Dialogue Short conversation between two or more people, heard, written spoken, created

Glossary of terms (CELTA conundrums) (etc.) in class.

This is to help you with the deluge of new words (terms, acronyms, jargon etc.) Drill Teacher-centered controlled practice to help learners with pronunciation, which
involves students repeating sentences/words after the teacher or students creating
Abstract Items Vocabulary concepts that cannot be shown visually, such as sentences with prompts from the teacher. See Choral, Individual and Substitution
truth, upset, love, hate. (Contrast: Concrete Items) Drill.

Accuracy Practice Practice of a specific language item which has been presented to students (Contrast: Echoing When a teacher (for no valid reason) repeats back everything the students say.
Fluency Practice; Freer Practice) Though usually subconscious, this increases TTT and teacher-centeredness. It is also
completely unnatural and unnecessary.
Acquisition Unconscious learning, or ‘picking up’ of language.
Elicit (v) To draw an answer, grammar structure, word, example etc. from the students by
Anticipation Considering before the lesson what difficulties students will have with the meaning, asking questions and giving prompts.
form and phonology of a new piece of language.
Finger Highlighting Using the fingers to represent ‘words’ or syllables in order to indicate an error or
Appropriateness Whether an item is suited to who you use it with. For example, it is usually highlight the form and pronunciation of newly presented language.
inappropriate to use slang when speaking to the President.
Fluency Practice Free speaking or writing, to practice those skills in of themselves. Students use all the
Authentic Produced for native speakers, not for ESL students. (Contrast: Graded) English they have at their disposal to communicate, rather than consciously
practicing specific grammatical structures recently studied in class. See also Freer
Back-chaining When drilling a longer sentence, it’s sometimes useful to break it down into chunks. Practice. Contrast Accuracy Practice
Starting from the end of the sentence and working back chunk by chunk helps to
maintain rhythm and correct word stress. Form The way an item is written or said. “Form” is also used to refer to the grammatical
operation of items, as opposed to what they mean or how they are used.
Choral Drill All the students in class repeat a given word, sentence etc. at the same time. Helps
to build confidence and allows students to get their mouths around new language. Free speaking or writing See Fluency Practice.
See Drill and contrast: Individual Drill
Freer Practice Practice of specific items in an activity which allows students a degree of choice
Cloze exercise A type of gap-fill where certain words in a paragraph are deleted and students have regarding the language they use. It usually involves the students using the target item
to read the complete text and fill the blanks. in the context of other surrounding language.

Communicative (adj.) Involving the transfer of real information that has meaning for the students. Function What you express through a piece of language. The task a piece of language
performs. For example, inviting, apologizing or expressing regret.
Comprehensible Input The language that the teacher uses which is graded to the right level so that students
can still understand yet still be challenged. This can also include gestures and body Functional exponent A phrase which expresses a function. For example, “I’m sorry” is an exponent of the
language that aid student comprehension. function of apologizing.

Comprehension Question A question to check understanding of a text or part of a text. Gap-fill A written exercise in which students put the appropriate items into gaps left in a
sentence. Also called fill-in-the-blank. NOTE: Be careful not to confuse this with:
Concept Checking Checking students’ understanding of a language item (such as a word or grammar Information Gap
structure) which has been presented to them – without asking ‘Do you understand?’
Generating Interest Before working with a reading or listening text, or before starting a speaking or
Concept Check Questions CCQs – one of the most useful and common ways of checking concept. A series of writing activity, the teacher creates interest by asking students what they know
simple questions that break down the meaning of the language being presented. about the topic, or by doing an activity which makes the topic relevant to the
students.
Concrete Items Vocabulary items that can be shown visually, such as book, table, elephant, coffee.
Gist Question / Task A question/task asked to check students’ general overall comprehension of a text
Contextualization Presenting or practicing a language item in a context (such as a situation or a text) (listening or reading), as opposed to their comprehension of the details contained in
rather than in isolation. The context helps students better understand the meaning the text. Compare: Detailed Task.
and use of the item.
Graded (Language) Language (in a text, oral instructions, etc.) which is simplified so that it can be
Controlled Practice (Also called Restricted Practice). Oral drills and written exercises in which students understood by a foreign learner of English.
use newly presented language in a restricted way. The choice they have over the
language used is limited in order to help them focus on the structure of the language. Grammar The rules that govern the form of a language. The nuts and bolts that hold the
Compare Freer Practice. vocabulary together.

Cuisenaire Rods Wooden rods of different lengths and colors, originally created for math work. They Group Work Students work in small groups, rather than all together or individually. (Contrast:
can be used to depict many language items and concepts. Open Class)

Detailed Task A task aimed at checking the comprehension of a listening or reading task. It requires Guided Discovery A technique where students work out language meanings and rules for themselves.
the student to read or listen carefully and understand details. (Contrast Gist Task) By looking at examples of language and answering written guided questions,
students can draw conclusions about the meaning and form of language.
 Monitoring After giving directions for a pair or group work task, teachers walk around the room
Highlighting Form Drawing students’ attention to the important aspects of how an item is formed, said to make sure that students understand the activity and are doing what was asked. It
or written. It can be done orally (using Finger Highlighting) or on the board (see is also a way to assess progress and listen for errors that can be corrected later.
Written Record).
Narrative A written or spoken story.
Highlighting Meaning Drawing students’ attention to the meaning of a particular language item. Often
involves time lines, CCQs etc. OHP Overhead Projector

Ice-Breaker An activity done when you first meet a class in order for everyone to get to know Open Class When the whole class is listening to one student or to the teacher. The focus is on
each other, to build a good class atmosphere and to make students feel comfortable. the teacher, who is leading the stage of the lesson. See also teacher-centered.
Contrast with student-centered.
Illustrating meaning Using a picture, mime, gesture, definition, text, situational story etc. to demonstrate
the meaning of a language item Open Questions See WH questions

Individual Drill After doing Choral Drilling, the teacher then asks students individually to repeat a Pair Work When pairs of students work on a task at the same time. The focus is student-
newly presented word or sentence. Compare Choral Drill. See Drill. centered.

Information Gap An activity in which students use language to exchange information between one Peer Correction Prompting a student to correct another’s mistake – perhaps when self-correction has
another. The information each student has is different, yet related in some way. By been unsuccessful.
communicating with each other students gain a complete picture. Information gaps
can be either relatively controlled, or much freer. It depends on how they are set up, Personalized An activity which involves students talking/writing about their own life experiences.
and how much prompting students receive. They are always communicative.
Instructions Checking ICQs Asking questions to check that students have understood the instructions to a Phonology The study or practice of sounds, intonation and word & sentence stress.
task or activity you have set. Contrast: Concept Checking
Phrasal Verb A verb and particle (preposition or adverb) which combine to produce a meaning
Intonation Meaningful changes of voice pitch in a word, phrase or sentence. The “music” part different from the meanings of the verb and particle separately. For example, ‘to run
of phonology. up a bill’ or ‘to get away with something’.

Lead-in The introduction to your lesson (or to an activity within your lesson), where you PPP The introduction of a language item through a process of Presentation – Practice –
introduce the topic, generate interest, get students thinking etc. Production. Situational Presentation is a type of PPP lesson. In this framework
‘practice’ means ‘controlled practice’ and ‘production’ means ‘freer practice’.
Lesson aims What the students will be able to do at the end of the lesson that they couldn’t do at
the beginning (or at least not as well!) Presentation The first stages of “teaching” a new item to students. It is usually followed by practice
activities.
Lexis Vocabulary, i.e. words and phrases.
Productive Skills Speaking and writing. Contrast: Receptive Skills
Lexical Set A group of words or fixed expressions connected by meaning or form. For example,
‘furniture’ ‘food’ or ‘adjectives of size’ ‘phrasal verbs with “up”’. Prompt A word, mime, gesture etc. which elicits an item, etc. from students.

Matching Exercise A written exercise where students match given words and sentences with Pronunciation How a word or sentence is said – the sounds, stress and intonation.
appropriate pictures, definitions etc.
Realia The actual object used to illustrate meaning. For example, if you are teaching
Meaningful An activity is meaningful if students cannot complete it unless they understand the different types of fruit, you could bring in realia: bananas, oranges, apples etc.
meaning of what they are saying or writing. Content is important. Repeating
sentences you do not understand is not meaningful! Changing present tense into Receptive Skills Reading and listening. Contrast: Productive Skills
past or passive mood into active is not meaningful. Contrast: Mechanical
Review Brief re-presentation (and practice) of an item which you think or know the students
Mechanical Not involving communication. Repetition drills, making positive sentences negative have previously learned. Contrast: Presentation
etc are mechanical – focusing on form and pronunciation but not meaning. Contrast:
Meaningful Roleplay The acting out of a dialogue or conversation, based on some (usually situational or
functional) prompts. It usually provides either controlled or freer practice, depending
Metalanguage The language used to talk about language. For example, the word ‘verb’ is an item of how much structure and guidance are provided. Usually roleplays are done in pairs
metalanguage. or groups. They are not normally then acted out in front of the class.

MFP Meaning, Form and Phonology: the three areas you have to cover when presenting Running Commentary When a teacher “thinks out loud” in class, causing unnecessary TTT. It is usually said
new language to students very quickly and quietly, or comes in the form of an ‘explanation’ that students
usually do not need or understand. Examples: “OK, so we don’t have time to do what
Model or Marker Sentence A sentence showing a language item in its typical use. New items are often presented we were going to do, but I’m going to give you guys a hand-out. It’s probably too easy
and initially practiced using a Model Sentence, particularly when doing a Situational for you and I should have chosen a different one, but just go ahead and do it anyways,
Presentation. NOTE: A marker sentence does not normally define or explain an item. and it’s not a very good photocopy, but….”
It simply shows the item in use.
Self-correction Prompting a student to correct their own errors, rather than the teacher providing
the correction.
 WC Not Water Closet but Whole Class. WCFB = Whole Class feedback.
Situational Presentation A type of PPP lesson, where the teacher builds up a context using pictures, prompts,
questions etc., and then elicits or gives a model sentence that includes the target WH- Question A question starting with “Who,” “Where,” “What, “How” etc. Often referred to as an
language. After meaning, form and phonology have been highlighted, the language open question, as the answer can be extended. Contrast: Yes/No Question
is then practiced.
Written Record The stage in your presentation which involves writing the form onto the whiteboard
Skills Language skills are how language is used. Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening (see for students to copy. It’s not always necessary to do this – a photocopy or an
Receptive and Productive skills) overhead transparency also works.

Stage A ‘part’ or ‘phase’ of your lesson. Most lessons consist of several different stages. Yes/No Question A question which requires a Yes/No answer. For example: “Do you smoke?” “Can you
drive?” “Did you watch TV last night?”
Stress The emphasis placed on a syllable in a word (=word stress) or on a word in a sentence
(=sentence stress). Word stress and sentence stress are two components of
phonology.

Student-centered Any approach which encourages students to participate fully in the learning process,
and which fosters autonomous learning. A student-centered lesson means the focus
is on the students, through pair and group work, eliciting etc.

Student Talking Time (STT) The amount of talking done by students in class. In a language classroom this should
ALWAYS be higher than TTT.

Substitution Drill A type of oral controlled practice. The teacher gives a model sentence and, after
drilling this chorally and individually, prompts students to change specific words in
it.

Systems The systems of language are knowledge of how the language works – what it means
and how it’s used. The language systems are grammar, vocabulary, functional
language and pronunciation.

Tapescript The transcript of a listening text that usually appears at the back of the students’
textbook. Useful for planning purposes.

Target Language The language item(s) you are aiming to teach in a lesson. For example, if your lesson
aim is to improve students’ knowledge of the past perfect, then your target language
is the past perfect.

Task Based Learning An approach to teaching language which involves taking a ‘task’ as a starting point,
and then raising students’ awareness of the language required in order to
successfully perform the task.

Teacher Talking Time (TTT) The amount of talking done by the teacher in class. Too much is a bad thing,
especially if it’s extraneous (see Running Commentary for example). Contrast:
Student Talking Time.

Test-Teach-Test A presentation approach where the teacher first checks to see what students already
know about a language item, often by doing some sort of practice activity. The
teacher then presents or clarifies the aspects which the students have problems with.
Further practice of the language item then occurs.

Teacher-centered When the focus of the lesson is on the teacher, not the students. While of course it
is necessary for the focus to be on the teacher at some points in the lesson, it
shouldn’t be the focus throughout the entire lesson. Too much is a bad thing.

Text A piece of reading or listening.

Time Line A visual representation of a tense; used for highlighting meaning, or concept
checking.

Warmer A short activity at the start of the lesson, before the teacher moves into the main
part of the class. A warmer can be connected to the general theme of the day, or
could be something completely separate.