The PPP & ESA teaching methods

Camila Roldán - Practice II - 2014

PPP

• The first stage, 'Presentation‘, is where the teacher firstly finds out how much of the target language (for example the grammar or vocabulary to be taught) the students know. This is called "eliciting.“

• The teacher will then present the language structure, usually on a board. 

• The students are generally expected to listen during this part of the lesson and their opportunities to speak are limited.

• In the second part of the lesson, the students are given controlled practice of the target language.

• This could be in the form of oral exercises, targeted at individual students, or in the form of worksheets during early stages.

• Again, this part of the lesson is very teacher-led. Often more than one activity is given, each one allowing the students progressively more freedom to produce the language themselves.

• The third part of the lesson is where the students start

to produce language more freely. 

• For example, they might be given role play situations to devise and act out, they may have free writing exercises, or there may be other opportunities to produce the language they have been working on.

1. Firstly, the amount of teacher talking time is disproportionately high compared to the amount of student talking time, certainly in the first part of the lesson.

2. It encourages accuracy over fluency, and this is not always the desired outcome of a course.

3. Thirdly, it does not allow for recap, or movement between the different stages. This is where the ESA method is often preferred now.

ESA

• It allows for much more flexibility, and lessons often move between the different stages. 

• However, the same basic structure is given, with the need for presentation of some kind before any practice is given. 

• In the ESA method, there is more emphasis on student-led grammar discovery, eliciting the grammar from students rather than giving a detailed (and often boring!) teacher-led presentation. 

• The final stage, with free practice, is the same as the last stage of PPP.

The ESA teaching method

• Teachers try to arouse the students interest, thus involving their emotions. This could be done by using realia, pictures, objects, posters, cartoons, audios, videos, stories, games, etc.

• Study activities are those where the students are asked to focus in on language and how it is constructed. They range from the study and practice of a single sound to an investigation of how a writer achieves a particular effect in a long text.

• This refers to activities which are designed to get the students using language as freely and communicatively as they can. The objective is not to focus on language construction and/or practice specific bits of language, but for students to use all language which may be appropriate for a given situation or topic.

• According to Jeremy Harmer, ESA builds flexibility through 3 lesson procedures:

Straight arrow lessons

This consists of the teacher following the sequence: Engage, Study and Activate. This is the best format for the teacher who knows the students needs.

Boomerang lessons

Patchwork lessons