Mentor teachers - an #eltchat summary

This is a summary of the #eltchat which took place at 12 noon on 23rd January. The full title of the chat was:

'Mentor teachers' (those responsible for a team of teachers) and their role; best practices, pitfalls, tips.

This was my suggestion and, after a few shenanigans with a tied vote and an eleventh hour decision from our excellent moderators, @Shaunwilden and @Marisa_C, I'm pleased to say that it won and a very lively (over 500 tweets in the hour!) chat ensued.  What follows is my attempt to do justice to all of the valuable contributions from the participants.

Mentor teacher - defining the role

What is involved in being a mentor teacher?  Some suggestions:

• being a walking advice source
• inspiring mentees
• being a professional checklist
• being 'available'
• taking a mentee 'under your wing'
• answering questions or, better still, directing the mentee to find the answers himself
• showing the way
• being a quality control officer
• observing the mentee in the classroom and being observed by him to learn about each other's teaching practices and discuss the reasons behind them
• discussing problems and making sure teachers don't suffer in silence
• helping a new teacher get used to the admin systems of their new workplace (and chasing them up when they don't do it!)
• helping new teachers plan lessons
• providing a listening ear
• inducting a new teacher into a new institution
• encouraging CPD
• helping a new teacher to grow as a teacher
• making a mentee independent

What is the difference between a mentor and a coach?

• @louisealix68 suggested that a coach oversees in-depth reflection sessions on non-subject related things, whereas a mentor answers general questions on practical matters and, on that basis, a coach can look after any teacher in the institution, but a mentor should guide someone in his own department. 
• @Marisa_C proposed that, unlike a coach, a mentor doesn't train, but rather he supports someone in a new learning venture.
• @MentorEvo said that mentoring is a more frequent and detailed attention to day-to-day development than coaching is.

Who should be a mentor?

@touqo said that it was important that the mentor and the mentee be 'organisationally independent of each other' in order to ensure an informal atmosphere free of the day-to-day aspects of professional life, but @eltknowledge pointed out that this wasn't practical if part of the mentor's role is to assimilate the mentee into the organisation.  @touqo responded by saying that if the mentor's goal is to boost the mentee's career, then it is best that the mentor comes from elsewhere.

On a lighter note, @pjgallantry told us, 'As a mentor, my own role model is Obi-Wan Kenobi, though obviously without the being killed by a light sabre bit by a guy with asthma!'  This comment led to some of our participants ('geeks', perhaps - @Shaunwilden's term, not mine!) going off on a Star Wars tangent which kept them amused for the rest of the #eltchat!  Our aim is always to entertain as well as to inform!! :-)

The mentor/mentee relationship

It was generally agreed that the relationship has a natural life cycle and that, once a mentee has no further questions to ask, the partnership simply fades away.  After this, particularly if the arrangement has worked well, the mentee may become mentor to another new teacher.

Many #eltchat contributors felt that the relationship could only work if it was bi-directional, that is to say that both parties benefit from it.  It was also largely agreed that senior staff should swap mentee relationships each year in order to provide different perspectives.

@touqo suggested that the mentee should choose his mentor himself.  @yya2 went on to say the more a mentoring relationship is established by an institution, the less effective it is and that informal relationships seem to work better.

@Shaunwilden felt that both parties had to be working from the mentee's agenda for it to be a successful venture.

@yearinthelifeof commented that mentoring has to remain a symbiotic relationship built on mutual respect, trust and recognition that both sides can learn from.

Dos and don'ts of being a mentor

• DO ask questions which encourage reflection - e.g. 'Have you thought about....?', 'What might happen if you......?', etc.
• DO NOT make it a power relationship.
• DO ask difficult questions of your mentee before the 'real world' does!
• DO talk about expectations at the beginning of the relationship.
• DO listen.
• DO ask more questions than you answer.
• DO NOT shout or curse at the mentee! (Not outwardly, anyway!)
• DO make time to have a quiet cuppa with your mentee every week, even if he has no questions to ask.
• DO be patient.
• DO NOT impose your ideas on a mentee.
• DO know when to keep quiet and fade into the background.
• DO NOT have a 'know-it-all' attitude or act in a superior manner.
• DO find out about the background of your mentee.
• DO have a clear focus.
• DO be sympathetic and empathetic - these qualities are more important than the mentor's knowledge.
• DO ask the mentee what they would like you to help them with and any specific things to look out for.
• DO use 'human video' type field notes which are non-judgemental and where the mentee can decide what to accept and what to reject.
• DO NOT criticise, even if your mentee's lesson hurt your eyes!
• DO remember that you are learning as well.
• DO read this excellent book.
• DO continue to educate and develop yourself, both as a teacher and as a mentor.
• DO have a checklist, but DO NOT mentor according to it!!

Potential problems

• The mentor role and responsibilites are often not clearly defined.
• The mentor is often not trained in the role, prompting the question, 'How do you teach teachers to become mentors?'
• Mentors are often appointed simply because they are the people who have the time, not necessarily because they are the best people for the job.
• As soon as 'judgement' (e.g. critique of a lesson) of any kind gets in the way, the mentoring relationship will probably break down.
• People assuming that more experienced/older teachers automatically make better mentors.  As many contributors pointed out, 'newbies' often have a lot to teach 'oldies'!

Are mentors necessary?

This question was raised, particularly in places where there is a fantastic staffroom where experienced teachers all chip in to help with the CPD of new teachers.  It was also suggested that for those of us with an amazing PLN, mentors probably weren't needed.  In fact, some contributors consider #eltchat itself to be their mentor!  In most cases, however, it was agreed that there was a need for some kind of formal mentoring system as, nice as it would be, we can't often rely on everyone to care about their colleagues' CPD.

To conclude:

I joined the 2013 Mentoring EVO course a few weeks ago and I suggested this #eltchat topic because I redefined the role of senior teacher in my institution at the start of the 2012/2013 academic year.  The job title changed to 'mentor teacher' and I wanted the focus to shift to CPD.  This is a 'work in progress' and I was still unclear as to exactly how the relationship between mentor and mentee should work.  This chat has given me so much food for thought and I thank all the contributors for that.

@AlexandraKouk summed up the key elements of the mentor role:

• personal or professional development
• reflection
• informal transmission of knowledge
• relationship based

As @OUPELTGlobal put it, 'having a mentor is like having a good friend at school.'  @Teachersilvert added that 'a mentor is a friend with benefits'!!  However, @chiasuan pointed out that a good friend is socially but not professionally obligated to listen to your problems about work whereas it's vice-versa for a mentor! 

In the end, everyone agreed that, whilst training and qualifications were important, being open, approachable and empathetic were much more crucial qualities in a good mentor.

Links

The aplanet project on mentoring and 'Mentor' is a Greek word via @Marisa_C
Mario Rinvoluci's review of Fanselow's book via @KerrCarolyn
'Demystifying Mentoring' an article from the Harvard Business Review via @KerrCarolyn
Heron's Six Categories of Invention via @AlexandraKouk

Contributors

Glogster - terrific tool or terrible torment?

I recently signed up for a couple 2013 evo (Electronic Village Online) sessions.  I signed up for two at this time last year and, I have to admit, that I didn't see either of them through to the end!  My interest waned, work got in the way, etc., etc..  This year, however, I've chosen subjects (mentoring and podcasting) which I'm really keen to learn about and I'm determined to make the time to complete the courses, despite the fact that my Mum will be arriving from the UK any day now and will be with me for a month!!

So, the sessions started on Monday 14th and I decided to get ahead with the podcasting activities first.  Most of these were quite straightforward as I was already familiar with the platforms and tools being used - Yahoo Groups, Google Maps, Voxopop, etc.  Activity number two, however, required me to use a 2.0 web tool which was new to me - Glogster.  I had heard about it before and considered using it with my classes, but had never quite got around to it.  This, then, was my opportunity and I was excited by it!

The first thing I did was go to teachertrainingvideos.com from the wonderful Russell Stannard and watch his series of videos on Glogster.  He extolled the virtues of this amazing 2.0 web tool and confirmed my idea that it would make a great addition to my bank of teaching tools.  Armed with this information and with Russell's clear instructions ringing in my ears, I felt confident that I could complete the task in hand.

A few days on, I can report that I have (reasonably) successfully completed the activity I had to do - to produce a Glog introducing myself as a person and as a teacher.  I was to include images, text, video, graphics and links, but no audio at this stage as we are to go back and add it later in the course.  This is what I produced:

Not a bad first effort, but am I happy with it?  No, I'm not!!  I found the creation of my Glog to be a laborious and frustrating process.  It took me far more hours than I could justify spending on it.  I found the toolbar incredibly difficult to use.  Uploading images and videos wasn't easy.  I took advice from fellow participants on my EVO course and changed my browser, but I still had problems.  It was very difficult to edit items within the Glog and I never did manage to put in links to external websites.  In the end, I gave up and published what you see just to get the assignment finished.

So, my questions.  Is it just me?  What am I doing wrong?  How do you insert links into a Glog???  I still see the potential of the tool and know that my students would love it........ if it was easy to use.  And that's the problem!  If my students had half the problems I did, it would be frustrating for them and the whole exercise would lose its effectiveness as a language learning tool.  So, I'm asking for advice.  Has anyone used Glogster in their classes?  What has worked/not worked?  Any comments would be gratefully received!!
 

What makes a lesson great? - an #eltchat summary

This is a summary of the first #eltchat of 2013 which took place at 12 noon on 9th January.  It felt good to be back after the Christmas break and exchanging ideas again with colleagues old and new from around the world.  The full title of the chat was:

What makes a lesson great?  Favourite lessons - the ones we do over and over again that always work.

This was my favourite kind of chat - a lively and informative conversation between enthusiastic teachers with few links to external sources.  It was expertly moderated by @Shaunwilden and we were pleased to be joined in the closing stages by @Marisa_C.

The hour kicked off with a tweet from @teflrinha which resonated with many of us - 'I find favourite lessons like jokes ... I can never remember more than a vague impression and have to reinvent the wheel ... should keep a note.'

So what does make a lesson great?

Some ideas:

• When I think of the lessons I like to run year after year, they are the ones that allow the students to surprise me - @kevchanwow
• Any lesson when students have that look that says 'I got it and can use it!' - @PaulIhcordoba
• Lessons that are engaging and involve all four skills - @worldteacher
• It flows effortlessly, completely engaging the students and leading to a satisfying outcome. - @teflrinha
• Lessons which are well-planned, engaging, energetic and fun - @TPMcDonald85
• Interesting tasks that bring out lots of language from the students - @eltknowledge
• Lessons in which students collaborate and learn from each other with some help from me - @BrunoELT
• A great lesson has room for us as teachers to really learn and stretch as well - @kevchanwow
• Lessons with games or any kind of competitive element
• Adaptability is a key issue for a successful lesson, both in terms of the lesson being adaptable for different groups and also being able to adapt a lesson as you go along according to circumstances on the day
• Lessons that take advantage of sudents' dynamics - @kevchanwow
• Lessons which are coherent, stand alone, and where the students come out feeling they have learnt something concrete - @jo_cummins
• Tasks pitched at the right level, just by the sense of challenge and chance of success, generate interest - @kevchanwow
• Lessons which include student-generated materials - @teflrinha
• Any lesson involving drama or role-play
• Being creative and having fun while problem solving sounds like a good combination - @AlexandraKouk
• Lessons where students are doing most of the work - @SueAnnan
• A great lesson is a combination of material/students/teacher/planets aligning... - @jo_cummins
• Lessons which give the students something to chew on, which have the shock factor, even - @ColeenMonroe
• The most successful lessons I have seen or designed always had a powerful context/story and great memorability - @Marisa_C
• I know it's a good lesson when students forget to remind me that it's break time! - @worldteacher
• .....or don't notice the bell! - @GemL1
• .....or ask, 'Has the lesson ended?' - @prese1
• .....or if I myself say, 'Is it over already?' and don't notice the time passing! - @eltknowledge

Do teachers and students agree on what makes a great lesson?

@yitzha_sarwono began this thread of the chat by making the comment that her favourite lessons to teach are sometimes very different to her students' favourite lessons, adding that, whilst she favours pronunciation classes, her young students prefer learning grammar!  There is clearly a danger of teachers teaching lessons they love, but which don't teach much of use, as talked about in this article by @hughdellar.  However, most participants agreed that if students enjoy a lesson, the teacher does, too and vice-versa.

Examples of favourite lessons

Most of the contributors' favourite lessons seemed to involve an element of collaboration and teamwork and many were project or task based.

1. 'How to murder your teacher' - students hotseat the teacher, then plan the perfect murder (via @eltknowledge).
2. 'Teacher Disappears, Students Suspected' - a news story based lesson which uses all four skills (via @worldteacher).  (I'll write this activity up as a separate blogpost now that I've been reminded of it!)
3. 'Create an alien' - great for reviewing/expanding parts of the body vocabulary (I can write this one up, too, if there's sufficient demand!).
4. 'Describe your house' - pairwork activity where student 1 describes where he lives and his partner has to draw it (via @chiasuan).
5. 'Show and tell' (via @yitzha_sarwono).
6. 'Redesign a house' - a group task which can be simplified by providing lexis or shifted to different conversation topics (via @kevchanwow).
7. Student presentations - allow students to present on topics they've chosen - a totally student-centred activity (via @eltknowledge).

Consensus

Great lessons are not necessarily the ones which have been meticulously planned - sometimes they just happen, but they are the ones which are relevant, engaging and varied with a clear learning outcome.  We also acknowledge that a lesson that works incredibly well with one group could just as easily fall flat on its face with another!  The most important thing, therefore, is to know our students and tailor our lessons for them.  We cannot control what our students learn, but, by keeping them engaged, we can provide the potential for learning.

Links

• An article by @thornburyscott on Flow - one of the keys to a great lesson via @SimonGreenall.
• A collection of gripping stories via @Marisa_C.

The difference between written grammar and spoken grammar

This was the title of a webinar I attended back in June.  It was hosted by Cambridge English Teacher and the presenter was Mike McCarthy.  It seems strange to be writing a summary of it so long after the event, but I made detailed notes at the time and recently re-read them and was reminded of how useful a webinar it had been.  So, here goes!

Starting Points

• anomalies in spoken and written frequencies.
• consistency across users.
• examples that seem to violate codified rules.

The Cambridge International Corpus

• 1 billion words
• texts from books, newspapers and magazines
• spoken - informal, business and academic conversations
• learner data taken from Cambridge ESOL exams (good for identifying common errors at all levels)

The  Cambridge International Corpus (CIC) is where we get the evidence of written and spoken grammar from.

Questions to ask

• Are there differences between written and spoken grammar?
• Are they important?
• Are they important for us as EFL teachers?
• What should we do about it?

First, we need to find evidence of differences.  When we look at corpora, there are anomalies (differences).  We can make frequency lists of these using specialist software. 

We can then use a corpus to develop a descriptive grammar - how the grammar is used in reality.  We are looking for consistent phenomena of usage across geographical regions, all social backgrounds, both genders, and all ages.  If we find something consistent across all users, it is grammar in common use.

Before we had corpora we had codified rules - grammar rules handed down through the generations; a set of rules that we are taught is the right way to use the language.  Now, with corpora, we also need to take into account cases where these rules are broken.  If enough people are breaking the rules, the rules are wrong.  Think about the city and map analogy.  We change the map to fit the city, not vice-versa, and this is what we should be doing with grammar.

An example

Though/Although - both of these are correct gramatically, but, in the spoken form, though is six times more frequent than although.  Why is this?  It's not enough to say 'it's shorter and easier to say' or 'it's only one syllable'.  We need to analyse it a little more.

Though is the 175th most commonly used word in British English and the 190th in American English.   (It should be noted that if a word is ranked 1 to 2000, it is very important - we can't do without it.)

There are two parts of spoken grammar:

• form (syntax)
• function (there will be functions of spoken grammar that aren't necessary in writing) 

Though has two meanings - therefore, it is used more.  It can be used at the very end of a sentence.  So, it's greater frequency may be due to its flexibility.  Using though at the end of a sentence is very rare in written English.  (Form)

Though is also much more commonly used to resume a conversation which has been interrupted.  (Function)

This is evidence of a difference between spoken and written grammar.

Spoken Grammar

We don't notice what we say in the same way as we do when we write.  By using corpora, we see how people really do speak and not how we think they should.

Spoken grammar is flexible in its word order.  This is good news for language learners.  Spoken grammar is much less strict than written.

The 100 most common words in written grammar are prepositions, pronouns and articles - the small words which give correct grammatical structure to sentences.  In spoken English, many of the top 100 words are verbs.

Let's look at the word know as an example.  Know is the 14th most commonly used word in spoken British English and the 22nd in American English.  Know is a transitive verb and most of its uses in writing have an object.  Conversely, most of its uses in speech have no object.  Its most common use is in the expression, 'You know'.

A similar situation arises with the verbs, 'see' and 'mean'.

In spoken language, we have common knowledge - gauging what the other person understands, sharing a common view.  Spoken grammar needs the function of constant checking which isn't necessary in writing.  If we don't check, we speak in monologue rather than dialogue.  So, we constantly use checking phrases like 'Do you see?' or 'You know what I mean'.

Another illustration is absolutely which appears four times more frequently in spoken than in written English.  In spoken English, absolutely is used as 'yes-plus' - as a stand alone sentence.  It is used as an engaged yes or an interested yes - it turns you into an active listener rather than a robotic one.  It can also be used in the negative - absolutely not - increasing its frequency considerably.

Spoken grammar also has 'response tokens' not used in written grammar - wonderful, certainly, great, definitely, etc.  These are very important to effective oral communication.

In conversation, people have no difficulty understanding such things as: 'His cousin in London, her boyfriend, his parents, bought him a car for his birthday.'  Such constructions with multiple subjects and lots of different noun phrases are not found in writing.  When we write them down, they look strange, but in speaking, they sound fine.

This is a native speaker example from the BBC:

'And my grandmother, I've never forgotten, when we were small, my sister and I, she used to take us down and we'd sing to the seals.'

This was said by an educated person and demonstrates that it's perfectly OK in spoken English for the subject to apparently be unclear.  In fact, this structure is deemed to make the speaker sound friendlier.  That's probably what Prince Charles had in mind when he said it!!

How to teach spoken grammar

• Teacher training programmes should include language awareness elements for spoken English.
• Get students to think about the differences between the two grammars in their own language.
• Take out the most important words and phrases from corpora and teach them.
• Listen to examples.
• Notice how the words are used and find other examples.
• Use controlled practice.  For example, give an appropriate answer to something you hear, such as a piece of good news or a piece of bad news.
• Use freer practice.

In the real world, native/non-native interaction is often a problem.  This is largely due to badly taught English.  Most ELT worldwide is based on written grammar.  As teachers, we need to give students the awareness and the confidence to use spoken grammar.

Even educated native speakers say:

'There's four restaurants in this street.'

Everyone says it, so it's correct!

The problem is in knowing if it's a one-off or if it's accepted use.  This is our challenge as EFL/ESL teachers.

Why I love the 'Twitterverse'!

The Twitter Logo

I've been using Twitter for several years now.  I remember that one of the earliest proponents of this new social media was Stephen Fry and, being a big fan of his work, I thought that if he could see value in it, then I should check it out, too!!  Since I joined Twitter, there have been periods when I used it too much - times when it was almost taking over, to the detriment of other things I should have been doing.  Conversely, there have been other times when I haven't used it at all - not checking my Twitter account for months on end.  For the last year or two, however, I think I have found a happy medium when it comes to Twitter. 

Currently, I use Tweetdeck to manage my Twitter use.   I keep an eye on things by using hashtags - so much easier than trying to follow everything that's going on!  I'm not a slave to it.  I usually check my account in a morning before I go to work and then again a couple of times in an evening.

So, why use Twitter at all?  What do I get out of it?
 

Well, firstly, Twitter is usually the first place I see the news - via @BBCBreaking, @guardiannews,  or @TelegraphNews.  My news is delivered in bite-sized chunks together with links I can click on if I want to read more about a particular story.

It is also how I satisfy my curiosity about the world of celebrity!  I follow a few famous people who have interesting things to say.  As well as @stephenfry, I particularly enjoy the tweets of @eddieizzard, @prodnose (Danny Baker), @mjhucknall (Mick Hucknall of Simply Red who tweets about good food and great wine), @bobbyllew (Robert Llewellyn of Red Dwarf fame), and @simonmayo.

Courtesy of the BBC

Twitter is also how I follow my interests and hobbies.  For example, I am keen on genealogy, so I follow a number of groups and individuals who share that interest (@ancestrydotcom, @WDYTYA, @Archivescom, etc.).  My passion for film is kept alive by following @wittertainment, Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Twitter account which supports their excellent film review podcast from Radio 5 Live.  My interest in keeping up-to-date with sport, particularly tennis, is satisfied by following certain Twitter accounts, as are my hobbies of cooking, photography and, above all, travel.  There are too many great Twitter travel accounts to mention here, but amongst my favourites are @indietravel, @lonelyplanet, @wanderlustmag, and @TelegraphTravel.

Over the years, I have also become involved in several charities and campaigns to raise public awareness of certain issues through Twitter, not least @comicrelief, @ProjectPangolin and @charitywater.

At times of great global events, such as the recent London Olympics and Paralympics, I keep up with latest developments through their Twitter accounts.

Mark, myself, Tara & JC

Whenever I move to a new country (as I often do in my line of work!), one of the first things I do is look for relevant Twitter accounts to follow - people and organisations that will help me to adapt to my new surroundings with ease.  This has always been a successful ploy, especially here in Vietnam.  When I first arrived here, I started following several Saigon and Hanoi based bloggers, such as Steve Jackson (@ourman), @mekongmadness, @VietTravelGuy, and @MikeInVietnam.  My best follows, though, had to be Tara and JC Vargas (alias @HerDailyDigest and @kingceejay), a couple from the Phillippines who moved to Saigon several years ago and who both blog about and post pictures of Vietnam and give lots of advice to newbies like me.  Reading their accounts of trips to different places has saved us so much wasted time finding things out for ourselves and has led us to visit locations we might not have thought of.  After a few false starts, we were fortunate to meet up with them in person a few weeks ago.  We spent a very pleasant lunchtime with them in a Saigon restaurant and hope that it will be the first of many such meetings.

So, I have already listed several good reasons why I use Twitter and what I get out of it, but I've yet to mention the most important - for my professional development as an EFL teacher and manager.  Through Twitter, I am connected to a huge circle of dedicated professionals living and working in almost every country on earth.  We exchange ideas about all aspects of our jobs.  Whichever time zone we are in, there is invariably someone online to answer a query or to offer links and advice about something which is troubling us.  The PLN (personal learning network) I have developed through Twitter has grown gradually and organically over time and, although I have never met the majority of the teachers in person, I feel like they are friends and colleagues.

All of the articles I read, the webinars I attend, and the ideas I share with my 'real-life' colleagues at EIU, come from tweets and links posted by my PLN.  This invaluable information comes through throughout the week, but there are two hours every Wednesday when it comes thick and fast!  These are the times when a number of us get together to debate an issue in a forum we call #eltchat.  You can read about how it works here.   It is clear how much I value my #eltchat sessions when you see how many summaries I've written! 

I'm not going to list the teachers I follow on Twitter - they know who they are and there are too many of them to name individually.  I will, however, mention a couple, just to illustrate the power of this great tool.  The first is @teacherphili who I 'met' through Twitter and who, just last week, came to work with me at EIU in Vietnam.  The other is Lesley Cioccarelli (@cioccas), a teacher from Australia who I haven't met in person yet, but with whom I am presenting at CamTESOL 2013.  I'm really looking forward to collaborating with her on this project and to welcoming her to Vietnam before the conference so that I can show her EIU and share with her what we are trying to achieve here.

These reasons, and others too numerous to mention, are why I love the 'Twitterverse' and why I will continue to use it - for facts, fun and friendship!!

Communicative Learner-Centred Grammar

This was the title of a Cambridge English Teacher webinar presented by Peter Lucantoni and what follows is a summary of what he had to say.

What is 'grammar'?

Grammar is a set of rules for combining words to express meaning.  It is the system of a language.  Words are given 'labels' to help us to identify their grammatical roles.

In communicative language teaching:

• There needs to be an active involvement in the learning process (both by teachers and learners).
• Examples from texts need to be isolated and used as a basis for tasks.
• Tasks should focus on both the concept (meaning, semantics) and the form of the target grammar.  As teachers, we are often guilty of focusing on the structure and mechanics rather than the meaning.
• Students should be encouraged to find other examples and work out the rules for themselves.

Jack Richards:

'Communicative language teaching can be understood as a set of principles about the goals of language teaching, how learners learn a language, the kinds of classroom activities that best facilitate learning, and the roles of teachers and learners in the classroom.'
                                               (CLT Today - Cambridge University Press 2006)

Goals depend on context

Everyone learns in different ways; therefore, classroom activities will differ according to context, country, facilities available, class size, etc.

CLT is not a 'method'

• CLT is best considered as an approach (Richards and Rogers).
• Teachers are free to interpret the 'rules' of teaching.
• A wide variety of classroom techniques are feasible.
• It should move us away from learners who are 'structurally competent' but 'communicatively incompetent' - i.e. students who know the grammar, but can't apply it to communicate.
• Grammar is important, but we need to find a balance.

However....

'....it's clearly not possible to engage in purposeful communication in a language without being able to formulate the structures of that language as well.'
                                                                              (McDonagh & Shaw 2000)

As teachers....

'....it's essential for us to interpret the rules and strike a balance between consolidating structures and developing communicative competence in our English as a second language students.'
                                                                                           (Lucantoni 2002)

'Language without grammar would leave us seriously handicapped.'
                                                                      (Rob Batstone 'Grammar' 2000)

Why is this?

Batstone said that there are three stages in language learning:

1. Noticing - an active process in which learners become aware of structure and notice connections between form and meaning.  (An appropriate activity here would be to give students a text and get them to highlight the grammar.)
2. Structuring - when the new grammar pattern becomes internalised.  This is a cognitive process which requires controlled practice.
3. Procedurising - making the grammar ready for instant and fluent use in communication.

Classroom Activities

1.  Who do you think could........?

This activity practises question forms and modals.  It uses the unit structure/s, but it also provides reading and writing skills development in a communicative and learner-centred manner.

• You need two pictures of people - male/female, young/old.  Give these people names.
• Hold up the first picture and ask students to tell you anything they like about the picture - age, hobbies, background, etc.  It doesn't matter what your students say - you are just activating the language they have.
• Give students the 'true' information.  e.g.:

Name:         Amina
Age:            26
Home:         Casablanca
Hobbies:      Loves music, plays piano
Job:            Doctor
Speaks:       Arabic, English and a little Japanese
Other:         Dislikes pets
Dream:        To fly to the moon

• You can reveal this information bit by bit to invite reaction, to raise interest and to engage the students.
• Show the second picture.  Students now know exactly what they have to do.  They'll be interested and excited.
• Give the real information:

Name:          Hasan
Age:             65
Home:          Fez
Hobbies:       Stamp collecting, weightlifting
Job:              Accountant  
Speaks:        Arabic, Greek
Other:          Vegetarian, can't drive
Dreams:       To go to China, to own a Ferrari

 

 

• All the information is made up, but don't tell the students this - let them believe that it's true.
• Display the two pictures and ask, 'Who do you think could.......?'  e.g.:

                           .........help move heavy furniture?
                           Hasan.
                           Why?                                      Because he likes weightlifting.

                          ..........advise you about your health?
                          Amina - because she's a doctor.

                          ..........drive you to the airport?

                          ..........play you your favourite song?            etc.

• Ask questions based on the biographies.
• Students need to tell you why.

You could adapt and extend this activity in several ways:

• Use other modal verbs, e.g. 'Who do you think might.....?'
• Use other structures, e.g. 'Who do you think is going to.........?'
• Use other tenses, e.g. 'Who do you think has..........?'
• Make the reading element more challenging by putting it in a text (you could even combine the information about two people in one text).
• A homework extension could be to find two pictures, write biographies about them, write questions based on the biographies and then exchange information with another student in the next class.

2.  The world

This activity provides a good opportunity for extra-curricula work - it is good for revising geographical lexis.

• Listen to the words.
• Think about in which country you can write them.  e.g. 'scuba diving' - Red Sea.  It doesn't matter where students decide to put the word, but they must be able to give reasons why.
• Discuss with a partner.

You will need to give students the functional language:

                                 Where did you put 'scuba diving'?
                             I put scuba diving in the Red Sea.
                        Why?
                             I chose the Red Sea because....
                        I agree/ I disagree because....

• Show the students a world map.
• Students write the words you're giving them on the map (or, better still, use post-it notes).
• If there is no map available, ask students to write the word you give them and write the place next to it.

The idea here is to link the lexis from a unit with a grammar structure.

3.  Mistakes maze

This activity gives learners an opportunity to focus on identifying grammar mistakes in order to get through a maze.

For example:

IN:  Have you ever eat fish?
      (This is an incorrect answer, so exit using the red arrow)

1. Yes, I have eat.
2. I've drunk never coffee.
3. His been to China.
4. They've never done that.
5. I've lived here for 13 years.
6. Said has lived in Kuwait for 2009.
7. She have tried many times.
8. No, they hasn't.
9. Have they been to America?

If students answer correctly, they will pass through every number once only.

This maze can be used to test any grammar point - just make sure you replace correct answers with correct answers and incorrect ones with incorrect ones.

You can focus on a group of mistakes of a particular type or take them from your students' own writing.

Digital literacy in English teaching - an #eltchat summary

Image from GregFalken.com

 

This is a summary of the #eltchat which took place at 12 noon on 24th October, 2012.  The full title of the chat was:

How can we increase teacher knowledge and awareness of digital literacy in English teaching?  To what extent is it affecting/will DL affect how we teach English?

The chat was lively and thought-provoking, as usual, and was expertly moderated by @Shaunwilden and @theteacherjames.

http://www.diglit.soton.ac.uk/conference/

What is digital literacy?

We began the chat with a definition of DL supplied by @theteacherjames courtesy of wikipedia!

DL is the ability to effectively and critically navigate, evaluate and create information using a range of digital technology, and recognising your own contribution towards developing the knowledge base both socially and academically.

@esolcourses suggested that knowing how to apply DL is another important aspect, adding that it is as much about knowing when not to use technology as it is knowing how and when to use it.

http://www.library.illinois.edu/diglit/definition.html

What does DL bring to the classroom and why should we teach it?

This was a question raised by @efl101.  @teflgeek added the concern that the problem is often 'information overload' with not enough time to critically evaluate it.  We should, therefore, be teaching 'critical digital literacy' and helping students to determine which tools they should use out of the infinite number they could use.  It was generally agreed that it is better to use a limited range of tools effectively than lots of tools half-heartedly.  With this in mind, 'top ten lists' (e.g. 'The Top 10 Note-Taking Tools') are not very helpful - one tried and tested, highly recommended tool is far better!  As @BobK99 pointed out, 'Look at this great tool, now look at this one' gives us a situation where we have solutions without problems which is a complete waste of time!

@the teacherjames asked if we actually need to teach DL or is it enough to simply be aware of it?  @MrChrisJWilson wondered whether teaching DL can get in the way of the language focus.  @David_Boughton felt that we should equip our students with English and nothing more.  I think most contributors, however, felt, as I do, that teaching DL is necessary and that it can and should be taught alongside and integral to teaching EFL (as a type of CLIL, for example).  @teflgeek commented that if students are going to interact with the language in a primarily digital way, how is it not our responsibility to teach DL?  As teachers, @Shaunwilden also reminded us that we need to be aware of the issues raised by sending students online and telling them to google something.  It is our responsibility to teach them how to discern what is 'good' information and how to stay safe when using technology.  @esolcourses is of the opinion that DL ought to be embedded into EFL courses as we need to be equipping our learners with 21st century skills.  Being competent in DL is a means to an end, both for us as teachers and for our students.

Several #eltchatters felt that we need to start with our students and their aims and only use technology if it is relevant to the lesson, but others suggested that, in today's world, technology is ubiquitous and is, therefore, relevant in all circumstances.

@bcnpaul1 pointed out that if we don't teach DL, we end up with lots of copy-pasted work handed in, which is a waste of time for everyone!  @esolcourses agreed and added that we'd be setting our students up to fail, especially where plagiarism is concerned. 

How do teachers become digitally literate?

• By joining online teacher communities, such as #eltchat.
• By learning from their students!
• By incorporating digital literacy into teacher training courses.
• By appointing 'digital leaders' among students to promote technology use and DL.
• By colleagues modelling technology use during seminars on non-technology subjects so that they can see how it can be used effectively.

How does DL affect the way we teach English?

@teflgeek asked the question, 'Have we got to the point where technology requires a different pedagogy, or can we continue to overlay the technology on top?'  @esolcourses answered that she felt that the core pedagogy is much the same, but that technology affords a lot more scope for learner autonomy.

@teacherphili alluded to the different types of DL that we could/should be teaching, but we ran out of time to discuss them - the subject of another #eltchat, perhaps?!

Links

• British Council's Teaching English page on DL with links to further videos via @bcnpaul1
• The Australian Government's view on digital pedagogy via @teflgeek
• Teaching with technology: a basic checklist via @esolcourses
• Integrating technology on teacher development courses by @Marisa_C (via @esolcourses)
• Nicky Hockley's conference presentation on DL via @teflgeek
• Links from a talk on DL via @Shaunwilden
• Ethics and digital youth by Howard Gardner via @Julian_LEnfant
• Good DL resouces on @TheConsultantsE 's site via @esolcourses
• Copyright, plagiarism and digital literacy by Sue Lyon-Jones
• The Digital Human - a BBC Radio 4 podcast via @the teacherjames