Motivating Students

Abigail BruhlmannEnglish Language Fellow

June 2014

Warm-up Discussion

Why are your students learning English?

What role does English play in their present lives?

What role might English play in their future lives?

“Three Questions to Ask in Any Classroom”

• What am I learning?

• Why am I learning it?

• How do I know I have learned it?

Adapted from:Drummond, S. (2014, May 27). The 3 Questions to Ask in Any Classroom. NPR. Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/05/27/315294389/the-3-questions-to-ask-in-any-classroom

Classroom setup

• Rows vs. Semi-circle

• Turn-n-talk to your partner vs. stare straight ahead

Classroom community

• Students feel comfortable

• Students feel like they belong

• Students connected to each other and the teacher

• Students know the teacher and know each other

Classroom interaction

• Individual work

• Pair work

• Small group work

• Whole class work

Classroom management

• Clear rules and expectations

• Routines

• Smooth transitions between activities

Formative Assessment

• Checking in with students along the way

• Informal

• Prepares students for summative assessment

Examples of Formative Assessment

Exit/entrance papers (KWL)

Peer/individual assessment

Individual white boards

Response journals/logs

Kinesthetic assessments

Discussions

Think, Pair, Share

Graphic organizers

Numbered Heads TogetherAdapted from: http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/ExamplesofFormativeAssessment.html

Summative Assessment

• Cummulative assessment at end of unit

• Final assessment of how much was learned

• Formal (tests, quizzes, projects, presentations)

Authentic materials

• Materials that students see and use in their daily lives

• Songs, comics, cereal boxes…anything!

Dialogue Journals

• An individualized, private “conversation” between student and teacher

• Worked on all throughout the term

• Fluency > Accuracy

Denne-Bolton, S. (2013). The Dialogue Journal: A Tool for Building Better Writers. English Teaching Forum 51(2), pp.

2-11.

Dialogue JournalsMay 31I think is very interesting the book “Charlotte’s Web” because I like the animals, but is sad because Fern’s father wants to kill Wilbur.

June 7Yes I think I would take care of the pig because is not his fault that he is small, so I would help him.

June 4I am happy to hear that you are enjoying “Charlotte’s Web”! I agree that the story is interesting. I think it is heartwarming too, because Fern shows so much love for Wilbur. Do you think that you would take care of a little pig to save its life?

June 10I think I would help him too, though it would be a big sacrifice for me.

Personalized post-it notes

• When monitoring small group work

• Put post-it note on student desk(vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar)

• Optional: follow-up with student later

Error Correction

• How effective/necessary is oral error correction?

• How do you practice it?

• How often do you practice it?

An error is not an emergency

Error Correction Basics:

• Error vs. Mistake

• Look for patterns (systematic)

• Self correction > Teacher correction

• Balance fluency and accuracy

• Affective filter

Types of Error Correction

Indirect

Recast

Clarification request

Elicitation

Repetition

Direct

Grammar explanation

Explicit

RecastStudent:–I go to the store yesterday.

Teacher:–Oh, you went to the store yesterday. That’s cool. What did you buy?

-Teacher restates Ss’ utterance correctly, but without drawing attention to the correction-Indirect correction, best used for mistakes-Most often used by teachers-Often understood by Ss as an alternative to their utterance rather than a correction-Source: http://journal.tc-library.org/index.php/tesol/article/viewFile/160/158

Clarification request

Student:-I go to the store yesterday.

Teacher:-I go to the store? Wait, what did you do yesterday?

-Teacher pretends not to understand Ss, causing them to self-correct-Indirect correction, best used for mistakes-Ss are expected to correct their own mistakes by following the T’s clues

Elicitation

Student:

–I go to the store yesterday.

Teacher:

–Ah ok, yesterday I…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm5dqn08TME

-Teacher uses rising intonation to repeat the S’s sentence up until the error-Indirect correction, best used for mistakes-S is subtly made aware of the error and has to complete T’s sentence

Grammar ExplanationStudent:-I go the store yesterday.

Teacher:-Ah, you said “yesterday,” which means this action happened in the past, so we need a simple past tense verb, not the simple present. So…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsMA44kclME

-Teacher highlights and explains the grammar rule being violated-Could be direct or indirect (depends if it´s a mistake or error)-Ss can use the grammatical clues to correct their own mistakes, or teacher uses the grammar explanation to correct the mistake for the student

ExplicitStudent:- I go to the store yesterday.

Teacher:- No, it´s not “I go.” I went to the store yesterday.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvSXqVzr5Mg

Teacher explicitly tells the Ss that the utterance is incorrectDirect correction, best used for errorsVery clear that there was a mistakeSs do not get an opportunity to correct their own mistakes

RepetitionStudent:-I go to the store yesterday.

Teacher:-I go?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkusnsacpsQ

Teacher repeats the error (using question intonation)Indirect correction, best used for mistakesClear that there is some confusionStudents get an opportunity to correct their own mistakes

Assessment #1!

Can you identify the different types of error correction?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFVSQTNUxtc

Which type to choose?

•Use a variety/use them in combination

•Mistake or error? –Is the student able to self-correct? –Explicit correction for Ss who have no idea how to correct the error or don’t understand that an error occurred

•Know your Ss and their learning styles –Ss who are good at grammar might benefit from metalinguistic correction –Highly observant Ss might recognize recasts as error correction

No matter which one you choose...

• Give concise explanations• Don’t correct above the Ss’ level• Don’t interrupt the student• Don’t correct every single error

Stick to a theme• Remember the goal of the activity

Does correcting this error help achieve the goal?

Assessment #2!

•Match the name of the error correction technique together with its definition and an example for the error. “I go the store yesterday.”

•Then, write your own example for each technique for the error, “I am agree.”

Peer Feedback

Active listening during presentations

Listeners write:

Something I learned: ____________________Question: ____________________Comment: _____________________

Feedback from Students

“Ticket out the door”

• I learned…• I liked…• I didn’t really like…• I’m still confused about…• Questions/comments/suggestions...

For more information:

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/alexenoamen/ways-motivating-efl-esl-students-classroom

http://fel.uqroo.mx/adminfile/files/memorias/hernandez_mendez_edith_et_al.pdf