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USING ENGLISH IN CLASS

Lecture 15

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Aims of this lesson

To show teachers the value of using English in class.

To make teachers more aware of the different occasions when they could speak to their students in English

To give teachers a range of English expressions which they could use in their own classes.

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introduction

There are two main ways in which English can be used in class:

It can be used in teaching the lesson itself: giving examples, introducing a text, asking questions, etc.

It can be used for activities which ‘surround’ the lesson, but which are not actually part of the teaching; checking attendance, telling students where to sit, ‘chatting’ to students, controlling the class.

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Discuss the value of using English in class.

If the teacher uses English most of the time, it will give students practice in listening and responding to spoken English. This will help them ‘pick up’ words and expressions the language of the textbook.

In the lesson itself, the language used is often unnatural and artificial. But the situations that occur in the classroom( e.g. a student arriving late, someone forgetting a book) give an opportunity for real, natural English to be used.

5If the teacher uses English to say real things to the class, it will give the students the feeling that English is a real language which is used for communication, and not just a language that belongs to the textbook.

Although there are advantages in using English in class, teachers should not feel that they must use English all the time. Obviously, there are many occasions when it can be useful to use the students’ own language.

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Social language.

Instead of going straight to the textbook at the beginning of a lesson, the teacher can spend a few minutes ‘chatting’ to the class about topics of interest. After that the very earliest stages, this can be done in English.

Teacher can talk and ask questions, but get the students to give only short responses, e.g.

7 T: did you all enjoy the holiday?

Ss: yes.

T: did you? Yes., I enjoyed it, too. I went on a picnic with my family. did you go on a picnic? Anyone?

S: Yes.

T: who did you go with? ( and so on)

Note: (this would be a good technique for a large class with low level students)

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The teacher can prompt individual students to talk more about things they have done., e.g.

T: what did you do? Did you go out?

S: yes, I went to a party.

T: A party? That’s nice. A birthday party?

S: yes, my friend’s birthday.

T: ok, tell us… what happened ? What did you do at the party?

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questions, e.g.

T: Right. Tom went to a party. Ask her some questions about it. What do you want to know ? Yes?

S1: What did you eat?

S2: Was it a good party?

S3: Were there many people there?

Note: in a large class it may be necessary to ‘organize’ the conversation more, so that the whole class is involved, e.g.

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Organizing language

Teachers have to say many things simply to organize the lesson- starting or stopping an activity, getting students to do or not to do things, etc. Much of this language consists of simple commands and instructions, which are repeated lesson after lesson; so if the teacher says them in English students will quickly learn what they mean.

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Elicit from the teachers a range of simple classroom commands in English which could be used with elementary students . If you like, build up a list on the board, e.g.

Stand up(please) Open/ close your books.

Sit down (please) Stop talking

Look! Look at me. Come here, please

Listen! Come to the front

Repeat! Be quiet, please

Again!

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Practice

Work in pairs. What could you say in English in these situations?

1) you are checking attendance.

2)You are about to begin a new lesson in the book.

3) the class have done some work.

- you are going through the answer together.

- you want the students to correct each other’s work.

- you want to know how many had the correct answer.

4) A student is not paying attention.

5) the bell rings for the end of the lesson.

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Explanation ( giving simple explanation)

Most of the language we need for organizing the class consists of simple expressions which can be used again and again – this provides an easy opportunity to use English. However, teachers do not only need to give simple commands and instructions to the class. Often they need to use more complex language, for example when explaining a new word or grammar point, or explaining how an activity works.

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If teacher can give these explanation in English it will provide very useful listening practice for the class; but of course the explanations must be as simple and clear as possible, so that the students understand.

Show how this can be done by giving two short demonstrations.

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Demonstration 1

Explain how to mend a bicycle tyre. Read out the explanation below, speaking in such a way that students will not easily understand ( use no gestures or drawings, and speak quickly without repeating anything).

If you a flat tyre on your bicycle, first thing you need to do is to find out whereabouts the puncture is. So you turn the bicycle upside down and remove the inner tube with a pair of tyre lever. Then you take a bucket of water , pump up the inner tube slightly, and dip it into the water…

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Demonstration 2

Explain again the process again, but this time doing everything possible to help the students understand. use simple, short sentences, use gestures to show each stage of the process; use simple blackboard drawings( e.g. a bucket, a cross); give difficult words in the students’ own language.

( punture-цоорхой, inner tube-дотор гуурсан хоолой, lever- хөшүүрэг)

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You have bicycle, but the tyre is a flat ( gesture with hands, making a ‘hissing’ noise)… you have puncture .. A puncture.. (give translation). So … you must mend it. But first you need to know: where is the puncure? Where’s hole? So, what do you do? First turn the bicycle upside down (gesture, or draw on the board)… (and so)

After demonstration, ask students how well they understood. If you have been successful, they should have understood everything.

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You want to teach these words. how would you explain their meaning:

- using English only?- using English and your own language?

SkiingGovernment

storm

How many eggs are there?oranges

How much bread is there? meat

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- You are organizing a role play. You want students to act out a conversation based on this situation. How would you like explain the situation:

- using English only?- using English and your own language?

-One student left his / her bag on a bus, containing some money, a book, and a towel. He/ she goes to the

lost property office.-A Second student is the person at the lost property office. He /she asks the student to describe the bag.