lesson 1
TRANSCRIPT
Lesson 1. Learning languages
strategies
Chapter 11. ‘Techniques and materials´
Bibliography
Douglas, H. “Teaching by principles. An interactive
approach to Language Pedagogy”. 3rd. Edition.
Objectives:
Define concepts as:
1. Strategies for learning a foreign language
2. Main characterisctics of the strategies for learning a
foreign language.
3. Kinds of materials to use for teaching a foreing language.
Introduction
Designing and implementing techniques in the classroom
and reviewing and choosing from a wide variety of
materials.
Zoom in further to the components of a lesson: the
techiniques and activity that comprise a lesson and the
materiales to support those techniques.
Definition of technique
“ As a superordinate term to refer to various activities that
either teachers or learners perform in the classroom. In other
words, techniques include all tasks and activities. They are
almost always planned and deliberate. They are the product of
a choice made by the teacher.” (Anthony, 1963).
What kind of techniques does a teacher of a foreign
language? What do you do in your practice?
Skills…
Speaking
Listening
Reading
writing
Techniques:
1. From manipulation to communication
Manipulative techniques
- Totally controled by the teacher
- Predicted responses from students
- Choral repetition
- Cued substitution
- Drills
- Dictation (listening and writing)
- Reading aloud
Communicative techniques:
- Students responses are completely openended and
therefore unpredictable.
- Examples: storytelling, brainstorming, role plays, certain
games, etc.
- Teacher are usually put into less controlled role.
- Students became free to be creative
- Genuine communcation can take place from the first day.
Techniques:
1. From manipulation to communication
Techniques:
2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills
What is a drill?
Repeating, repeating and repeating…
Definied as a technique that focuses on a minimal number of
language forms through some type of repetition.
Techniques:
2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills
For example:
T: I went to the store yesterday Ss: I went to the store yesterday
T: Bank Ss: I went to the bank yesterday
T: Hospital Ss: I went to the hospital yesterday
Techniques:
2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills
Mechanical drills
- Only one correct response from the student
- No implied connection with reality.
- Student repeat a word or phrase whether the student
understands it or not.
Ex:
T: The cat is in the hat.
Ss: the cat is in the hat.
T: the wug is in the gling.
Ss: the wug is in the gling.
Techniques:
2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills
Meaningful drill
- May have a predicted response or a limited set of possible
resonses, but it is connected to some form of reality.
- Teacher reinforces certain grammatical or phonological
elements.
Ex: T: The woman is outside (pointing out the window at a woman)
S1: The woman is outside
T: right. The woman is outside. Keiko, where is she?
S2: she is outside.
T: good Keiko, she’s outside. Now, class, we are inside. Hiroko, where are we?
S3: we are inside.
Techniques:
2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills
Communicative drill
- It is not a drill
- It offers the student the possibility of an open response
and negotiation of meaning.
Techniques:
2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills
Ex:
T: Good morning, class. Last week I went to a restaurant and I ate salmon.
Juan, what did you do last weekend?
Juan: I went to park and I play soccer.
T: Juan, “I play soccer” or “I played soccer”?
Juan: Oh… eh… I played soccer.
T: Good! Ying, did you go to the park last weekend?
Ying: No.
T: What did you do?
Ying: I went to a movie.
T: Great! And what did you do, Fay?
Techniques:
3. Controlled to free techniques
Controlled Free
Teacher – centered Student – centered
Manipulative Communicative
Structured Opened – ended
Predicted student responses Unpredicted responses
Preplanned objectives Negotiated objectives
Set curriculum Cooperative curriculum
Classroom activity
Instructions:
In pairs, review the differences among mechanical,
meaningful, and quasi-communicative drills, and illustrate
with more examples.
At least 2 examples of each
15 minutes left.
Taxonomy of techniques
Controlled techniques
Semicontrolled techniques
Free techniques
Taxonomy of techniques
1. Controlled techniques
Warm-up
Setting
Organizational
Content explanation
Role-play demostration
Dialogue/narrative recitation
Reading aloud
Checking
Question-answer, display
Drill
Translation
Dictation
Copying
Identification
Recognition
Review
Testing
Meaninful drill
Taxonomy of techniques
2. Semicontrolled techniques
Brainstorming
Storytelling
question-answer, referential
Cued narrative/ dialogue
Information transfer
Information exchange
Wrap-up
Narration/exposition
preparation
Taxonomy of techniques
3. Free techniques
Role play
Games
Report
Problem solving
Drama
Simulation
Interview
Discussion
Composition
A propos
Classroom activity
Instructions:
Individual
Review the information on the continuum of techniques
ranging from manipulation to communication, referring to both
the manipulation-communication scale and the controlled-free
scale.
Look at the Taxonomy of techniques in Table 11.1 (pages 185-
186).
For as many of the techniques as possible, decide if the
arrangement in the table of controlled, semicontrolled and free
techniques matches the manipulation-communicative scale.
20 minutes left.
Textbook and other materials
Go over page 192
Table 11.2 textbook evaluation criterA
Textbook and other materials
Realia. “object lesson”. Food items, cosmetics,
household gadgets, tools and other materials.
Characteristics:
- Add some significant reality to the classroom.
- Effectiveness in helping students to connect language to
reality.
- Useful for teaching children, who benefit from tangible
objects that can stimulate kinesthetic connections.
Textbook and other materials
Self-made paper-baed visual aids. Posters, charts and
magazine pictures.
Commercially avaliable visual aids. Slides,
photographs, posters and other illustrations from
publishers.
Classroom activity
Instructions:
In pairs
Look at the taxonomy in table 11.1 and try to clarify any
questions you have about each technique.
Choose 5 techniques you like.
With your partner figure out how to demostrate the
technique to the rest of the class.
20 minutes left.