. Their actions may include smiling and the teaching practices of their new one. Class-centred teachers recognise that making brief appreciative responses a preferable approach is to get tricky when individuals bring up shared class ૽ ૽ ૽ students on-side by harnessing their knowledge, or encouraging their classes energies for the good of the class. to remember previous lessons: who did I hope teachers will find these ten Ironically, this is often best achieved by what, what was learnt, what was principles of class group development giving individuals the benefit of the amusing or memorable, and so on. useful to remember as they go about doubt: praising them for initiatives that their daily teaching. Guided by these 9 can be construed positively, paying Maintaining momentum principles, they will be in a better them additional attention in the early Just as a spinning top gradually slows position to encourage their classes to days of the class, identifying specific down to the point where it eventually evolve into the kinds of groups that are roles for them, and so on. The topples over, so any group of people not only rewarding to teach, but that classroom behaviour of ‘difficult’ working together can lose their also provide optimal environments for students can change radically when they collective energy and enthusiasm. The language learning. ETp perceive that their teacher no longer situation is no different in language regards them as a threat. classes, particularly where lessons follow a well-trodden path and feelings of Dörnyei, Z and Murphey, T Group 7 Recognising roles inevitability and lethargy set in. Dynamics in the Language Classroom CUP 2003 The majority of students in most classes Class-centred teachers sense the Hadfield, J Classroom Dynamics OUP behave in relatively low-key ways, going importance of revitalising their class 1992 with the flow and rarely causing trouble. groups – and are able to do so even Schmuck, R A and Schmuck, P A Group Although they may not make their when using textbooks containing Processes in the Classroom (8th ed) presence felt in obvious ways, these routine texts and exercises. Such McGraw Hill 2001 students are just as vital to the ongoing teachers engage the interests of their Senior, R ‘The good language class: development and maintenance of class students by creating a feeling of teacher perceptions’ Edith Cowan cohesion as their more high-profile suspense or mystery at the start of University http://adt.ecu.edu.au/adt- public/adt-ECU2006.0002.html 1999 classmates – and they need to have their lessons, by behaving spontaneously in classroom presence recognised and valued. ways that lift the mood of the class, or Senior, R The Experience of Language Teaching CUP 2006 Class-centred teachers make an effort by having students complete learning Tollefson, K and Osborn, M K Cultivating to be inclusive, remembering something activities in novel ways. They are also the Learner-centred Classroom Corwin distinctive about individual class able to change the pace of lessons by Press 2008 members and, where appropriate, adjusting planned activities so that Tuckman, B W and Jensen, M A ‘Stages singling them out for special attention. students remain active and involved. By of group development’ They recognise that all students need to injecting a feeling of freshness and www.chimaeraconsulting.com/tuckman. feel that they are contributing vitality into their lessons, class-centred htm 1977 (individually or collectively) to the lives teachers are able to renew the sense of forward momentum that is vital to the of their classes. The kinds of roles that Rose Senior is a students can play include those that ongoing maintenance of a spirit of language teacher they assume for themselves and those cohesion within their classes. educator who runs workshops and that gradually emerge as the course presents at 10 progresses. Many of these roles facilitate Formalising farewells conferences around the world. the development of unique shared When any group experience comes to an classroom cultures. end, it is usual to mark it in a memorable way, with a ceremony, a party or an 8 Sustaining solidarity outing – which often involves the sharing Any class that has been together for any of food. When students from a range of length of time develops a shared cultural and linguistic backgrounds [email protected]

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir LISTENING order to achieve final understanding. To achieve this goal is no easy task. Learners not only need the necessary linguistic competence, but also appropriate listening strategies. Listening strategies Listening is a receptive linguistic skill, but it is not a passive one. When you WalkingWalking listen, you have to connect what you receive from the speaker with what is already in your mind. In order to process linguistic messages efficiently, learners have to employ listening strategies, including predicting, inferring, responding and clarifying. These are all advanced ‘top-down’ stickssticks processing strategies. However, our students often have problems with Ji Lingzhu offers her hen you listen to someone distinguishing sounds, identifying words talking in your mother and understanding the relationships students support strategies tongue, you don’t always between agents and objects in spoken have to pay close Wattention. By simply listening out for for improvement. the important words, you can usually get the whole message. In many Students situations, you may find yourself one need to be able to step ahead of the speaker: you can predict what they are going to say – recognise and use perhaps not always the exact words, but the signals that are at least the main idea. You can also get the implied message almost at the same provided in the target time as the speaker finishes the literal sentence. My students tell me that they language to predict, lose all these abilities when they listen in guess and infer English. Beginner-level English learners rely very much on ‘bottom-up’ processing English. This means that they still need when they listen; they listen word by help in bottom-up strategies. Research word or even sound by sound. Many suggests that linguistic signals are concentrate on the first few sentences processed through several levels: and start translating them into their auditory phonetic, phonemic, syllabic, native language. While they are doing lexical, syntactic, prepositional, this mental translating, the speaker has pragmatic and interpretive. moved far ahead. They often listen very Comprehension breakdown can occur attentively at the beginning, and then fall at any of these levels. If learners still asleep later. When they listen to long have problems in segmenting the word sentences, they can generally only boundaries in connected speech, they remember the first half of the sentence will certainly not be able to use and are at a loss when asked to transfer advanced top-down processing. information from a listening passage in What is needed is strategy training, order to complete post-listening exercises. and this should be integrated within the According to Gillian Brown, the accepted pedagogical sequence of pre- goal of teaching listening listening, while-listening and post- comprehension is to enable learners to listening. listen like native speakers. To do this, students need to be able to recognise 1 and use the signals that are provided in Pre-listening the target language to predict, guess and During the pre-listening phase, teachers infer. As David Mendelsohn points out, need to recognise that all students bring they then have to be taught to link these different beliefs, attitudes and prejudices

signals to their world knowledge in to the listening experience, which will iStockphoto.com / © Andrzej Tokarski

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www.diako.ir affect their understanding of the Build up prior knowledge as a 1 Situation ...... message. In addition to being aware of warm-up activity this themselves, teachers need to make You are likely to be fairly familiar with Speaker’s name ...... their students aware of it. Before they what your students know and don’t Date ...... listen, the students need assistance in know. When you suspect that they won’t activating what they already know know anything about a listening text, Occasion ...... about the things they are going to hear. you can provide appropriate 2 What is the general topic of this Simply being told the topic is not background information: about the talk? enough. Pre-listening activities are speaker, the topic, the purpose of the needed, which will establish what is listening text and the concepts and ...... already known about the subject, build vocabulary that are likely to be 3 What is the main point or message? up the necessary background, and set a embedded in it. When using listening purpose for listening. The most texts from coursebooks, teachers should ...... important strategy to cultivate at this read the transcript in advance, if it is 4 How has the speaker organised the stage is prediction. available, and they can also glean talk? Predicting is very easy for native- information about the content of the ...... speaker listeners because their previous listening from the exercises which are experiences of how the language is used provided for the while-listening and 5 What transitional expressions (eg in everyday life enable them to bring post-listening stages. firstly, secondly, in contrast, in top-down processing to bear on any In most coursebooks for teaching conclusion, etc) does the speaker obscure phonetic signal. They will be English, there are exercises designed to use? able to use their expectations to narrow check the learners’ listening ...... it down to what is likely to be said, and comprehension. We can make use of all to predict what the speaker will say these exercises to help our students to 6 Does the speaker digress from the next. However, it is not so easy for non- predict the coming passage. The main point? native listeners, who have to build up students can be trained to look at them ...... knowledge from scratch. There are in order to find the topic, the key several strategies that students can be content words and even the speaker’s 7 What is your personal reaction to taught and teachers can use to help opinions. the talk? them predict what they will hear. Here are some true/false questions ...... for a listening passage: Activate existing knowledge to 1 The schools in this area are not good, predict the unknown but the teachers are very good. 2 When students know the topic of a While-listening listening text, we can help them to 2 The children at these schools don’t People can listen and think at four times predict what content words might be like learning. the normal conversation rate. Students used, since the topic largely decides the 3 Few children at these schools can have to be encouraged to use this ‘rate vocabulary. Students may also be read. gap’ to process actively what they hear. encouraged to ask themselves what they In order to use this extra time wisely, 4 The children at these schools often already know about a given topic, and there are several things students can be fight and some even smoke and drink. can use this to determine what encouraged to do: they can think about information they will need in order to Of course, we don’t know whether these what they are hearing; they can get the most from the message. They statements are true or false before we question it; they can repeat it in their can brainstorm ideas, discuss, read, listen, but from them we can predict the heads in order to remember it; they can view films or photos, and write and topic of the passage (the schools in the jot down key words or key phrases. share journal entries. Their predictions speaker’s area), several key words which They can also wonder about whether it can then be assessed during the while- will appear (school, children, teachers, is true or if the speaker is revealing listening stage. read, fight, smoke) and something personal feelings rather than making an about the speaker’s opinion (they are objective assessment. complaining about the schools). Effective listeners often make Effective listeners If there are no pre-designed connections with people, places, coursebook exercises for a particular situations and ideas they already know, make and confirm listening task, giving the students a determining what the speaker is saying predictions and try ‘listening guide’ is a good idea. There about them and paying special attention are many forms that a listening guide to any words and ideas that are unclear. to determine what might take. It could provide an overview They make and confirm predictions and of the listening text, giving its main try to determine what will be said next will be said next by ideas and suggesting questions for the by ‘listening between the lines’ – inferring ‘listening between students to think about while they are meaning that the speaker does not listening. It might provide a summary actually make explicit. They also reflect the lines’ or outline of the talk for the students to and evaluate by responding to what complete. Here is an example: they have heard and passing judgement.

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir B: Yes. I asked them to feed it for ten Conducting a ‘post-mortem’ is days. (They are going to be away for another very useful technique. Ask the ten days; nobody will be at home to students to talk about what the speaker ENGLISH feed their parrot, so they have asked said, question any statements of EACHING their neighbours to help.) opinion, amplify certain remarks and TEACHING identify parallel incidents from life and professional 2 literature. Man: I am worried about those classes I Get the students to review any notes This is your magazine. missed when I was sick. (The man is a they have made and to add any We want to hear from you! student. He has been sick. He is information that they did not have an concerned about the work he has opportunity to note down while they missed.) were listening. They can also summarise ߜ what was said orally, in writing or by Woman: I will try to bring you up-to- producing an outline. In addition to the IT WORKS IN PRACTICE date on what we’ve done. (The woman traditional outline format, students is either a fellow student or the man’s Do you have ideas you’d like to share could use timelines, flow charts, ladders, teacher. She was present at the classes with colleagues around the world? circles, diagrams, webs or maps. the man missed. She is willing to help Tips, techniques and activities; Students can be given opportunities him catch up.) simple or sophisticated; well-tried to engage in activities that build on and or innovative; something that has develop concepts acquired during an Organisational patterns and worked well for you? All published oral presentation. These may include transitional devices contributions receive a prize! writing (eg a response journal, learning Comprehension can be improved Write to us or email: log or composition), reading (eg further enormously if the speaker’s research on a topic or a contradictory [email protected] organisational pattern is perceived by viewpoint), art or drama (eg designing a the listener. We can teach our students cover after a talk on a book or about the various genres they may roleplaying a mock trial based on the encounter (eg short story, essay, poetry, topic). TALKBACK!TALKBACK! play), the organisational patterns that Do you have something to say about may be used (eg logical, chronological, ૽ ૽ ૽ an article in the current issue of ETp? spatial), and about transitional devices, This is your magazine and we would key signal expressions which structure a My experience suggests that listening text and give clues as to the direction it really like to hear from you. strategies, especially top-down is taking. These transitional devices Write to us or email: strategies, are like walking sticks for include example words (such as, for language learners. In the early stages, [email protected] example, for instance, thus, etc), time students often forget to rely on these words (first, second, third, meanwhile, sticks and, as a result, they fall down a next, etc), addition words (in addition, lot. Teachers can raise their students’ Writing for ETp also, furthermore, moreover, another awareness of the strategies they can use, Would you like to write for ETp? We are example, etc), result words (as a result, and can help them transfer the natural always interested in new writers and so, accordingly, therefore, thus, etc) and listening strategies they employ in their fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice, contrast words (however, but, in native language to English. By doing write to us or email: contrast, on the other hand, nevertheless, this, they will help their students etc). Effective listeners can follow [email protected] become more effective listeners in spoken discourse when they recognise English. ETp these transitional devices. Visit the Brown, G Listening to Spoken English 3 After-listening (2nd ed) Longman 1990 ETp website! After listening, the students need to act Mendelsohn, D and Rubin, J (Eds) A The ETp website is packed with practical upon what they have heard in order to Guide for the Teaching of Second tips, advice, resources, information and Language Listening Dominie Press 1995 clarify meaning and extend their selected articles. You can submit tips thinking. Well-planned post-listening or articles, renew your subscription Ji Lingzhu is an activities are just as important as those associate professor in or simply browse the features. employed before and during listening. the English Department at Taiyuan Normal www.etprofessional.com Strategies such as clarification, University, P R China. summarisation, elaboration and She is currently doing research in applied personalisation should be cultivated linguistics. ENGLISH TEACHING professional during this stage. Keyways Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Students can ask themselves Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8HD, UK questions to clarify their understanding, Fax: +44 (0)1243 576456 confirm their assumptions and evaluate Email: [email protected] their own use of listening strategies. [email protected]

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www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM by its glamour! What are we asking the students to do with the language? What cognitive processes are involved? Once we have answered these two questions, we can move on to the next step. Do the students have the tools to Activities enjoy the challenge? Notice the verb enjoy. We do not want situations that can be frustrating for both the students and the teacher. If the answer is no, we need to plan a sequence of activities under analysis that will pave the way towards what we want the students to do, giving them the Myrian Casamassima advocates adjusting our attitudes tools to perform it. If the answer is yes, to classroom activities. we still need to plan a sequence for revision purposes; it is important not to take the students’ ability for granted. If ave you ever stepped out of the the right tenses and vocabulary, write we have a closer look at these sequences, classroom after having tried the sentences, connect them into we will see that they comprise activities out a new activity saying to paragraphs, edit their work, and so on. H of a smaller scale in comparison with yourself ‘It didn’t work as I had The list of required actions may turn our main activity, which may be placed expected’? This has often happened to out to be quite long and complex, right at the end of the string or half- me and I have heard the same complaint especially if the students are not way through it so that later on we can from teacher trainees many times. familiar with the activity or if we add have additional activities that derive Picture the situation. You have put a elements such as a time limit or group logically from it. The result will be a lot of time and energy into choosing an interaction. It is worth noting that plan: a series of actions leading us exercise and producing the materials that working in groups is not necessarily towards our goal. are necessary for its implementation. easier if the students do not actually Contrary to your expectations, however, have the skills required to work in ૽ ૽ ૽ the students do not feel motivated by it groups. Likewise, a time limit does not and the general tone of the class drops. necessarily help the students get I propose that challenging activities As a result, you feel frustrated. What themselves organised more quickly, and should mean ‘challenging the activities could have gone wrong? it may well exert additional pressure. we give our students’ rather than The activity may have failed because However, there is something else to ‘activities that are challenging’. the students habitually take little consider in the nature of activities, Teachers’ intuition is generally reliable interest in the class. Or it may have besides the two aspects described above. when it comes to deciding what is likely failed because you did something wrong We often tend to think that activities to be a challenging activity for their during the procedure. One way or the stand on their own, but in reality, any students. My suggestion is to challenge other, you are beginning to play the activity – especially a communicative one each activity by analysing it at its two blaming game, which really takes us – is generally part of a string of tasks. levels and by questioning its nowhere. The answer to the question This means that there will be something independence from other activities in a does not really lie in whose fault it is, that has to be done before and after it. sequence. If we do this, we will be more but in the analysis of the activity itself. We naturally want to assign likely to produce lessons that progress activities which are challenging for our smoothly and are well sequenced, Assigning activities students. These are the kinds of enabling us to make the most of the activities that will help them develop, activity that triggered the process. ETp When we assign an activity in class, we and they are the types of activities that are asking our students to do something students find most motivating. with the language. For example, if we For a full discussion of task analysis, However, it is not enough simply to see: ask them to write a biography of their choose activities that are challenging. favourite singer, they will have to write Skehan, P A Cognitive Approach to We must remember that the more Language Learning OUP 1998 several paragraphs, probably using the challenging the activity, the more past simple tense and, if the singer is complex it may be in terms of both Myrian Casamassima still alive, the present and future tenses, language and cognition, and we need to is an English teacher too. This, then, is one aspect of the from Lenguas Vivas look at the context of that activity in ‘J R Fernández’, Buenos activity, its linguistic side. terms of the things the students are Aires, Argentina, where There is also another aspect, a she has been a teacher required to do before and after it. trainer for ten years. She cognitive one, that has to do with the holds a Trinity College mental processing that is required to do Diploma in TESOL and Analysing activities an MA in Cognitive the activity. This means that the Psychology from the students will be expected to interact Our first step in deciding whether or not Universidad Autónoma with the input, select the relevant an activity is suitable should be to look de Madrid, Spain. information, rank it, organise it, choose at it more closely. Let us not be dazzled [email protected]

16 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir VOCABULARY A revision lesson Step 1: Ask the students to look through their notes and find between three and five items of vocabulary that were new to them this week. Stress that Revising these do not have to be single words but can include collocations, phrases and idioms. Step 2: Once the students have done new words this, distribute board pens and ask them new words to come up and write the words on the Angela Noble does more than just write lexis on the board. board. You may want to limit the number of words here to save time. he other day, I looked at my I’ve done from my very early days of Step 3: Hand out one sticky note per whiteboard half-way through the teaching, and I’ve found that it has student and ask them to fold it in half. In lesson. In the vocabulary column various benefits: T the top half, they should draw a happy were these words: bagpipes, haunting, ● You can use the list for wind-down face and in the bottom half a question kilts, saliva. Hmm – eclectic, to say the activities if you have five minutes mark. Explain that the top half is for least! The first had arisen from an spare at the end of a lesson. For words they remember, understand and IELTS practice listening which involved example, students can be asked to are comfortable with, while the bottom labelling the parts of a bagpipe. At the make example sentences using the half is for words they don’t know or can’t planning stage, this had seemed most words, or play ‘Back to the board’ remember. They should write three words unpromising. I had wondered whether (see Step 5 opposite). from the board on each half. my class would really find this ● interesting. Nevertheless, I decided to You can use the lists of words for a Step 4: When they are ready, the persevere and see what came out of it. focus on pronunciation. Get the students stick their notes somewhere As it turned out, they have a very similar students to mark the word stresses or on themselves and mingle. They look at traditional instrument in Libya with a practise saying weak forms. each other’s notes, and if there is an beautiful, haunting sound. As a result, ● You can have a competition to see item of vocabulary that a classmate the word haunting was added to the list. how many of the words the students understands but they don’t, they can A couple of well-travelled students can use in a dialogue. ask for an explanation and an example sentence. Monitor at this point to make had recently been to Scotland, and told ● As a collaborative effort, students can sure that their descriptions are not me they liked the ‘skirts’ worn by the add any other new words they have misleading. men. ‘Is it true they don’t wear come across to share with their underwear?’ asked another. After eight classmates. Step 5: When the students are sure they years of teaching, my students still understand all the words on their notes, manage to surprise me every day. I On Fridays I have revision lessons and in split them into two teams and play ‘Back taught them the word kilts while trying these I focus on all the words that have to the board’. One student from each not to blush, and put that up on the gone up in the column throughout the team sits facing the class and you circle board, too. week. To do this, I make sure that I have one word on the board behind their The second stage of the activity made a note of the words that I have back. The other members of the team involved listening to an account of the written up over the week so that I can must help the chosen student to guess history and workings of the trumpet. elicit them from the students for revision, the word by describing it. The first of We’d warmed to our subject now, and and to see what they have remembered! the two students at the front to say the had a lively discussion about the sounds This can lead to very productive, free word wins a point for their team. Rub of different musical instruments (the writing and speaking classes where the word off the board, choose two saxophone was the overall favourite). In students get the opportunity to revise more students and circle another word. the listening text there was a description new vocabulary and use it in context. Step 6: When all the words have been of the ‘water key’, which trumpeters use The revision lesson in the box takes an guessed and rubbed off the board, put to drain saliva out of their instruments. hour to an hour and a half. ETp the students into pairs or groups of As a result, saliva went up on the board. Angela Noble has three. Between them, they should have worked for eight years between 12 and 18 words on their as a teacher and teacher Whiteboard words trainer in Prague, Czech sticky notes. Explain that they now have Republic, and the UK. 15 minutes to write a dialogue using as The point of this account is that She is currently head of designating a column on your EFL at a small language many of the words as possible correctly, whiteboard for vocabulary, which you school in Leeds, UK, and in a suitable context. where she is developing then use to add words that come up in her interest in ways to Step 7 (optional): Get the students to each lesson, can be very useful and teach vocabulary effectively. perform and listen to the dialogues, and provides you with a surprisingly then vote on the best. versatile teaching tool. It’s something [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 17

www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM class. The real bonus is that everyone can hear what is said and comment on it. However, not all classroom layouts allow for this, so I have included alternative procedures below. You can also adapt the posters for different skills, eg Writing is like ... Listening in English is like … . You will Learning probably find that the students’ attitudes are very different for each skill. Posters First, make six or seven Learning a language is like .... posters using things language from the box below or your own ideas. Make sure they are relevant to the culture and likely experience of your students, eg making sushi in Japan. (Try to include being in a dark room and being in the army, as these always provoke a good discussion.) Make the is like... posters large enough that they can be Dede Wilson explores the perceptions seen and read from all around the room. This is particularly important if and expectations of her students. your classroom layout does not permit the students to get up and move around. Laminate them if possible so s teachers, one of the first they can be used again. things we do early in a course is to find out more about Learning a language is like ... who we are teaching – not making friends Ajust what our students’ English is like, but also their interests and how they feel climbing a mountain about learning a language. To do this, I being in a dark room use a fun student-centred activity, which training to be an athlete gives me an insight into their learning making bread/noodles strategies and attitudes and also helps students are in a small group, they learning to ride a bicycle them to gel as a class. This activity is naturally want to compare and discuss being in the army adapted from one described by Jill their choices and talk about their reasons learning to drive Hadfield and it compares learning a and experiences. The groups provide a learning to fly a kite language to other life events. sense of security. Many students expect learning to play the piano Colourful posters are displayed their perceptions to be similar and are working on a farm around the room making various surprised at how different they really are. learning to swim comparisons such as, Learning a This creates a real buzz around the room. language is like learning to fly a kite or The students’ expectations of Learning a language is like climbing a language learning and their perceptions Possibilities mountain. Once the students’ curiosity is of their own ability become apparent as aroused, they begin relating the they speak. It also becomes clear what 1 Mobile groupwork different images to themselves and their their attitudes to learning are – ● Put the posters around the room where beliefs about learning. informed by what has worked for them they can be seen by the whole class. and what hasn’t. I never cease to be With classes of up to 25 students, I ● put the posters on the walls and get the surprised when the quietest students Tell the students to read each poster students to walk around the room. They suddenly and effortlessly become fluent and then decide which best describes decide which poster best describes their articulate speakers! what learning a language is like for learning experiences and then stand To be fully inclusive, students face them. underneath it. Others come and join each other from different parts of the ● Ask them to go and stand under the them as they decide between different room and speak openly to the class with poster that best describes their feelings. posters, weighing up the differences everyone from the same group Instruct them to discuss with the other between being in a dark room and the contributing and the teacher guiding the students who are standing under the army, or learning to ride a bicycle rather proceedings from the centre. This same poster why they think learning a than drive a car. arrangement creates a focal point and language is like this. (If there is only The beauty of this is that when the generates interest in each other as a one student under a particular poster,

18 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir ask them to join one of the smaller ● Walk around the groups as they work opportunity to encourage the idea that groups and take turns to describe the and make notes for delayed feedback making mistakes when speaking is not reasons for their choices.) on language accuracy. losing face, but a natural part of ● Allow the students to talk for a few learning, like learning to ride a bicycle minutes and monitor their discussion 3 Using an interview grid or play the piano. by walking around and listening. ● Put the posters on the walls as before, Teacher trainers Make a note of any ideas that you and have the students form groups For teacher trainers, it may come as a would like to draw out in an open according to which poster they feel surprise to see so many in the army with iStockphoto.com / © ElementalImaging discussion, such as comparisons most applies to them. incomprehensible rules or never finding between their choices of bicycle rather their way out of the dark room! ● Give each group a grid (see below) and than car. It provides an insight into what may ask them to work together to interview ● affect the trainees’ approach to teaching. When the initial discussion is over other students in the class about their (you might like to set a time limit), choices and their reasons, and complete ૽ ૽ ૽ stand in the middle of the room and the grid. The groups then work invite the students to speak. Start with together to produce a new poster or I have done this activity with every class one group and ask different students write about each other for homework. within the group to explain their I have taught, whether they were students from elementary levels to reasons to the class. Encourage the Name Learning is Reasons rest of the class to listen carefully by like ... proficiency or trainee teachers. No two asking what they agree and disagree classes have ever been the same. I have with. Change the focus by moving on found that you cannot make to groups on other sides of the room. assumptions about what the students will say or whether something will be ● As options are discussed, ask about regarded as positive or negative. You similarities or differences, eg how might expect making friends to be always climbing a mountain might be similar a good experience, but for some it’s to learning to fly a kite. To give added Potential hard, you have to work at it, overcome incentive for listening to each other, shyness, take risks and even fight. Being tell the students they are going to Each of the procedures outlined above in a dark room can be a positively write about some of the definitions has its own benefits. I feel much is to be enlightening experience: it may be worth they liked the best or disagreed with, gained from the first procedure because the effort to find the light switch. For giving their reasons. it involves the whole class working together, but this may not be possible one Chinese girl I taught, being in the ● Ask the students to work in groups to with very large classes. army had always been her dream, it write about the definitions they have provided structure and a future. chosen. They can do this in the form Students Finding out so much of another poster to stick on the wall. For the students, this activity is about your students in Remind them to give reasons for their motivating because it is personal and one activity is often a choices, whether positive or negative. linked to their own experience. It revelation for everyone. provides a chance to use the language As we don’t often talk they have learnt, and an opportunity to 2 Seated groupwork about our language be imaginative and express their learning experiences, ● Put the students in groups of 4–6. opinions. It promotes active listening it can also bring an (With fixed seats, get the odd-number for recognition and interaction. Fluency element of self- rows to turn around to face the even and accuracy become an unconscious discovery. Most numbers.) Ask the students to look at focus as they try to express themselves importantly, it is the posters and choose the one that clearly. There is even some semi- genuine. ETp best describes their feelings. controlled language practice of gerunds, ● Encourage the students within each language of comparison and contrast group to do a survey of the different and metaphor. Hadfield, J Classroom Dynamics opinions, finding out which poster Teachers OUP 1982 each student in the group has chosen The activity not only enables teachers to and why. Dede Wilson trains evaluate their students’ linguistic ability native- and non-native- ● With mixed-ability groups, one student for fluency and accuracy, but gives them speaker language teachers around the could take on the role of monitor, a chance to see how well the students world. With a background pointing to a poster and asking who are able to put language together, make in teaching young learners and adults, she thought language learning was like, for comparisons, express reasons and use has taught international example, learning to ride a bicycle. language learnt. Additionally, it gives development courses since 1990. She has a The students raise their hands. Other insights into different learning styles, BA in Psychology and students can become monitors as they anxieties and overall feelings about a Masters in ELT and Applied Linguistics. can change positions after they have learning English and therefore assists in spoken, and call on each other. learner training. For example, it is an [email protected]

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir GRAMMAR ● I brushed up on my French last year on holiday. ● I need to brush up on my computer skills. Phrasal verbs? Up to you We saw earlier that there is a big difference between being dressed and being dressed up. With the next group of verbs, however, up is optional. You They’re easy! 4 don’t have to say it. If you do say it, the image is the same, just more complete. John Ryan ties up his exploration of verbs that take up. For example, the shop is closed and the shop is closed up are more or less the same. The only difference is that with n Issue 64 of ETp, I looked at verbs don’t grow up, they just grow. They get closed up, the shop is more closed (if which take up and concentrated on bigger. Growing up is not just about you can imagine that). If I say the shop two possible meanings. getting bigger and fatter; it’s about I is closed, it could be for lunch, whereas developing. Plants don’t grow up, cities 1 The direction ł (primarily with verbs the shop is closed up is likely to be for don’t grow up. Only humans do. When of movement) the night or much longer. we grow up, we develop, we come closer 2 Creation or death (signifying the Here are more verbs which behave to an idea of perfection. beginning or the end of something) like this. Notice that all of them mean Look at that man. He’s wearing closing in some way, but with some Now I would like to look at more verbs better clothes than normal. He’s not there really isn’t much difference with up, but this time covered by the just dressed. He’s dressed up for a whether you use up or not. third category I mentioned in my last special occasion. He looks perfect! ● article: the road to perfection. Turn up the TV! In this case, the You can board the windows or you volume is too low. Turn it up. Perfect! can board up the windows. What is perfection? Have you ever seen Thank you. ● You can tie your shoelaces or tie up it? Have you ever smelt or tasted it? No? Speak up! Speak louder. Louder! your shoelaces. I think it is fair to say that outside a Perfect! Thank you. ● You can lock the house or lock up religious context, nothing is perfect. Why do women wear make up? Do the house. (However, you lock, not Even the most ‘perfect’ circle you can they see it as a development towards lock up, the door.) draw with the most advanced computer perfection? In this case, maybe it’s ● You can button your shirt or button won’t look perfect when viewed under a perfect femininity. up your shirt. powerful microscope. However, we all He’s always trying to butter me up. ● have an idea of perfection. For example, I’m his boss, and he’s always saying nice You can tape or tape up a box. I can imagine my perfect holiday, my things to me. Why? Because he wants a ● You can block or block up a gap or perfect partner or my perfect meal. favour, a raise or extra holidays! He hole. When you put up beside some verbs, wants to develop our relationship to a ● The drains can be clogged or it moves the action closer to this idea of perfect level. clogged up. perfection. Imagine an empty glass. ● You can parcel or parcel up What is its job? To hold liquid. So when Cleaning up something to be sent. the glass is absolutely full, can I say it’s ● You can seal or seal up a building or perfect? I believe so because it is doing Very often, verbs associated with a room. its job 100%, or completely. That 100% cleaning are verbs with up. After all, ● means it’s fulfilling all of its potential. when you clean up something, you are Some string can become tangled or We cannot ask the glass to do more developing it towards perfection! Here tangled up. than this. Therefore the road, the are some examples: ● You can zip or zip up your jacket. ● I mopped up the floor. journey to perfection is the verb to fill In the next issue, I will look at verbs up. Now, you may say that in this case, ● I tidied up my bedroom. with across and through. ETp up means ł. But we also fill up a tyre ● I cleaned up the house. with air, and this is in every direction! John Ryan is the Director ● I wiped up the spilt milk. of Studies at Delfin School of English, Dublin, ● I swept up the leaves. Ireland, and believes that Growing up the English language is ● I smartened up the room with some accessible to all learners Here’s another example. When we give cushions. as there is an underlying our children food and education, we are logic, which exists even ● I jazzed up the living room with some in the most idiomatic of bringing them up. We are developing phrases. Bringing this them towards perfection. (Of course, flowers. logic to the learner is his goal in training. unfortunately, they never arrive!) ● Last week I did up my house. Children grow up. Animals and plants (I decorated it – now it’s perfect.) [email protected]

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS ૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽૽

which the teacher says and demonstrates verbs, and students imitate them until the gestures are no longer needed). Building expressive skills I examine books in order to check that new language is introduced ReadyReady to to read read incrementally and to ensure that they will engage students in beginner-type Ana Lado considers some criteria for selecting interactions. Books with five or more books for beginners. questions embedded in the text can be used with guessing games. hildren’s picture books are and the stages within these levels. Finding Developing language knowledge an invaluable resource for the right book for beginners, whose I look for books with predictable teachers wanting to provide needs vary depending on the different sentence patterns to highlight grammar. students with experiences of stages they are at, entails knowing such These can be used with substitution Cauthentic English. A problem arises, things as the amount of vocabulary, exercises and dictation. however, when a book is above the grammatical difficulty, topic complexity Facilitating fluency students’ comprehension level. In this and other information. It is also difficult Books with repetition are extremely case, teachers must spend time to find books with beginner-level English useful. If they have five or more developing complementary activities to that are also appropriate for school-aged repetitions of a sentence, they can be bridge the gap between the level of the beginners. Many books which contain the used for developing fluency through students and that of the text. However, simplest English are, in fact, unappealing jazz chanting. we can avoid some of this work by to school-age early beginners because carefully selecting books of appropriate of their babyish topics and illustrations. length, simplicity and accessibility. Three stages for Carefully selected books can Criteria for choice selection introduce new English without In class, teachers accommodate their In general, the criteria used to select overwhelming beginners and thus language to the different stages of books for teaching English language sacrificing enjoyment. When books beginner-level language learners, from learners need to take into account match student abilities, the students are the earliest beginner students who are many characteristics of both books and able to use them for independent reticent to speak, to intermediate students. Once I have taken these into practice and this reduces the amount of beginners who can use formulaic account and selected a set of books for time the teacher must spend in preparing phrases and predictable short phrases, beginners, I additionally consider developmental activities. Essentially, to productive beginners who have a whether a particular book addresses a when books match students and the much larger range of abilities. balance of opportunities for language teaching strategy, they are ready-to-use. Rote and structured interactions are learning. I search for books with Finding a useful picture book for a interim communicative exchanges for embedded features that clarify meaning, beginner-level student at first seems easy. teaching English. Teachers should build expressive skills, develop language It is a matter of selecting among those balance their activities, giving equal time knowledge and facilitate fluency. Books with little text, interesting visuals and to comprehension activities which with these features are compatible with repetition. This type of information can be clarify meaning, communication a communicative language teaching found in annotated book lists. However, activities which allow personal interests programme. When I find books which a difficulty arises when a teacher is to be expressed, direct language contain these four features, I match searching for an ideal book for a learning through elaboration, and each book with a teaching strategy. particular English proficiency level. This fluency activities with repetition. These include using realia (real objects is not easy because it involves knowing Teachers can examine books to brought to the classroom), Total Physical more information than is readily available match their use of language with the Response (TPR), guessing games, on annotated book lists. These lists usually students’ capabilities. For the earliest substitution, dictation and jazz chanting. only provide enough information about a beginners, books should be introduced book to enable the teacher to match it to Clarifying meaning with activities involving rote interaction. a broad-brush level of English proficiency. Books with closely corresponding visuals Once the students have acquired some Teachers wishing to select books for and text help to clarify meaning. I look skills, they can participate in structured particular students need descriptions for ones I can use in conjunction with interactions. Successful participation in with information related to narrower realia, and ones which contain action these eventually leads to more complex definitions of English proficiency levels, verbs to use with TPR (a strategy in and open-ended communication.

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 23

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir www.diako.ir www.diako.ir Over the wall ... Alan Maley investigates the urge to write.

y last article (in ETp Issue 64) books can help in several important focuses on getting started, character, plot, ended when the fictional ways. They can inspire us, stimulate our dialogue and setting. There are some eye- Queen of England in Alan ideas, offer encouragement and support, catching metaphors: ‘Writing a first draft MBennett’s novel The and validate our belief that we can write. is … like watching a Polaroid develop’ or, Uncommon Reader, having discovered They can point out directions and even quoting E L Doctorow, ‘… writing a novel the joys of reading, decides to take up sometimes show us the nuts and bolts, is like driving a car at night. You can see writing as the next step. Like the Queen, the techniques we may need, and offer only as far as your headlights, but you can many if not most of us, at one time or us practice. In varying degrees, all these make the whole trip that way’. In Part II, another, have felt the itch to write. This is books do some of these things. she offers more personal advice on the often expressed in soulful sighs, ‘I wish I need to develop close observation, to be could write…’. Unlike the Queen, we Writing Down the Bones true to yourself, to trust intuitions, and to rarely act upon our wish, although, as Dr still the voice of the negative internal Nathalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Johnson bluntly asserts, ‘Any man may critic (and the uncritical voice of the self- Bones is essentially an inspirational book, write at any time, if he will set himself regarding admirer!). Part III offers advice somewhat in the Beat Generation style, doggedly to it’. No one gets to write on where to get help: by using index cards with a goodly dose of self-exposure. It is unless they start to write. It is as easy – for taking notes, using other people’s sometimes overly effusive and and as difficult – as that. specialist knowledge, writing in groups for distractingly discursive, but it rides on the For language teachers, there are few mutual support, finding a reliable critical author’s genuine enthusiasm for and long more effective ways of re-activating and reader for your work, writing a letter experience of writing creatively. It is a extending their grasp of the language, when you get stuck, and general advice sprawling, almost random, collection of and of restoring their taste for linguistic on dealing with writer’s block. In Part IV, short chapters, most of which could risk-taking and playfulness, than creative she discusses some of our motivations to stand alone: a mix of personal anecdote, writing (and that goes for non-native write, apart from publication. memoir, reflections on most aspects of speakers as well as for native speakers). writing, some sound advice, and even a It opens the gates to the figurative and few practical ideas for generating writing. Rose, Where Did You lyrical aspects of language. It pushes I find myself returning to it once or twice Get That Red? them to, and over, the edge of their a year and always with profit. comfortable plateau. In Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? In this article I will be examining five Kenneth Koch brings us closer to teaching, books which address this urge to write Bird by Bird though in the context of teaching the creatively. Of course, reading a book about A more organised, though still inspirational, mother tongue in a New York City public creative writing does not teach us to write. version of the writing process for fiction school (from grades 3 to 9). His book is As I have said, to learn to write, we need is offered by Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird. based on the idea that children and to write. There is no other way. Yet such The book is in four parts. Part I, Writing, adolescents can, and should, be exposed

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 27

www.diako.ir The first chapter, A Personal Introduction, conclude each chapter (something I found Over may therefore sound some unfamiliar well worth working through). He illustrates notes to the uninitiated. He makes it clear points with his own tailor-made verse, and that this is not simply an exploration of with subtly-chosen work from a wide the the word, but of the world and the self in range of poets. This is an irresistible book the world. He links the four basic – the best I have come across in years. wall ... sentence types: Command, Exclamation, Coincidentally, but highly relevant to the Question and Statement with the four message of this series of articles, I came temperaments: Choleric, Sanguine, upon it in a second-hand bookshop in Melancholic and Phlegmatic, and the four distant Vientiane, Laos. What better elements: Earth, Water, Air and Fire, and example of the serendipity of the with three characteristics of language: worldwide confederacy of readers? Image, Sound and Movement (rhythm). This may all sound a bit esoteric, but the ૽ ૽ ૽ ideas for developing writing are in fact to ‘real’ poems by great poets from all highly practical and imaginatively There are, of course, many other books on periods, and that they can then use these stimulating. He groups them, all 307 of creative writing, and I have included a few poems to spark poems of their own. The them, in five chapters: one each for The of them in the further reading references ten sample lessons he offers are based Command, The Exclamation, The Question below. But we should not forget the on poems by Blake, Herrick, Donne, and The Statement, plus one called The obvious truth that we don’t learn to write Shakespeare, Whitman, Wallace Stevens, Hearth, which explores stories. The book from books about writing. We learn to Carlos Williams, Lorca, Ashbery and is a fantastic quarry of original ideas for write by doing it. Happy writing! ETp Rimbaud – not readings for the faint- writing (mainly poetry), a cornucopia of hearted. He makes it clear in his source material for anyone wishing to Books reviewed introduction, however, that we should never explore their own writing or to incorporate surrender to ‘difficulty’ before it has been it into their teaching. But these are not Fry, S The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within Arrow Books 2005 experienced. ‘In deciding on poems, I pre-cooked formulae – they require wasn’t put off by some of the difficulties individual effort for their full realisation. Goldberg, N Writing Down the Bones teachers are often bothered by. Unfamiliar Shambhala 1986 words and difficult syntax, for example, and Koch, K Rose, Where Did You Get That allusions to unfamiliar things. ... To reject The Ode Less Travelled Red? Vintage Books 1990 every poem the children would not Stephen Fry is better known to most Lamott, A Bird by Bird Pantheon understand in all its detail would mean people as a writer, actor and broadcaster, Books/Random House 1994 eliminating too many good things.’ And so it comes as something of a surprise to Matthews, P Sing Me the Creation Hawthorn Press 1994 later, ‘What matters for the present is not learn that he is totally enthused by poetry. that the children admire Blake and his The pun in the title of his book, The Ode Further reading achievement, but that each child be able Less Travelled, gives us a clue to the witty Angwin, R Writing the Bright Moment: to find a tyger of his own’. This refusal to treatment of the subject to come, but it Inspiration and Guidance for Writers Fire condescend to children and his trust that does not prepare us for the passion of it. in the Head 2005 He makes a number of points in his Bell, J and Magrs, P (Eds) The Creative We don’t learn to write Writing Coursebook Macmillan 2001 Drury, J Creating Poetry Writer’s Digest from books about writing: we learn by doing it Books 1991 Clark, T (Ed) The Writer’s Digest foreword: everyone is capable of writing Handbook of Novel Writing Writer’s poetry, there is a need to learn how to do Digest Books 1998 they will make their own understandings of it better (‘talent is inborn but technique is Novakovich, J Fiction Writer’s Workshop the poems seem to have paid off amply learned’), poetry is language, not a special Story Press 1995 in the quality of the examples of kind of language but a special way of Whitworth, J Writing Poetry A and C children’s work provided in the sample deploying it, and writing poetry makes us Black 2001 lessons. The final section is a stimulating better appreciate the poems of others. anthology of poems, with suggestions on There are three main chapters – on metre, Alan Maley has worked in rhyme and form, with a coda about poetic the area of ELT for over how they might be used. This is certainly 40 years in Yugoslavia, an inspirational book, too, but it primarily diction and the state of poetry today. The Ghana, Italy, France, style is light-hearted and delightfully China, India, the UK, offers insights into teaching creative writing, Singapore and Thailand. and is a great source of original poems. disrespectful (he refers graphically to Since 2003 he has been some poetry as ‘arse drizzle’…) but the wit a freelance writer and consultant. He has conceals an encyclopaedic knowledge of published over 30 books Sing Me the Creation the subject. I know of no other book and numerous articles, and was, until recently, Paul Matthews’ take on poetry in Sing Me which makes metre so fascinating. He Series Editor of the the Creation is somewhat different. He is addresses his readers directly throughout, Oxford Resource Books very much part of the anthroposophical in a tone of gentle banter, and expects for Teachers. [email protected]

iStockphoto.com / © Steven Robertson movement founded by Rudolph Steiner. them to complete the exercises which

28 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir BUSINESS ENGLISH professional ⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢ NotNot ‘them’‘them’ butbut ‘us’‘us’ Monica Hoogstad tackles division in the classroom by advocating the right kind of laughter.

he global village has become a trends: the upsurge of nationalist citizens. This can be achieved only melting pot of cultures, the tendencies and the movement against through a paradigm shift, as a result of European Union regularly political correctness. Nationalism which the global corporate sector would opens its doors to new manifests itself through identifying and have to redefine their goals. As Evelin Tmembers, societies are increasingly pillorying out-groups, ie any group that Lindner asserts, meaningful ought to heterogeneous, yet individuals remain embodies ‘otherness’ – a fluid concept, bear the same weight as successful when staunchly conservative in their influenced by specific circumstances in describing communication in the monoculturalism. Ignorance, lack of the Western nations themselves. workplace. Non-measurable and non- information, an obstinate sense of According to Morris Narrelle, whenever standardised factors, such as kindness, superiority, xenophobia, racism and confidence crises related to national consideration, helpfulness, compassion, prejudice inevitably widen the cultural identity arise, frustrations, anxieties and unselfishness, conciliatory attitudes and gap between nations and lead to resentment are directed towards miscommunication and clashes. scapegoat groups. The second trend – A few years ago, I conducted a evident in programmes involving public Very few organisations business English training programme for humiliation on prime-time TV – was born are aware of their an insurance company in a European in shows like The Weakest Link and Pop Union country, and the groups were Idol, which have rapidly spread across responsibility in comprised of European and Japanese Europe, becoming the norm for evening creating emotionally advisers. From the outset, I found myself entertainment. Bootcamp-mannered facing a pedagogical and moral dilemma, presenters are hailed as national heroes and socially proficient as the soft-spoken and overly courteous for breaking social taboos and launching employees Japanese were a constant target of teasing verbally abusive attacks against and banter. Japanese habits and traits unassuming guests, while the fans can’t were ridiculed (‘giving and receiving’ get enough of their vitriolic, ad-lib jibes. sense of humour, have been downplayed rituals, pronunciation of English words), systematically. As soon as employers dismissed a priori (bowing) or ignored Emotions acknowledge that employees’ emotions completely (non-tactility). Another and the way they are managed have a typical reaction in the Western corner While many organisations aspiring to huge impact on job performance, job was perplexity and anger at certain become global players have recognised satisfaction, decision making, creativity, ‘unacceptable’ behaviours, such as falling the importance of upgrading their productivity, turnover, teamwork, asleep during presentations, showing moral standards, very few are aware of negotiations and leadership, they will reluctance to ask questions at meetings, their responsibility in creating no doubt strive to delve into their staff’s taking moments of introspective silence, emotionally and socially proficient emotional intelligence. By increasing reaching decisions by consensus and employees. Sitting on the fence is not an their Emotional Quotient (EQ), putting emphasis on seniority. option for business English teachers, employees would learn to regard In hindsight, I realise that this tension since we play a major part not only in emotions as valuable data when dealing wasn’t an isolated case, and that it raising students’ ethical awareness, but with situations – a skill which would be actually reflected two recent Western also in developing competent global advantageous in any area of business.

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inclusive teasing), but also carrying students’ background, level and aggressive undertones (sarcasm, irony, expectations. Laughing at oneself shows Not ‘them’ cynicism). In order to use humour as an a strong sense of identity, it’s a non- effective and affective instruction tool, threatening, easy-to-share type of we have to make sure that both we and humour, it helps us accept our mistakes but ‘us’ our students are aware of the power and it enforces equality. Laughing at a that words have and, therefore, use them mutual problem relieves tension and Laughter wisely and responsibly. Humour, appeases emotional turmoil, as it How should we tackle this issue? First laughter and verbal play require a provides perspective, makes crises more and foremost, with great care, ensuring minimal social distance, characterised manageable, and gives a sense of that we don’t impose our views on our by solidarity and familiarity among the reassuring companionship in difficulty. students, which would be inappropriate, participants. To steer the group dynamics According to Paul McGhee, when used patronising and unethical. The language towards such levels of intimacy, we have appropriately, humour creates trust and classroom ought to be a negotiated to initiate a negotiating process, aiming cooperation, encourages communication space, in which mutual respect is the at creating a risk-free zone and a strong on sensitive matters, is a source of starting point of all activities and cooperative atmosphere. By using the insight into conflict, helps overcome discussions. What we can do is subjects we teach – language and formality, stiffness and standoffishness, encourage our students to bury the culture – as a means of bringing people and facilitates the acting out of hatchet and engage in a series of peace- together, we can change the aggressive impulses in a safe way. Humour can be pipe-smoking rituals. What we need is image that English still has in certain a useful tool to teach tolerance, alleviate an emergency kit to be able to take conflicts, eradicate humiliation and immediate action against put-downs, enforce dignity in the classroom. This non-inclusive teasing and banter, Laughing at a can be achieved by approaching mockery, ridicule and stereotyping. The mutual problem language teaching as a system that helps medicine I’d prescribe is laughter, whose learners grow intrapersonally and therapeutic, cognitive, care-giving and makes crises more interpersonally, intraculturally and humanising effects are widely acclaimed manageable and gives interculturally. by physicians, psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists alike. Laughter a sense of reassuring Rapport increases the release of endorphins, the Language shouldn’t be regarded only as body’s natural painkillers and companionship in a socio-economic currency in today’s antidepressants. It’s a discovery tool difficulty corporate world, but also as a that boosts creativity and causes peacemaker and a peacekeeper. We have information to stick in our memory. It to work on enhancing our students’ also has an undeniable impact on our parts of the globe, and turn it from a ability to adapt to all intercultural emotional response to stress, anger and conqueror and divider into a contexts from a cognitive, affective and anxiety. It contributes to improving the peacemaker and unifier. Every time we behavioural point of view. With that sense of wellbeing and reducing start teaching a group, we build a new purpose in mind, we must drop the burnout. Laughter helps us cope with English-speaking community, whose ‘teacherese’ and have a real conversation and better adjust to negative situations. cultural background isn’t English but a for a change. The purpose of asking It has a bonding effect, as it builds trust mixture. We don’t start with a blank questions mustn’t be of a solely through a gradual discovery process. It cultural slate, but we have the cognitive nature, but should aim at consolidates rapport and it has the opportunity to develop an emotionally finding out what students’ thoughts and ability to transcend social class, ethnic intelligent community that embraces all beliefs are. and racial background, gender and age. the useful and functional aspects of its members’ commonalities and ‘What did you do at the weekend?’ Community differences, without stifling their unique ‘Go to park for walking.’ identities. The rules of this community ‘Good!’ I believe that it is high time humour should emerge as a result of a became a recognised asset in the collaborative process and should include ‘No, not good. Raining.’ workplace. This doesn’t necessarily mean peace-promoting language, globally- ‘Excellent!’ that business English teachers should inclusive attitudes and positive humour. ‘No. Me no have umbrella.’ metamorphose into stand-up comedians; ‘Great! Now let’s move on to the present the role of ‘humour brokers’ seems more perfect.’ appropriate to me. One cannot ignore Growth the fact that humour is the venom of Humour is conceptualised differently, Warm-up conversations of this kind communication: it has healing attributes, and thus expressed differently, in may be initiated with good intentions, but it can also be deadly. Verbal humour various cultures, ranging from low-brow but they certainly don’t contribute to operates at multiple levels: partly slapstick to subtle wordplay, so it developing rapport, nor do they test or creating intimacy (shared laughter, requires adjusting and adapting to the improve the students’ fluency.

30 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir BUSINESS ENGLISH professional ⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢⅢ

Identity some of their hopes and dreams. When vowels or /e/ and /æ/ sounds. they have finished, get them to discuss Consequently, you may hear your Asian In order to make the learning process their mandala with their classmates. students say things like: more meaningful, and to contribute to bolstering the students’ sense of self- Favourite jokes ● We hope you enjoyed your fright and esteem, mutual respect, empathy, To underline the fact that despite being will fry with us again. multiperspectivity, openness, flexibility, culturally-specific, humour is a ● We’re interested in the American conflict management skills, out-of-the- universally understood and appreciated presidential erection. box thinking and critical thinking, I form of communication, organise a ● Our bus offers a dairy service. have developed a series of humanising, joke-telling contest. Shared laughter is a peace-promoting and globally-inclusive verified bonding technique, contributing But how can this compete with what activities. Taking a leaf out of to a laid-back atmosphere and your Western students come up with? Francesco Gomes de Matos’ book, I generating intimacy and trust. Jokes told ● Have you paid your Texas? urge my students to monitor and in an intercultural setting might require analyse their communication for its explanations to make the punch lines ● He emerged as a weener. ethical, moral and social values. I understandable. This won’t diminish the ● Let’s stimulate the piss process. encourage them in their daily discourse fun; it’ll only add to an increased feeling to convey acceptance and validation of of recognition and goodwill. After everyone has had a good laugh, the ‘other’, and – at the same time – to correct the mistakes through a non- threatening game, during which you honour their own cultural heritage. This 2 Building common ground contributes to reinforcing their own create a risk-free environment where identity, putting their own culture into Use powerful metaphors to strengthen learners aren’t afraid of making perspective and – eventually – making a the sense of belonging to the mistakes. Prepare a sheet containing shift from a culturally-exclusive attitude community. Shared experience and examples of your students’ mistakes. to a culturally-relative one, by positive laughter based on verbal and Get the class to split into small teams, incorporating ‘otherness’ into an all- non-verbal patterns of communication which then compete against each other embracing ‘us’. enhance group dynamics. in correcting them. Each team makes a bid, awarding between 1 and 10 points Bridge-building to each of their error corrections, Activities Ask the students to work in small teams according to how certain they are that and to build a bridge from straws and 1 Celebrating uniqueness they are right. If they’re right, they win paperclips (or draw one) that symbolises the number of points they’ve bid. If Don’t consider differences as their team. Then tell them to write a not, they lose them. ETp communication barriers; they reinforce ‘user’s manual’ meant to facilitate the uniqueness of identities and communication between their team and underscore positive contributions to the the outside world. Examples of rules Gomes de Matos, F ‘Using peaceful language: from principles to practices’ might be: community. The bonding and blending Global Alliance for Ministries and process begins with mutual recognition. ● Sarcasm is strictly forbidden. Departments of Peace www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsof Cultural mandala ● No personal attacks or offensive peace.org 2006 To highlight each student’s distinct language are tolerated Lindner, E ‘Avoiding humiliation’ Journal talents, invite them to present ● At least ten minutes of daily laughter of Intercultural Communication, SIETAR themselves in the context of their Japan 10 2007 is compulsory. culture. Their hitherto hidden strengths McGhee, P Humor: Its Origin and ● will emerge as beneficial assets the If you want to cross this bridge, you Development W H Freeman 1979 group can rely on. must tell a joke first. Narrelle, M ‘Destructive discourse: Distribute large sheets of paper and The teams vote for the most popular “Japan-bashing” in the USA in the 1980s ask the students to draw a self-portrait and 1990s’ rules, which then become the guidelines http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au 2006 in the centre. Reassure them that they’re the whole group have to follow for the not expected to compete with duration of the course. Monica Hoogstad is Rembrandt or Modigliani; anything a business English meaningful to them will do. Around it, ‘Pot and kettle’ dialogues teacher and a teacher tell them to represent a few aspects of To avoid finger-pointing and laughing trainer with 20 years’ experience in ELT. their culture they value the most at instead of laughing with, you can She runs The English (history, fine arts, science and present your students with a collection Channel, a language institute specialising technology, penchant for commerce, of errors illustrating typical difficulties in organising and emphasis on traditional values, certain groups encounter when learning conducting bespoke in-company business multilingualism, sense of humour, etc). English. While Japanese learners tend to communications training Continuing from the centre, they should mix up sounds like /r/ and /l/, European programmes and teacher development courses. then illustrate their own particular learners seem to find it difficult to talents and, around the edges, write distinguish between long and short [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 31

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES Elusive essay writing skills Cheryl Morris believes that improving students’ academic writing can be done creatively.

n a recent article in The Economist, aloud, and selects a second student. Procedure it was revealed that several UK ● Student 2 must generate a few general, ● Select 20 or so informal phrases and/or Iuniversities, including Cambridge, introductory sentences on the topic, words that students frequently use in have pointed out that significant and then choose a third student. essays. For example: a lot of research, numbers of students are not well ● Student 3 then presents either possible terrorism is a terrible problem, no one prepared for the academic burden that counter-arguments for the topic or knows the reason. Write these in large awaits them. Furthermore, with statements that are more specifically letters on pieces of cardboard. On the increasing budget cuts, many universities related to the thesis. A fourth student back, write possible formalisations are relying on non-native-English- is then chosen. (eg much research, terrorism is a speaking students to fill their coffers. For ● Student 4 makes a thesis statement serious issue, the reason is unknown). these reasons, foundation programmes for the topic. ● Either ‘drill’ one student with five or so are more essential than ever to ensure ● The procedure is repeated for each cards, or drill the whole class, allowing that students’ academic abilities meet slip of paper. them to shout out their answers. university requirements. Perhaps one of While the activity is taking place, the Comment the most essential skills, academic teacher’s role could be variously to My own experience has shown me that writing, may also be one of the more encourage, correct or assist students, as although students may know the difficult to master, as it demands a new well as to record their output. The final differences between formal and informal approach to register and structure. completed introductions could then be register, old habits die hard and they Many teachers approach academic presented to the class, and the best three often fail to spot their own inappropriate writing in a purely traditional way, chosen as the beginnings of essays to be use of register. Drills such as this may involving instruction, the reading of finished for homework. help them embed formal language more examples, and writing practice. While deeply in their brains. this can be useful, there is no reason not Comment to incorporate activities that have a I find this activity useful in that it focuses ૽ ૽ ૽ lighter, more creative touch. Some such on ideas and structuring arguments, activities are suggested below. rather than grammar and spelling, Even though students may have a solid which students tend to worry about grasp of English, academic register and 1 An introductions game more than the communication of their genre demand a new use of the thoughts. Students are forced to think language that may elude them. Dry, In my personal experience, the creation spontaneously, utilising the scaffolding traditional writing classes based on of a solid introduction, complete with a provided by the introductions model modelling and practice alone may not clearly-stated thesis, tends to elude and fellow students, in real time. be enough to motivate learners to alter students, especially those from non- deeply entrenched language patterns; Variation English-speaking backgrounds. This adding a bit of active fun to classes With large classes, three essay questions activity allows the students to learn the might change that, however. ETp generic construction of a typical could be given to each group of three introduction (based on Oshima and students. Students could designate one Butt, D, Fahey, R, Feez, S, Spinks, S and Hogue’s ‘inverted triangle’ model, classmate to provide a line or two for Yallop, C Using Functional Grammar: An involving general statements, counter- each third of the ‘introduction triangle’, Explorer’s Guide (2nd Ed) MacQuarie arguments and/or more specific rotating roles with each question. Groups University Press 2000 statements, and the thesis statement), could then compare their introductions Oshima, A and Hogue, A Academic and forces them to formulate their for each question, and the best three Writing: An Introduction Longman 2005 introductions quickly – an essential skill could be chosen as the foundation for The Economist ‘Making it Pay’ September 20th 2008 for essay-based examinations. further writing homework. Preparation Cheryl Morris teaches in 2 Formal flashcards the IFCELS department Select five or six short essay questions and at the School for As Butt and colleagues point out, the Oriental and African write them on slips of paper. These can be Studies in London, UK. provided by the students’ subject lecturers employment of a more formal register is or created by their writing teachers. one of the defining features of academic essays. The students’ own Procedure work is often a rich hunting ground for ● Have a student select a slip of paper. examples of informal language that That student then reads the question needs to be formalised. [email protected]

34 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir IN THE CLASSROOM A voyage of adventure James W Porcaro’s students sail the seven Cs on the crests of the five Ms.

t the start of a course of vista they will sail toward, an eighth C – greatly facilitates and encourages the instruction, and throughout, it that of critical thinking: the capacity to students’ use of the language and their Ais important that teachers understand, analyse and evaluate self-expression, thereby promoting inform their students in a simple, clear information and ideas, and to express language acquisition and proficiency. and comprehensible manner of the them with optimum effectiveness and Moreover, engagement with meaningful goals and objectives of the course. For efficiency. topics genuinely contributes to the their part, the students need to Language learning certainly does students’ sense of ownership of English

acknowledge, accept and work towards not follow a linear pattern. However, if as an international language. iStockphoto.com / © Alex Dudoladov those goals and objectives in some the students believe and trust in their In addition, classroom management recognised and accountable way. teachers, they will follow them over the is vital for teachers to be able to achieve rough waters that naturally rise and fall their instructional goals and objectives. The seven Cs during the language learning experience, Classroom management refers to and they will sail successfully through the instructional planning and the entire In teaching oral communication courses Cs to the attainment of those objectives. instructional process. It takes in not only in English at both high school and matters of discipline that may need to be university levels, I try to achieve this by The five Ms addressed with students but also, much telling my students that as they strive to more essentially, the relationship between use English as a medium for meaningful, At the same time, particularly in my teacher and students and, indeed, interpersonal communication, they will role as a mentor and teacher trainer of everything that happens in the classroom. set out on a voyage of adventure and Japanese high school English teachers, I While teachers may be capable of discovery, sailing the seven Cs on their advise teacher trainees that for students to establishing their mission, employing way towards the goal of increasing their sail the seven Cs successfully, they need to good instructional methods and fluency in English. I tell them that, as be buoyed on the crests of the requisite materials, and handling classroom the weeks pass, the broad objectives of five Ms which come from their teachers. management, attending to all these Ms the coursework are as follows: Teachers, first of all, must have a day after day and week after week is hard They will feel more and more clear concept of their mission. They work. Furthermore, teaching is loaded comfortable in using English in oral need to know and understand with with frustrations, disappointments and communication. They will develop a crystal clarity and concreteness what failings, especially for teachers just more and more natural feeling when they want their students to achieve. starting out, and even for those non- using the language. They will feel more Instructional goals and objectives must native-speaking veterans entering new and more confident expressing be formulated, understood and accepted instructional territories, for example, with themselves in English, knowing that, by both teachers and students. communicative language teaching. Thus, more and more, they can say what they Teachers need to establish a good the fifth M needed to maintain both want to say. This will demonstrate their working classroom methodology. For teacher and students through this process increasing control of the use of the almost all practising classroom teachers is motivation, the ‘fire in the belly’ that language. They will be able to speak this is an eclectic style that incorporates is the driving will and acceptance of more and more continuously in English a variety of elements fashioned to fit responsibility to fulfil the objectives and as their discourse skills become more the individual teacher and particular goals of one’s instruction. and more practised and proficient. They classes of students. will be able to express themselves more From this foundation, the teacher and more clearly, making their points must be adept at constructing suitable Thus, on the crests of the five Ms students with greater and greater precision. At lesson materials which fit and serve that can sail the seven Cs and navigate their the same time, they will be speaking methodology. It is not enough simply to way to brilliant horizons. ETp more and more correctly, using lexis and use even a good textbook. In teaching syntax more and more appropriately. English as a foreign language, especially, James W Porcaro is a professor of English as These objectives will be achieved it is very important that lesson topics be a Foreign Language at through communicative use of English meaningful in the students’ lives. Toyama University of International Studies in within their classroom lessons, and these Teachers must provide opportunities for Japan. He also teaches will incorporate meaningful content that students to formulate and express their a class of students from the university’s suits their current level of proficiency. thoughts, opinions and feelings, and to associated high school Finally, I tell the students that there relate experiences and knowledge drawn and advises the English are always new horizons, and beyond from their personal lives and the society teachers there. the seven Cs lies yet another challenging in which they live. Using such content [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 35

www.diako.ir www.diako.ir Jon Marks offers two photocopiable Activity thematically-linked communication activities with an element of corner innovation. Phonics fun

Many popular approaches for teaching items on the grid haven’t featured in your 2 Tell the students to take turns to throw children to read are based on phonics. In lessons, although, of course, students the dice and say a word from the list on essence, this means focusing on how who have chosen those will not win.) The the board which includes the vowel on patterns of letters represent particular first student to cross off (correctly) all the uppermost side. The side with all sounds (although of course there’s more to six wins the round. Then tell everybody five vowels is ‘wild’: it can represent it than that). Going to www.wikipedia.org to rub out the pencil markings on the any vowel. Words cannot be repeated. and searching for phonics will give an page, and repeat as required. If the student can say a word, they win overview of the subject, plus links to more a counter, and then the next student detailed material. As the Wikipedia article 3 Note that th appears in both grids. You has a turn. puts it, phonics ‘is not without could use the first with words using the controversy’. If you disagree with phonics- voiced version of the sound (the, this, 3 As the game progresses, possible based approaches, you may not want to mother) and the second with the matches between the vowel on the dice use the game activities which follow, as unvoiced version (path, thanks, birthday). and the unused words on the board will they are broadly consistent with such become less frequent. The game ends methodologies. They are aimed at young 2 Phonics dice when all the words in the list have been learners aged 7 to 11, especially those used. At this point, the student with the whose L1 does not use the Roman Preparation most counters is the winner. alphabet. This activity requires more preparation than 4 Repeat as required, perhaps with new I haven’t seen these particular formats I usually like to propose, but once you’ve words for more confident classes but elsewhere, but phonics bingo and phonics made the dice, they should be durable the same words for weaker classes. dice in the general sense are not new enough to be reused several times. ideas. If you search on the internet you will Decide how many dice you will need Higher-level groups find other formats, although many of these (one per group of three to five students), Do the preparation as above, but each are aimed at native-speaker learners. and make sufficient copies on card. Most group will need up to 50 counters and two photocopiers will copy onto card as long dice. as it’s not too thick, but rather than buying 1 Phonics bingo a pack of suitable card, it may be quicker 1 Brainstorm up to around 50 words. Preparation and cheaper to get a local photocopy Every word should contain at least two Use Grid 1 for low-level classes and Grid 2 shop to make the copies. vowels, preferably with plenty of vowel (or both 1 and 2) for high-level classes. Cut out and assemble the dice, scoring pairings such as ai, ea, ee, oo, ou, etc. Make sufficient copies of the grid for each lightly along the edges to be folded, and student to have one, or write it up on the sticking them together with glue and/or 2 Play the game as described above, but board for the students to copy into their transparent sticky tape. tell the students they must match a word from the list with the two vowels notebooks. Alternatively, devise your own Each group of three to five students will displayed on the upper faces of the grid based on the phonics focus of your need 20 to 30 counters. These could be dice in any order. So, for example, if a course so far. roughly-cut squares of the card left over and e are shown, matches could be from making the dice. Method eat, game and umbrella. 1 Tell each student to choose six letter Method Jon Marks is an ELT writer and pairs/threes from the grid, and circle Very low-level groups editor, based in the UK. Recent them lightly in pencil. Go round the publications include the Puzzle 1 Brainstorm 20 to 30 words the students Time series and IELTS class checking that everybody has have learnt recently and write these on Resource Pack (both DELTA Publishing) and three titles done this correctly. the board. Try to include words in A & C Black’s Check Your covering all five vowels. Then put the English Vocabulary series. 2 Say a word from your lessons so far He is currently developing students into groups of three to five, teenager courses for China, which includes one of the phonic items. and hand out the counters and one and also draws the Langwich Anybody who chose that item can cross Scool cartoon in ETp. dice per group. it off. (It doesn’t matter if some of the [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 37

www.diako.ir Phonics bingo

Grid 1

at en og ed

an sh ot eg

all ig th it

ick ar ock un

Grid 2

ee ea ir ong

ai ame oa ow

ing pl or ch

ay st oo th

br ng ake bl

38 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Phonics dice a eio u ae u i o

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 39

www.diako.ir DESIGNED TO PHOTOCOPY

PREPARING TO TEACH ... Colourful language 2

John Potts adds more range to his language rainbow.

Colours feature in many Ai She’s always been interested in green Ci The rules about whether to spell some collocations, idioms and issues such as conservation, and is a words with a hyphen or not are rather expressions, and also have member of the Green Party. a grey area – even dictionaries don’t symbolic meanings that may Aii The local council gave the green light to always agree. differ according to culture. the new library, and building work starts Cii One golden rule when sending emails Sometimes the idiomatic and next month. is to read them again, carefully, before colloquial uses translate exactly you click on the ‘send’ button! into another language, and Bi I hardly ever hear from my brother – I get a sometimes they don’t. In this postcard from him once in a blue moon. Ciii Last Friday, Sylvia got the pink slip issue, we will look at green, blue Bii The news of his wedding came out of the from her company and she’s really and a mixed palette of colours. blue – I didn’t even know he was engaged. upset.

ᮡ FORM SOME COLLOCATIONS AND IDIOMS Spelling can be a problem: Green: examples sometimes collocations with be green have green fingers go/turn green green shoots colours form one word (greenfield), sometimes a hyphenated word be green with envy give the green light green issues a greenfield site or (blue-blooded), and sometimes two to something development separate words (green light). There Green: key may also be some variation in the verbs used with some expressions be untrained or be good at making turn pale as if about the first signs of (eg to go/turn green). inexperienced plants grow to vomit economic recovery be very envious or give permission for topics related to the a piece of land not jealous of something something to go protection of the yet built on or ᮡ USE or somebody ahead environment developed Generally speaking, the colour idioms are spoken and informal. Blue: examples Some of the colour collocations be or feel blue / once in a blue moon out of the blue blue-blooded may be rather informal, while others have the blues are neutral. Some tend to be found a blue-collar worker be somebody’s a blue film/movie/joke argue till you’re blue in special registers, such as blue-eyed boy in the face financial or business English (eg green shoots, a brownfield/ Blue: key greenfield site, brown/white goods). feel sad, low or not very often happen completely from an aristocratic depressed unexpectedly or noble family

ᮡ PRONUNCIATION a manual worker be somebody’s a pornographic waste your time (not an office worker) favourite (and be film/movie/joke arguing at length and Some of the collocations may be beyond criticism) unsuccessfully stressed equally in both elements ı ı (eg green shoots) or with a Mixed palette: examples secondary and primary stress be yellow brown goods a golden opportunity be born with a silver (eg green ıshoots). ı spoon in your mouth grey matter a brownfield site or a golden handshake have a silver tongue ᮡ VARIETY development There may be occasional differences a grey area be in the pink a golden parachute a silver wedding between various varieties of English: anniversary in the UK, talented gardeners have a pink slip a pink-collar job or a golden rule a golden wedding green fingers, while in the USA they (US English) profession (US) anniversary may also have a green thumb.

40 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir DESIGNED TO PHOTOCOPY

PREPARING TO TEACH ... Colourful language 2

Mixed palette: key lack bravery, act like TV sets, audio a very good or special be born into a rich or a coward equipment, etc opportunity privileged family intelligence and brain a piece of land previously a large payment when speak in a very power built on that can be somebody retires or persuasive or charming re-developed leaves a job way John Potts is a teacher an unclear or ambiguous be in good health a large payment when a celebration of being and teacher trainer based area somebody is forced to married for 25 years in Zürich, Switzerland. retire or leave a job He has written and co-written several adult a letter telling somebody a job that was once a very important rule a celebration of being coursebooks, and is a CELTA assessor. He is also that they have lost traditionally done by or principle married for 50 years a presenter for Cambridge their job women ESOL Examinations. [email protected]

ᮢ SITUATIONS Colourful stories Give each student a slip of paper with a colour Colour focus Write a colour in the centre of the board, and give the collocation or idiom. They work as a class, and you start off a class five minutes to think of as many words or expressions as they story, perhaps based on a picture, the coursebook or a well- can that include this colour (eg have blue eyes, blue jeans, rhythm and known person or place. Each student has to contribute to the blues, etc), and of things that can be this colour. Then pool them on story and include the expression from their slip of paper. the board. Next, you can introduce three or four idioms or figurative expressions that use this colour (eg be somebody’s blue-eyed boy). Translation time This works with both monolingual and Variation: Write the names of 10–12 everyday objects on the board multilingual classes. Make a worksheet of colour collocations (eg cup and saucer, raincoat, car, sofa, towel, mp3 player, suitcase, and idioms with explanations. If possible, include some that are etc) plus three colours. Ask the students to discuss (in pairs or the same or very similar in the students’ first language (this is groups) how important the colour is for each. Then have a class clearly a variable!) and others that are very different. The discussion of their findings – who would drive a pink car? wear students’ first task is to decide whether the explanation provided yellow shoes? buy a blue sofa? etc. Then, as above, you can is true or false. Then, they check in a dictionary. Finally, they introduce three or four idioms or figurative expressions that use provide a mother-tongue equivalent, where possible. these colours.

COMPETITION RESULTS Congratulations to all those readers who successfully completed our Prize Crossword 35. 11 21 11 10 3 22 3 DFDBPSP The winners, who will each receive a copy of the Macmillan English Dictionary for 2119715177 7132518201959 Advanced Learners, are: FIERCE EQUATION 91969101920 NILNBIT Simón Martín Barrado, Salamanca, Spain Evangelos Kritsinis, Hermoupolis, Greece 125 237 199 112522201519186 JOKE I NDUSTR I AL Celine Benoiste, Choue, France Mutsumi Okada, Dagnall, UK 22 9 10 20 SNB T Aileen Cotter, Dublin, Ireland Gerard Salle, Bergerac, France 1018911 7 2 315722221959 BAND EXPRESS I ON Nicola Feyen, Lenzburg, Switzerland Walter Zeller, Vienna, Austria 25 22 15 15 16 23 USRRVK Judy Hsu, Guildford, UK 18 15 17 24 18 6 19 16 7 14 18 15 11 ARCH AL I VE YARD Laurence Koster, York, UK 19 20 8 15 22 7 ITZRSE 17 5 4 3 6 7 20 7 6 14 17 18 22 24 12345678910111213 COMPLETELY CASH GXPMOLEZNBDJQ 26 20 15 7 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 WTREYRVCA I TFSKHUW 2591171597182024 1815414 UNDERNEATH ARMY 24 7 24 18 11 25 22 7 11 20 24 7 HE HAD USED THE 797119310 ENEG I PB 26 5 15 11 19 9 19 20 22 3 19 WOR D I N I T S P I 1 1518112518207 9 7 7 116 7 GRADUATE NEEDLE 17 23 26 19 17 23 19 18 9 22 7 9 22 7 CKWI CK I AN SENSE 22 22 20 22 1 15 7 SSTSGRE Charles Dickens, Pickwick Papers

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www.diako.ir ߜߜ ITIT WORKSWORKS ININ PRACTICEPRACTICE More tested lessons, suggestions, tips and techniques which have all worked for ETp readers. ߜ Pay up! Try them out for yourself – and then send us your In activities where the students own contribution. have to find out information by asking each other questions, All the contributors to It Works in Practice in this using coins can make everything issue of ETp are teachers from Seven Vila Mariana, more interesting. Give a small São Paulo, Brazil. They will receive a set of the number of coins (or beans) to Macmillan Topics series, each student and make them pay for information. If, for example, by Susan Holden. Student A has to guess the name Macmillan have of a country which Student B is kindly agreed to thinking of, Student A asks one be sponsors of question about the country and It Works in pays Student B one coin for the Practice for answer. Student B answers. Student A can then either try to this year. guess the country or pay another coin to get more information. By doing this, the students who have ߜ A letter to my students to discover the information will try to be more specific in their Developing students’ autonomy is something we take very seriously at our school. For this questions, while the other reason, we are constantly looking for ways to help them continue to study English during students will try to be more their vacations. My most recent idea was to send my students a letter by email, giving them general in their answers in order some suggestions on what to do. These suggestions could easily be adapted for any class. to make their partners ask more questions and, consequently, pay more coins. Dear students, You can also use coins (or It’s vacation time! But you’re not going to forget your studies, right? :-) beans) to promote learner Here are some ways you can keep studying English during our break. responsibility. At the beginning of ● Read a book in English. If you’re not an avid reader, read comics! the lesson, distribute five coins to Try www.comics.com. each student and tell them that ● Watch a film (one you have watched before) without subtitles. The objective every time they use their mother is just to ‘train your ears’! So don’t worry about understanding every word. tongue during that lesson, they ● Sing in English! Go to www.karaokeparty.com. You can even record your have to pay one coin. Once they song and do a self-evaluation (of your English, not your abilities as a singer!). have used all their coins, they are not allowed to speak in L1 any ● Listen to the radio in English! Go to www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice and listen more during that lesson. Repeat to the BBC’s service of news for the world. If you prefer music, go to this procedure every lesson, each www.live365.com. day giving a different number of ● Add your classmates to your MSN or Skype contacts list and talk to them in coins and encouraging the English! Talk about the weather, your favourite celebrities, gossip ... students to use them only when ● If you travel during your vacation, write a journal of your trip. If you don’t they really need to. This activity travel, write about a film you saw or a party you went to. will make them think twice before ● Also if you travel, send me a postcard in English! You’re practising your using L1 unnecessarily. It will also English and helping add to my postcard collection! Here’s the address: make them stop more often to [include the school’s address] think about how to say something in English. By giving the students ● Practise vocabulary and grammar by searching the internet for exercises. For example, write practise adjectives of personality in the Google search engine the coins, you are actually passing and you’ll find lots of options. them the responsibility of managing the use of English and You don’t need to do everything, but the more you do the better, of course. L1 in the classroom, making them Enjoy your vacation and I’ll see you next term! more independent and responsible for their learning. Carina Guiname Vitor Tambelli

42 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir ߜ It’s hip to be square! ߜ Key pals This activity makes use of one of the I devised a ‘key-pal’ project with another teacher’s students, introducing many Google services and products: teacher to help our pre-intermediate themselves and asking for information Google Squared, a great tool for classes to practise reading and writing in about the other group. I allowed 20 practising comparatives and a real-life situation. minutes for them to go to the computer superlatives. It provides information on My colleague and I agreed that we would lab and write their emails. I gave them items in a given category, sorting the get our students to share emails. As the complete freedom to do this and just information into different columns for students did not know each other, we monitored the proceedings. As they easy comparison. You can even add your decided that a suitable target topic didn’t know the other students’ email own columns and it will find the would be personal information. addresses, they sent all their messages information to fill them! to me and I forwarded them to my In the first lesson, I introduced the colleague. They wrote about job ● Take your students to the computer lab subject of the language used in emails. experiences, families, hobbies and (or use an interactive whiteboard with The students discussed this, shared personal style. an internet connection). Log on to information and opinions about www.google.com/squared. ‘netiquette’ and then worked on a In subsequent classes, the students read and replied to messages from the other ● Type in a category, eg celebrities handout extracted from Macmillan’s class. I monitored and helped with any (actors, actresses, athletes, singers, Inside Out e-lesson about text and email writing problems. bands), cities, animals, movies or food language (www.macmillanenglish.com/ items (chocolate bars, sodas, etc) and insideout/Resources/elesssons/protected/ Each student ended up exchanging click on ‘Square it’. A search for New_elessons_archive.htm). emails with two or three other students ‘celebrities’ will return six ‘fact- I then explained the project, asking my and the feedback was very positive. columns’ in categories such as ‘name’, students to write emails to the other Priscila Jovazino ‘image’, ‘description’, ‘date of birth’, ‘full name’ and ‘age’. ● Ask your students to work in pairs with ߜ Becoming better listeners one student (A) facing the computer This activity is part of a project aimed at scene in which body language, facial and the other (B) looking the other developing the students’ listening skills expressions and other contextual clues way. They take turns to read out facts and providing authentic listening, thus will help them create a hypothesis of about two items. The other student preparing them for real-life situations. what is happening. For beginners or each time has to make a comparative Its main objectives are: students who are not aware of learning sentence using that information. For strategies, I suggest working with example: ● to destroy the myth that listening to authentic material is extremely cartoons, in which the role of verbal Student A: Jennifer Lopez is 39. language is generally ancillary. Christina Aguilera is 28. difficult and you need to understand every single word to be a competent Get the students to say what they think Student B: Jennifer Lopez is older listener; is happening/being said. Write their than Christina Aguilera. ● ideas on the board and elicit what clues Student A: Yes. to help students overcome their fear of listening by using contextual clues as they used to reach these conclusions. ● You can add other columns, or compensation strategies. Play the scene again with the sound on additional categories, such as ‘years The first step is to ask questions to elicit and discuss the differences/similarities active’, ‘awards’, ‘children’, etc. Google between the actual video and the Squared will automatically update the the learners’ feelings towards authentic listening: students’ interpretations. At this point, new column for all the celebrities. emphasise that variations in the Do you usually listen to authentic English? As a variation to this activity, you could students’ predictions reflect the do some research and write statements, If so, when do you listen and what do you dynamism of language and that although such as: listen to? contextual clues help predict what is said Gwen Stefani is 13 years older than Kelly How often do you listen and what for? or done in specific contexts, there is Clarkson. How do you feel while you are listening? always room for unpredictability. Beagles are, on average, taller than cocker Why? Finally, have a class discussion about spaniels. If you don’t listen to authentic English, what is necessary to be a competent why not? Hand these statements to the students, listener and get the students to organise who have to confirm or correct them What do you think is necessary to their conclusions in a chart. You can then based on the results they get from Google understand what is said? display this chart in the classroom and use it as a reference whenever they need Squared. (You can save your Squares, as After discussing their answers, show the strategies for listening exercises. long as you have a Gmail account.) students an extract of a video with the Mauricio Shiroma sound off. It is important to choose a Bete Santiago

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www.diako.ir Reviews

Advanced Learners to find a publisher for it. The article finally appeared in 1975 and is now routinely by Alan Maley described as ‘seminal’. This book, to OUP 2009 which a total of 26 authors have 978-0-19-442194-2 contributed, commemorates the Supplementary materials for advanced publication of that article and presents an learners are thin on the ground, so overview of the achievements in the Advanced Learners is a welcome addition study of language learners and language to OUP’s well-known Resource Books for learning since then, acknowledging the Teachers series. That there is a gap in work of major contributors to the field. this market is surprising, given that the The 11 chapters in Part I, ‘Learner burgeoning ELT scene is now producing variables’, cover motivation, age, learning learners who have studied English for style, personality, gender, strategies, increasingly longer periods of time, often metacognition, autonomy, beliefs, culture having focused on specific applications and aptitude, while the 12 chapters in of the language such as English for Part II, ‘Learning variables’, deal with Academic Purposes and business vocabulary, grammar, functions, English. Because the label advanced pronunciation, listening, speaking, covers so many different learning reading, writing, teaching/learning scenarios, perhaps publishers have found methods, strategy instruction, error it hard to pin down exactly what students between them and, to use an old cliché, correction and tasks. There is a mixture at higher levels need. there really is something for everyone. of state-of-the-art and research-based Advanced Learners shares the same Traditionalists will like the linguistic chapters; I felt, on the whole, that the format as the other titles in the series. challenge of activities such as Greek and former approach was more appropriate, First, there is a short introduction to show Latin roots. Creative types will love the given the overall aim of the book. As you the relevance, scope and organisation of suggestions for using literature in class, would expect, there are plenty of the book. Then, in the bulk of the book, for example mini-sagas. Technophiles will references for the keen reader to follow there is a collection of practical teaching appreciate the concordancing tasks, for up. Each chapter includes a section called ideas, often with photocopiable instance the corpus investigation which ‘Implications for the teaching/learning worksheets. The end matter gives text informs the discussion of What is situation’ which gives a useful summary references, background reading, useful culture? No one could ever come away of key practical reminders for teachers. websites and a comprehensive index. from this book uninspired or uninformed. Between them, the chapters give This book can be read straight through (it The only problem you will face with some idea of the considerable breadth is a convenient size), but busy teachers Advanced Learners is that it may and depth of work that has been done in could also pick and mix. Generally, it is disappear from your school bookshelves the investigation of good language the more experienced teachers who take a little too often … on advanced groups, but this title would Wayne Rimmer be equally accessible to newer teachers. Moscow, Russia The activities themselves are divided logically into nine sections: ‘Getting started’, with awareness-raising tasks Lessons from Good Language such as revision techniques; ‘Tools of the Learners trade’, which covers how to use reference by Carol Griffiths (Ed) materials such as a thesaurus; then ‘Focus CUP 2008 on vocabulary/grammar/reading/writing/ 978-0-521-71814-1 listening/speaking’ – six separate sections with activities to practise these Why aren’t all language learners equally various skills and aspects of the language. successful? What characteristics typify The last section is ‘Focus on culture’, good learners? What strategies do which is prompted by a recognition that successful learners use, and can these English is a world language and a force for strategies be acquired and used by less intercultural communication. The Whose successful learners? It seems obvious fault was it? activity, a deconstruction of nowadays that these are important amusing yet instructive cultural blunders, questions, but when Joan Rubin posed typifies the appeal of this section. them in her article ‘What the “good These nine sections contain language learner” can teach us’, they something like 100 different activities were so unfamiliar that it took four years

44 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Reviews ENGLISH TEACHING learning, and how this work has fed professional into now-familiar notions such as learner independence, autonomy and This is your magazine. self-direction. At the same time, many We want to hear from you! of the authors give the impression that the work has, in fact, hardly started: ‘After more than 30 years of ߜ research, no consensus has been reached about the most effective IT WORKS IN PRACTICE instrument for measuring learning styles Do you have ideas you’d like to share and no agreement about the most with colleagues around the world? appropriate pedagogical interventions.’ Tips, techniques and activities; ‘The optimism of 30 years ago, which simple or sophisticated; well-tried predicted that if we could only find out or innovative; something that has what good language learners did, we worked well for you? All published could help all learners to learn successfully has given way to the contributions receive a prize! realization that the task is larger and more Write to us or email: complicated than was thought ...’ [email protected] And, perhaps most strikingly of all: ‘The question of how good language them, any preparation required and the learners develop functional competence aims) at the top so that a quick flick TALKBACK! (that is, how they learn to use the through is enough to enable teachers TALKBACK! language) ... remains largely unaddressed hunting for something to do with their Do you have something to say about and presents a fertile ground for further classes to identify likely candidates. After an article in the current issue of ETp? research.’ the main instructions, there are This is your magazine and we would Jonathan Marks suggestions for follow-up activities or really like to hear from you. Leba, Poland ways in which they can be varied, Write to us or email: together with comments and hints on getting things to run smoothly. [email protected] Drama and Improvisation A brief but comprehensive ‘How to by Ken Wilson use this book’ section at the beginning Writing for ETp OUP 2008 will answer many questions that teachers 978-0-19-442580-3 have about doing activities such as Would you like to write for ETp? We are these, and goes a long way towards always interested in new writers and They say that you shouldn’t judge a book tackling the ‘Yes, but what if ...’ mentality fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice, by its cover and here’s a very good that puts many of them off attempting write to us or email: example of one that shouldn’t be so drama in the classroom. [email protected] judged. Clad in a maroon and turquoise The activities themselves are chosen jacket redolent of the Scunthorpe United so that they cater for those who just want football kit, and with a poor quality photo to add a little drama and improvisation to Visit the of some out-of-focus students in what their classes as well as those who are looks like a 1970s drama group engaged ready to run a drama club or get their ETp website! in who knows what on the front, this one students working with full-length scripts. The ETp website is packed with practical wouldn’t have made it off the staffroom The last chapter has a number of scripts tips, advice, resources, information and shelf and into my bag if it hadn’t been for humorous sketches that teachers can selected articles. You can submit tips recommended by a friend. photocopy and use with their classes. or articles, renew your subscription It would certainly be a great shame if Full instructions for activities using these or simply browse the features. the unappealing exterior put people off, sketches are provided and some have because this is actually a very good book. additional worksheets. www.etprofessional.com It is packed full of activities designed to A book full of entertaining but bring English classes to life through productive activities that will make ENGLISH TEACHING professional drama and improvisation and to stimulate learning enjoyable for students. What Keyways Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, the students’ imagination and creativity. more could anyone want – apart from a Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8HD, UK The activities are well laid-out and easy to more attractive cover? Fax: +44 (0)1243 576456 follow, giving important information (such Bill Johnson Email: [email protected] as level, the time needed to complete Weston-super-Mare, UK

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 45

www.diako.ir SPEAKING colloquial uses of the word like are analysed, including ‘to highlight something’ (They were like totally blocking the doors) and ‘to report what someone said’ (They were like, ‘What’s your problem?’). The students are then asked to replace the underlined phrases in the following passage with What do expressions with like: I have this friend, Justin, who’s very emotional. For example, one minute he’s laughing and the next minute he’s – can you believe this – totally depressed. Some little thing happens and he says, “I’m so foreigners upset.” I guess he’s – how can I say this – too sensitive. Actually, he’s the same as me. Maybe that’s why we get along. We’ve been friends for about 10 years. The clear implication is that our students should try to use like in these need to say? senses when talking to native speakers. (How, incidentally, would you react to Peter Wells speaks up ‘Oh, man,’ said the foreign student to someone, native or foreign, who used his homestay hostess, ‘this hot water the word like every three seconds?) for Standard English. bottle’s really cool!’ My feeling about this type of teaching, based on experience of teaching here has been much discussion English abroad, is that it needs to be recently about the relevance of handled with extreme caution. I want to corpora, mainly to the effect look at the issue from three perspectives: that teachers should utilise the 1 the nature of slang, 2 the difference Tfindings of spoken English corpora in between reception and production, and their speaking courses. A typical example 3 the inherent difficulties involved in is the discovery (found in, among other teaching these items effectively. sources, the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English) that native speakers do not actually say Yes The slang of (pronounced /jes/) when answering a yes/no question in the affirmative, but young people is more commonly something like Yeah or forbidden to the old, Mmm. Accordingly, it has been suggested that we should teach our students to use just as the slang of these forms, and that teaching them to prisoners is restricted say /jes/ is ‘wrong’. It is even apparently proposed (Nation and Newton, quoting to convicts Stenstrom) that we ought to teach our students the f-word, just because it’s in the London-Lund Corpus! 1 These ideas have already been Slang incorporated into textbooks. For Slang is variously defined according to example, in NorthStar Speaking and the type of dictionary used, but Listening (Intermediate), an American pragmatically speaking it may best be textbook first published in 1998, classes described as a variety of language, the are instructed to chant, rhythmically, use of which is restricted by sentences such as: sociolinguistic rules. To give specific examples, the slang of young people is Do you wanna get a prize? forbidden to the old, just as the slang of First you hafta send the money. prisoners is restricted to convicts and I’m gonna call the cops. that of drug-users to drug-users. If To take a more recent example, in people use an item from a code Touchstone 4, a book which boasts its forbidden to them, they will soon be connection with the Cambridge made aware of their error by means of International Corpus, the current anything from subtle non-verbal signals

46 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir study abroad. But we must not ask them to use it in production, because:

● it might easily have died out by the Phillip Burrows time they travel; ● it may not be used among the English-speaking people they actually meet; ● they will sound as if they are mimicking, or even mocking, their hosts; ● they will probably use the word wrongly. I would put certain reduced forms into the category of slang, and therefore restrict the teaching of them to listening. Obviously I do not teach my to outright derision. When my sons were extravagantly from time to time and students to speak standard written teenagers, they were allowed to say that from region to region. Look at the English. I teach them what I think is difficult things were mint and that examples I have already used. Does standard spoken English. Clearly, they injuries wrecked; I wasn’t. A man would anyone use half-cut today? Or mint, must use the normal contractions, such cause at least raised eyebrows if he wrecked or Gosh? I once met an elderly as it’s, I’ll, won’t, etc. Not to use these came out with Gosh, that’s awfully sweet volunteer emerging from her classroom would be wrong; they are enshrined in of you. Slang exists only secondarily to in an African school. ‘I’ve just been grammar books and literature. But what facilitate communication within a group; doing “spick and span”,’ she gushed. about gonna, hafta and wanna? If our primarily its function is to heighten a ‘Have you done “spick and span” yet?’ students say, on arrival at their group’s sense of identity and solidarity. However, the main reason for not destination, that they are /÷gPŸâÑ tP/ (or Slang is not confined to speech teaching slang is that even if our even /÷gPŸâÑ tu*/) study economics, communities within a nation; a nation students use the expressions in the same their listeners will understand them as a whole also has its slang. The context as native speakers, with the perfectly. If they say gonna instead of community denied access to its use is, same meaning, they will still be going to, their English will not be any quite simply, all foreigners. This was perceived to have used language clearer, just slightly irritating. brought home to me some years ago inappropriately. They will have assumed when a German friend was describing to membership of a group to which they me and some other British people the do not belong. This will not ingratiate We do a disservice antics of a drunk he had seen. His exact them with their interlocutors. words were: ‘He was “half-cut” … as you to learners if we try to say’. In these few words (including the 2 Reception and oblige them to use pause) this intelligent and sensitive production young man, whose English was excellent, forms which are seen was saying a number of things: We do not have to say every word we by natives as part of know. Dictionaries, when dealing with – This man was really drunk. taboo expressions, explain the meanings, their national ‘slang’ – I have heard people in your country and then tell us not to use them. It may use the expression half-cut to describe be that in teaching language we should people in that state. practise the same principle. Penny Ur believes that sometimes it – However, I realise that I, as a We do a disservice to learners of is effective to have students repeat foreigner, am not allowed to use that English if we try to oblige them to use phrases with reduced forms in order to expression. forms which are seen by natives as part help them recognise them when they hear – But he really was very drunk! of their national ‘slang’. Like, meaning them. It is true that a class can have a lot When I paid my first visit to France I ‘this is what someone said or did or of fun with items such as /ju* ÷ÜŸdnPv/ quickly learnt that French people did looked like’, is a case in point. It’s (You shouldn’t have) or / ÷wItÜP÷mi*n/ not say Quelle heure est-il? when they currently very popular among young (What do you mean?). However, such wanted to know the time (as I had been people, so a young student who goes to practice, in my view, must come with a taught), but Quelle heure il est? Not an English-speaking country today is huge health warning: NOT FOR ORAL being as sensitive as my German friend, going to encounter much conversation USE. The humour surrounding the I immediately tried it, only to be made peppered with this expression. It’s exercise should be enough to reinforce aware that, as a foreigner, I was supposed reasonable enough to expose our the point that the students are not to carry on saying Quelle heure est-il? students to it in their listening classes, meant to talk like this until, at the very One reason why we should not teach assuming they are young people whose least, their English is a good deal more slang to our students is that it varies main purpose is travel, tourism and confident, accurate and fluent.

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www.diako.ir always be reduced. There is also the than half the interactions that take case of the end-of-sentence use of these place in English today involve a native What do phrases, for example English speaker. Corpora are interesting and – A: I don’t wanna do it! B: I’m sorry, valuable, but we need to give attention but you have to. foreigners to the ‘corpora’ of foreigners, which – You can go if you want to. may differ from the corpora of natives. – I oughta sell my car, but I’m not going This may be a promising avenue for need to say? to. research. What do foreigners say? I Also, I would suggest that the aim In these examples, the underlined think that an objective study would of good teaching of listening skills phrases would not normally be reduced, produce findings about the frequency of should not be to focus obsessively on in my view. grammatical items (such as questions), specific colloquial items the teacher Our students, if and when they functions (such as apologies) and topics thinks the students might encounter. begin to use their target language in real (such as directions). It would find that After all, not all English-speakers say situations over extended periods, may on the whole foreigners do not use You hafta send the money. Sometimes begin to make the typical English slang. They don’t say Yeah; they say they say You gotta send the money. So reductions, in the same way and for the /jes/. On the other hand, foreigners, students should rather be trained in the same reasons that English speakers do. unlike native speakers, frequently need skill of guessing intelligently the We should not force the pace. Gonna and use expressions to describe and meaning of odd items they fail to catch, and similar reductions are features of control language: Could you repeat/write so that when they hear You (inaudible) connected speech, and the speech of that, please? I’m afraid my English isn’t send the money, they understand that many learners is just not ‘connected’. very good, and so on. It is items like money has to be sent. these that should take priority in our teaching, not gonna, innit or f***. 3 Teaching slang Our aim should be to provide our Teachability students with a knowledge of Standard Teaching slang or very colloquial or very colloquial English which will be equally serviceable expressions is extremely difficult, as the expressions is no matter which country they go to, rules governing their use are extremely when they go or what sort of people subtle and complex. extremely difficult, as they will deal with. We do not want our Let’s look in detail at the expression the rules governing students to send emails like this: gonna, which has already been Dear Felicity, mentioned. I have heard in both Japan their use are extremely It would be wicked to have sherry with you and the Middle East errors such as the and your mother next Sunday evening. following, which seem to be a direct subtle and complex They could be disastrously result of failed teaching: misunderstood! ETp *I’m gonna to (study economics) ૽ ૽ ૽ *I gonna (study economics) Biber, D, Johansson, S, Leech, G, *I’m gonna (London) Conrad, S and Finegan, E Longman The purpose of corpora is that they tell Grammar of Spoken and Written English I’ve had emails written thus: Dear Peter, us what people who use a language Longman 1999 I’m gonna be late for your lesson on actually say or write. One purpose of McCarthy, M, McCarten, J and Sandiford, Tuesday. I’ve heard officials at public compiling them is to enable us to teach H Touchstone Level 4: Student’s Book functions, wishing to show off their foreign students effectively the things CUP 2006 idiomatic English, say things like: The they’ll actually need to use. They are Nation, I S P and Newton, J Teaching Chairman is now gonna address the not so very new, after all – the General ESL/EFL Listening and Speaking meeting, with, in the middle of their Service Word List goes back to 1953 – Routledge 2009 carefully formed sentence, a noise like but with the advent of computers Solórzano, H S and Schmidt, J P L John Wayne used to make. suddenly we can compile and analyse NorthStar Listening and Speaking (Intermediate) Routledge 2004 (2nd ed) The expression gonna must have monstrous lists of items, which we then Ur, P Teaching Listening Comprehension arisen naturally due to the stress-timed feel obliged to make use of. However, CUP 1984 nature of the English language. In there is no point in taking the whole of British English it presumably developed the Cambridge International Corpus Peter Wells has taught from /÷gPŸâÑ tu*/ into /÷gPŸâÑ tP/, and dropping it on the head of some English for over 40 years in Africa, Asia, England /÷gPŸâÑP/, and finally /÷gPnP/ or /÷gInP/. unsuspecting student, whether an and the Middle East. We can see this development Indonesian doctor about to study He and his wife are currently Assistant recapitulated, in reverse order, when gynaecology in the States, or a Japanese Professors at Kansai English speakers feel the need to speak teenager hoping to backpack around Gaidai University, Japan. Peter’s interests include more formally. The forms /÷gPŸâÑ tP/, Australia. Our students may not even be assessment, extensive and even /÷gPŸâÑ tu*/, are still available planning to use their English in an reading, discourse to them, but not to the hapless foreigner English-speaking country at all. analysis and EAP. who has been taught that going to must According to David Graddol, fewer [email protected]

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir great reluctance. Then I got the idea to school-level interest and reading level apply for a grant from New Jersey (plus a few elementary books). $1,000 Literacy TESOL to provide reading material for doesn’t go far when you are buying them in Portuguese, which I was books and paying for shipping: I was delighted to receive. How hard can it be able to get 55 books for my students. in two to get Portuguese language books for readers between the ages of 10 and 15? The joy of reading Well, it was much easier said than done! languages I asked their English teachers for the The books arrived after school ended so names of the books they were reading the students didn’t have a chance to see them until the new school year began. in class and told them I would try to get Spanish phonological awareness and However, they were ecstatic when they word recognition significantly predicted Portuguese translations of them. I also knew it would be helpful to get content came back to school and saw the new their English phonological awareness books on the bookshelf. They and English word recognition, indicating area books in Portuguese if I could. Not all of the teachers were enthusiastic immediately began to borrow the books cross-linguistic transfer. Children who for themselves and their families. I had Spanish phonological awareness about providing books in the students’ native language. Even though I have know that the ones who are making use and Spanish word recognition skills of the books have found or rediscovered performed better on the transfer tasks shared research with them about the benefits of reading in the first language, the joy of reading in their first language. than those who could read some I look forward with confidence to Spanish words but who demonstrated many of them see this as a hindrance to the acquisition of reading skills in seeing this having an impact on their low Spanish phonological awareness. reading in English. Research done by Jiménez, García English. Some are simply not interested in knowing what research tells us about Could you be the teacher who helps and Pearson with successful and less your students find or rediscover this joy? successful bilingual English–Spanish Where there’s a will there’s a way, and readers revealed that successful readers Successful finding books in any language is had a unitary view of reading across the probably not impossible. You just have two languages. They knew that readers knew that to be creative and resourceful! ETp knowledge and strategies acquired in one language could be used while knowledge and reading in the other language. They also Collier, V P and Thomas, W P ‘How made occasional use of strategies strategies acquired in quickly can immigrants become proficient in school English?’ Journal of Educational unique to bilinguals, such as the use of one language could Issues of Language Minority Students 16 cognates, code-switching and translating, 1989 to enhance their reading comprehension. be used while reading Durgunoglu, A, Nagy, W E and Hancin- We really know very little about the Bhatt, B J ‘Cross-language transfer of types of instruction that promote in the other language phonological awareness’ Journal of bilingual students’ literacy development. Educational Psychology 5 1993 What we do know, however, is that Jiménez, R T, García, G E and Pearson, reading fluency in one language helps the transfer of literacy skills between P D ‘Three children, two languages, and strategic reading: case studies in develop reading fluency in an additional languages. Others continue to let their prejudice guide their opinions and are bilingual/monolingual reading’ American language. Last year, when I was teaching Educational Research Journal 32 1995 in a school district with a significant opposed to any services being provided in the students’ native language. We Jiménez, R T, García, G E and Pearson, Brazilian population, I realised that my P D ‘The reading strategies of Portuguese-speaking students did not ESL teachers have dealt with this issue bilingual/Latino/a students who are seem to like reading and never read in for a long time and, unfortunately, these successful English readers: opportunities their free time. When I asked them why, kinds of attitudes will challenge us for and obstacles’ Reading Research Journal 27 1996 many of them said that they didn’t like many years to come. reading in English. It was too difficult! I Amid both some encouragement asked why they didn’t read in and some grumbling, I began my search Lois Spitzer has been for books. Unbelievably, I could find an ESL educator for 28 Portuguese, their first language. They years. Her experience replied that they had no books. nothing in Portuguese in the US except includes teaching in children’s books! Fortunately, I have colleges, adult education institutions some friends living in Brazil and and public schools. She The translation of readers contacted them to ask for their help. is currently an assistant professor of education The majority of these students were not My Brazilian students also contributed and in charge of TESOL experiencing academic success in school. their requests and we browsed program development at the Richard Stockton Many complained that they were having catalogues we found on the internet. My College of New Jersey, trouble comprehending the materials friends were more than happy to help USA. Her current research focuses on they were being asked to read in English. me and visited their local bookstore. finding ways to improve As their ESL teacher, I provided high The bookstore manager also agreed to teacher training for pre- interest/lower than grade level readers assist and, together, they selected a service ESL teachers. for them in English. They still read with variety of books of middle- to high- [email protected]

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www.diako.ir TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

would argue, however, that little is being done and promoted in the way of personal development either in the classroom or in the workplace. The idea of re-search My own experience of life and work has AloneAlone taught me that a lot of what I would like to find out about myself raises questions that probably have no clear- cut answers but are, rather, ongoing and exploratory in nature. The moment I start exploring my self, what Tolle calls my ‘thinker’ – a higher level of consciousness – becomes activated and I togethertogether notice myself becoming a witness to my own life. In my own work as well as my Deniz Kurtoglu Eken explores personal work with colleagues and students, I realise more and more that we do in fact and professional growth. search both inwardly and outwardly, but at an unconscious level and hence things should be, our judgements and the idea of ‘re-search’. This is where my ‘It is the freedom of the self that associations, often seeing things in own explorations come from. How can really is important – the one that terms of what ‘could have been’. In we as human beings exist and think but since birth has wanted to learn in order to grow as people and not re-search, ie bring to the conscious everything it did. It is very easy to professionals, we need to reflect what lies hidden? lose touch with our inherent selves systematically on and become aware of Some of my recent explorations and in the face of external demands … our qualities, received and experiential re-search have included the following: It’s clear that the only way to knowledge, skills and abilities, all as ● What are my expectations of myself? remedy this situation is to begin to part of our unlimited potential. We also What are the expectations of others? be our own close friends.’ need to explore possible areas of (Timothy Gallwey) interference by thinking critically about ● What choices do I give myself? What what may be getting in the way of our choices do I give others? vast potential. For example: ● Do I only see and observe what I e experience togetherness ● believe is possible? What are the in many aspects of our the self (eg not treasuring what we waves of possibility and potential that lives, both at a personal already have/do, concern about how I am unable to see in myself and and professional level, others may perceive us if we do/don’t others? andW we certainly are not alone in a lot do something, say/don’t say of things we do. Yet to be what something, etc) ● How can I look at myself more Timothy Gallwey calls ‘our own close ● quantity (eg of work, extent of through the eyes of others? friends’, we need to look both inward involvement in a task, amount of These are not questions to which I and outward to see the beauty in being knowledge in the related area, etc) expect definitive answers. In fact, I am ‘alone together’. ● quality (eg same points as exemplified not even sure I expect any answers at Professional development cannot for quantity but from a quality all. My desire and need to explore take place without personal perspective, the desire and need to do overrides any other motive. I know that development. Yet, as Timothy Wilson better and better, getting to a point this is what will help me to grow. asserts, ‘much of what we want to know where it actually interferes with about ourselves resides outside of potential, etc) conscious awareness’. For effective In search of re-search development at any level, we need to The awareness I am referring to here is Inspired by new and alternative ways of look at our ‘selves’ first and explore our a rich, critical and ongoing self- thinking, I always try to explore different ‘Self 2’ and ‘Self 1’. The former refers exploration of all aspects of our paths for re-search with myself and to the vast reservoir of potential within potential and the possible areas of others. Here I should like to describe each one of us: our natural talents and interference that can get in the way of two re-search processes which we can abilities, an unlimited resource we can our potential. With the huge potential use to learn from and about ourselves tap into and develop; and the latter we each possess, almost everything is and others as learners and professionals. refers to our own interference in our actually within our control for our These are 1 learner re-search diaries and development: our concepts about how personal development as professionals. I 2 role-reversal interviews.

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www.diako.ir www.diako.ir TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

‘aloneness together’, I find myself in a Role-reversal interviews constant search and re-search for new tools and paths to accomplish this as, I A Sample questions from students too, strongly believe that, as Stanley Gryskiewicz puts it, ‘growth, personal and ● What were your expectations when you were young? Do your expectations professional, will most likely take place then match your expectations now? when new worlds are being explored’. ● How important for you are other people’s opinions about you? At present, I am re-searching where ● Can you associate/relate your life or life in general with any philosophical I am in my work and approach as the meaning? director of a school and rethinking data from my colleagues in previously- ● How many lives (kinds of life) do you have? administered surveys where I had B Sample questions from teachers sought feedback on my own work and practices in the school. For example, I ● How can one foster greater receptivity to oneself and others, questioning am asking colleagues themselves to oneself, always looking back at oneself, the things you often mention? suggest questions for a new survey and I ● Putting yourself in the shoes of students, how would you like them to view am using a concordance program to you? What kind of image do you want to create? analyse the language I use in my emails ● To what extent do you trust instinct when you make professional decisions? to staff. I strongly believe that it is through processes such as these that we ● What inspires you most at a personal and professional level? will grow as a witnessing presence to our own personal and professional development and learn to become our interviewers) and analyse my responses In fact, in several cases, although I was own close friends. ETp at a later stage. the one being interviewed, the As the use of role-reversal interviews interviewer happily and readily provided was initially completely unplanned, I their own responses to the question they If you would be interested in learning about my replies to the interview questions naturally started by reflecting on why I were asking me. quoted, please contact me at the email had asked to be interviewed by students Most interviewers requested a address given below. and teachers. The main reasons I came recording of the interview and quite a up with were as follows: few were interested in finding out about Gallwey, W T The Inner Game of Work Inviting others to interview me: what questions I was being asked by Thomson Texere 2002 others. Although the invitation had ● Green, B and Gallwey, T The Inner Game felt like an experience where someone initially come from me, I was pleased of Music Pan Books 1986 was holding up a mirror to me and that all the interviewers commented that Gryskiewicz, S S Positive Turbulence: supporting me in my self-explorations; it was a useful learning experience for Developing Climates for Creativity, ● gave me an interesting and alternative them, too, particularly because they Innovation, and Renewal Jossey-Bass & way to explore my ‘Self 2’ and ‘Self 1’ could choose to ask any question and Center for Creative Leadership 1999 further; also because of the conversational Humphreys, T The Power of ‘Negative’ nature of the interviews which allowed Thinking Newleaf 1996 ● gave me an invaluable opportunity to them to share some of their own ideas Humphreys, T The Mature Manager: be ‘alone together’, ‘watching my as well. Managing from Inside Out Newleaf 2006 thinker’, being there as a ‘witnessing There are some sample questions Wilson, T D Strangers to Ourselves: presence’ and re-searching with my asked by language students and by Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious self; Belknap Harvard 2002 teachers in the box above. ● allowed me to look both inward and Tolle, E The Power of Now: A Guide to ૽ ૽ ૽ Spiritual Enlightenment Hodder & outward in terms of how individuals Stoughton 1999 respond to my thoughts, feelings and behaviour; As Tony Humphreys asserts, ‘the most Deniz Kurtoglu Eken is ● important journey in life is the journey the Director of Sabanci created an interesting opportunity to University School of find out about students and teachers into oneself’, but ‘knowing self is not Languages, Istanbul, easy because it tends to be the road less Turkey. She is also and what seems to be important to involved in language them; travelled [due to the] lack of safety that teacher and trainer surrounds the discovery and celebration of training and ● seemed also to stem from my own self’. What seems to make a difference is development, and need to be listened to. learner-based research. the process by which individuals choose Her richest source of inspiration comes from I also realised that people rarely seemed to examine themselves, including the explorations in personal to ask questions that they themselves equally useful and rewarding process of and professional would not want to answer or on issues looking outward at their own behaviour development. that they wouldn’t want to talk about. and how others react to them. In my [email protected]

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www.diako.ir SCRAPBOOKSCRAPBOOK Gems, titbits, puzzles, foibles, quirks, bits & pieces, quotations, snippets, odds & ends, what you will under Snowed Witty weather It is a popular urban myth that the Eskimo language has What happens when it rains cats and dogs? an unusually large number of words for snow. In reality, You have to be careful not to step in a poodle. the number of words depends on your definition of Eskimo (there are many different languages spoken in the What did one tornado say to the other? area whose native inhabitants are sometimes described ‘Let’s twist again like we did last summer.’ as Eskimos and, of course, they all have different words snow (Do you include snow- What did one hurricane say to the other? for snow), your definition of ‘I have my eye on you!’ related words or only those that refer specifically to the white stuff itself?), and on the method of counting What did Santa Claus’s wife say during a thunderstorm? numbers of words in languages that have quite different ‘Come and look at the rain, dear!’ grammatical structures from English. People also forget What doesn’t get any wetter no matter how much it rains? how many snow-related words there are in, snowballEnglish. Someand The ocean. snow, like snowflake are compounds with spring snow refer slush, powder and If an orchestra plays during a thunderstorm, who is most snowdrift; some, like , snowfall blizzard likely to get hit by lightning? to the quality of the snow; others, like describe the way in which it falls. The conductor. and snow flurry Meteorologists, mountain climbers and skiers could add What is the technical term for a sunny, warm day which even more words to the list! follows two rainy days? Monday. And then, when you consider the number of English words to describe rain, you realise that all languages are rich in vocabulary to describe subtle differences in That weather conditions. How many of these do you know? snow excuse! The wrong kind of snow cascade cloudburst deluge downpour is a phrase coined by the drench drips drizzle droplet British newspapers in 1991 after severe weather drops inundation hail flood caused disruption to train services. A spokesman for mizzle monsoon rain raindrop the rail company explained that they were having rivulet torrent trickle shower problems with the type of snow that had fallen. It sluice soak spatter squall was unusually soft and powdery and found its way into the electrical systems of the rail network, causing short circuits. The snow also became packed in the sliding doors of the trains, preventing them from opening and closing properly. People who did not realise that there are different kinds of snow saw the explanation as nonsensical and the phrase became a byword for lame excuses. iStockphoto.com / © Jong kiam Soon

54 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Meteorological mastery

The amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth is 6,000 times the amount of energy used by all human beings worldwide. iStockphoto.com / © Alan Smithee, Martin Fischer The total amount of fossil fuel used by people since the start of civilisation is equivalent to less than 30 days of sunshine.

Tree crickets are called the poor man’s thermometer because temperature directly affects their rate of activity. Count the number of chirps a cricket makes in 15 seconds, then Lightning add 37. The total will be very close to the never outside temperature! strikes twice .... During a storm, you can find out how many According to the Guinness Book of World Records , Roy miles away the lightning is by counting the Sullivan holds the record for surviving the most lightning number of seconds between the flash of strikes. Between 1942 and his death in 1983, Sullivan was lightning and the sound of thunder, then struck by lightning seven times. The first lightning strike went through his leg and blew off his big toenail. In 1969, a second dividing by two. Children in the UKto oftenmark dothe crocodile strike burned off his eyebrows and knocked him unconscious. this by using the word three , two crocodile, seconds: one crocodile Another strike just a year later, left him with a burnt shoulder. In crocodile, etc. 1972, his hair was set on fire and he had to pour a bucket of water over his head to put it out. In 1973, another bolt ripped Raindrops fall between 7 and 18 miles per hour through his hat and hit him on the head, setting his hair on fire (3 and 8 metres per second) in still air. The again, throwing him out of his truck and knocking his left shoe actual speed depends on the size of the off. A sixth strike in 1976 left him with an injured ankle. The last raindrop. Air friction breaks up raindrops lightning bolt to hit Roy Sullivan sent him to the hospital with when they exceed 18 miles per hour. chest and stomach burns in 1977. In 1983, he shot himself. Climate change Although he was a qualified meteorologist, TV Happy landing weatherman Peter Jenkins had a terrible record of forecasting. He became something of a joke An aeroplane encountered exceptionally high winds as it made its descent into Heathrow when a local newspaper began keeping a record Airport. The plane swung wildly from side to side of his predictions and showed that he’d been and then swooped up and down as it bounced off wrong almost 300 times in a single year. The TV pockets of turbulence. Eventually, the pilot company didn’t see the funny side of this and managed to land his plane – albeit bumpily – and fired him. He moved to another part of the as the passengers disembarked, he came out of country and applied for a similar job. One the cockpit to bid them farewell. The most section of the job application form asked for his memorable comment he received was from a reason for leaving his previous position. Jenkins little old lady who asked him politely whether he would please satisfy her curiosity on just one wrote, ‘The climate didn’t agree with me.’ point: ‘Did we land, or were we shot down?’

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www.diako.ir TECHNOLOGY where the focus is ‘imperialistic’ will negatively affect the students. Additionally, students’ preferences should be taken into account when choosing online materials. Students who study in an interesting and exciting environment tend to learn more than those who are subjected to monotonous lectures. Although this is common ChoosingChoosing knowledge, the classroom environment is often overlooked and the teacher’s preferences are often considered to constitute ‘interesting’ topics for discussion. The copious amounts of videos and onlineonline articles that can be found online mean that teachers should never have a problem finding something that is appealing to their students. Materials with content that will increase the students’ interest while simultaneously decreasing their affective filter are easily materialsmaterials found using the various internet search Rafael Sabio considers the things engines such as Google and Yahoo and on popular video sites such as YouTube that need to be considered. and MSN Video.

oday’s society is dynamic, with authentic material which can be found 2 Systematic development people all over the world able online, a problem arises when trying to When choosing online authentic to communicate readily with use such materials: which ones do materials, it is also important to consider each other. In order to do so, teachers choose, and how? the students’ current stage of linguistic however,T they need to be aware of There are certain important criteria development. Whether you use a video various factors, such as culture and that need to be taken into account by or an article from an online news socio-economic positioning, that teachers when they choose online source, the language development that it influence language. As a result, teaching materials. These are affective filter, promotes should always be systematic. methodology has become more systematic development, relevance and Students should not be introduced to complex: there is no longer only one appropriateness. archaic words they will never use again, way of doing things. N S Prabhu nor should they have to deal with contends that there are numerous 1 Affective filter vocabulary pertaining to quantum variables, such as social situation (eg mechanics, unless, of course, that is First proposed by Stephen Krashen and language policy and environment), what they are studying. Teachers should Tracy Terrell, the affective filter is a objectives and class size to consider ensure that the language presented is of control mechanism within a person that when teaching in the classroom. As a immediate use to the students. Much affects learning and language result, employing one single method will like infants, language learners have to acquisition. Negative emotions such as not yield the best results and teachers crawl before they can walk. They need boredom, nervous anxiety and doubt find themselves using an eclectic to acquire the basics before moving on increase a student’s affective filter, mixture of methods in order to best to more advanced forms of language. making it more difficult for them to accommodate the needs of their Because, as Dulay, Burt and Krashen learn. In contrast, positive emotions students. One of these methods is the point out, language acquisition at use of authentic materials obtained such as curiosity, eagerness and from the internet. anticipation help to lower a student’s affective filter, increase information Negative emotions Criteria for choice retention and, therefore, ultimately aid language learning. Teachers can such as boredom Authentic online materials are things contribute to lowering their students’ taken from the internet which illustrate affective filters by choosing content increase a student’s the English language being used in a with the students’ cultural background affective filter, making practical form and which can be used in in mind. For instance, most students are the classroom in order to promote proud of their native country. They are it more difficult for English language acquisition. Examples learning English because it is the of such materials are online videos and language of trade and international them to learn articles. Given the vast amount of communication. Conducting a class

56 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir different ages is predictable, teachers can end with a worksheet that reinforces gear the material they use to steering Students’ wants what has been learnt. On Tuesday, their students towards the next natural perhaps, the teacher can introduce a level of language acquisition. and needs are current events theme. Articles relating extremely important to current events that directly affect the 3 Relevance students can be introduced. Vocabulary is then reviewed and the articles read The relevance of the chosen material is and they like to feel and discussed. extremely important as it has a direct that these needs effect on the students’ affective filters. 4 There are four distinct components of are being met Appropriateness relevance that need to be considered Authentic online materials often come when choosing authentic materials from with ‘surprises’ – videos that are labelled the internet for the language classroom: may come with a ‘one-stop-shop’ one thing may show something else; culture, current trends, wants and needs, mentality, thinking that the one course there may be flashes of explicit and presentation. they are taking will somehow pornographic material embedded in a miraculously make them fluent English single frame; there may be images or a) Culture speakers. This poses a challenge to topics that are considered inappropriate Culture is the most important teachers. Should the students’ needs not in specific cultures, or other content component. Material which violates be met, the teacher may be perceived as that is unsuitable for the English societal norms and beliefs can bring ineffective and the students may language classroom. It is imperative, about a negative response from the experience a feeling of hopelessness. therefore, that the materials be checked students. Furthermore, the students may Wants and needs should be reviewed to ensure that they suit the classroom. feel that the teacher does not care about and analysed prior to starting a class in There are several things to consider them, ultimately creating a negative order to help maximise the students’ when determining the appropriateness environment and an ‘us versus them’ satisfaction and ensure the effectiveness of a piece of authentic online material, mentality. of the selected materials. Conducting a five of which are discussed here. needs analysis is useful in this situation b) Current trends as it can reveal what is expected by the a) Age Current trends are also important when students, the institution and the teacher, Online materials that illustrate graphic choosing authentic materials to use in therefore providing a foundation on depictions of real-life situations should the classroom because they are usually which the teacher can build an effective not be used with younger students. what the students are most interested in. lesson or curriculum. Additionally, content that is too Topics that are receiving a lot of difficult for young learners will only attention in the news, such as politics, d) Presentation hinder the language acquisition process. fashion, or even the latest video game or A perfect method of presentation can Teachers should assess each class in cartoon, may prove useful when deciding be difficult to achieve as all students order to determine what level of what kind of information to collect. have their own ideas as to how materials difficulty the materials should be at. Authentic materials relevant to the should be presented. In order to students’ interests are sure-fire resources maximise student learning, a variety of b) Culture that will ensure attentiveness and spark information delivery methods should be Considering the culture from which curiosity. used. For example, if Monday’s English students come is another criterion for class has an extreme sports theme, determining the appropriateness of c) Wants and needs videos relating to the theme (eg skating, authentic online material. Culturally This idea of choosing authentic kite skiing and free-running) can be sensitive topics should be avoided so as materials which relate to current trends shown to the students. Vocabulary not to cause offence. If the teacher is overlaps with the third component of relating to the theme and videos can unaware of how the students will react, relevancy: needs. Students’ wants and then be taught so that the students then the material should not be used at needs are extremely important and they understand what they have seen and can all. As previously mentioned, material like to feel that these needs are being discuss it in class. Finally, the lesson can that arouses negative emotions such as met. Particularly, they need to feel that nervousness and discomfort will only what they are learning is relevant to increase the students’ affective filters. their situation. For example, if a group of biomedical engineering students are Conducting a c) Length learning English and their teacher needs analysis can The length of an online article or video introduces vocabulary commonly found is an extremely important consideration. in history textbooks, the students may reveal what is expected Materials that are too long will cause feel that the lesson is of no use to them. by the students, the students to lose interest in the lesson. In addition, their attention may wander They can also cause negative emotions because of the negative emotions they institution and the such as boredom and stress because are experiencing and, as a result, they students may find that the length may not learn much. Students’ teacher contributes to the difficulty of expectations can often run high; some understanding. Conversely, materials

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 57

www.diako.ir being easy to learn. Choosing a ratio of ૽ ૽ ૽ new words to old can be difficult. The Choosing following is a suggestion. Using authentic online materials provides students with an introduction to New words:old words real-life English language use. Moreover, online Advanced learners of English – 2:3 Intermediate learners of English – 1:3 it gives the students a chance to see how Beginning learners of English – 1:4 English is used in an international materials context. The criteria outlined above are not mutually exclusive; they often which are too short may not have These recommended ratios will differ overlap, as you will have noticed, and enough substance to create a meaningful depending on several variables, such as may be used in conjunction when lesson. In my experience the following the number of students in the class, decisions are made regarding what is to lengths are advisable: their overall ability and aptitude, etc. be used in the classroom. I hope that this A common misconception is that if article has highlighted several ideas that Online articles: students are given words and their should be considered when choosing Advanced learners – 700 to 800 words definitions to memorise, they will learn authentic online materials to use in the Intermediate learners– 400 to 600 words the words. However, memorisation only language classroom and will help Beginning learners – 100 to 200 words helps students retain a word in their teachers to take full advantage of the Online videos (all levels): short-term memories. In rare situations, wealth of teaching materials available Maximum – 5 minutes they may retain a newly-learnt word in on the internet that offer the news, Minimum – 3 minutes their long-term memories, but this is events and topics which students often likely to be only its meaning rather than find most interesting. ETp d) Difficulty how it is used in context. Difficulty is one of the hardest factors Dulay, H, Burt, M and Krashen, S to define and even more tricky to Pre-screening Language Two OUP 1982 determine. Students in one class often Material on the internet, especially Krashen, S and Terrell, T The Natural have different abilities and bring with videos, can include inappropriate content, Approach Alemany Press 1983 them a wide variety of capabilities, and can contain things (such as graphic Prabhu, N S ‘There is no best method – Why?’ TESOL Quarterly 24(2) 1990 providing problems for teachers on a depictions of war) which are unsuitable daily basis. Here are some suggestions for the English classroom. Teachers need Rafael Sabio is an of questions teachers should ask to pre-screen thoroughly all content that assistant professor and themselves when trying to assess the is to be used in the classroom. Here are university supervisor at level of difficulty of online materials: Yonsei University in some general guidelines: South Korea. He has ● Is the material beyond the students’ been teaching English in South Korea for more comprehension level (eg are you using Pre-screening authentic articles than five years and has material that discusses chaos theory from the internet published articles in several academic with elementary school students)? – Read the entire article in order to journals and national ● determine the appropriateness of the newspapers. His main Does the material contain sentence content. interests lie in online structures which are too difficult for education and creating – If you find offensive material or practical lesson plans. the students to follow? expletives, the article (if it is still to be [email protected] ● Does the vocabulary content parallel used because of its compelling the students’ current level of English nature or appeal to students) should or does it far surpass it (will they be be edited before being given to the completely lost)? students (one benefit of using online Writing for ETp articles over printed articles). e) New word to old word ratio Would you like to write for ETp? – Identify the new vocabulary that We are always interested in new writers Inundating the students with too many needs to be learnt by the students. and fresh ideas. For guidelines and new words may cause language advice, write to us or email: regression rather than language Pre-screening videos progression. As previously stated, from the internet [email protected] students’ affective filters are a hindrance – Check that the sound is clear and to the language acquisition process and any speech easy to hear. Visit the an overload of new vocabulary may – Make sure the video and dialogue are cause stress and anxiety. One way to reasonably slow in pace (ie not so ETp website! overcome this problem is to introduce quick as to lose the audience). The ETp website is packed with practical tips, advice, resources, information and new vocabulary alongside words that – Ensure that the content is likely to be selected articles. You can submit tips the students already know. The students appealing to the audience. see the familiar words and perceive the or articles, renew your subscription – Check that the content is appropriate or simply browse the features. lesson to be easy. Moreover, they learn for the age and maturity level of the www.etprofessional.com to associate the new words with the old students. words, that is, they see the new words as

58 • Issue 65 November 2009 • 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 Moodle they don’t really understand. In (but were afraid to ask) this article, she explores Moodle.

Moodle? Is that noodle before What has Moodle got to do and installs it on the institution’s server, 1 running the spell check? 3 with me? and teachers can then access and use it. Moodle is a virtual learning environment, or Moodle is an excellent platform through Remember that as with any new tool, and VLE. This is just a fancy-sounding name which to offer fully online learning. especially if you are new to online and for an online platform which keeps a However, it is also used by classroom blended learning, you will need some number of tools and resources in the same teachers as support for face-to-face training in how to use Moodle from a place. Think of one space online, where courses. So, for example, you can use it as technical standpoint (this is not that you can have communication tools such a place to store extra resources for a class, difficult), but, more importantly, you will as forums, blogs, wikis and chat rooms, as such as documents, audio or video. You need to know how to design effective well as a place to store documents, video can post homework assignments, extra online materials with a range of interesting and audio. That’s Moodle. Basically you language practice activities and links to and varied task types (this is the part log onto a web page, and there it all is. websites of interest. You can even get your many teachers find more challenging). Moodle, which stands for Modular students to use the blog or wiki functions So, first get your institution to have Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning to collaborate on projects out of class time. Moodle installed on their server. Then Environment, was created by Martin Classroom teachers can also use persuade them to provide some training, Dougiamas, who was teaching at a Moodle to offer blended learning (part not only in how to use Moodle university in Australia with another VLE. A face-to-face and part online). It makes technically, but in online materials, course lot of the things that he wanted to do sense to take advantage of face-to-face and task design. You could do this via an with this VLE were simply not possible, class time for speaking activities (among online training course, or you could get so he decided to create one which would others), as speaking is the hardest skill to somebody to run face-to-face workshops be more flexible. That was the start of practise effectively online. However, free for you and your colleagues. Moodle, and he invited fellow video conferencing platforms such as One of the great things about Moodle programmers and friends to contribute to Dimdim (www.dimdim.com) and WizIQ being open source is that there is a large its development. For a short engaging (www.wiziq.com) allow teachers to offer international community of users interview with Martin Dougiamas, in students opportunities for speaking providing informal support and feedback which he explains the origins of Moodle, practice at a distance. You can easily for each other. This community can be go to www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/ integrate these with Moodle. found at http://moodle.org. Whenever learnres/vsarchive/mdougiamas. you have a Moodle-related question, How can I use search the forums there to see if anyone Why is Moodle 4 Moodle? has already posed this query. With such 2 so popular? Although Moodle is web-based, it is not a large community of users, it’s almost There are many other VLEs, but one of simply a website that you just go along to guaranteed that somebody will already the main reasons for Moodle’s popularity and log in. You first need to download it have asked the same question, and is that it is ‘open source’. This means from the internet and install it. You can do someone else will have answered it, so that it is continually being developed by this on your own computer, but then only you can draw on their experience. We programmers from all over the world, you will have access. This is fine if you ourselves have solved many of our own who contribute their time and work for want to play around and learn how it Moodle issues this way. Happy moodling! free. It also means that it is free to use. works on your own (although note that Nicky Hockly has been Moodle is not the only open source VLE; installing Moodle is not for the fainthearted involved in EFL teaching and another popular one is Sakai. There are – you do need some basic technical teacher training since 1987. She is Director of Pedagogy also licensed VLEs, which can be very knowledge). For your students to be able of The Consultants-E, an expensive. to access your Moodle site, it first needs online training and Moodle gained rapidly in popularity development consultancy. to be installed on a server, so that it can Nicky is co-author of How when large educational institutions, such be accessed from other computers. to Teach English with as the Open University in the UK, adopted Technology, published by Pearson Longman, which won it. A graphic on the Moodle.org site shows So where do I the 2007 Ben Warren Prize. the exponential growth of Moodle from 5 start then? Contact Nicky at [email protected] just a few users in 2003 and 2004, to over Most teachers start using Moodle via their and let her know of any other ICT areas you’d like her to 40,000 registered sites by mid-2009. institutions. The technical team downloads explore in this series.

60 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

www.diako.ir Russell Stannard finds questions galore are answered at WebWebwatcher Wolfram alpha.

keep hearing the term Web 3.0 and finally I have begun to population of each city and the names of two cities that are understand it. If all the information that was on the internet nearby. To do this, they will need to skim through the answers to was properly tagged so that it could be easily found, then find the correct information. research programs would be a lot more powerful because they I Activity 2 could grab information from the net more easily. The Wolfram alpha website (www.wolframalpha.com ) is an amazing example Get the students to key in their birthdates and find out what day of the potential. You can type in all sorts of questions and it will of the year it was, how many days they have been alive and the give you an answer. The answers are often quite detailed, too. names of two famous people who were born on that day. To do The possibilities for language teaching are enormous. this, again they will need to read and skim to find the correct information.

Trying Wolfram alpha out Activity 3 Wolfram alpha works best with statistical and geographical Give the students a list of cities around the world. Get them to information. It doesn’t provide biographies, etc, but it does find out what the weather is like today in those places. provide loads of facts at the touch of a button. Try entering Activity 4 some of the following questions: Give the students a list of foods. Tell them to guess how many ● What is the population of London? calories there are in each one and to put them in order of most ● What is the population of London and Paris? to least calories. Then tell them to key them into Wolfram alpha ● What is the GDP of Iceland? and check their answers. How many did they get right? Which ● When was Barack Obama born? ones came out top and bottom? Were there any surprises? ● What was the weather like on 27/1/2000? ● What is the life expectancy of a 44-year-old male in the UK? Activity 5 ● How many internet users are there in Europe? Tell the students to write their own questions. Suggest a maximum of ten. Now see how many of them they can find the But your questions don’t have to be about things like this. You answer to in Wolfram alpha. Afterwards, the students can report can also ask questions about the English language. (Sometimes back to the rest of the class on the things they found out. it is better to simply formulate an instruction rather than a question.) Try entering some of the items below. What you will Activity 6 get is in brackets after each one. Give the students a grid that includes the names of six countries, with space to write the inflation, GDP and growth ● Words starting with IC (a list of words with IC at the beginning) rates in those countries. Put the students into groups and tell ● Words ending with ION (a list of words with ION at the end) them to complete the grid as quickly as possible. Afterwards, ● Word: Dangerous (a detailed definition) the groups can compare their answers. ● W-t-h (a list of words that fit this pattern)

You can do all sorts of things. Try simply writing in a word or Activity 7 some numbers, and you will get all kinds of information: Give out a list of companies and ask the students to find out two (or more) major pieces of information about them. Again you can ● Russell (information about the popularity of the name) vary the information or you could give different lists to different ● 27/01/65 (information about this date) groups who then share the information with each other. You ● Manchester (all sorts of information about the city) could do the same with celebrities, too. ● Running 4 km/h male 1.83m 90kg (information about the number of calories burnt) ૽ ૽ ૽ ● Chicken sandwich (information about fat, calories, etc) I could go on and on. This site really has a lot of potential for Using Wolfram alpha in class both creating questions and interpreting information. I have put together a video to help you use the site and show you some of Here are some activities for using this website in class. You can the possibilities. You can watch it at: increase the level by getting the students to interpret more of the www.teachertrainingvideos.com/wolfram/index.html. information. It is a good idea to play around with the tool first so that you get a good idea of just what information it can provide. Russell Stannard is a principal lecturer at the University A helpful way to start is to watch this video: of Westminster, UK. He won the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Initiatives in www.wolframalpha.com/screencast/ Information and Communications Technology (ICT). He introducingwolframalpha.html runs the website www.teachertrainingvideos.com and writes regular tweets at http://twitter.com/russell1955. Activity 1 Keep sending your favourite sites to Russell: Put the students into groups. Give them lists of cities. Tell them [email protected] to input the names into Wolfram alpha and find out the

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 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.

Let’s get engaged

he terms TTT (teacher talking time) but they are not teaching in the true sense occurring – and that responsibility for this and STT (student talking time) are of the word. vital process has shifted from us to them. familiar to many language It is, of course, both appropriate and It is clear, then, that in our classrooms T teachers. TTT describes times necessary for us to be the focal point of we need to alternate between TTT and during lessons when the teacher does class attention and to engage in TTT at STT. We need to pull our classes together most of the talking, while STT describes appropriate points during all lessons. After and address everyone collectively at times when students engage in interactive all, we are the only person in the room with certain points during lessons, and give the tasks in pairs or small groups and therefore expertise in the target language. We should students controlled freedom to engage in do most of the talking themselves. Since a expect the full attention of the class when interactive tasks at other times. There is no major goal of most teachers is we do any the following: golden rule about how much lesson time to help students improve their One obvious 1 model new language forms, we should devote to TTT, and how much speaking skills, there is an indicator of student showing how new words, time we should allocate to STT. This will assumption that STT is good phrases and expressions are depend on a number of factors, including and that TTT is bad – and that engagement is pronounced and used; the general focus of our course, our the more lesson time taken up classroom interaction 2 introduce new structures specific lesson objectives, the level of by student talk, the better. I (or revise ones with which linguistic ability and maturity of our would challenge this assumption, believing the students are already familiar) in such a students, the size of the class, the that what is needed in all lessons is an way that understanding of language educational context in which we are appropriate balance between TTT and STT, patterns is consolidated; 3 elicit responses teaching, and so on. It is up to us to and that the term SET (student from individuals or the class as a whole; exercise our professional judgement about engagement time) may also be useful to and 4 give instructions for the completion how much TTT and how much STT is keep in mind. of tasks. If we do not command full appropriate for each lesson. And, of Obviously it is unwise to spend too attention and require course, we must not forget that much lesson time standing at the front of silence when we address Students can be many lesson segments (such the room droning on at our students, telling our classes, we are not highly engaged in as question and answer them things but not providing them with fulfilling our teaching role sequences) involve a opportunities to engage with the language as effectively as we might. the learning process combination of TTT and STT: it in meaningful ways. When this happens we Students also need to when they are not is not a question of either the can sense a feeling of heaviness in the engage with the learning one or the other, but of both room; that feeling of vibrancy, which is a process, rather than simply saying anything at all occurring at the same time. key element in the interactive process of sitting back and listening to In sum, TTT and STT are teaching and learning, is absent. From time our words. One obvious indicator of useful terms for reminding us of the to time, we all talk too much during student engagement is classroom importance of balancing different types of lessons – often because we haven’t interaction: students behaving in animated interaction patterns in our lessons. prepared our lesson carefully enough and ways as they practise speaking English However, we should not forget that student it’s easier to tell students things rather than with their friends. However, interacting with engagement is our ultimate goal, and that find engaging ways of helping them to others is not the only (or the most reliable) this can occur whoever in the classroom is understand and absorb what indicator of student engagement. doing most of the speaking. Student we are teaching. If we’re not In our classrooms Students can be highly engaged engagement time, or SET, may be a useful sure what we’re doing, we we need to in the learning process when they additional term to help us become more may even become side- are not saying anything at all. effective language teachers. ETp tracked and spend valuable alternate between They may be trying hard to lesson time telling our TTT and STT remember things, thinking deeply students (a captive but not about something, working out necessarily a willing audience) about how to solve a problem, struggling to ourselves and our interests. Some teachers understand a complex grammar rule or Rose Senior is a conference presenter use strict syllabus guidelines and lack of seeking creative ways of expressing their and teacher educator. She is the author time as an excuse to talk non-stop ideas in writing. When we observe our of The Experience of Language Teaching, published by CUP. throughout their lessons. When they do students fully absorbed in challenging this, they may be dispensing information, tasks, we can sense that learning is [email protected]

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 65 November 2009 • 63

www.diako.ir Prize crossword 38

ETp presents the thirty-eighth in our series of prize Publishing, PO Box 100, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8HD, UK. crosswords. Try it … and maybe win a prize! Once you Ten correct entries will be drawn from a hat on 10 January 2010 have done it successfully, let your students have a go. and the senders will each receive a copy of the second edition Send your entry (not forgetting to include your full of the Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners, name, postal address and telephone number) to Prize applauded for its unique red star system showing the frequency crossword 38, ENGLISH TEACHING professional, Keyways of the 7,500 most common words in English.

15 11 25 5 19 17 25 23 3 18 26 15 26 5 12 1 3 18 B 25 1 26 26 3 25 2 13 12 9 3 23 11 1 12 16

2 131715 7 12 20 14 25 12 25 22 25 11 8

8 13 8 13 15 14 1 25 7 9 17 25 18 7 1 3 18

1511725 187 1713202511 Albert Camus 7 18 17 17 5 11 26 12 18 20 18 8 F 25 15 VERY FREQUENT WORDS ** Someone who steals something *** A thick dark smooth liquid from ** To shake slightly 11 25 15 26 11 12 15 23 under the ground, used for making ** Very keen to do something or petrol and other fuels enthusiastic about something 25 18 9 181216251113263 *** A unit for measuring distance, FAIRLY FREQUENT WORDS equal to 1.609 kilometres * A large area of high land covered 17 18 9 8 15 11 17 26 *** An adult male human with grass, bushes and heather *** The present time at the present * To make a sound 1 15 2517132325 time * Someone who travels regularly to *** To advise someone that they and from work 18 26 15 26 5 12 18 17 26 25 should do something U * To make air, water or land dirty and *** A violent attempt to harm a dangerous 12 13 2 135 5 26152511 person, animal or place *** The first day of the week in the LESS FREQUENT WORDS 2 13211825 US and the last in the UK – Someone who has left their home *** To move quickly downwards or escaped from somewhere 25 18 16 25 11 12 13 20 from a higher position, usually by – Typical of or relating to autumn accident – A toy consisting of a round object *** A woman who behaves politely on the end of a string that you can make rise and fall 12345678910111213 and in a way traditionally XJF Q considered suitable for a woman – The action of breathing in smoke from a cigarette, pipe, etc 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 *** Likely to harm or kill someone BVZU or to damage or destroy something – A young male horse *** To go back to a place where – To go away secretly to get married you were earlier – An old word used to tell someone To solve the puzzle, find which letter each number represents. to look at something or to pay You can keep a record in the boxes above. The definitions of the FREQUENT WORDS attention to it words in the puzzle are given, but not in the right order. When ** A strong sharp taste that is not – A little bit you have finished, you will be able to read the quotation. sweet – The state of depending on a ** Very good, nice or enjoyable particular person or thing

64 • Issue 65 November 2009 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

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