teaching and learning

I'm sorry for the belated posting. I had got flu and cough, so I needed to have more rest.

The topic for the third meeting is ‘Teaching and Learning’. I started to ask the students about the difference between learning and acquisition. They said that they had heard about the difference, but they were not sure what they were. I also reviewed teaching methodology by asking them questions in relation to it. It seemed that they were still confused about approach, method and technique. Then I explained the difference of each term. I hope that after this meeting they would understand more about them.

I was glad that the students were more active than a week before. However, I still saw quiet students.

Here is the materials for the week.

Differences between learning and acquisition

Acquisition:

- Unconscious process

- Continual exposures

- High motivation

- Ample opportunities

Learning:

- Conscious process

- Less exposures

- Low motivation

- Less opportunities

Elements for successful language learning (ESA)

n Engage

arousing students’ interest & involving students’ emotion: games, music, discussion, pictures, stories, etc.

n Study

f ocusing on language construction

n Activate

offering students a chance to try out real language use with little or no restriction

Teaching methodology

n Approach

Theories about the nature of language and how languages are learned

n Method

The practical realization of an approach/different ways of teaching language

n Procedure/Strategy

An ordered sequence of techniques

n Technique

Classroom activities

Examples of Teaching Method

n Grammar-translation

n Audio-lingual

n PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production)

n Task-based learning

n Communicative language teachin

n Community Language Learning (CLL)

n The Silent Way

n Suggestopaedia

n Total Physical Response (TPR)

Communicative vs. non-communicative activities

Communicative:

n A desire to communicate

n A communicative purpose

n Content not form

n Variety of language

n No teacher intervention

n No materials control

Non communicative:

n No communicative desire

n No communicative purpose

n Form not content

n One language item only

n Teacher intervention

n Materials control

How should teachers see their physical presence in class?

n Proximity/distance

n Physical behavior

n Movement (watch, listen and respond)

n Contact

n Voice

How should teachers use their voices in class?

n Audibility/Voice quality (loud and clear)

n Variety/Voice management (volume control)

n Conservation (Voice care)

How should teachers mark the stage of the lesson?

n The way teachers behave

n The things teachers say

What’s the best seating arrangement for a class?

n Orderly row/ conventional/classical setting

n Circles and horseshoes

n Separate tables/grouping

What different student groupings can teachers use?

n Whole class/ lecturing

n Group work and pair work

n Solo work/ individual work

Find the advantages and disadvantages of each from Harmer (2001, 114118)

Organizing and principles of pair work and group work

n Friendship

ask students to get into pairs or groups with whom they want to (put friends with friends)

n Streaming

mix weak and strong students/high and low achievers

n Chance

form the group by arbitrariness

n Changing groups

change the groups while an activity continues

Procedure of pair work and group work

n Before

explain clearly the ways pairs or groups should be organized; engage students’ interest and ensure their participation

n During

go round the class watching and listening; help students’ with suggestions; try to move discussion forward

n After

organize feedback, let students share/demonstrate the result of their works

How can teachers evaluate the success or failure of their lesson?

- Ask the students to evaluate the lesson

- Ask colleagues to observe the class and to give feed back

- Write a record of students’ progress

Why teachers ask questions?

- To check that students understand

- To give students practice

- To find out what students really think or know

Questions types:

- Yes/No questions

- Alternative/‘or’ questions

- WH questions

Questioning Strategies

n The teacher asks questions and simply lets students call out answers.

n The teacher asks a question, then pauses to give the whole class a chance to think of the answer. Then the teacher chooses one student to answer.

n The teacher first chooses a student (by pointing or saying the student’s name), then asks the student a question.

n The teacher asks the question and lets students raise their hand if they think they know the answer. The teacher chooses one of the students to answer.

Thank you for your responses. You are GREAT!