Teach English A training Course for teachers Adrian Doff Cambridge University Press 2004

Teach EnglishAdrian DoffCambridge University Press 2004

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IntroductionThis book is a training course for teachers of English as a foreign language. It can be used on refresher courses or on in-service/ pre-service courses. It contains practical instructionsIt handles a wide array of teaching situations2How the book is builtIt contains 24 units.It caters for all levels (elementary through advanced)Each unit is built around a topic and stands as a training session.Each training session is made up of an introduction, workbook activities, lesson preparation and further readings. 3ContentPresenting Vocabulary; Asking Questions; Presenting Structures; Using the Board; Using a Reading Text; Using Visual Aids; Planning a Lesson; Teaching Basic Reading; Teaching Pronunciation; Teaching Handwriting; Pairwork and Groupwork; Writing Activities; Eliciting; Teaching Basic ReadingReading Activities; Correcting Errors; Listening Activities;Communicative Activities; Using English in Class;Role play; Using Worksheets; Classroom Tests; Planning a Weeks Teaching;Self-Evaluation

4Who the Course Is ForThis book is designed to met the needs of teachers who:Teach in large classes with few resourcesFollow a set syllabus and textbooks, and have little control over content or choice of materialAre not native speakers of EnglishHave little time available for lesson planning

5Stucture of the CourseThe course contains 24 units, each focusing on a different area of methodology and provides material for about four hours training.The units can be tackled independently as they are self-contained.The course comprises a Trainers Handbook and a Teachers Workbook.

6Using the CourseTo be effective, this course should be used with groups of not more than 30 teachers.Every teacher should have a copy of the workbookUsing the course involves three main kinds of activity: demonstrations, discussions and pair and group activities

7DemonstrationsWhen a new technique is introduced, itis usually demonstrated.The demonstration is sometimes at the teachersown language level; sometimes it is at the language level of their students.The trainers handbook gives notes onhow to conduct each demonstration.8DiscussionsNew ideas are presented in the form of disussions, in which the teachers participate and contribute their own ideasThis involves the teachers and allows them to bring their own experiencesto bear on the topic under discussionIt also helps the trainers to see how well the teachers have understood the new ideasFor a successful discussion, it is important for the trainer not to impose his ideas and to accept different points of view.9Pair and Group activities Pair or group activities have three stages:Introduction to the activityThe activity itself: teachers work independently in pairs or in groupsA round-up stage where the pairs or groups share their answers or conclusions. 10Lesson preparationIt is the final activity in each unit. Teachers plan a lesson incorporating ideas and techniques that have been introduced in the training session. The preparation can be done under the trainers guidance or in the teachers own time, in pairs or in groups. The Workbok provides detailed instruction for Lesson Preparation.Teachers should try out their preparation soon after the training session in their classes.They can also practice peer teaching or write detailed lesson plans11Self-Evaluation SheetsThese sheets aim to:Develop teachers own self-awareness, so that they can improve their own teaching independently.Encourage teachers to think of their lessons from the learners point of view, and shift the focus of attention from teaching to learning.12These sheets can be used in several ways:Teachers complete the sheet privately after they have tried new ideas or techniquesThe sheet can be used for informal discussion sessions organized by groups of teachers in case they are attending the same training program.It can be completed by both teacher and supervisor observing the lesson, and then used for discussion and comment.It can be used by as an observation sheet by other teachers in the case of peer teaching13Adapting the CourseExamples, vocabulary and situation can be replaced by equivalent ones from the teachers own textbook.Where necessary, situations can be adapted to make them locally relevantWhere texts are intended as examples for use in class, they can be substituted by equivalent texts from the teachers own textbook.14English Teaching methodologyThe book does not preach one single method or approach, but draws on what is of value both in traditional and in more recent approaches.The book also follows the recent trend in methodology and shifts the the emphasis from the teacher to the learner. Teachers are asked to experience and evaluate techniques from the learners point of view.Although the subject of the book is teaching English, the course aims to make teachers more aware of their role as helpers in the learning process.151. Presenting VocabularyVocabulary can be presented in different ways: pictures, visuals, gestures, drawings, and facial expressionGiving an example, using the word in context. This works well with abstract words.Translating the word into the students mother tongueA combination of different techniques. For example, the word smile.16Which words to present?Active vocabulary: words that students need to understand and also use themselves.Passive vocabulary: words we want the students to understand, but which they will not need to use themselves. It is worth emphasizing that students should understand far more words than they can produce, so we should not treat all new words as active vocabulary.172.Asking QuestionsWhy do teachers ask questions?To check that students understand.To give the students practiceTo find out what students really think or know.

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Types of QuestionsThere are different types of questions:Yes/no questions used mainly to check comprehensionOr question, sometimes called alternative questions and the reply is usually a word or phrase. From the question itself.Wh- questions, also called information questions and the natural answer is usually short.

19Questioning StrategiesThe teacher asks the question and simply lets students call out the answer, He asks the question and pauses to give the whole class a chance to think of the answer, He may first choose a student, and then asks him a question, He may ask a question and let students raise their hands if they think they know the answer.20This strategy encourages bright students and makes the class seem to be successful because students are volunteering answers. If it is the only strategy used, it allows the class to be dominated by the best students while weaker and shy students tend to be excluded.It also makes it easy for students to avoid answering questions. it is a good strategy to use for difficult questions that only some students will be able to answer.

213. Blackboard UsePresenting new wordsShowing spellingGiving a model for handwritingWriting prompts for practiceDrawing a picturePresenting structuresDrawing tables, diagramsEliciting

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22Writing on the BoardWrite clearlyWrite in a straight lineStand in a way that does not hide the boardTalk as you write. The most important item should be written in the centre.Key vocabulary should be written down the side of the board.Drawing should be simple (stick figures)Draw quickly to keep the interest of the class.

234.Using a Reading TextThe purpose defines the way a text is used:To develop reading comprehension skills?To present new words and structures?To practice language?

24Silent ReadingStudents need to develop the skill of reading silently as this is the case in the real world.In silent reading, students concentrate on the text and think about meaning.Students read at their own speed, and if they donot understand a sentence, they can always go back and read it again.25Reading AloudReading a text aloud while students are following in their books means that they are compelled to follow the speed of the teacher. Can be useful at the earliest stages of readingIs not a very useful technique because only one student is reading at a time; Students attention is focused on pronunciation. It is not only unnatural, but also time-consuming

26Activities before ReadingPresenting new vocabulary. Only the words which make it very difficult to understand the text need to be presented.Introducing the text (theme).Guiding questions: give the students a reason to read the text and to lead them towards the main points of the texts.

27Checking ComprehensionShort-answer questions to break down the meaning of the textTeacher asks his/ her own questions and leaves the questions in the textbook to be answered in pairs or as homework.

28Follow-up ActivitiesTexts can be used as a basis for language practiceDiscussion questionsReproducing the textRole-playingGap-filling 295.Practising Structures The presentation of a structure is followed by different ways of practising it:RepetitionSubstitutionSingle-word promptsPicture promptsFree substitutionA single lesson would not of course include all these stages. The stages are in no fixed order; some of them overlap.Students practise in meaningful situations They say real things about themselves

306. Using Visual AidsVisual aids include: the teacher, the board, real objects, flashcards, charts, flannel boards, magnet board, slides, film strips, colored rods etcThey focus attention on meaning, making the language used in class more real and aliveThey keep the students attention, making the class more interestingThey can be used at any stage of the lesson

31Flashcards Flashcards can be used for a multitude of purposes:To present a new wordTo imagine a situationTo use a particular structure When we use a picture, students see what meaning to express but have to find the words themselves. This focuses their attention on meaning and prevents the activity from being completely mechanical.

327. Planning a LessonFour main things a teacher needs to know before going into the class to teach a lesson:The aim of the lessonWhat new language the lesson contains.The main stages of the lesson (the different activities)What to do at each stage33

The Stages of a Lesson:

PresentationPracticeProductionReadingListeningReview The students need to know the aim of the lesson as a whole and the purpose of each stage.

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Writing a Lesson PlanHelps the teacher to decide exactly what he will do and how he will do it.Boosts the teachers self confidence.Allows the teacher to look at it after the lesson and use it to evaluate what happenedIt can be kept and used later.

358. Writing ActivitiesA/Controlled writingActivities:Gap-filling exercises: Students listen then write out the complete sentence.Re-ordering words to write the sentences correctly.Substitution: Students write a true sentence about themselves Correcting the facts: Students rewrite the sentences so that they match the picture.

36DictationAdvantages:An intensive activity which makes the students concentrateThe teacher can keep good control of the class.It develops listening as well as writing.

Disadvantages:Time-consumingIt develops spelling more than writingIt is unrealistic. Listening is word by word and at an unnaturally slow speed.

37Guided WritingThis can be done in two ways:By giving the students a short text as model. For example, A Students Day and the students will write about their day.By doing oral preparation for the writing: the students make suggestions and the teacher builds an outline or a list of key expressions on the board. The ideas come from the students themselves, and it does not require specially prepared texts.

38Correcting Written WorkCorrecting work orally in class is a good idea for a large class.Correcting work immediately in class means the teacher can draw students attention to problems while they are still fresh in their minds.Getting students to correct either their own or each others work takes time in the lesson; but it gives students useful practice in reading through what they have written and in noticing mistakes. It is also a good way of keeping the class involved.Correcting in class works best with fairly controlled writing activities, where there are not too many possible answers399. Correcting ErrorsTeachers are afraid of their students making errors and so they feel they must make sure everything the students say is correctMaking errors is a natural and unavoidable part of the process of language learning.Students errors are a very useful way of showing what they have and have not learnt. 4040Most teachers would agree that we need to correct some errors, to help students learn the correct form of the language. But this does not mean that we have to correct students all the time. As far as possible, teachers encourage the students, focusing on what they have got right, not on what they have got wrong.Teachers should praise students for correct answers so that they feel theyre making progress41Teachers should praise students for correct answers so that they feel theyre making progressTeachers should avoid humiliating students.Errors should be corrected quickly so as not to hold up the lesson.In written work, the teacher could correct only the errors that seem most important, or only errors of a certain kind.

4210. Listening Activities43We cannot develop listening skills unless we develop speaking skills.Later, the ability to understand spoken language may become very important (listening to the radio, understanding foreign visitors, etc.)To develop this ability, learners need plenty of practice in listening to English spoken to them at normal speed.Listening to spoken English, especially for learners with little or no exposure to the language, is an important way of acquiring it.

Types of Listening in Real LifeCasual listening: Sometimes we listen with no particular purpose as when listening to the radio while doing homework.Focused listening: At other times, we listen for a particular purpose, to find out information we need to know. (listening to a piece of important news on the radio, listening to instructions) Here we listen much more closely and for particular information. In class, its this type of listening that we are usually concerned with. 44Helping Students to listenIntroduce the topic and give one or two guiding questionsPlay the cassette once without stopping, and discuss the guiding questionsPlay the cassette again focusing on important points.Replay particular parts to make sure the students pick up certain phrases.Divide the listening text into partsAsk student to follow the text in their books while listening to it on tape.

45Getting Students to PredictAn important part of the listening skill is being able to predict what the speaker is going to say next.Asking the students to guess what will happen next helps them develop their listening skills and a way of keeping the class actively involved in listening. This is specially useful in telling stories to the class; a natural part of listening to an interesting story is to wonder what will happen next.4611. Communicative ActivitiesIn real life, we communicate because we have communicative needs. Although this is not the only reason why people communicate, very often, we talk in order to tell people things they do not know, or to find things out from other people.Classroom communication is effective when there is a real need for it. We can do this by hiding the information, either from all the students or from one student.47Guessing games: The students ask questions they want to ask, not ones that the teacher wants them to ask. It is a good idea for the teacher to stand aside and let the student take over the activity. Information gap: Two students are given different information. One student has the information and the other student has to find out by asking questions.Exchanging personal information: students tell each other about their own lives, interests, experiences.48

Thank you49