Describing learning

and Teaching
 Language Acquisition
• How people acquire or learn a language?
• Language acquisition is almost guaranteed for children up to age 6 since they

learn with incredible facility but also forget as easily.

• At first they will begin with one word and two words utterances and will then

begin to make complete sentences.

• All children who are in contact with a language will in normal circumstances
learn it. They do this unconsciously.
• Most adults can learn a language without studying it when they are in contact
with a language.
• However, not all adults who are in contact with a foreign language learn it, and
they may have more trouble with the pronunciation and grammar than younger
learners, although they may be able to communicate fluently. Therefore, The
language learners need to be motivated, be exposed to language, and given chances to
2
 Acquisition and learning

• Learning in the classroom will expose students to the language and

activate their language knowledge

• It will also offer them chances to study the language and learn the way it
works and is used.

• Children and adults who acquire the target language outside the
classroom because:

1. Get exposed to language that they can understand at a basic level (though
they cannot produce it yet)

2. Are motivated to learn the language so that they can communicate

3. Have opportunities to use the language they are learning

3
 Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition

• Foreign languages are acquired in the same way. Language acquisition does not

require extensive use of grammatical rules, and does not require boring drill.

• Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language - natural

communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their

utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding.

4
 Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition

• Krashen believes that there is no fundamental difference between the way we

acquire our first language and our subsequent languages. He claims that

humans have an innate ability that guides the language learning process.

Infants learn their mother tongue simply by listening attentively to spoken

language that is (made) meaningful to them.

5/43
 Stephen Krashen's Theory of
Second Language Acquisition
The 5 hypotheses of Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition.
Krashen's theory of second language acquisition consists of five main
hypotheses:
•the Acquisition-Learning hypothesis;
•the Monitor hypothesis;
•the Input hypothesis;
•and the Affective Filter hypothesis;
•the Natural Order hypothesis.

6
 1- The acquisition-learning hypothesis

There are two ways of developing language ability: by acquisition and by

learning.
Krashen states: “Monitor Theory hypothesizes that adults have two
independent systems for developing ability in second languages,
subconscious language acquisition and conscious language learning”
(Krashen, 1981: 1).
1. Acquisition is a sub-conscious process, as in the case of a child learning its
own language or an adult 'picking up' a second language simply by living
and working in a foreign country. We acquire L2 knowledge as we are
exposed to samples of the L2 which we understand with no conscious
attention to language form. It is a subconscious and natural process.
2. Learning is the conscious process of developing a foreign language through
language lessons and a focus on the grammatical features of that language.
We learn the L2 via a conscious process of study and attention to form
and rule learning.
 2- The monitor hypothesis

–We are able to use what we have learned about the rules of a language in
monitoring (or self-correcting) our language output. Clearly, this is possible in
the correction of written work. It is much more difficult when engaging in
regular talk.
– Krashen states that it is often difficult to use the monitor correctly since the rules
of a language can be extremely complex. Two examples from English are the
rules about the articles (a/the) and the future "tense".
– Even assuming the learner has a good knowledge of the rule in question, it is
difficult to focus on grammar while simultaneously attempting to convey
meaning (and possibly feeling). Most normal conversation simply does not
provide enough time to do so.
 2- The monitor hypothesis

–The acquired system acts to initiate the speaker’s utterances and is

responsible for spontaneous language use, whereas the learned system acts as
a “monitor”, making minor changes and polishing what the acquired system
has produced.
–Such monitoring takes place only when the speaker/writer has plenty of time,
is concerned about producing correct language, and has learned the relevant
rules.
–Krashen states that monitoring can make some contribution to the accuracy
of an utterance but its use should be limited.
–He suggests that the ‘monitor’ can sometimes act as a barrier as it forces the
learner to slow down and focus more on accuracy as opposed to fluency.

Learned system acting as a

monitor

Acquired System Utterance

 3- The natural order hypothesis
–Language is acquired in a predictable order by all learners. This order does
not depend on the obvious simplicity or complexity of the grammatical
features involved. The natural order of acquisition cannot be influenced by
direct teaching of features that the learner is not yet ready to acquire.
–Certain grammatical structures or morphemes are acquired before others in
first language acquisition and there is a similar natural order in SLA.
–It is claimed that the natural order of acquisition is very similar for a native-
English child learning its own language and for an adult learning English as a
foreign language.
–The language features that are easiest to state (and thus to ‘learn’) are not
necessarily the first to be acquired.
–For example, the -ing form (present continuous) will be acquired early on and
almost certainly before the -s inflection in the third person present simple (she
likes, he eats, etc.) As Krashen points out, much of the frustration experienced
by teachers and their students in grammar lessons results from the attempt to
inculcate a grammatical form which the learner is not yet ready to acquire.
THE NATURAL ORDER HYPOTHESIS
 4- The input hypothesis

–We acquire language in one way only: when we are exposed to input (written or
spoken language) that is comprehensible to us. Comprehensible input is the
necessary but also sufficient condition for language acquisition to take place. It
requires no effort on the part of the learner.

–Acquisition occurs when one is exposed to language that is comprehensible

–If the input contains forms and structures just beyond the learner’s current
level of competence in the language ,then both comprehension and
acquisition will occur.
 5- The affective filter hypothesis

• Comprehensible input will not result in language acquisition if that input is filtered out before it
can reach the brain's language processing faculties. The filtering may occur because of anxiety,
poor self-esteem or low motivation.

• Learners with a low affective filter will not only be efficient language acquirers of the
comprehensible input they receive. They are also more likely to interact with others, unembarrassed
by making mistakes for example, and thus increase the amount of that input.

• “Affect” refers to feelings, motives, needs, attitudes, and emotional states.

• The “affective filter” is an imaginary/metaphorical barrier that could prevent learners from
acquiring language from the available input.

• Depending on the learner’s state of mind, the filter limits what is noticed and what is
acquired.

• A learner who is tense, anxious, or bored may “filter out” input, making it unavailable for
acquisition.
 5- The affective filter hypothesis

• Low motivation, and low self-esteem can combine to 'raise' the affective filter
and form a 'mental block' that prevents comprehensible input from being used
for acquisition.

• At such times the affective filter is said to be "up“ and blocks/prevents input
from reaching the “Language Acquisition Device”.

• Krashen claims that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good

self-image, and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in
second language acquisition.
How to apply Krashen's Hypotheses to the
SL/FL classroom?
 Hypothesis Application for EFL/ESL Teaching

The optimal way a language is learned is through

The Acquisition-Learning hypothesis
natural communication. As a second language
According to Krashen, there are two ways of
teacher, the ideal is to create a situation wherein
developing language ability. Acquisition
language is used in order to fulfill authentic
involves the subconscious acceptance of
purposes. This in turn, will help students to
knowledge. Learning, on the other hand, is
‘acquire’ the language instead of just ‘learning’
the conscious acceptance of knowledge
it.
‘about’ a language.

The Monitor hypothesis As an SL teacher it will always be a challenge to

The acquisition system, initiates an strike a balance between encouraging accuracy
utterance and the learning system and fluency in your students.
‘monitors’ the utterance to inspect and This balance is also known as Communicative
correct errors. competency.
 Hypothesis Application for EFL/ESL Teaching

The Natural Order hypothesis

language structures should be
According to Krashen, learners acquire taught in an order that is conducive
parts of language in a predictable order. to learning.

The Input hypothesis

This hypothesis suggests that language - using the Target Language in the
acquisition occurs when learners receive classroom.
messages that they can understand, and - Using challenging tasks
should be one step beyond the learner’s
current language ability
 Hypothesis Application for EFL/ESL Teaching

The Affective Filter hypothesis

- Create a safe, welcoming

According to Krashen the environment in which students can
affective filter is a 'screen' that learn.
is influenced by emotional
variables that can prevent
learning.

The Reading Hypothesis It is important to involve reading in the

language classroom to increase
This hypothesis basically states
knowledge of the language and the way
that the more we read in a SL the
it is used in real-life contexts.
greater our vocabulary will be.
 ESA” (Engage, Study, and Activate)

• In his book excerpt “How to Describe Learning and Teaching” Jeremy harmer
(1998) states that there is an approach that helps teachers to involve students in
the class by providing them variety with use of the "ESA" ( Engage, study and
Activate) elements in the lesson plan in order to avoid boredom in the teaching
learning process.
• He suggests that the “ESA” (Engage, Study, and Activate) element should be
presented in the majority of the lesson plans no matter the areas that the teacher
wants to focus.

19
 What is Engage-Study-Activate?

Engage, Study, Activate (ESA) is a method of sequencing activities in your

lessons, and was first proposed by Jeremy Harmer in his book, ‘How to
Teach English’. At first, ESA appears to be the same as PPP (Presentation,
Practice, Production). Like PPP, there are three stages. Each stage of ESA
roughly corresponds to PPP, but with ESA the stages can be moved around
or used more than once.
 Language Learning in Class

• Elements for successful language learning (ESA)

• There are three elements need to be present in a language classroom to help
students learn effectively and can help teachers to involve students into a
natural acquisition of the second language:

Learners need . . .
1. To be motivated (ENGAGE)
2. To be exposed to language (STUDY)
3. To be given chances to use the language
(ACTIVATE)
 Language Learning in Class

1. “Engage” is the first stage in which the teacher increases

students ‘motivation at the beginning of the class so that
learners can be acquainted with the topic that the teacher is
going to develop
2. “Study” is the stage where learners focus on the information
of the language. Here teachers explain grammatical structures
as well as language function.
3. “Activate” this is the last stage in which students produce the
language through activities and exercises which are designed
so that students activate the language freely.

22
 1.Engage
1. This is the point in a teaching sequence where teachers try to
arouse the student’s interest, thus involving their emotions.
2. When students are engaged, they learn better than when they
are partly or wholly disengaged.
3. Students should engage with the topic or language they will be
dealing with later in the ‘Study’ phase.
4. Activities and materials which frequently engage students
include:
– Games
– Music
– Discussions (when challenging enough)
– Stimulating pictures
– Dramatic stories
– Amusing anecdotes
– Ask students what they think before reading
•
2.Study
Study means any stage at which the construction of language is the
main focus.
• Study activities are those where the students are asked to focus on
language and how it is constructed. i.e.,
– From a single sound to a long text
– Teacher explaining grammar, or
– Students studying language evidence to discover
grammar point for themselves, or
– Students working in groups studying a reading text or
vocabulary
 Examples of ‘Study’
• Some typical areas for study might be:
– The study and practice of the vowel sound in ‘ship’ and sheep’
– The study and practice of the third person singular of the present simple ‘he sleeps,
she laughs, it works’
– The study and practice of inviting patterns ‘Would you like to come to the
cinema/to a concert?’
– The study and practice of the way we use pronouns in written discourse: ‘A man
entered a house in Buraimi. He was tall with an unusual beard. It was multicolored .
..
– The study and practice of paragraph organization
– The study of the rules for using make and do
 3.Activate
• This element describes exercises and activities which are
designed to get students using language as freely and
‘communicatively’ as they can.
– NOT to focus on language construction and/or practice specific bits of language

• To use all and any language which may be appropriate for a

given situation or topic
• ‘Activate’ exercises offer students a chance to try out real
language use with little or no restriction – like in the real world.
 Examples of ‘Activate’
• Role-play
• Advertisement design to create a commercial
• Debates and discussions
• ‘Describe and draw’ (Student 1 (S1) describes and S2
draws)
• Story and poem writing
• Writing in groups
 What if we leave out ‘Activate’?
• Without the chance to practice in safety of the classroom,
students may have a difficult time transferring what they have
learned through acquisition and study to real world situations.
 ESA Sequences in a Lesson
• Teachers can use different types of sequences of the “ESA" elements so that students acquire
the target language better.
• E, S, and A should be in any lesson
1. Sometimes only one part in one class period
2. Sometimes several sequences in one class period
• ESA combinations:
1. ESA (“Straight arrow sequence”) This is the best format for the teacher who knows the
students needs. Allowing the teacher to take the students to a logical point where they
can use the language. It works very well with elementary students

2. EAS(A) (“Boomerang sequence”) this sequence helps teachers to provide what

learners really need because it allows the teacher to assign homework assignments first
and then he or she decides what students need to study so that they can develop the
assignments.

3. EAASASEA (“Patchwork sequence”) many lessons are a mixture of procedures and

mini-procedures, a variety of short chapters building up to a whole.
• What do you think of the following statement?
Many teachers now share the belief that a single
right method does not exist.

• It is certainly true that no comparative study has

consistently demonstrated the superiority of one
method over another for all teachers, all students
and all settings.

30
 Describing teaching

• Harmer also shows that there are some methods that teachers have used to describe
teaching and meet the requirements to develop a successful class.
1. “The grammar translation method” is based on grammar; students acquire the language
by explanation of grammatical structures and translation from L1 to L2 and vice versa.
2. “The audio-lingualism method” focusses on “repetitive drill”. So it is expected that
students acquire the second language by repeating drills.
3. “Task based learning” focuses more on tasks instead of the study of the language. Learners
develop the assignments first and then if it is necessary they study the language so that
students can attain a specific goal.
4. “The communicative language teaching” is based on how students get involved with the
language, how they use it and how they are exposed to it.

31
Summary

1. These elements are necessary to learn language in a ‘real’ world: exposure,

motivation and use.
2. Three elements are necessary for successful teaching and learning in class: E
(engage), S (study), and A (activation).
3. The three elements will be in each lesson, but may take a different order.
4. The “ESA” elements provide a wide range of techniques that help teachers to:
• Vary the lesson plans and

• Make the class enjoyable

• let teachers involve students with the target language because if students are exposed

with the language since the beginning of the class, they will probably get the maximum

learning of it.
How to teach language
 What does language study consist
of?
• Remember: ‘Study’ is part of ESA (Engage, Study, Activate)
• Students need to do these 4 things with ‘new’ language:
1. Be exposed to it
2. Understand its meaning
3. Understand its form
4. Practice it

• What three things do students need when being exposed to language?

1. Need to understand its meaning
2. Need to understand its construction
3. Need to practice it
How should we EXPOSE students to language?
• In a classroom, a major part of the teacher’s job is to expose students to language so
that they can use it later. Here are some examples of how we can do this.
• ‘It’s a pen’(pronunciation) (with complete beginners)
– Pen – students hear the word
– It’s a pen – students hear the word in sentence
– What is it? – students hear the question
– Pen – students may need to see it written
• Invitations (listening)(elementary)
– Teacher plays recorded dialogue – students hear the invitations
– Teacher plays it more than once – students get to hear again and start to
recognize the vocabulary and constructions they already know (present
continuous)
• Comparatives (grammar) (lower intermediate)
– Students read a text on ‘fear of flying’ – students exposed to comparatives within
a text
• ‘protection’ (reading) (upper intermediate)
– Students see a corpus printout where ‘protection’ is used in many sentences –
students see many examples of the word
 How can we help students to
understand MEANING?
• ‘it’s a pen’ (complete beginners)
– Teacher (T) holds up the pen – students (Ss) get the
meaning from seeing the object
– Teacher uses gestures of raised shoulders and a puzzled
look to express meaning of the question, “What is it?”
– Other options – use pictures, simple drawings
• Invitations (elementary) (make this culturally appropriate)
– T shows picture of Sarah and Joe; T asks students to guess
what relationship is between Sarah and Joe (‘Do you think
they are friends?’)
– T plays tape and asks questions to check if Ss understood
the situation: ‘What does Sarah want?’; ‘What language
does she use?’; ‘Does Joe accept?’; ‘What are they going
to do?’, etc. –Ss can see if they understand the meaning of
the dialogue
Meaning continued . . .
• ‘comparatives’ (lower intermediate)
– T asks questions: ‘how does the writer prefer traveling?’
– T explains meaning of some of the adjectives (‘comfortable’-using
a picture of a sofa and ‘not comfortable’ – using a picture of a
school chair)
– T models comparatives with, ‘The sofa is more comfortable than
the armchair.’
• ‘protection’ (upper intermediate)
– T relies on Ss to work out the meaning from the corpus
concordance print-out, or by looking up in dictionary. Meaning
emerges naturally from the print-out.
– T checks if Ss understand meaning – ask Ss to write their own
definition of ‘protection’ then check them with a good learner’s
dictionary.
How can we help students
understand LANGUAGE FORM?
• Language form – sounds, syllables, words and phrases of the new
language
• ‘It’s a pen’ (complete beginners)
– Students hear the parts of the word /p/, /e/, /n/
– In a two syllable word – stress (eg. table – ta-ble – exaggerate the
‘ta’ syllable)
– Use exaggerated use of voice and gesture for intonation (eg. ‘What
is it?’ – emphasis on ‘is’)
– Make phrase parts clear (eg. ‘It is a pen’ – write on board; use
fingers; bring fingers together to show how ‘it is’ becomes ‘it’s’)
• Teacher’s job is to work out what are the important features of a word,
phrase or grammatical structure and how the bits fit together.
Language form continued . . .
• Invitations (elementary)
– Use chunks – (eg. ‘Would you like to’ + verb phrase or
‘that would be + adjective and fill in the rest
– Use the board or hand gestures to show how the words
fit together
 Language form continued . . .
• Comparatives (lower intermediate)
– Students are asked to look at the text and answer the questions: (discovery
approach)
– What is the comparative form of these adjectives?
– Safe – safer
– Safe, comfortable, convenient, cheap, slow, important, good, bad
– What rules can you make about the comparative form of:
– Most short adjectives?
– Long adjectives?
– Are there any irregular adjectives which do not fit these rules?
– Students can work out the rule for themselves, and perhaps remember it
better than just being told
– Teacher should let them know if they have worked it out correctly
– Teacher should let them know what the comparative sentences sound like
(eg. ‘Trains are cheaper than planes” use voice and gesture to show how
the rhythm and stress work)
Language form continued . . .
• ‘protection’ (upper intermediate)
– Spelling
– Stress
– Before and after the word ‘protection’ – students can
see this from the printout
1. Students can work together or along to figure out the patterns
2. Make their own table of what comes before and after
‘protection’
– Students can look it up in the dictionary, but more
understanding if they work out the patterns themselves.
How should students PRACTICE
language?
• ‘It’s a pen’ (complete beginners)
– Choral repetition
– Make similar sentences (slot and filler)
1. Holds up pen – ‘it’s a pen’
2. Holds up pencil – ‘it’s a pencil’
3. Points to desk – ‘it’s a ____’
– Use simple pictures, mime, gesture
Practice continued . . .
• Invitations (elementary)
1. Choral and individual repetition of key phrases
2. One student to ask and another student to answer
3. Students make different invitations – give prompt
‘concert’ so student says ‘would you like to go to a
concert’ and ‘nice’ so student says ‘that would be
nice’
4. Practice refusals (‘I’m afraid I can’t’, ‘No thank you’
5. Let them practice in pairs
6. Have a few pairs do in front of class
Practice continued . . .
• Comparatives (lower intermediate)
1. Repeat sentences
2. Practice new comparatives
3. Choral and individual responses for
– ‘cheap’ – trains are cheaper than planes
– ‘fast’ – planes are faster than trains
4. Try comparing other things like bicycles and cars
using adjectives from the lesson
5. Teacher should use repetition only as long as students
find it enjoyable or useful
6. Teacher could ask students to produce their own
sentences right away to try out the language and learn
as they try new things
Practice continued . . .
1. ‘protection’ (upper intermediate)
2. No need to read out the sentences on the print
out
3. At upper intermediate level, students probably
don’t need practice with sentence construction
and pronunciation
4. Choral work at this level makes students feel
unsophisticated
5. Unless, teacher finds there are a few words
most students need help with
Why do students make mistakes?
When students are acquiring a new language is normal that they
make mistakes: Julian Edge 1993 divided mistakes into three
broad categories:
1. Slips: Are mistakes which students can correct themselves
once the mistakes has been pointed out to them.
2. Errors: Are mistakes which students can not correct
themselves and which, therefore need explanation.
3. Attempts: Are mistakes that students make when they try to
say something but don't yet know how to say it.

46
 Why do students make mistakes?
Reasons for making mistakes :
1. One reason is that students have not quite grasped the new information and so
continue to make errors.
2. L1 Interference: Students’ own language may get in the way. :False friends’ –
those words that look and sound the same in two languages, but have different meaning,
especially when two languages share a common heritage language (Romance languages)
3. Grammatical considerations (interlanguage)
– Japanese students – article usage
– German students – positioning verb correctly
– Arabic students – writing system
4. Developmental errors – All learners go through stages of learning a language.
These occur naturally as the students language knowledge develops and are the result of
the students making practical assumptions about the way language work.
5. Overgeneralizing a rule – a new rule is used in a structure that doesn’t apply:
– I have to go – I must to go
– I seed instead of I saw.
 How should teachers correct
students?
1. Correction helps students clarify their understanding of the meaning and
construction of language
2. It is part of teacher’s role and teacher is uniquely equipped to provide correction
3. BUT – be careful –
– Pointing out mistakes so must be sensitive
– don’t destroy confidence
– Individualized – what is a good way to correct for one student may not be a good way for
another student
4. How?
– Point out what is wrong, but let student see if he can correct
– If not, then help
– Letting them ask another student (careful of embarrassment)
– Teacher explanation
– Feedback is also positive
– Encouraging words: ‘good’, ‘well done’, facial expressions
– Correction builds on the relationship between teacher and students.
– A good teacher “should be able to correct people without offending them” (Harmer, 1998)
Top tips for teaching a foreign language to students
1. Expose students to as much of the language as possible: Limit the native
language and focus on the target one in your interactions with your students.
2. Get hands-on: Encourage participation with games: Learning a new language
cannot be a passive experience; get your students involved utilizing games and
role-playing.
3. Encourage activities outside the classroom: To effectively learn a new
language, students need to be as engaged as possible even when outside of the
classroom.
4. Use multimedia to enhance the learning experience: The problem most
language students have after learning in the classroom is the inability to
communicate effectively in the country of the language. Often, this is because the
student isn’t taught to think and speak in a real-world environment. In the
classroom, words are often pronounced, sentences are complete, but the pacing of
speech is often slower. Get your students ready for the real world by using
television, film, and radio broadcasts. While novice’s will not come close to
understanding what’s being said on such mediums, they’ll at least get a hint of:
• how the language flows,
• how gestures are used, and
• how quickly native speakers converse.
49
Creating Variety in
a Lesson
Adapted from
Ur, Penny.1991. A Course in
Language Teaching. Cambridge
University Press: Cambridge, 216-217.
 Variety in English Class
• As a teacher, what would you include in your instruction to make sure it was not
boring?
• How would you create variety in an English class?
• Think of contrasts like fast to slow, or pair work to whole class work
• Make a list of ways to create variety
 8 Ways of Varying a Lesson
• Here are some ways you can vary instruction and connect with
your students to make lessons appeal to students with different
interests, experiences, abilities, and learning styles:
1.Tempo
2. Organization
3. Mode and Skill
4. Difficulty
5. Topic
6. Mood
7. Stir-Settle
8. Active-Passive
1. Tempo
• Tempo: the speed at which a passage of music is or should be
played.
• Activities may be brisk and fast-moving (such as guessing
games) or slow and reflective (such as reading literature and
responding in writing)
2. Organization
• The learners may work on their own at individualized tasks; or in
pairs or groups; or as a full class in interaction with the teacher.
 3. Mode (methods) and Skill
• Activities may be based on the written or the spoken language; and
within these, they may vary as to whether the learners are asked to
produce (speak, write) or receive (listen, read).
4. Difficulty
• Activities may be seen as easy and non-demanding; or difficult,
requiring concentration and effort.
5. Topic
• Both the language teaching point and the (non-linguistic) topic
may change from one activity to another.
 6. Mood
• A Mood: is a temporary state of mind or feeling.
• Activities vary also in mood: light and fun-based versus serious and
profound; happy versus sad; tense versus relaxed.
 7. Stir-settle‫إثارة‬
excitement
• Some activities enliven and excite learners (such as controversial
discussions, or activities that involve physical movement); others, like
dictations, have the effect of calming them down.
8. Active-Passive
• Learners may be activated in a way that encourages their own
initiative; or they may only be required to do as they are told.
Questions
• List four ways of creating variety in a lesson.
• List Roles of a Teacher in the 21st Century

• See suggested answers next slides

 Here are 14 ways to use variety in your classroom:
1. CREATE A BALANCE. Structure your lessons with a balance of listening and activity.
Young people can listen effectively for about half their age in minutes e.g. if they are 12 they
can listen for 6 minutes at one time.
2. USE A SCHEDULE. Make the structure obvious to the students by having a schedule on
the board which could look like this: 10 mins teacher talk, 10 minutes paired work, 10 minutes
sharing with whole class, 10 minutes recording in work books, 5 minute review and game.
3. Use paired and group activities.
4. GAMES AND SIMULATIONS. Having fun engages our brain and makes the learning
memorable. I can still see students keenly learning their times tables to see how quickly they
could recite them and beat their own time.
5. ALLOW CHOICE. Give students a say in when and with whom they present their work.
Allow them to choose whether they present to the whole class, a small group or to the
teacher.
6. ALL STUDENTS ANSWER. Use mini-whiteboards for students to write answers and hold
up to the teacher. This approach reduces anxiety for students who fear failure as the answer
can be erased, and gives the teacher immediate feedback about how well the students are
learning.
 Here are 14 ways to use variety in your classroom:
7. INCORPORATE MOVEMENT. No one learns best by sitting at a desk or on the floor for
long periods of time. Use movement to underscore the learning. Adding movements to
learning can enhance and embed the learning. Think about using actions with a song or
memory tricks to learn lists of dates.
8. JIGSAW OR EXPERT GROUPS. Students reading and learning a topic then teaching it to
a small group.
9. USE MUSIC. Use music as part of your lessons…as a break, as a movement, to lift the
mood or to give students thinking time. Music has the power to change feelings- use it to
provide a background to your activities. It can also promote positive relationships through
shared tastes and knowledge of songs. Singing is a fantastic transition activity for younger
students and could be used effectively with older students who also love to sing.
 Here are 14 ways to use variety in your classroom:
10. PAIRED AND GROUP DISCUSSIONS. We learn by talking about things and giving
students opportunities to discuss the work will help to make it relevant and meaningful.
Keep chatting times short and give clear boundaries for the discussions to keep students
on task.
11. Give practical demonstrations to make the learning relevant and real.
12. PEER MENTORING. Have students explain content to each other.
13. CLASS MEETINGS. Conduct real life problem solving situations addressing student
need e.g. how to develop time management skills or how to deal assertively with bullying
behaviour.
14. USE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES. Raid the library to provide students with
resources to use e.g. a range of texts, laptops, internet, encyclopedias, posters, guest
speakers, excursions, incursions etc.
ROLES OF A TEACHER IN THE 21ST
CENTURY
The 7 Roles of a Teacher in the 21st Century:
Think about the type of lesson you normally teach:
• In which roles are you often involved?
• Are there any roles in which you have less experience?
• Are there any new roles you might try in the future?
It is clear that the 21st-century classroom needs are very different from the
20th-century ones. In the 21st century classroom, teachers are facilitators of
student learning and creators of productive classroom environments, in
which students can develop the skills they might need at present or in future.
However, before we begin to understand the evolving role of an ESL teacher,
let’s outline some of the most popular teacher roles. Harmer, J. states that ‘it
makes more sense to describe different teacher roles and say what they are
useful for, rather than make value judgments about their effectiveness.’ So
here are some of the most common teacher roles:
Teacher Roles:
Most teachers take on a variety of roles within the classroom, which role do you think most
defines your role in the ESL classroom?
1. The Controller: The teacher is in complete charge of the class, what students do, what
they say and how they say it. The teacher assumes this role when a new language is being
introduced and accurate reproduction and drilling techniques are needed.
In this classroom, the teacher is mostly the center of focus, the teacher may have the gift of
instruction, and can inspire through their own knowledge and expertise, but, does this role
really allow for enough student talk time? Is it really enjoyable for the learners? There is
also a perception that this role could have a lack of variety in its activities.
2. The Prompter: The teacher encourages students to participate and makes suggestions
about how students may proceed in an activity. The teacher should be helping students only
when necessary.
When learners are literally ‘lost for words’, the prompter can encourage by discreetly
nudging students. Students can sometimes lose the thread or become unsure how to
proceed; the prompter in this regard can prompt but always in a supportive way.
Teacher Roles:
3. The Resource: The teacher is a kind of walking resource center ready to offer help if
needed, or provide learners with whatever language they lack when performing
communicative activities. The teacher must make her/himself available so that learners can
consult her/him when (and only when) it is absolutely necessary.
As a resource the teacher can guide learners to use available resources such as the internet,
for themselves, it certainly isn’t necessary to spoon-feed learners, as this might have the
downside of making learners reliant on the teacher.
4. The Assessor: The teacher assumes this role to see how well students are performing or
how well they performed. Feedback and correction are organized and carried out.
There are a variety of ways we can grade learners, the role of an assessor gives teachers an
opportunity to correct learners. However, if it is not communicated with sensitivity and
support it could prove counter-productive to a student’s self-esteem and confidence in
learning the target language.
Teacher Roles:
5. The Organizer: Perhaps the most difficult and important role the teacher has to play.
The success of many activities depends on good organization and on the students knowing
exactly what they are to do next. Giving instructions is vital in this role as well as setting
up activities.
The organizer can also serve as a to open and neatly close activities and also give content
feedback. demonstrator, this role also allows a teacher to get involved and engaged with
learners. The teacher also serves
6. The Participant: This role improves the atmosphere in the class when the teacher takes
part in an activity. However, the teacher takes a risk of dominating the activity when
performing it.
Here the teacher can enliven a class; if a teacher is able to stand back and not become the
center of attention, it can be a great way to interact with learners without being too
overpowering.
7. The Tutor: The teacher acts as a coach when students are involved in project work or
self-study. The teacher provides advice and guidance and helps students clarify ideas and
limit tasks.
This role can be a great way to pay individual attention to a student. It can also allow a
teacher to tailor make a course to fit specific student needs. However, it can also lead to a
student becoming too dependent or even too comfortable with one teacher and one method
or style of teaching.