Guiding Principles of English Language Teaching (ELT)

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Guiding Principles of English Language Teaching
(ELT)

• Facilitated By
• Daniel Lopez,
• Senior English Language Fellow
• Office of English Language Programs
• United States Embassy, Mexico

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Getting to know the facilitator
Below are 6 statements about me. Read each
statement and decide which three statements are
true and which three statements are
false Daniel..... 1. is related to Jennifer
Lopez. 2. is half Mexican. 3. is allergic to
chocolate. 4. lives in Washington D.C.
5. loves to hike
and ski. 6. speaks
Portuguese.
What grammar points could be highlighted in this
activity?
What activity could we do next?
3
What purpose do these get-to-know-you
activities serve?
4
Why English is so hard to learn

• Writers write, but fingers dont fing and hammers
  dont ham.
• Buick doesnt rhyme with quick.
• Iron how many syllables?
• The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the
  desert.
• The plural of tooth is teeth, so the plural of
  booth is???
• If teachers taught, why didnt preachers praught?
• How can a slim chance and a fat chance mean
  the same thing, while a wise man and a wise
  ass are opposites?

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Daniels Top 10 Guiding Principles

1. Professional development is an ongoing process.
2. Both students AND teachers have to be motivated.
3. Classroom materials have to be relevant and
   meaningful.
4. Experiential learning works wonders.
5. Skill development must be integrated.
6. Language Culture.
7. Variety is the spice of life!
8. Preparation is the key.
9. Teachers need support from Coordinators and SEP.
10. Teachers need support from each other.

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1. Professional development is an ongoing
process.

• Benefits of Life-Long Learning
• Teaching is a process of becoming that continues
  throughout life, never completely achieved, never
  completely denied. This is the challenge and the
  fun of being a teacher there is no ultimate end
  to the process. (Frances Mayforth)

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2. Both students and teachers have to be
motivated.

• THINK, PAIR, SHARE
• What are some DE-motivators for each?
• What are the consequences?
• What motivates YOU?
• What motivates your STUDENTS?

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3. Classroom materials have to be relevant and
meaningful.

• Adapted to Local Reality
• If no text, what then? REALIA!
• Students are the experts of their own lives.
• SAMPLE ACTIVITIES 4-Corners Drawing, 5-Finger
  Grammar, Back to Back,
• Perfect Teacher, In the Ghetto Song

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4-Corners Drawing

A favorite hobby Someone who is special to me
An interesting place Ive been to What animal I would be
What grammar points could be highlighted in this
activity?
What activity could we do next?
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(No Transcript)
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Back to Back What Am I Wearing?

1. Two players stand and observe each other for a
   minute.
2. Then, have each turn around, back to back.
3. Partner A describes what Partner B is wearing.
4. Partner B then asks 3 questions concerning any
   information Partner A has not mentioned.
5. Partner B then describes what Partner A is
   wearing.
6. Partner A asks 3 questions.
7. Partners turn around and talk about what they did
   not see.

What grammar points could be highlighted?
What activity could we do next?
What activity could students do for homework?
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A Grab Bag of Communicative Techniques

• Brainstorming
• Interviews
• Field Trips
• Role Plays / Skits
• Discussions / Debates
• Small-Group Work
• Telephone Conversations
• Giving Directions
• Which do you already use in your classes?

• Videos / Film
• Team Problem-Solving
• Information Gaps
• Giving Advice
• Games
• Commercials
• Surveys / Questionnaires
• Music / Songs

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Example 3 The Perfect Teacher

• INSTRUCTIONS - With a partner, put the following
  qualities in order, from 1 (the least essential)
  to 9 (the most essential).
• ______ Maintains strong discipline and control.
• ______ Knows his/her subject thoroughly, and
  keeps up to date.
• ______ Really likes his/her students and
  socializes with them.
• ______ Tries to give his/her students moral
  guidance.
• ______ Tries to make lessons interesting and
  fun.
• ______ Shares his/her own ideals and experiences
  with the students.
• ______ Treats all students fairly and does not
  have favorites.
• ______ Makes the students work hard in and out of
  class.
• ______ Encourages the students to think for
  themselves.

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A little music goes a long way

• You can find music all over the internet. Some
  popular sites are http//www.youtube.com/
• and http//www.myspace.com/.
• You can download music for free using the
  freeware realplayer sp. Realplayer sp can be
  downloaded at http//www.real.com/realplayer
• There are many websites for finding the lyrics to
  songs. Some popular sites are http//www.lyrics.c
  om/ http//www.azlyrics.com/

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Elvis Presley 19351977

• Elvis Presley was known as The King of Rock n
  Roll. He was born in a two-room house in
  Mississippi. The family was very poor. Elvis
  became one of the most successful recording
  artists of all time. He had 33 1 singles and
  made over 60 films. This song was recorded in
  1969.

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In the Ghetto Variations

• Listen to the song and watch video.
• Fill in the blanks (information gap activity).
• In small groups, make a timeline of events in the
  order they happened Compare your timeline with
  another group.
• Have a discussion about the effects of poverty in
  America.
• What else??

What grammar points could be highlighted?
What activities could we do next?
What activity could students do for homework?
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Some Possible Challenges of CLT

• One or more students dominate the conversation.
• You find yourself doing almost all of the
  talking.
• Students are too shy or speak too quietly.
• The students become so embroiled in a
  controversial topic that the atmosphere becomes
  tense.
• The students lapse into their native language.
• The group is too large, and the levels are mixed.
• Any attempt at error correction inhibits the
  students.
• Does not fit into the established curriculum.
• It takes too much time effort to prepare.

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4. Experiential learning works wonders.
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(No Transcript)
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LESSON PLAN ACTIVITIES
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CONE OF EXPERIENCE

• People generally remember
• 10 of what they read.
• 20 of what they hear.
• 30 of what they see.
• 50 of what they hear and see.
• 70 of what they say or write.
• 90 of what they say as they do something.
• What would help them remember 100?

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EXAMPLE Students can teach each other how to do
something
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Chinese Proverb

• Tell me, I forget.
• Show me, I remember.
• Involve me, I learn.

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Collaborative and Task-Based Learning

• Discussion Questions (Shaping, Module 4)
• These 2 video segments showed examples from a
  class of young learners and also university-level
  students. Which of the activities would work well
  for both age groups? What kind of adjustments
  might be necessary?
• How were the principles of experiential education
  being utilized in these examples?
• What skills were being practiced in these
  classes?

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5. Skill development must be integrated.

• How often do you talk without listening?
• How often do you write without reading?
• Which of the 4 skills are most difficult to
  teach?
• Which are given the most emphasis in your class?

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Using Language Communication Skills

• Can you listen?

• Can you speak?

• Can you write?

• Can you read?

In Can you grammar?
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English Language Learning is not just a study of
form Rather, it is the use of form in
context! REMEMBER While awareness of language
forms such as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation,
and spelling facilitate proficient use of the
primary skills...our emphasis should always be on
meaningful communication!
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Knowledge of Language forms(grammar) overUse
of Language(communication)?
What happens when we emphasize
Caution!
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(No Transcript)
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Read the text below then answer the questions

• Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
• Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
• All mimsy were the borogoves,
• And the mome raths outgrabe.

What was it like? What were the slithy toves
doing? Where did they do this? How were the
borogoves described? What did the mome raths do?
How did you do?
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How about these questions What does brillig
mean? Is the wabe a nice place to be? Can you
draw a borogove? Why did the mome raths
outgrabe? Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe All mimsy
were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.
Now, how did you do? Which was harder? Why?
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Grammar Awareness Activity

1. Begin with a two or three word sentence.
   Examples I ran. or Close the door.
2. Ask students to expand it with one word.
3. Ask students to expand the new sentence with a
   specific grammatical structure. Examples with
   a prepositional phrase, with an adjective, or
   with a clause that answers the question WHY?
4. See how long you can make the sentence through
   expansions with specified grammatical terms.

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• Running Dictation Text
• The oldest person is a fisherman.
• The 50-year-old lives above the doctor.
• Ms. Lee is the youngest person.
• Two people are 40 years old.
• The youngest person lives on the 5th floor.
• The 20-year-old lives on the 4th floor.
• Mr. Edwards lives on the 2nd floor.
• The teacher is one year younger than the person
  on the 4th floor.
• The person who lives below Mr. Edwards is a
  doctor.
• Mrs. Smith is an accountant.
• Mr. Hudson lives immediately above a woman.
• The teacher is one year younger than the
  policeman.

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Activity Five people with five different jobs
live in this apartment building. Use the clues to
complete the chart and answer this
question What floor does Mr. Mason live on?
      1st floor        
Floor Name Age Job
5th
4th
3rd
2nd
1st
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How can dictations be communicative? What did
you notice about this dictation? How is it
different from dictations that are often done in
classrooms?
What grammar points could be highlighted?
What activity could we do next?
What activity could students do for homework?
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Shaping Module 3 Discussion Questions

1. What language skills were used? What activities
   were used to integrate them?
2. What was the teacher doing?
3. How would you adapt this activity for a larger
   class?
4. What are some possible follow-up activities? What
   might come before?
5. How might you evaluate student work?

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6. Language Culture

• Hablar dos idiomas es vivir dos vidas.
• Bilingual Bicultural?
• What is language for? (conveying meaning and
  perception, describing the world,
  self-expression, recalling the past, thinking)
• Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and
  assumptions about life that guide behavior and
  are shared by a group of people. It is
  transmitted from generation to generation, either
  explicitly or implicitly.
• (Source Building Bridges A Guide to
  Cross-Cultural Understanding, Peace Corps World
  Wise Schools, 2003)

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How Culturally Aware Are You?

• True or False I Know That Culture Influences
• 1. How close people stand to one another.
• 2. How to deal with problems conflict.
• 3. Whether to give a soft or sturdy handshake.
• 4. How to say no.
• 5. How loudly or softly someone speaks.
• 6. When to be casual and when to be formal.
• 7. What are appropriate topics for discussion.
• 8. When to make eye contact.
• 9. How to praise and/or criticize someone.
• 10. What time to arrive for an appointment.

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A Sampling of Activities

• Proverbs / Idioms
• Survey/Questionnaires
• Articles Body Rituals Among the Nacirema
• Values Clarification The Drawbridge
• Rites of Passage Comparisons
• Debates
• Role-Plays

• Global Speak
• Games Value Topics
• Simulations Chispa and Pandas
• Storytelling
• Model UN
• Scenarios / Foreign Observations
• Songs / Poetry
• Case Studies (ESP)
• Coat of Arms

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English Proverbs (and the values they represent)

• Time is money.
• Dont cry over spilt milk.
• Youve made your bed, now sleep in it.
• Dont count your chickens before theyve
  hatched.
• The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
• If at first you dont succeed, try, try again.
• Theres more than one way to skin a cat.

• Punctuality
• Practicality
• Personal responsibility
• Practicality
• Competition
• Work Ethic
• Creativity / Problem-Solving

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STEREOTYPES

• True or False
• All Americans
• are like the tourists you see in Cancun?
• are tall with blue eyes?
• eat hamburgers?
• drive big cars?
• always agree with US foreign policy?
• speak English as their native language?
• (Is there any such thing as a typical Mexican?)

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Counteracting Stereotypes

• Avoid Making Broad Generalizations
• Go Deeper! Look under the surface
• Increase Awareness of Self Others
• Be Objective (watch language patterns implicit
  judgments / ethnocentrism)
• Actively Question Sources (Media?)
• Challenge False Interpretations
• Dont Take It Personally
• Role Model Practice What You Preach!

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Top 8 Cross-Cultural Skills(According to
Richard Kohls)

• Open-Mindedness
• Non-Judgmentalness
• Flexibility
• Curiosity
• Tolerance for Ambiguity
• A Sense of Humor
• Low Goal/Task-Orientation
• An Ability to Fail

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7. Variety is the spice of life!

• Not all students are the same (learning styles
  visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile,
  emotional) Its all about BALANCE!
• Learner-centered vs. Teacher-centered
• The importance of small group work
• Teacher Facilitator

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• Learner-Centered

• Teacher-Centered

• The main objective is to convey information.
• Philosophical View Language is a system of
  repeated habits.
• Learner role is passive.
• Methodology lectures, demonstrations, drills,
  reading aloud, largely deductive (show tell).

• The main objective is to change behavior.
• Philosophical View Language has to be practiced
  authentically.
• Learner role is active.
• Methodology question answer, problem-solving,
  small-group tasks, largely inductive.

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Which are these activities?

• Students take turns reading aloud.
• Students read silently.
• Discussion in pairs.
• Whole class discussion.
• SS prepare a role-play in small groups.
• Students present their role-play.
• SS copy information from the board.

• Teacher Centered
• Learner Centered
• Learner Centered
• Teacher Centered
• Learner Centered
• Teacher Centered
• Learner - Centered

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What is the Teachers Role in a Learner-Center
Context?

• Introduce topics/discussion questions
• Pre-teach vocabulary
• Moderate/Facilitate
• Nudge/ Suggest
• Focus discussion
• Focus on form and accuracy (error correction)
• Play devils advocate

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Discussion Questions

• How are the two lessons the same? How are they
  different?
• In which class would you prefer to be a student?
  The teacher?
• Which lesson outline gives more students the
  opportunity to participate? How so?
• Which lesson do you think would be harder for the
  teacher to plan? Why?
• How many minutes of each is learner-centered?
• What are some of the challenges of using a L-C
  approach? How can you overcome them?

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Students Learn Best When

• they are involved in the design of learning and
  given the chance to make choices.
• their needs are addressed.
• a conducive learning environment is established.
• the course material builds upon what they
  already know.
• the topic is of direct relevance and utility to
  their lives.
• the learning process is an active and engaging
  one.

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8. Preparation is the key.

• Lesson Planning / Learning Objectives
• Environment time, materials, space, etc.
• Evaluation (rubrics) http//rubistar.4teachers.o
  rg
• Academic Calendar
• Syllabus Design / Curriculum

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(No Transcript)
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The Three Levels of Planning

• Program Planning Consists of developing a
  curriculum and content map for the entire year.
• Unit Planning Medium-range plans corresponding
  to the extension of each learning segment
  considered in the long-term planning.
• Lesson Planning Daily actions that reflect the
  different parts of the medium-range plans or unit
  planning.
• (Cortesão and Torres, 1994)

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3 Stages of a Lesson

• I. PREPARATION
• attracts learners attention
• connects new content to what they already know
• II. PRESENTATION
• III. EVALUATION
• checks for comprehension
• asks learners to use new content in context

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Good Learning Objectives Should

• Ask learners to use information/skills theyve
  learned.
• Be seeable, hearable, and holdable.
• Tell specifically what learners will do.
• Be achievable in one lesson.
• Describe a result that requires higher level
  thinking.

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What grade (A through F) would you give the
following objectives?

• D (no application)
• B (connected to real life, requires higher-level
  thinking)
• C (no connection to a curricular goal)
• D (too general, not achievable in 1 lesson)
• A

• 1. Learners willknow about present-perfect.
• 2. Predict the training needed for their chosen
  professions.
• 3. Take turns while working in groups.
• 4. speak clearly in perfect English.
• 5. Write a timeline and use it to tell a story.

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Jose Manuels Super Slide
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Action Words Related to BT
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Which level are these activities?

• Making a poster
• Multiple choice quiz
• Classifying objects
• Making a list
• Role-Play
• Creating a commercial
• Repeating after the teacher

• 3 Application
• 2 Comprehension
• 4 Analysis
• 1 Knowledge
• 3 Application
• 5 Synthesis
• 0 - Does not require ANY level of thinking!

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The Process of Critical Thinking
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LESSON PLAN CHECKLIST
CRITERIA YES NO
Does the lesson plan include
Objectives?
Timing?
Preparation, presentation and evaluation?
A variety of learner-centered activities?
Creative, higher-level thinking activities?
Activities for students with different learning styles?
I did a good job of
I need to do a better job of
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9. Teachers need support from Coordinators and
SEP.

• Supervisors need training too (giving/receiving
  feedback, how to conduct classroom observations)
• Mentoring is about one person helping another to
  achieve something. More specifically, something
  that is important to both of them. It is about
  giving help and support in a non-threatening way,
  in a manner that the recipient will appreciate
  and value and that will empower them to move
  forward with confidence towards what they want to
  achieve. Mentoring is also concerned with
  creating an environment in which one person can
  feel encouraged to discuss their needs and
  circumstances openly and in confidence with
  another person who is in a position to be of
  positive help to them.
• (Source Pelletier, Carol. A Handbook of
  Techniques and Strategies for Coaching Student
  Teachers. Allyn Bacon, 1995.)

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What Are Features of an Effective Supervisor?

• Clarifies Expectations
• Non-Judgmental (constructive criticism)
• Two-Way Communication (dialogue)
• Assesses Needs
• Encourages staff to identify their own areas of
  growth
• Links feedback to wider ELT and educational
  issues
• Positively Reinforces Creativity and Best
  Practices
• Delegates Responsibility
• Holds Teachers Accountable
• Follows up
• What else??

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10. Teachers need support from each other.

• Sharing (collaboration, best practices)
• Solidarity (teacher associations)
• Submissions (FORUM)

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Here they are againDaniels Top 10 Guiding
Principles

• Professional development is an ongoing process.
• Both students AND teachers have to be motivated.
• Classroom materials have to be relevant and
  meaningful.
• Experiential learning works wonders.
• Skill development must be integrated.
• Language Culture
• Variety is the spice of life!
• Preparation is the key.
• Teachers need support from Coordinators and SEP.
• Teachers need support from each other.
• Which resonated the most with you?

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Some Final Thoughts

• People who have positive feelings about English,
  and are in a supportive environment, are more
  likely to learn faster.
• People learn at different rates, but everyone
  must ultimately take responsibility for his/her
  own learning.
• L1 interference in inevitable, but you are not
  helping your student(s) by speaking to them in
  Spanish. Just make sure to adapt your language to
  their abilities.

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The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher
explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires. William Arthur
Ward
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It is noble to teach oneself it is still nobler
to teach others. Mark Twain

• A teacher affects eternity he can never tell
  where his influence stops.
• - Henry Brooks Adams

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Harmer, Jerry. The Practice of English Language
  Teaching. Longman, 1988.
• Larsen-Freeman, Diane. Techniques and Principles
  in Language Teaching. Oxford University Press,
  1986.
• Paulston, Christina and Mary Bruder. Teaching
  English as a Second Language Techniques and
  Procedures. University of Pittsburgh, 1976.
• Teaching and Learning Are Lifelong Journeys, Blue
  Mountain Arts Collection, 1999.
• Woodward, Tessa. Models and Metaphors in Language
  Teacher Training. Cambridge University Press,
  1994.

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Thank You and Good Luck!

• Contact Information
• globaldaniel_at_hotmail.com
• relomexico_at_state.gov