UNIT 18

 Assessment types and tasks

    In this unit I learnt that assessment is used for judging students’ ability to use the language and to check their progress. To assess students, teachers need to find different methods and assign different tasks such as: oral presentations, multiple choice questions, gap filling, etc. I also learnt that we can assess leaners informally or formally depending on the reasons we have to assess them.

   I could realize that there are lots of reasons why we may want to assess to our students formally. For example, at the beginning of the course we may want to know our students previous knowledge so we may apply diagnostic test in order to decide what to teach and what parts of the language they need to be reinforced in. When students go to a certain language classes or course teachers can have the necessity to place students according to their level of English. So they will apply the placement test in order to decide what level of class the learners should go into.  During the course teachers may want to know if the activities and lessons they have been teaching are accurate or not so they will apply a progress test to check students’ progress and their improvements.  Based on the results the teacher can make some changes on their teaching process and will be also able to give learners feedback on their strengths and difficulties in certain areas.  At the end of the course teachers also may want to know how successful the course has been so they will apply the summative test. It will give the teacher an idea of how much the learners have learnt and progress during the course. Sometimes students take a test to see how good they are at language and this type of test is called proficiency test. Consequently, there are some tasks that formal assessment uses to check students’ knowledge and they are:  listening, writing and speaking.  It is also important to mention that for these types of tests students always receive a score or mark. On the other hand, informal assessment is usually used with young leaners and this type of test rarely gives the learner a grade. When teacher assess students informally, they often use assessment criteria to help students with the assessment. So they can use a subjective test where students can complete tasks using their own thoughts or ideas. Teachers can also use objective tests where students will not have the opportunity to express their ideas since the questions are closed so they will have to choose a word to complete the question and they can be wrong or right. The tasks that this type of test includes are: gap filling, multiple choices, odd-one-out, etc. Besides, in this type of tests students always receive a feedback on their weaknesses and strengths.

   Therefore, when teaching to my students I will use both type of assessments formal and informal. It will depend on the purpose or reasons I have for assessing them. I will always bear in mind that assessing students do not always required a score, I can assess students by observing them, by eliciting questions or by letting students to assess their classmates' work and their own work. What is more important, I will always be fair by testing only what I have taught in class.

Click on these links to find extra information about the topic:

Francis A. (2013) Understanding Assessments

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrjWzxv6Qx0

Spiller D. (2011) Teaching Development, Assessment Tasks to Promote Learning

         http://www.waikato.ac.nz/tdu/pdf/booklets/10_AssessmentTasks.pdf

Mueller J. (2014) Authentic Assessment, Authentic Tasks

         http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/tasks.htm

UNIT 17

Practice activities and tasks for language and skills development

   From this unit I learnt that teachers can design tasks and activities to give learners opportunities to practice and increase their ability to use language. Those activities and tasks can vary from controlled to freer activities where students will be dealing with new vocabulary, grammatical structures, etc. depending on the subkills  (for reading: skimming or scanning, for listening: recognizing contracted forms in connected speech, for speaking: pronunciation and intonation and for writing: organizational and editing skills) that students are going to develop during the lessons.

    Regarding to the controlled activities, those are restricted tasks because the teacher set up activities that gives students the opportunity to practice in accuracy and allow students to make few or no mistakes, examples of restricted activities are drills, copying words or sentences, multiple choice, etc. Free activities by contrast, allow learners to use the language they want. Examples of free activities are: writing emails, stories, invitations etc. Freer activities on the other hand are most predictable for teachers, they can figure out about the language their students will use when doing the tasks. So, here students will make use of the language thy already known and the language have just learned. Examples of these activities are: role plays, information gaps, sentence completion, etc.

   So, I considered this information totally meaningful because we cannot use wherever activity in the classroom. We have to know when and how to use certain activities to give students the opportunity to use their imagination and feel free of writing or saying something by using the language they know. Besides, it is important to have some control on the activities as well because it will help students not to make mistakes all the time.

 I suggest you to visit these links to find more information about the topic:

•     Cotter C. (2010) Heads Up English Controlled to Free Activities

www.headsupenglish.com/index.php/esl-articles/esl-lesson-structure/310-controlled-to-free-activities

•  Video: Teaching Grammar - getting creative with controlled practice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-bib16PF20

 

UNIT 16

 Presentation techniques and introductory activities

    In this unit I learnt about the different presentation techniques that teachers used to focus their learners attention on the meaning of the new language. There are also introductory activities which are different from the presentation techniques. Those introductory activities are used by teachers to introduce a lesson or teaching topic.

   Therefore, in this unit I could see some presentation stages used for Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) and task-based Learning (TBL) lesson. For the PPP lesson the teacher first puts the target language into a situation which shows what it means. Then teacher elicits some answer about the grammar or vocabulary learnt previously.  After that, the teacher models some grammar structures about the grammar she/he has planned to teach on that specific day. The teacher then repeat the target language (English) in a choral drill making this activity to be totally controlled and restricted so students can use only new language without making mistakes. Finally, the teacher asks concept questions to the students to check their understanding about the meaning and use of the target language.  Regarding to the TBL lesson, it more student centered, here students have to find out how grammar structure works. The teacher starts contextualizing the topic by putting it in a situation. After that, the teacher gives the students tasks to do and finally they discuss any problematic language they needed for the task. So, the difference between those presentation stages is that in the PPP students first get familiar with the grammar , then pay attention to the teacher ‘ explanation and finally they produce the language. This is good especially when working with beginners. Meanwhile in the TBL students have to figure out the grammar rules then they practice it with the help of the teacher. So it is better to be used with intermediate or advanced students.

   Moreover, there is the introductory activity that differs from the presentation stage because here the teachers need to start the class by using interesting and catching activities to make students get familiar with the topic or to introduce new students to one another.  Teachers can choose the most suitable activity it can be a warmer; activities to raise students’ energy and make them feel comfortable but they are not necessary related to the topic as lead-in activities are. Lead-in usually involves short activities that are related with the topic the students are going to learn.

   Therefore, I will use a lot of introductory activities that will help students to feel comfortable and energetic before staring everyday classes. I will also use some ice-breaker activities to help students get to know each other at the beginner of the school year and build students confidence. However, it is also important to bear in mind that the way we introduce lessons or present new language will depend on the leaners level, age and needs. 

You can watch those videos to see how warm-ups and ice-breaker works in the classroom.

·         Hamilton B. (2012) Teaching EFL children - warm up in Vietnam Dec 2012

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bphu4JCC7KI

·         Ontario C. (2014) Introduction/Icebreaker Activities

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf2h7SQggMM&spfreload=10

UNIT 15

 Approaches to language teaching

   In this unit I learn that an approach refers to the way of looking and learning. In other words it is a theoretical view of what language is and how it can be learnt. It gives raise to methods, the way of teaching something, which teachers use in classroom (activities or techniques) to help learners learn. It also said that language is a tool to communicate meaning and that generally speaking, and that learners learn best by using it in communicative activities (information gaps, letter writing, note taking, etc.) that focus on fluency.

   There are many different approaches to teaching. One of them is the Presentation Practice and Production (PPP). Its view is that language can be best learn through grammar structures and functions considered as the most important aspect of language. If the teacher uses this approach in the classroom, it means that the activities are going to be controlled and guided all the time. The teacher is going to start presenting the topic, explaining the grammatical structures so he or she inputs language by providing examples, giving information about it and guiding students and finally the teacher is going to move to the practice stage where students will use language by filling information gaps, performing role plays, etc. . So learners are not allowed to make mistakes. Another approach is called “Lexical Approach” it focuses on teaching vocabulary which consists of individual words and different kinds of chunks (short expressions that convey meaning) such as collocations and idioms. Teachers using this approach will focus on teaching vocabulary by using authentic written or spoken texts in the classroom. It often makes use of PPP stages in lessons. Communicative approach is one of the best approaches to use when working with learners learning a second language since its aim is to teach communication through the use of grammar, vocabulary, discourse and skills and letting students to interact in the classroom rather than being passive. For this approach fluency is more important than accuracy. So, teachers should make use of authentic listening materials such as TV commercials, cartoons, comedy shows, movies, songs, documentaries, etc.  Authentic visual materials such as photographs, pictures from magazine etc. and authentic printed materials such as lyrics to songs, restaurant menus, comic books, etc. Those materials will enable students to easily learn a foreign language.

    Even though there are so many other different approaches such as Grammar Translation, Total Physical Response, Content Based Learning, etc. the work of the teacher is to choose the most appropriate approach to teach the students and it all will depend on the students’ age, educational background, needs, etc.

Here I’ve included some links to accurately use some of those approaches:

·       Rhalmi M (2010), World Teacher. Communicative Activities

http://worldteacher-andrea.blogspot.com/2013/07/five-communicative-language-learning.html

·         

        Video: PPP  Triangle .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wp51XS_acE&spfreload=10

UNIT 14

 Learner needs

   This unit describes about the needs that learners have for learning a foreign language. Those needs can be personal such as need for praise (the state of being approved or admired), learning needs such as need to become fluent and use the language accurately or adult learners’ needs that can be for using a foreign language in their professional lives.

    Here we have two categories of learners needs. The first, is kinds of needs, it could be personal, the desire that every learner has to learn a different language from their mother tongue. They will want to use the language to travel to a different country so they will feel secure and confident when communicating with foreigners. For their future professional lives learner need some specific vocabulary and grammar, specific language functions that can be used at certain situations, etc. The second category is reason for needs which includes their age, gender, cultural background, motivation and personality. So, here learners usually relate their past language experience, learning goals and expectations for the skill and knowledge their get as well as improve through time.

    Therefore, teachers need to know the learners need in order to successfully guide their students. They have to prepare classes according to the students’ needs and reasons for learning. There should be a lot of activities that will help students to develop their writing, speaking, reading and listening skills. It can be done by choosing suitable materials as well as suitable topics, by setting up lots of interaction patterns, asking students to work as a whole class, in groups, pairs or individually and giving them possitive feedback on their performance. For adults’ learners there should be lots of problem-based learning activities, discussions, role plays, etc. and all those activities have to be focused on the use of language for specific reasons.

Click on those links to see more information about Leaner needs:

·         Ure S.  (199), Developing leaners’ needs

http://www.languageswithoutlimits.co.uk/sharedneeds.html

·         Sockalingam N. (2012) Faculty Focus. Understanding Adults learners’ needs

http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/understanding-adult-learners-needs/

UNIT 13

 Learner characteristics

    After studying this unit I could recognize the different characteristics that students have. It includes students’ motivation, learning style, learning strategies and maturity. Those factors are the ones that influence their attitude to learning a language.

    Regarding to motivation, it is the desire that every individual has for doing something in this case for learning a foreign language so they give their best until they reach their goals. Another factor involving students’ characteristics is the learning style, these are the ways in which each student learns, process information and remember. In other words those are the skills they have for doing something in an easy way but based on their learning style that can be through listening (auditory), watching (visual) or touching things (kinesthetic). There is also a factor that involves the learning strategies that students choose and use to learn a language. Some students prefer to repeat words in their heads until they remember them, others prefers to ask teachers or their classmates to give them feedback or comments about their language usage in order to see how they are doing, paraphrasing or saying something in their own words is another learning strategy that some students choose to remember what their learnt. Maturity is another factor; it refers to the students’ mental and emotional view towards learning. It varies according to their age so the activities the teacher uses should be according to the group of students the teacher is working with. If the students are children they will surely prefer to do activities on which they can move. However, they pay little attention to the class since aren’t able to control their behavior yet. Now, if the students are teenagers, they concentrate on activities while they are developing them even though they begin learning a language in an abstract way, through thinking as well as experiencing.

   Consequently, I realized that each individual is a single world; they all have specific characteristics that differentiate them from the rest. So, when working as teachers it seems totally required to take into account all those factors in order to successfully guide our students.  There should a variety of activities such as: recitations games, jumble picture activities or touch games, all of them need to be elaborated in order to accurately integrate to all students in the learning process. 

Here I’ve included some pages that contain some extra ideas about activities we can use in class:

•          Vernon (2006), Teaching English games, How to Teach English For Different Learning Styles
  http://www.teachingenglishgames.com/Articles/Learning_Styles.htm
  
  
• Jensen. E. (2005), Learners Analysis: Identifying learners characteristics and needs
• http://www.itma.vt.edu/modules/spring11/efund/lesson3/learneranalysis.pdf

UNIT 12 

Differences between L1 and L2 learning

 

  

   In this unit I could clarify my doubts about the difference of L1 and L2. After studying this unit, I learnt that L1 refers to the language we learnt from birth and can be learnt in different contexts (home, parks, through interaction with friends, etc.). Learning starts when learners are babies and they keep improving it through the time. At first they learn language by listening and interpreting words, by getting lots of prices and by hearing simplified speech (content words, small phrases) and by hearing and repeating sounds over and over again.   When they are adolescents they master they language skills because they are able to write academic writings which make use of formal language.  The motivation to learn language is to be able to communicate and interact with family, friends, etc. and this learning is always fully successful. Meanwhile, L2 refers to the second language we learn in addition to our first language. This language learning mostly starts in primary schools or in their adulthood. So, adult learners learning a foreign language may have some motivations as well as reasons that can be for their jobs, for travelling, or for doing business, etc. They always focus on structures and individual words and they need to use language immediately after they have been thought about certain structures, rules, etc. So, this learning is more likely to take place inside the classroom but sometimes it is not successful as happens when learning the first language.

   Regarding to the teaching process, I will take into account the different learning styles such as visual (a person who best learn through seeing things), auditory (who best learn through hearing sounds, music, voice, ect) and kinesthetic (who learns better by toughing things) in order to prepare classes that will engage to all the students. For example, I will use 'touch' game which involves a bag with different items inside. Then I ask students to describe the items they have in their bags so that classmates can guess their identity and their asnwers will cause a fun among all the class. Therefore, this activity will funnily involve to all students with different learning styles because they will hear, see and touch. I will also build confidence on the students and encourage them to give their best even if the language is difficult for them.  Motivation is another important strategy that I will use when teaching to my students L2 learners. Furthermore, it would be meaningful to try to use activities that are normally used in the culture of the language they are learning. It will make activities to be more real and delightful.   

Here are some link that explains about the difference between L1 and L2

Ellis 94 (2009) Based on Bley-Vroman (1988), First and second language acquisition

• http://homepage.ntlworld.com/vivian.c/SLA/L1%20and%20L2.htm

Video: First & Second Language Acquisition - Marjo Mitsutomi & Minna Kirjavainen

UNIT 11

 The role of error

 

     This unit emphasizes a lot on the mistakes we as learners of a foreign language make when learning it. So, I learnt that mistakes play an important and useful part in language learning since it allows learners to measure their knowledge, correct themselves and improve it with the help of the teacher or their classmates. Besides, mistakes are categorized into errors and slips.  Regarding to errors, it occurs when the person try to say something by using lexicon or grammar structure that is beyond their level of knowledge or language processing. The reasons why they make errors are because of the influence of their first language on the second language which is called as interference. It means that students use the same intonation in English as if they were saying it in Spanish or they use the same grammatical structures used on their mother tongue (the language the persona has learned from birth).  So, I conclude that when learning a foreign language learners need to go little by little otherwise the errors they do will get fossilized.  Talking about slips, they are the result of tiredness, nervousness or emotions depending on the situation they are. However, these kinds of mistakes can be corrected by themselves once they realized they have made them, it can be done because the students know the language.  

     The best way to help students to avoid making mistakes is by motivating them to write or speak as much as they can without making them aware of the mistakes there are so they won’t be worried of making mistakes. After that, it would be good to explain the mistakes and how they can be avoided to reach accuracy. Later on, I can set up speaking activities (interviews, role plays, ect) depending on the students level so students will interact with each other and I will encourage them to give feedback to their classmates. This activity will help students to notice the mistakes they make then they will try to correct themselves. As it is stated above, making errors is the normal process of learning foreign language but to improve it, learners need exposure to lots of interesting language at the right level and this language can be used through interactions.  

Here are two links on which you will find more information about mistakes.

•  D.Gingsburg (2012), Education week teacher Don't Prevent Students' Mistakes, Prepare for Them. 

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coach_gs_teaching_tips/2012/01/dont_prevent_students_mistakes_prepare_for_them.html

• P. Szynalski  (2010) How to learn English effectively - tips to avoid making mistakes 

http://www.antimoon.com/how/mistakes-how.htm

UNIT 10

 Exposure and Focus on form

   From this unit I learnt about the way we learn a foreign language. It can be by being exposed to it and without studying it. Then learners pick it up unconsciously as in the way children learn their first language. However, this is not enough to succeed; learners also need to pay attention to the form of a language by interacting with others and noticing how it differs from their mother tongue.

  Consequently, in my teaching process I will take into account the main aspects about the stages in which students learn a foreign language. For example, when working with beginner students I will bring to the class some (stories, songs, etc.) materials that students can use for fun and acquire language automatically. I will also paste on the wall some useful phrases or chunks ( May I go to the restroom?), May I come in?, Could you repeat that?, etc.)written in the target language alog with pictures so students will use them at the moment it is needed. I will also prepare lots of materials and activities that can involve all students no matter if they have different learning styles of learning . So, students will increase their lexicon by interacting with their classmates as well as with the teacher.

Here I´ve included some links about ways and methods for teaching English.

A.Padilla (2009), Educacion.com

• http://www.education.com/reference/article/learning-and-teaching-foreign-languages/

Shen Ch. (2009) CCSE English Language Teaching Vol.2 N.1

• http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/%EE%80%80elt%EE%80%81/article/viewFile/341/305

UNIT 9

Motivation

  According to the TKT book, motivation is the reason why people decide to do something and involves internal and external factors which make them to want to continue until achieve what they want.

   After studying this unit about motivation I realized that this is the main part that teachers should take into account when teaching students. It is meaningful to build self-confidence on the students by encouraging them to take risks in class by asking them to participate, work in groups, share ideas, etc. Then, it is required to give them positive feedback and prices depending on the group of students that teachers are working with and bear in mind that mistakes are allowed since students are learning and mistakes are a normal process for improving something. . Another important strategy for motivating learner is to have a good rapport with all the students without showing preferences for just one or two of them. Besides, teachers need to be conscious that every single student is a single world and everyone learns in a different way. Consequently, I will not set goals just thinking on myself, instead I will set goals for both learners and me.  I will choose a variety of activities such as games, songs, stories, debates, etc. depending on the students’ level.  So, it will help to positively engage students with the activities and they will enjoy what they do.

I´ve included two links of videos about motivation which support my explanation. 

How do I motivate my students to speak English instead of their native language in class? by Oxford University Press ELT

Student Engagement And Motivation Tips - HOW to engage your students by Rob Plevin.