Natural english teacher training pack

how to … activate vocabularyA heading natural English teacher development by Scott Thornbury Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary session overview ou

Teacher Training Pack

CONTENTS

1.Teacher Training Packs (HOW TO )

2.Teacher's Development Chapter

3.Internet Lesson Plans

Teacher Training

Packs

stage 2

experiential task

25–30 minutes

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary detailed plan 1

detailed plan

natural English

Photocopy and distribute worksheet for stage 1 and ask the trainees,

working individually, to match the two parts of each extract

They should check their answers in pairs, and then go on to discuss, briefly, the implications of any of the statements that particularly interest them Allow time for an open class sharing of opinions

Note: in the interests of time, this task could be set as a pre-sessional activity, with a brief check and discussion in class before moving to stage 2.

Copy and cut up worksheet for stage 2, so that there is one set of word

cards per group of (roughly) four trainees – there are 15 words per set If the cards are mounted onto card, they will be more easily manipulated as well as more durable

Write the following Maori* words on the board, or onto an overhead transparency, along with their English equivalents:

kereru = pigeon makimaki = monkey hipi = sheep

kaka = parrot tuna = eel kiwi = kiwi kuri = dog ruru = owl mako = shark wheke = octopus poaka = pig tohora = whale

Ask the trainees first to repeat the words as you read them from the list (Note: the pronunciation closely follows the spelling, with vowels pronounced more or less as they would be in Italian, Spanish, or

Japanese The wh- in wheke is pronounced as an f The stress is on the

first syllable in every case.)

Now ask the trainees, working individually and silently, to try to learn as many of the words as they can in five minutes Then, with your hand or

a piece of card, cover the English equivalents of individual words, in a random order, and see if trainees can tell you what its Maori equivalent means

Then do the same in reverse, i.e cover individual Maori words in random order, until satisfied that most of the class can recall most of the words

Then, one by one, erase the English words, checking each time that the class knows what its Maori equivalent means Do the same with the Maori words, until the board is clear At this point, you might ask them how well they think they have learned the words, and what kinds of memory techniques they used to help them learn the words (e.g similarity with

the English equivalent, word associations e.g hipi – hippie, etc.).

Now, divide the class into groups of four Hand out the sets of word cards you have prepared in advance, one set per group

Ask the trainees to work together, and to do the following tasks one by one, checking in open class the results of each task in turn as the groups complete them (First point out that they learned twelve words but that there are fifteen in the set of word cards.)

1 Eliminate the three words that weren’t included at the learning stage.

2 Put the remaining words in the order that they were originally presented on the board.

3 Match any pairs that rhyme.

4 Group the twelve words into three sets of four words each, so that each word in the set has something in common.

5 Decide which could be the odd-one-out in each set of four – and why.

6 Choose one member of each set of four that the group agrees would make a good pet – and why.

7 Choose one set of four and rank the four according to the probable results of a race i.e Who would win, come second, etc.?

8 Then, individual members of the group take turns to either draw or imitate the sound or gait of one of the items, while the others try to guess which one it is – using its Maori name.

9 Finally, each group member chooses one of the 12 words and writes a true / false sentence (in English, but using the relevant Maori), which he or she then reads out to the group, who decide if it

is true or false.

When students are doing these tasks, and when they are reporting the results to the whole class, they should be encouraged to use the Maori words rather than their English equivalents, embedding them in English sentences If at any stage a group cannot remember the Maori word, the teacher can be asked to supply it – but this should be done by giving the first letter, then the second, and so on, until someone in the group successfully recalls the word.

* Maori is a Polynesian language, spoken by the indigenous inhabitants

of New Zealand If some or all trainees are already familiar with Maori, you should adapt this activity, using a language that is unfamiliar to the group.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary detailed plan 2

Ask the trainees, working in the same groups (or, if more convenient, in pairs), to recall, as far as they can remember, the sequence of activities they have just done in groups.

Then distribute worksheet for stage 3 Ask trainees:

a to classify the different task-types according to these categories:

b to rate each activity in terms of the amount of ‘cognitive depth’

involved (using the categories high, medium, low)

c to decide if the focus of the task is primarily on form or on meaning

d to decide if the task process involves word recognition only, or production

Allow time for an open class discussion afterwards.

Distribute copies of natural English intermediate student’s book

Divide the class into pairs or small groups Ask each group to look at a

different wordbooster section (see, for example, pages 16, 25, 39, 48,

63, etc.) Ask them to study the sequence of activities and to identify how

‘deeper processing’ tasks are built into the sequence in order to support vocabulary learning Specifically, look for those features that were mentioned in the matching task (stage 1), i.e.:

• manipulation

• drawing connections to other words

• personalization

• recalling items for productive use

• meeting or using the word in new contexts Ask them also to think of activities (such as those they experienced in stage 2) that could be incorporated into the sequence in order to optimize learning even further

If there’s time, reorganize the groups so that each new group contains at least one member from each of the original groups, and ask trainees to share their ideas.

Spokespeople from each group can then report to the class on their findings.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary detailed plan 3

how to … activate vocabulary

A heading

natural English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary session overview

outline plan

1 warmer – matching task 10–15 minutes individuals; pairs; open class report

2 experiential task 25–30 minutes open class; groups of 3-4

3 post-task reflection 15–20 minutes pairs; open class

4 extension activity 20–25 minutes pairs / small groups; open class report

• analyse activity sequences from the point of view

of vocabulary learning principles

materials

• natural English intermediate student’s book

• photocopies of worksheets for stages 1 and 3, and word cards for stage 2

• natural English intermediate teacher’s book

pp.136–142

session overview

by Scott Thornbury

stage 1 warmer

The answers to the matching task are: 1–C; 2–E; 3–B; 4–A; 5–D.

Here are the extracts in full:

1 ‘The human lexicon is believed to be a network of associations, a

web-like structure of interconnected links … When students are

asked to manipulate words, relate them to other words and to

their own experiences, and then to justify their choices, these

word associations are reinforced.’

Sökmen, A.J., in Schmitt, N and McCarthy, M (Eds.), Vocabulary:

Description, Acquisition and Pedagogy (1997) pp.241–242.

Reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press.

2 ‘The act of successfully recalling an item increases the chance that

the item will be remembered … It appears that the retrieval route

to that item is in some way strengthened by being successfully

used.’

Baddeley, A., Human Memory: Theory and Practice (Revised edition)

(1997) p.112 Reproduced by permission of Psychology Press.

3 ‘The more one manipulates, thinks about, and uses mental

information, the more likely it is that one will retain that

information In the case of vocabulary, the more one engages

with a word (deeper processing), the more likely the word will be

remembered for later use.’

Schmitt, N., Vocabulary in Language Teaching (2000) p.120.

Reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press.

4 ‘When words are met in reading and listening or used in speaking

and writing, the generativeness of the context will influence

learning That is, if the words occur in new sentence contexts in

the reading text, learning will be helped Similarly, having to use

the word to say new things will add to learning.’

Nation, I.S.P., Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (2001) p.80

Reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press.

5 ‘A learner’s active/productive vocabulary is always smaller than

his or her passive/receptive vocabulary That is, learners might be

able to recognize a given lexical item when it is presented to them

or they may be able to infer its meaning, but this is not at all the

same thing as recalling items for use.’

Carter, R., Vocabulary: Applied Linguistic Perspectives (Second Edition)

(1998) p.213 Reproduced by permission of Routledge.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary trainer’s notes 1

trainer’s notes

natural English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

The implications of these statements that should be highlighted in the

open class discussion include:

• The importance of activities that require learners to retrieve words

from memory.

• The importance of ‘deeper processing’ tasks – that is, tasks that require

learners to make decisions about words involving increasing degrees

of ‘cognitive depth’, such as manipulating them, relating them to

words they know, and personalizing them The more and the ‘deeper’

the decisions, the more likely it is that the words will be learned.

• The importance of activities that require learners to produce words

(rather than simply recognize them) if the words are going to become

part of their active vocabulary.

• The importance of meeting (and re-meeting) and using words in new

contexts.

It is important that all learners are involved in this activity sequence, so

that they can experience at first hand the problems related to vocabulary

learning in a second language, as well as appreciating the benefits of

having to make many different decisions about a set of pre-taught words

It may be interesting to test memory of these words in a subsequent

session, e.g by providing the English translations and seeing if trainees

can correctly supply the Maori equivalent.

The three words that were not included at the introduction stage are:

moko (lizard), ika (fish), and kiore (rat).

Rhyming pairs are: kaka and poaka, ruru and kereru.

It is expected that the words will be classified accordingly:

• kereru, kaka, kiwi, ruru (birds)

• makimaki, hipi, kuri, poaka (land mammals)

• tuna, mako, wheke, tohora (fish and other animals living in water)

The odd-one-out task can be answered in any number of ways – the

important thing is that a reason is given for the choice Possible answers

might be kiwi (it’s flightless); makimaki (it’s not a farm or domestic

animal); tohora (it’s a mammal).

The table should be completed accordingly (see next page), although

opinions may differ with regard to the amount of cognitive depth

involved in some of the activities Note that the first three activities can

be done without reference to the meaning of the words – that is, the

mental processes involve simply recognizing and ordering the forms of

the words, or matching forms that rhyme All the subsequent activities

require learners to know the meanings of the words if they are to be able

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary trainer’s notes 2

to do the task

Note also that all the activities, apart from the last two, start with the

forms (written on cards), and the learners have either to recognize these

forms, ignoring their meaning, or to recognize the forms and match them

with a meaning – in either case, they are recognition activities (Of course,

in negotiating the task outcome with their colleagues, and in reporting

the task outcome to the class, they will produce many of the targeted

words, but this is a (healthy) by-product of working co-operatively, and is

not intrinsic to the successful performance of the task It would be quite

different if learners were working individually, and with no report stage.

The need to constantly recycle the targeted words in group work is one of

the advantages of this kind of organization.)

The final two activities (guessing the words, and writing true / false

sentences) are production activities, however The true / false activity starts

with a meaning (represented by a drawing, mime, or sound effect) and

the learner has to produce the relevant form In the sentence-writing task,

learners first produce the selected item in a mini-context Of course, when

they read the sentence aloud to their colleagues, the focus becomes

recognition again.

activity activity type: cognitive depth: focus on form recognition

ordering / ranking, high, medium, or meaning? or production?

matching, selecting, low?

sorting, or guessing?

Finally, it should be clear from the chart that the sequencing of the tasks

is not arbitrary, but that there is a deliberate progression from

form-focused to meaning-form-focused tasks, from recognition to production tasks,

and in general, from tasks involving low processing demands to tasks

involving relatively high processing demands.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary trainer’s notes 3

stage 4 extension activity

Trainees should note that the wordbooster task sequences always

involve at least two stages, and hence two sets of decisions to be

made about the same words These decisions may involve

manipulating the words in some way, such as exercises that focus

first on the form of words and then require learners to put them into

meaningful contexts, such as in the sequence prefixes (p.109) Or they

may involve the formation of word association networks, such as

the use of ‘spidergrams’ (see p.84, phrases with go and get)

Trainees should note the high number of production and

personalization tasks included in the wordbooster sections.

Examples of production tasks, in which previously met items are

recalled for productive use, include the second exercise in hotel rooms

(p.25) and the third exercise in likes and dislikes (p.39) Personalization

tasks include the second exercise in jobs (p.16), parts 2 and 3 of people

in your life (p.84), and the second task in shopping (p.140).

Word manipulations activities – such as the ranking, selecting,

matching and sorting type of activities discussed in stage 3 – could be

inserted at strategic points in these task sequences in order to

provide further decision-making opportunities, thereby adding extra

layers of ‘cognitive depth’.

As a follow-up (or a pre-session) reading task, you might want to

refer trainees to the teacher development chapter ‘how to … activate

vocabulary’ on pp.136–142 of the natural English intermediate

teacher’s book.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary trainer’s notes 4

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary worksheet for stage 1

worksheet for stage 1

1 ‘The human lexicon is believed to be a network A ‘That is, if the words occur in new sentence contexts in

of associations, a web-like structure of the reading text, learning will be helped Similarly,

interconnected links.’ having to use the word to say new things will add

are reinforced.’

Sökmen, A.J (1997)

4 ‘When words are met in reading and listening D ‘That is, learners might be able to recognize a given

or used in speaking and writing, the lexical item when it is presented to them or they may be generativeness of the context will influence able to infer its meaning, but this is not at all the same

Baddeley, A., Human Memory: Theory and Practice (Revised edition) (1997) p.112.

Reproduced by permission of Psychology Press

Carter, R., Vocabulary: Applied Linguistic Perspectives (Second Edition) (1998) p.213.

Reproduced by permission of Routledge

Nation, I.S.P., Learning Vocabulary in Another Language (2001) p.80 Reproduced by

permission of Cambridge University Press

Schmitt, N., Vocabulary in Language Teaching (2000) p.120 Reproduced by

permission of Cambridge University Press

Sökmen, A.J., in Schmitt, N and McCarthy, M (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description,

Acquisition and Pedagogy (1997) pp.241–242 Reproduced by permission of

Cambridge University Press

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary worksheet for stage 2

worksheet for stage 2

tuna

poaka wheke mako

ika kaka

ruru kuri kiwi

kiore

tohora

Think back on the activities you have just done, and complete this table as best you can.

ordering / ranking, high, medium, or meaning? or production?

matching, selecting, low?

guess the word

true / false (sentence writing)

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … activate vocabulary worksheet for stage 3

worksheet for stage 3

English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

stage 2

evaluation and

adaptation task

10–15 minutes

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners detailed plan 1

detailed plan

natural English

Make photocopies of worksheet for stage 1 (choose either A or B,

depending on the language level of the group: A is more advanced).

Make one copy for each group of four or five trainees Cut up each copy

to make ten word cards, and shuffle the cards Organize the class into groups Place a pack of word cards face down in the middle of each group Explain the rules of the game: group members take turns to take a card from the top of the pile, taking care not to reveal it Without saying the word itself, they then have to explain or define the word on the card

by any means they can think of, so that the rest of the group members guess it correctly The card is then placed at the bottom of the pack The next player then takes the top card, and the process is repeated, until all the words have been guessed The first group to guess all the words is the winner In the event that the group is unable to guess a word, that word card should be put aside, and the game resumed When all the other words have been guessed, the group can reattempt to guess the words that caused difficulty.

After the game is over, discuss with the group the different strategies that were used to convey the meanings of the words, e.g the use of

synonyms, definitions, examples, gesture, drawings, etc Elicit opinions

as to why this game is relevant to the topic of teacher–learner communication.

Ask the trainees to single out those techniques that are especially relevant to the teaching of low level learners.

Hand out worksheet for stage 2 Ask trainees, working in pairs or small

groups, first to critically evaluate the teacher’s use of language in each case Point out that the learners involved are at elementary level

They should then suggest ways of improving the teacher’s use of language.

Check the task in open class.

Hand out worksheet for stage 3 Point out that this is a transcript of

authentic teacher–learner interaction Go through the list of different move types, checking understanding of each type Ask the trainees, working in pairs or small groups, to identify examples of each move type

in the transcript

Check this task in open class.

Then ask trainees, working in their groups, to discuss the relative effectiveness of the different move types Which – do they think – facilitate learning, and which might not? Why?

Conduct open class discussion on this issue.

Organize trainees into groups of four or five and distribute materials to make a poster (coloured pens and card or overhead transparencies) Ask them to summarize the session so far in the form of ‘teaching tips’, i.e advice for teachers under the heading: How to communicate with low level learners (Alternatively, and to make the task more general, use the

heading How to communicate with learners.) When each group has come up

with five to six pieces of advice, they should then take turns to present their tips to the rest of the class

Allow time for some discussion of shared principles that emerge from this task.

Choose some tasks from natural English elementary student’s book.

For example:

• page 12 speaking it’s your turn! exercises 1–3

• page 25 grammar exercise 3, and speaking it’s your turn! exercises

1 and 2

• page 31 vocabulary exercises 1–4

• pages 32 and 33 read on exercises 2, 3 and 4

• page 38 vocabulary time phrases with prepositions exercises 1 and 2

• page 44 speaking it’s your turn! exercises 1 and 2

• page 48 grammar past simple: was / were exercises 5 and 6

• page 73 writing exercises 1 and 2 (see also page 124)

Assign one task per trainee in each group of four to six trainees Trainees take turns to play the role of the teacher, while the others in the group take the role of (elementary) students (The ‘students’ will need copies of the coursebook, and for some tasks the ‘teacher’ will need to play the recording If this is awkward, the ‘teacher’ can read the transcript aloud) The job of each ‘teacher’ is to set up the coursebook task in such a way that it is intelligible and efficient Afterwards, the groups can discuss those instructions that they considered effective, and suggest improvements for the ones that were not.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners detailed plan 2

how to … communicate with low level learners

A heading

natural English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners session overview

outline plan

2 evaluation and adaptation task 10–15 mins pairs or small groups; open class discussion

3 analysis and evaluation task 15–20 mins pairs / small groups; open class report

4 summarizing task 15–20 mins pairs / small groups; report to open class

5 extension activity 20–25 mins small groups; report

• materials for poster or OHP display, for stage 4

• natural English elementary student’s book

• natural English elementary teacher’s book

pp.160–166

session overview

by Scott Thornbury

stage 1 warmer

The purpose of this activity is to invite trainees to think about ways of

conveying meaning quickly and economically, as well as to demonstrate

a fun classroom vocabulary activity (The activity can be used to recycle

vocabulary that learners have previously studied) Effective teachers are

able to communicate using minimal means, and one particularly useful

skill is to be able to provide clear examples (rather than simply

explanations or definitions) of whatever is the focus of instruction

The ability to improvise is also clearly useful, since teachers can never

fully anticipate the vocabulary that is likely to come up in a lesson.

Techniques that are particularly suitable for conveying meaning to low

level learners include the use of mime and gesture, and the giving of

examples Where explanations and definitions are used, they will need

to be carefully graded in order to be comprehensible, but without

descending to ‘baby talk’.

This activity is designed to draw attention to some of the more negative

features of teacher talk, paving the way for an exploration (in the next

stage) of ways in which teacher–student interaction can positively

contribute to learning Points that should be developed include the

following:

Extract 1:

This is clearly rather wordy and disorganized: the instructions are not

delivered in a logical order, and so there are a number of false starts

and examples of backtracking Also, the use of the modal verb might

( who might be speaking?) is likely to confuse learners, especially at low

levels, where a more direct question ( Who is speaking?) would be more

transparent Finally, by checking learners’ understanding by simply

asking Do you understand? the teacher is leaving a lot up to chance:

learners might think they understand, or they might be loath to admit

that they don’t understand Either way, there are more effective ways

of checking understanding – one, of course, being to start the tape and

monitor the learners’ response.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners trainer’s notes 1

trainer’s notes

natural English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

Extract 2:

By contrast with the previous extract, the teacher has opted for a

pared down, simplified register, which comes close to baby talk at

times (and may even be recognized as such by learners, who may find

it condescending) It is therefore unlikely to be a satisfactory model of

natural English, for all its apparent intelligibility But it is also,

arguably, less than fully intelligible By stripping language of much of

its redundancy and repetition, the teacher may be making the

instructions harder to process, not easier, since every word carries a

high informational load It is like listening to the spoken equivalent of

a telegram And again, the teacher’s method of checking

understanding leaves a lot to be desired!

Extract 3:

This extract is a fairly typical example of an ‘eliciting’ sequence,

where the teacher is using a questioning routine in order to arrive at a

specific (probably pre-selected) teaching point – in this case, perhaps, it

is the word embarrassed This involves asking a number of display

questions, i.e questions that are intended to provide opportunities for

learners to display their knowledge, and which are not intended to fill

gaps in the teacher’s own knowledge – as real questions are intended

to do All the teacher’s questions, apart from the last ( Have you ever been

embarrassed?) are display questions Display questions in themselves

are not ‘bad’, but if learners are exposed only to such questions, the

quality of the classroom talk may be rather impoverished: there may

be fewer opportunities for learner initiative and genuine

communication, with a consequent reduction in learners’ interest and

motivation This may also reduce the chances of unplanned learning

opportunities occurring The teacher’s preference for display questions

is not helped by the fact that he (or she) sometimes answers his (or

her) own questions, as in: What has the security guard found? He’s found

some things she hasn’t paid for, hasn’t he? This suggests that the teacher is

allowing very little response time (also called wait time) after his

questions (let’s assume he’s a man) Unsurprisingly, not giving learners

time to answer questions reduces the chances that they will answer.

The teacher compounds the problem by ignoring the one student who

comes up with the right answer: Security Finally, the teacher tends to

respond to anything the learners say with the all-purpose Good This

form of feedback on learners’ contributions is of little use as feedback if

it is applied indiscriminately The teacher even goes so far as to say

Good to two contradictory answers (Yes and No) suggesting that he is

not really interested in the learners’ answers, even when asking an

ostensibly real question.

Failure to ask real questions, to allow response time, to listen to the

learners, and to engage with their responses, means that teachers

sometimes teach almost as if their learners were not really there It is

not surprising that the learners answer both yes and no to the question

Have you ever been embarrassed? since it is unlikely that a clear idea of

the meaning of embarrassed will have emerged from this rapid-fire

questioning technique.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners trainer’s notes 2

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners trainer’s notes 3

Examples of the different move types include the following:

echo many examples, as in turns 5, 17, 23, 30, 33

interruption turn 14, apparently

ignoring turn 39, possibly

display question turns 1, 3, 21, 31

real question turns 6, 9, 12, 15, 24, 36

feedback on no examples, unless OK counts as feedback on content (e.g.

content turn 8) On the other hand OK may simply signal

acknowledgement of participation, rather than a response

to the content, as such.

feedback on form none, apart from some reformulation (see next category),

and the explanation in turn 27

checking turn 21 (also, many instances of OK? could be considered

understanding comprehension checks, as in turn 40)

The main points to establish in the discussion on the merits or otherwise of

the different moves are the following:

• in general, research suggests that the way that teachers interact with

learners can have an important effect on learning

• one way that teacher interaction supports learning is through what is

called scaffolding, which is when the teacher’s responses to students’

contributions provide a secure but temporary structure within which they

can communicate their meanings

• scaffolding occurs when, for example, a teacher extends or reformulates a

learner’s utterance, which in turn may involve asking for clarification

• another way that the teacher’s interventions support learning is through

unplanned teaching episodes that occur in response to something the

learners have said

• these teaching episodes typically include some form of explanation,

modelling, and checking of understanding

• scaffolding sequences and teaching episodes are more likely to occur when

the learners are answering real questions rather than display questions, and

where learners are receiving, not only feedback on form (e.g error

correction), but feedback on content, i.e feedback on the communicative

content of their utterances

• teacher interventions that probably do not facilitate learning are when the

teacher simply echoes the learners, or worse, interrupts or ignores them

• in sum, teacher–learner talk is probably most supportive of learning when it

reflects the natural to-and-fro of real conversation, but when opportunities

to make a teaching point are exploited as and when they occur

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners trainer’s notes 4

Some teaching tips that might be expected to come up include the

following:

• make your instructions clear, and sequence them logically

• use gestures to support what you are saying

• give clear examples rather than complicated explanations

• don’t revert to ‘baby talk’

• don’t check understanding by always asking Do you understand?

• ask real questions as much as possible

• respond to what the learners say, not just the way that they say it

• allow learners plenty of time to respond

• don’t ignore or interrupt learners

• avoid echoing learner utterances

• try not to answer your own questions

• ask for clarification if you don’t understand

• think of ways of extending or adding to what the learner has just said

• reformulate learner utterances if they are not accurate

• take advantage of any teaching opportunities that arise

Issues that may arise in doing this activity include the following:

• ‘ process language’: i.e learners’ familiarity with the language of

instructions, such as match, order, take turns, etc Giving a clear

demonstration of what is required is essential until learners are

‘trained’ to recognize these terms.

• staging: if an activity has more than one stage, it is usually best to give

the instructions for one stage at a time, rather than overloading

learners.

• organisation: for pair and group work, it is generally better to give the

instructions for the activity before organising the class into their

groupings, so that you can be sure that you have their attention

• monitoring: it is obviously important to check that learners have

understood the instructions by quickly monitoring each individual,

pair, or group, as they begin the task.

As a follow-up (or a pre-session) reading task, you might want to refer

trainees to the teacher development chapter ‘how to … communicate

with low level learners’ on p.160 of the natural English elementary

teacher’s book.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners worksheet for stage 1

worksheet for stage 1

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners worksheet for stage 1

worksheet for stage 1

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners worksheet for stage 2

worksheet for stage 2

English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

What’s wrong with these (invented) extracts of teacher talk, directed at a

class of elementary students? Can you improve them?

1

Teacher OK, what we’re going to do now is we’re going to do a listening,

well first, before we do, I’d like you to look at the pictures in the

book, if you could just open the book to page 56, and look at

the pictures, and we’re going to listen to the tape, and while

you’re listening you have to imagine who might be speaking, so

for example, for the first conversation, there are three little

conversations, well not conversations really, more a monologue,

three monologues, and, you are going to listen to each person in

turn and think who might it be, according to what they say, do

you understand? Good OK, number 1, are you ready?

2

Teacher Ok, I give you this [holds up worksheet] You look Many

animals Pig Cow I play tape You listen You read You tick.

Cow, pig, horse Which one? OK? No write Just tick Comprende?

Teacher No, it’s not a policeman Not exactly Who is it? Who is it?

Anybody? Listen, it’s a security guard Repeat [Security guard].

What has he found in the lady’s bag? What has the security guard

found? He’s found some things she hasn’t paid for, hasn’t he?

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners worksheet for stage 3

worksheet for stage 3

English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

Here are some common teacher moves (i.e ways that teachers interact

with learners) Check you understand the meaning of each one.

• echo (teacher repeats student utterance)

• interruption (by the teacher of a student)

• ignoring (of a student by the teacher)

• display question (a question that the teacher knows the answer to, the

purpose being for learners to display their knowledge)

• real question (asking for real information)

• feedback on content (i.e responding to what the learner says, not simply

how they say it)

• feedback on form (e.g correction)

• reformulation (also called recasting: rephrasing a learner’s utterance more

accurately)

• extension (extending a learner’s contribution)

• asking for clarification (of a student’s utterance)

• explanation (of a language issue that arises spontaneously)

• modelling (providing a model)

• checking understanding (e.g of an explanation or instruction)

Now, identify examples of these move types in this extract of

(authentic) teacher–learner interaction

Teacher What do you see here? Eguskiñe.

Student Two … two doctors, er …

Teacher Where are they? In a hospital? What are they doing Joseba?

Student An operation.

Teacher An operation, OK

Has anybody ever had an … has been in hospital? Have you ever

been in a hospital for some reason or other? Not at the doctor’s,

at the hospital? Nobody? But you’ve been at the doctor’s?

Student Yes.

Teacher OK

Er … Arkaitz when you went to the doctor’s the last time, what

was it? Why? Why did you go to the doctor’s?

Student Er … the last time because I have er … hurt in my leg.

Teacher You had a pain in your leg?

How did it happen?

Student Because, er … I was playing football I …

Teacher OK Had a pain in your leg

Other … reasons you’ve been to the doctor’s? Mikel?

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2006 how to … communicate with low level learners worksheet for stage 3

worksheet for stage 3 continued

Transcript 1A Fluency and accuracy / Integrating skills, from

Looking at Language Classrooms, Cambridge University Press, 1997,

p 111 (Photocopiable)

Student Er … because I had a cold.

Teacher You had a cold OK

Javi?

Student Because I had a flu.

Teacher Flu You had the flu

When, er … flu is a typical illness Summer

illness, winter illness?

Student Winter.

Teacher Winter OK

Other … reasons you’ve gone to the doctor’s?

Student Because I had a stains in my … skin.

Teacher You mean like spots? Or …

OK A stain, you have a stain on your shirt,

like ketchup falls on your shirt, you try to

wash it, you get a stain But on your skin you

have spots OK? Spots

Er … other reasons?

Student Headaches.

Teacher Headaches OK, headaches

More? Mmmmm … A toothache Well,

toothache you don’t go to the doctor, you go

to the …?

Teacher Dentist

More?

A stomach ache If you eat too much, and

you’re not feeling well, like …? Indigestion.

Indigestion

Other illnesses Your family If it’s not you?

Fathers, mothers, uncles, grandmothers?

Sometimes in winter teachers get this a lot

[feels throat] They talk so much.

Student Paperas [= Measles]

Teacher Mmmm … It hurts It hurts a lot You talk a

lot and it hurts Nobody knows?

A sore throat OK? You get a sore … throat.

You get a sore throat When you eat, when

you swallow, it hurts a lot

Headache.

Teacher Stomach ache

Class Stomach ache [etc.]

stage 2

evaluation task

15–20 minutes

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing detailed plan 1

detailed plan

natural English

Hand out worksheet for stage 1 (or draw the grid on the board and ask

trainees to copy it).

Ask trainees, working first individually for a few minutes and then in small groups, to contrast formal and informal testing by making notes in the relevant sections of the grid (It may be a good idea to do the first one

or two sections of the grid in open class, to make sure that trainees are comfortable with the notion of formal vs informal testing.)

Point out that these notes need not be exhaustive, and that it is the

purpose of the session to answer the how? question in more detail

Allow time for some open class discussion, with groups feeding back on their opinions (At this point trainees could be referred to sections 1 and

2 of the teacher development chapter How to … do informal testing on

pp.148–149 of the natural English upper-intermediate teacher’s book.)

An alternative way of using worksheet for stage 1 might be to set the

teacher development chapter How to … do informal testing as a pre-session

reading task Filling in the table at the start of the session would then be

a way of informally testing their understanding of the main issues raised

in the chapter

For further reading on informal testing, see this article on the OUP Teachers’ Club website: www.oup.com/elt/global/teachersclub/teaching/ articles/development/testing

Establish the following situation:

As the teacher of a class of upper-intermediate students, you have just

introduced the uses of so…that and such…that to add emphasis (see p.160

of the natural English upper-intermediate student’s book) You want to

test – informally – your students’ grasp of these forms and their uses

Distribute worksheet for stage 2 and ask the trainees, working in pairs

or small groups, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each test, and

to make notes in the accompanying table It may be useful to establish some criteria in advance of the task (e.g practicality, validity, reliability,

spin-off – see trainer’s notes, stage 2 for further details) Alternatively,

see if these emerge in the open class reporting and discussion of the task

stage 3

analysis task

15–20 minutes

Note: if you wish to provide a written summary of the main points, you

could photocopy the table in trainer’s notes, stage 2.

Distribute worksheet for stage 3

Trainees, working in pairs or small groups, should decide what the test answers (on the worksheet) indicate with regard to:

a the state of the learner’s understanding of the rules

b the design of the tests

They should then decide, still in their groups, what steps they would take

to help the learner (if this seems to be the problem) and / or improve the test (if this seems to be the problem).

Allow time for groups to report back in an open class discussion In the light of their findings, they may want to amend the table they completed

in stage 2.

Establish the following situation:

You have just presented a lexical set of verbs connected to the topic of

‘taking exams’, for example cheat, fail, take, prepare, sit, pass, retake, etc.

(see, for example, natural English upper-intermediate student’s book,

p.61) Devise two or three informal tests of this vocabulary

(If time is at a premium, it is not necessary to design the whole test – just enough to demonstrate what the complete test will be like.)

The trainees should work in pairs or small groups for this task Point out that they can use or adapt the test formats they evaluated in stage 2, unless they would like to think of alternative formats

When they have had enough time to design their tests, then either (a) they should form new groups consisting of members from each of the initial groups, and explain their tests to each other, or (b) a spokesperson from each group should present the tests to the entire class

If an overhead projector is available, plus blank transparencies and pens, the groups can – during the design phase – write their tests straight onto the transparency for subsequent display to the whole class.

Allow time (either at the re-grouping stage, or in open class) to discuss ways in which the tests could be improved or adjusted.

An alternative way of doing this stage might be to give each group a different vocabulary area Possible topics might be:

• a set of phrasal verbs based on a theme (e.g work) or a lexical verb

(e.g get)

• a set of sporting collocations (see natural English

upper-intermediate student’s book, p.12)

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing detailed plan 2

stage 4

design task

15 minutes

• a set of adjectives to describe character: (see natural English

upper-intermediate student’s book, p.129)

• a set of words related to a theme (e.g sleep – see natural English

upper-intermediate student’s book, p.137)

Or the choice of the vocabulary focus can be changed to suit the teaching needs of the group.

Divide the class into pairs or groups of three

Assign each group a different unit of the natural English

upper-intermediate workbook Point out that, while the workbook is aimed at

practice, most of its exercises are suitable for informal testing as well.

Remind the trainees of the criteria underlying useful informal test

formats (see trainer’s notes, stage 2), particularly ease of setting up

(e.g the exercise can be dictated or written on the board), and beneficial spin-off in terms of follow-up

Ask each group to identify the different exercise types in their unit that would make good test formats (You could choose one or two as an example to do in open class first.) Some of these exercise types will overlap with test formats evaluated in stage 2 above (e.g text gap-fill), but others will be different

Ask them also to look at ways different test formats could be linked into a short sequence.

Ask a spokesperson from each group to report to the class on the test formats they have identified, paying special attention to those not previously covered in the session.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing detailed plan 3

stage 5

extension activity

20–25 minutes

how to … do informal testing

A heading

natural English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing session overview

outline plan

2 evaluation task 15–20 minutes pairs / small groups; open class report

3 analysis task 15–20 minutes pairs / small groups; open class report

4 design task 15 minutes pairs / small groups; report or demonstration to open class

5 extension activity 20–25 minutes pairs / small groups; open class report

• evaluate some informal tests and their results

• design some informal tests for vocabulary teaching

• expand their repertoire of informal test types

materials

• natural English upper-intermediate workbook

• photocopies of worksheets for stages 1, 2, and 3

• natural English upper-intermediate teacher’s

book pp.148–153

session overview

by Scott Thornbury

stage 1 warmer

The following points may come up, or could be introduced at the discussion stage:

why? • to measure progress at strategic points • to provide feedback on progress for students

in the course (formative testing) and therefore boost student motivation

• to measure achievement at end of • to provide feedback to the teacher on students’ course (summative testing) learning, effectiveness of teaching programme,

• for future job applications • to encourage regular review / revision

who for? • teacher, students, stakeholders • mainly for students, but also for the teacher

(e.g parents, current employers)

• potential future employers, educational institutions (e.g universities)

when and • apart from regular classroom teaching • integrated into regular classroom teaching

how often? • before the course (e.g placement) • constantly throughout the course, and usually

• at regular points during the course, with without advance warning advance warning • at the beginning of the lesson (to review last

• at the end of the course, with advance lesson) warning • at the end of the lesson (to review present lesson)

• throughout the lesson, as an on-going check of understanding

• by an external examining body

how? • a wide range of test types can be used, • a wide range of test types can be used, including

but ideally these should have been trialled simple observation of student performance

to ensure validity and reliability • no trialling

• the tests are marked, scored, and a record is • practicality and spin-off are more important kept of the score criteria than validity or reliability

• tests may be marked but scores do not have to be recorded, except as part of the student’s own portfolio

trainer’s notes

natural English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing trainer’s notes 1

stage 2 evaluation task

Possible criteria by which the tests could be assessed might be:

• practicality: How easy is the test to design, set up, and mark?

• validity: Does the test test what you want to test?

• reliability: Will the test provide reliable information about the state

of the learners’ knowledge, or will it be rather hit-and-miss?

• spin-off: Can the test be used as a basis for follow-up review /

teaching?

Note that these criteria are typically used when assessing formal tests, but

are equally valid in any discussion of informal testing However, in

informal testing, the relative importance of these factors will be different

– practicality and spin-off will probably be more important than validity

or reliability.

The test evaluation task may elicit the following comments:

completion • semi-controlled, but room for individual students to make a choice between so and

creativity, including personalization and such, since these are already given,

• spin-off in the form of students reading along with their adjective and / or noun commenting on, and / or correcting complementation

each other’s sentences

transformation • tests understanding of the formal compel students to choose

difference between so and such • no room for creativity

• good preparation for formal exams

test • good way of testing intuitive • possible danger of reinforcing errors

understanding

• could use students’ own sentences (e.g from other tests / exercises) for greater memorability

• could add competitive element by allowing teams to ‘bet’ on whether the sentences are correct or not

(= ‘grammar auction’)

• spin-off in the form of students comparing corrections

• tests ability to produce correct forms situation, which may not always be easy with appropriate meaning, with • not truly elicitation if the forms are minimal prompting provided (as in this instance) – would be

• (in this instance) tests ability to more revealing if students simply had to discriminate between the two forms make sentences based on the situations,

• students could prepare and give the unprompted same kind of test to each other • more than one correct answer may be

possible – less of a problem in informal testing

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing trainer’s notes 2

5 personalization • very easy to set up • many correct answers are possible – less

• tests ability to produce the form of a problem in informal testing

• creative use of language • not always clear what student intended

• allows weaker students to demonstrate to mean, therefore not wholly reliable test understanding by writing simpler

sentences; conversely allows stronger students chance to ‘show off’

• leads easily to conversation based on the sentences

6 gap-fill; • familiar test type • requires photocopying (in this instance)

text completion • sentences in context (the whole text) • more than one correct answer might make

• easy to mark scoring difficult (less of a problem in

• students can compare and explain their informal tests)

• good preparation for formal exams • learners don’t really need to process the

whole text in order to fill the gaps (in this instance)

Points that might be suggested by the learners’ errors, plus possible

remedies, include:

test 1

The student doesn’t seem to have grasped the fact that so qualifies

adjectives on their own and that it is not interchangeable with such

(which qualifies noun phrases).

Also, the test rubric (that is to say, the test instructions), in omitting to ask

for a following that-clause, has produced minimal responses which don’t

provide much evidence of the learner’s ability to apply these forms

creatively and appropriately

To remedy the situation, a review / re-presentation of the difference

between so and such may be needed The test rubric could be improved by

giving learners more explicit prompts:

1 It was so hot that …

2 It was such a difficult … that …

test 2

These answers suggest that the student can’t yet differentiate between so

and such (in which case, a re-presentation may be necessary) This may

also partly be the fault of the test rubric, which may suggest that the

forms are interchangeable The rubric could be improved by the addition

of an example of the transformation required.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing trainer’s notes 3

test 3

The student’s answers suggest some awareness of the difference between

so and such, and the failure to include a (such a hot day) may simply be a

slip, or a weakness in his / her command of the article system in English.

The evidence of more examples would be needed to confirm this

hypothesis.

test 4

The student has interpreted the task somewhat too literally, incorporating

redundant material from the mini-situation into the answer An example

might have helped avoid this Nevertheless, the student has demonstrated

a good grasp of the rule.

test 5

Neither of these sentences suggest an understanding of the rule(s) In the

first, the student seems to have confused so … that with the purpose

conjunction so that, while the second sentence is virtually unintelligible

and it may be necessary to elicit a translation before being able to correct

it A complete re-presentation of the rules may be needed here, along

with – perhaps – a contrast with other uses of so.

test 6

The student seems to have misunderstood the context in item 1, and it is

not clear whether this indicates unfamiliarity with such: more test items

would be needed to make sure The fact that the student used very rather

than so in item 2 suggests little or no awareness of the use of so, since this

is an obligatory context for it It may be the case that the student has

simply misinterpreted the purpose of the task, not realizing that it is a test

of so and such This could be obviated by making the rubric explicit (‘Fill

these gaps with either so or such.’) However, this would ‘give the game

away’, and may be less revealing in terms of assessing the learner’s ability

to produce these forms unprompted.

It is important that trainees should be able to present and criticize their

tests using the criteria already established in the preceding two tasks

(practicality, validity, reliability, spin-off)

If time allows, trainees could design test tasks for other vocabulary areas.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing trainer’s notes 4

stage 5 extension activity

Practice exercise types in the natural English upper-intermediate

workbook that could be used as informal test rubrics include the

following:

• sentence gap-fills, with prompts (in this case, the prompts are in the

preceding think back! feature) (e.g p.6 ex.5)

• sentence gap-fills, multiple choice (e.g p.17 ex.3)

• sentence gap-fills, closed choice (e.g p.17 ex.2)

• text gap-fills, with prompts (e.g p.29 ex.3)

• text gap fills, multiple choice (e.g p.6 ex.6)

• text gap-fills, closed choice (e.g p.36 ex.3)

• text gap-fills, open choice (e.g p.52 ex.1)

• sentence insertions (e.g p.68 ex.8)

• sentence transformations (e.g p.5 ex.2)

• sentence expansions (e.g p.14 ex.7)

• sentence combination (e.g p.21 exs.7–8)

• word ordering (e.g p.5 ex.3)

• sentence ordering e.g along a cline (e.g p.8 ex.9)

• matching – words and definitions (e.g p.12)

• matching – sentence halves (e.g p.8 ex.10)

• matching – sentence pairs (e.g p.14 ex.8)

• matching – sentences and pictures (e.g p.10 ex.2)

• elicitation (e.g p.11 ex.4)

• word completion (e.g p.44 ex.8)

Note that many of these exercise types – especially those at the word and

sentence level – can be presented on the board or via dictation, which is an

advantage in terms of their practicality

Possible ways of sequencing two or more exercise types include:

sequence 1

• Dictate a series of words – students then have to order the words into

sentences (word ordering).

• The sentences are then transformed into questions (sentence

transformation).

• Students then ask each other the questions and report the answers to

the class.

sequence 2

• Write incomplete sentences on the board: students complete them

(sentence gap-fill or expansion).

• Students then order the sentences into a dialogue (sentence ordering).

• Students practise reading the dialogue aloud in pairs, and could then

write a similar dialogue.

sequence 3

• Write up the first letter of each word, and read out definitions: students

complete the words (word completion).

• Students use the completed words to fill the gaps in a text

(text gap-fill).

• Students write a ‘personalized’ text, using the gap-filled text as a model,

and could include their own gaps for other students to complete.

As a follow-up (or a pre-session) reading task, you might want to refer

trainees to the teacher development chapter ‘how to … do informal testing’

on pp.148–153 of the natural English upper-intermediate teacher’s book.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing trainer’s notes 5

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing worksheet for stage 1

worksheet for stage 1

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these informal tests of

so/such, and complete the table on the next page.

test 1

The teacher writes the following sentence starters

on the board, and asks learners to complete them:

1 It was so hot …

2 It was such a difficult …

3 etc [four more items]

test 2

The teacher writes the following sentences on the

board, and asks learners to rewrite them using the

word in brackets:

1 It was such a boring film I went to sleep (so)

2 The food was so spicy I couldn’t eat it (such)

3 etc [four more items]

test 3

The teacher dictates the following sentences, and

asks the learners (a) to decide if they are

grammatically correct or not, and (b) if not, to

correct them.

1 It was such hot we went to the beach.

2 She was so tired she went to bed.

3 etc [eight more items, five of which are

incorrect]

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing worksheet for stage 2

worksheet for stage 2

1 The bus was old – very old In fact, because of this,

it broke down three times

2 The party was fun In fact, because of this, I stayed

family or friends, their town, or their studies, using so

… that, and three using such … that.

test type strengths weaknesses

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing worksheet for stage 2

English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

Here are some answers students gave to the test questions in

worksheet for stage 2

What do these answers tell you about the students’ grasp of the rule(s)?

What do they tell you about the design of the tests?

What steps would you take to remedy the situation?

test 1

1 It was so hot day.

2 It was such a difficult exam.

test 2

1 It was so boring film I went to sleep.

2 The food was such spicy I couldn’t eat it.

1 My father studied law so that he work as a lawyer.

2 I have such a hard work that I didn’t do before.

test 6

Last summer I went to Edinburgh for my holidays I had (1) not a

good time that I would like to go back I stayed in a youth hostel for

two nights, but it was (2) very noisy I moved to a hotel …

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … do informal testing worksheet for stage 3

worksheet for stage 3

English

teacher development

by Scott Thornbury

stage 2

analysis task (1)

15 minutes

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2004 how to … introduce new language detailed plan 1

detailed plan

natural English

Photocopy and distribute worksheet for stage 1 (or dictate the

statements on the worksheet).

Divide the class into pairs or small groups, and ask them to discuss the statements Point out that there are no ‘right answers’, and that people’s experience and situation will differ Set a time limit of ten minutes (Note that this is a warmer, so it is not necessary to discuss the questions at great length To save time, you could allot specific items to specific groups, or you could ask each group to choose two or three questions that they would like to discuss.)

Ask individuals from each group to briefly report on their discussion, and (optionally) allow this to develop into an open class discussion.

An alternative approach could be to postpone the report and discussion stage until later in the session (e.g at the end of stage 4), after first allowing groups to amend or expand their opinions in the light of what has happened in the workshop.

Note: if time is at a premium, this warmer could be omitted.

Hand out worksheet for stage 2, and ask the trainees to read (silently)

the task and the three ‘mini-lessons’ In pairs or small groups they then analyse the lessons according to:

• the sequencing of rules and examples

• whether the rule is explicit or implicit

• the amount of teacher guidance Alternatively, the teacher could ‘demonstrate’ the three lessons, using the trainees as ‘guinea pig’ students In this case, it is important that the

‘teacher’ follows the ‘script’ of the lesson closely, allowing the ‘students’

to intervene only when asked a question or when directed to repeat In lesson 1, the ‘teacher’ can use the board to write up the examples in italics.

When the groups have completed the task, lead an open class discussion, asking individuals to report on their findings At this stage, ask the trainees which of the three lessons they either prefer, or feel is most appropriate for their specific teaching situation Elicit reasons for or against favouring one lesson over the others