TEFL

Training College

Lesson Planning
Module: Lesson Planning
Unit: Lesson Planning & use of teaching resources and materials
Lesson Aims and Objectives

Not only is it important to have a clear idea of the materials and activities that you will be using
in your lesson, you also need to be clear about lesson aims and objectives. Clear aims outline
what it is that you hope to achieve in the lesson.

If you are being observed by a supervisor or a Trainer on a training course, you will be expected
to provide a clear outline of your aims in your lesson plan. This careful preparation is excellent
for helping you to decide which activities and procedures will best achieve learner outcomes.
Furthermore, it is much easier for an observer to be able to evaluate whether you have indeed
achieved those aims that you set for yourself. Usually, you will not write a statement of your
aims and what you hope to achieve in your everyday teaching.

MAIN AIMS: To introduce / revise and practice phrasal verbs with ‘down’ in the
context of someone’s life and work.

Target items: to turn someone down, to hold down a job, something is

getting you down, to close down, to settle down, to cut down, to step
down from a position and let-down.

SUBSIDIARY AIMS: To pre-teach other vocabulary necessary for understanding of the

story.

Target items: demanding (adj), to juggle commitments (v), tempting

(adj), to take a nose dive (v).

Lesson Types

Lessons may be put together in a variety of ways, using a number of strategies to fulfill the
lesson aims and objectives. We will briefly discuss four different lesson types as categorised by
Scrivener in ‘Learning Teaching’ (1994). These lesson types have been adapted accordingly.

Logical Sequence Lesson

This kind of lesson allows a logical sequence from one activity to the next leading to a pre-
determined objective. The teacher should have predicted any possible problems which may arise
in class and have thought of possible ways to overcome these in the classroom. It is this kind of
lesson plan which is strongly encouraged on training courses as it is easier to follow and
evaluate. This does not however suggest that this type of lesson is by any means more successful.
Here is a possible sequence that a lesson of this kind may follow:

Warmer Task / Feedback Task /

Activity Activity

STAGE: PROCEDURE:
Warmer: To introduce the topic. Talk about birthdays and elicit
Provide opportunity for students some Zodiac signs. Pairs
to talk and swap ideas. 5 mins discuss what they know about
Teacher - Students; their own signs in terms of
Students - Students character.
Task: Present vocabulary. Test Provide first set of adjectives
students’ knowledge. Allow for on cards. Students in groups
some peer teaching. 5min. organise into known and
T-S; S-S unknown.
Feedback / Checking: Check Compare groupings. Briefly
students understanding and check understanding of 'known'
extended vocabulary. Model and words. Use concept questions
practise pronunciation. 10 mins. and situations to establish
S-T; T-S meaning of 'unknown' words.
Drill new items.
Task: Controlled practice. To
reinforce meaning. Gapfill. Individually then
10 mins. S; S-S checking pairs.

Topic - Based Lesson

This kind of lesson is a lesson where the main focus is around a particular topic (e.g. family,
friends, crime etc…). This lesson will include work on skills and systems presented in any order
to achieve the aims of the lesson. One of the problems with this kind of lesson is that the teacher
tends to teach the plan as opposed to the students. On the other hand, this kind of lesson does
provide a certain degree of variety and provides for a framework for the learning process.
VOCAB: (trial,
verdict, judge,
sentence, jury…).
Teach vocab.
Students complete
gapfil

READING: WRITING:
‘Sherlock Holmes’ TOPIC: Detective story
Gist/ Specific Teacher gives
Information CRIME students the
questions about the beginning and they
text complete it

SPEAKING:
Role-play
(Shoplifter!)
Each student given
a role-card/ short
description.

Chocolate Box Lesson

In this kind of lesson the teacher does not plan or predict outcomes as much. The lesson seems to
‘take a life of its own!’ This can be compared to selecting a chocolate from a box – you never
know what you’re going to get until you have taken it from its wrapper! The teacher may begin
the lesson with a topical discussion, an activity or task. The rest of the lesson simply develops
from this and leads into something else. The teacher can include further ideas and materials
during the course of the lesson. These ideas and materials may be from a book or the teacher’s
own personal repertoire. The lesson may follow any number of directions and the objectives will
usually only be clear once it is completed. This kind of lesson is student centered and personal,
yet may appear aimless and without direction.

1. The teacher begins the 2. The teacher listens to a few

lesson by asking, ‘Did anyone students explaining what they
do anything during the recent did during the holiday. This
government holiday?’ may lead into another
discussion based on something
said.

4. Teacher creates a short 3. The teacher selects an item

exercise or uses one from a of language that one of the
book to give students practice students has used and focused
using this item on this, considering grammar
or pronunciation.

Random Lesson

This kind of lesson is planned around a number of different activities randomly thrown together
and unconnected. There is no clearly defined language objective for the lesson although each
separate activity or task may have a particular aim.

Formal Planning

It is always a good idea to be prepared before stepping into the classroom. This will help you to
better cope with any eventuality. So, remember – prepare thoroughly and remain flexible and
adaptable. If something is not working, be prepared to disregard the plan. Teach the learners and
not the plan – always responding to what is taking place in the classroom. Formal planning is
often a requirement on teacher training courses as it raises awareness and encourages teachers to
think carefully through their aims and procedures. A formal plan usually consists of two parts:

I. Background Information: This usually comprises of:

• Main Aim(s)

• Subsidiary Aims

• Assumptions

• Anticipated problems

• Solutions

• Materials

II. Procedural Outlines: This usually comprises of:

• The description of the various activities

• The order of the activities

• The timing of the activities

• The aim of the activity

• The focus of the activity

Here are a few areas for careful consideration when planning:

• Aims

What are the subsidiary aims of the lesson? What are the aims of each activity?

• Classroom Management

How will the chairs be arranged? What instructions will be given?

• Teaching Point

What items of language will be studied or used in the lessons? What topics, context will be used?
What preparation needs to be made?

• Teaching Procedures

What activities will help the learners to achieve the lesson objectives?

How will the activities link together to make a whole lesson?

How long will each activity last?

• Learners

What will they enjoy doing?

What potential problems can we expect?

• Material

What materials will be used for each activity?

What course books will be used for each activity?

What can be used for homework tasks?

A Good Lesson

Here are a few ideas as to what constitutes a good lesson:

A good lesson involves: A good lesson is:

feedback Where students feel/

realise they have learnt
variety something
student interaction clear
aims Varied and yet consistent
fun/ humour clear
instructions
One where the students
mutual trust and respect have provided the
appropriacy momentum
revision planning
Writing a Lesson Plan

A lesson plan is not merely just a list of activities to complete during class. It is a professional
document which shows your understanding of your students’ needs, as well as principles of
teaching. If the plan is clear, another teacher ought to be able to pick it up and work from it.

Here are some elements to consider when planning a lesson:

• Main aim(s)

• Context

• Procedural notes

• Aims of individual stages

• Estimated timing

• Variety of focus

• Assumptions about what the students know already and can do

• Anticipated problems with the language and solutions for how to deal with these

• A checklist of materials used

• Specific questions to check for understanding

You need first of all to decide exactly what it is that you are going to teach. Although you may,
of course, accept other items of language that students come up with, keep your aims clear in
your mind. Decide, in other words, not only what you are going to teach, but what you are not
going to teach.

Before working out the staging of your presentation and practice of the language, you need to
analyse it in detail and work hard to anticipate any problems that may arise.
Suggested layout:

NAME: LEVEL: TIME:

MAIN AIM(S): to present and practice character adjectives (including: sensible, hardworking,
witty, shy, outgoing, moody, determined, laid back)

SUBSIDIARY AIM: reading for gist and specific information. Freer speaking.

ASSUMPTIONS: students will be familiar with some Zodiac signs and the idea of Lonely
Hearts columns. A lot of adjectives will already be familiar to some students.

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS: need to limit the number of adjectives which come up.
Confusion between sensible and sensitive and fun and funny, etc.

SOLUTIONS: use concept questions and clear situations. Contrast synonyms and clarify which
are positive/negative/either.

MATERIALS: Lonely Hearts column from a local magazine (authentic). Gap-fill. Jigsaw
reading (homemade)

STAGE/FOCUS/TIMING PROCEDURE STAGE AIM

Warmer 5 mins Teacher- Talk about birthdays and elicit Introduce topic. Provide
Students; Students - Students some Zodiac star signs. Pairs opportunity for students to talk
discuss what they know about and swap ideas.
their own signs in terms of
character.
Present vocab 5 mins. T-Ss; S- Provide first set of adjectives Test students’ knowledge.
S on cards. Students in groups Allow for some peer teaching.
organise into
KNOWN/UNKNOWN.
Feedback / Checking. 10 mins. Compare groupings. Briefly Check Ss understanding and
Ss-T; T-Ss. check understanding of extend vocabulary (if more
‘KNOWN’ words. Use challenge needed). Model and
concept questions and practise pronunciation.
situations to establish meaning
of UNKNOWN. Drill new
items.
Controlled practice. 10 mins. Gapfill. Individually then Controlled practice to
S; S-S checking in pairs. reinforce meaning.
A Checklist for Post Planning:

Here are a few considerations after you have completed your lesson plan. The order of these
questions does not reflect the staging of the presentation and practice.

• Is the language contextualised?

• Have you clearly conveyed and checked meaning? Has this been done sufficiently often?

• Is appropriacy made clear? (if this is relevant)

• Have you highlighted form?

• Have you planned for board work and an opportunity for students to copy down an accurate
record?

• Do the students have a clear and natural model at an appropriate moment?

• Have you highlighted problematic aspects of pronunciation?

• Are the practice activities appropriately staged?

• Do students get sufficient practice?

• Is there sufficient variety of interaction?

• Is the time allotted to each activity appropriate?

• Is there an opportunity for creativity / personalisation?

• How will you give instructions? Are they clear and concise?

• Is there any vocabulary in the instructions or cues which students will not know?

• Do you have any alternative ideas for activities to practise the same language?
The ESL Lesson Plan is an Ongoing Process…….

Warm-up / Presentation
Revision

Application Practice
LESSON PLAN – EXAMPLE 1

NAME: Ana Bizet LEVEL: Post Intermediate TIME: 60 minutes

MAIN AIMS: To introduce / revise and practise phrasal verbs with ‘down’
in the context of someone’s life and work.

Target items: to turn someone down, to hold down a job,

something is getting you down, to close down, to settle
down, and to cut down, to step down from a position and
let-down.

SUBSIDIARY AIMS: 1. To pre-teach other vocabulary necessary for

understanding of the story.

Target items: demanding (adj), to juggle commitments (v),

tempting (adj), to take a nose dive (v).

2. To practise listening for specific information.

ASSUMPTIONS: a) The students’ listening ability is at a high level and they

will be able to reconstruct the story without any difficulty.
b) The grammatical structures and tenses in the text are
revision.
c) The students can relate to someone’s life and work.
d) The students are able to deduce the meaning of
vocabulary in context.

ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS: 1. Multiple meanings of phrasal verbs: to turn down a job

(not accept) vs. to turn down a radio (lower the volume); ‘to
cut down’a tree (remove completely) vs. to cut down a
workforce (to reduce); ‘to close a shop at the end of the day’
vs. ‘to close down’ a shop (goes out of business).

2. Difference in meaning between ‘to juggle’(balls in the

air) vs. ‘to juggle commitments’ (to balance).

SOLUTIONS: For (1) and (2) focus on meaning of the language in context
and deal with other meaning if they arise.

MATERIALS: Vocabulary worksheet: gapped text of Lola’s Story (both

home-produced).
STAGE/FOCUS/TIMING PROCEDURE STAGE AIM
T-S; S-S; S-T; (10 mins). Put up a list of target vocabulary To discover students’ knowledge
on the board e.g. to juggle (v), of target vocabulary. To allow
tempting (adj), to hold down a students to share knowledge of
job (v), etc… Students discuss the target vocabulary.
meaning of the words in pairs -
monitor and assess
understanding. Feedback - elicit
possible meanings.
T-S; S-S; (10 mins) Give out sheet with the target To allow students to confirm the
vocabulary in contextualized meaning of the target
sentences. Students confirm / vocabulary in context. To allow
explore the meaning of the students to discover the
target vocabulary. meaning of the target
vocabulary in context.
T-S; T-S; T-S; (10-15 mins). Go over each target item and get To clarify the meaning of the
students to explain the meaning. target vocabulary. To clarify
Confirm and / or clarify each pronunciation.
item. Check meaning of items,
e.g. how do you feel if something
is getting you down? -
depressed. Can you give me an
example of something that is
getting you down at the moment
and why? - the weather because
it’s bad. Focus on pronunciation
if necessary.
T-S; T-S; T-S; S-S; S-T; (10-15 Focus the students on the To reinforce the meaning of the
mins). phrasal verbs on the board. Ask target vocabulary through
students to listen to me telling listening, speaking and writing.
the story about Lola - they need To practise listening for specific
to listen for the main points and information. To allow students
to think about what phrasal to retell the story with the target
verbs fit in the gaps. Read out vocabulary in context. To
text - students listen. Students consolidate through writing.
reconstruct Lola’s story in pairs.
Feedback - students reconstruct
the story as a class. Give out
gapped text - students fill in the
phrasal verbs.
T-S; S-S; T-S; S-S; (10 mins). Set up Role-play 1 - you are a To allow students to transfer the
friend of Lola’s. You haven’t seen vocabulary to a conversation.
her for 5 years. She’s just got
married - you never thought she
was the marrying kind. You meet
her in a pub and you say: “Lola! I
haven’t seen you for ages. How’s
life?” Continue the dialogue. Set
up Role-play 2 - you meet Lola
just after she’s lost her job. Lola,
is feeling positive about the
future. You meet each other in
the street. Have your
conversation.

LESSON PLAN – EXAMPLE 2

NAME: Ana Bizet LEVEL: Beginners TIME: 25 mins

MAIN AIM(S):

to provide clarification and restricted practice – lexis e.g. beer, tea, coffee and bar talk (here you
are, can I have a X? etc.) Also basic greetings ‘Hello, my name’s…..”

LINGUISTIC AIM(S):

to teach and give restricted practice in the above

to expose students to the sound system via a comprehensible anecdote

COMMUNICATIVE AIM(S):

to enable students to ask for things in a bar

PERSONAL AIMS:

to relax the students in their first lesson

ANTICIPATED LINGUISTIC PROBLEMS: (please do your language analysis here!)

Pronunciation – tendency to anglicise Japanese words spelt with Roman letters, inserting schwas
etc.

Word order in requests – the object precedes the verb in Japanese e.g. biru o kudasai = beer I
want a.

SOLUTIONS TO ABOVE: Pronunciation

Clear modeling and drilling

Delaying writing the word until pronunciation has been drilled.

Word order

Clear model and ensure the students recognise which is the verb and which is the noun.
ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS: (other) (please don’t write problems such as ‘the CD player
might not work!’)

1. Students may be nervous on their first lesson and be reluctant to talk.

2. Students may not want to perform the role plays in front of the class.

3. Students may feel intimidated by the ‘anecdote’ stage where there is a lot of non-
comprehensible lexis.

SOLUTIONS TO ABOVE:

1. Maintain an atmosphere of humour, using lots of praise.

2. Select ‘bolder’ groups – if necessary avoid this.

3. Provide lots of support for comprehension – mime, pictures, international words. Do not seek
a response.

STAGE/FOCUS/TIMING PROCEDURE STAGE AIM

Warmer 3 mins Teacher - Greeting - ‘hello, my name’s to introduce and give very
Students ; Students - Teacher; …. Nice to meet you.’Teacher restricted practice in the
T drill, choral and individual. language of greetings. To give
Teacher writes phrases on students a written record.
W/B - students copy.
Mill. S-S. 3 mins. Students mingle and greet to give students restricted
each other. practice in the above.
Teacher tells Tokyo anecdote. to expose students to authentic
T-S. 4 mins English. To set a context for
the target language.
T-S. S-T. S-T. 4 mins. Introduce drinks with pictures to introduce and give very
-beer, coffee, tea etc. Drills - restricted practice in drinks
choral and individual. lexis.
T-S. T. T-S. S-T. S. 4 mins Introduce bar scenario, using to put the language in a bigger
W/B. Write up a dialogue context. To teach functional
between waiter and yourself bar language e.g. here you are
with mime. Drill and then / Can I have? To focus on
substitution drill using the pronunciation of target
drinks pictures. Students copy language.
record.
Pairs. 2 mins Students practise in pairs to give students restricted
practice in the above.
Groups. 5 mins Role play. Performance of to give students freer practice
role-play. in the target language.
Informal Planning

An experienced teacher will, in most cases, write an informal plan. This may simply involve a
basic outline and an ordering of activities to be used in the classroom. It is not ‘economical’ to
take an hour planning a 60 minute lesson, especially if you may not use that particular lesson
plan again.

Here are a few notes and procedural outlines jotted down for a lesson:

LESSON PLAN - EXAMPLE:

AIM: Learn the modal forms ‘have to’ and ‘must’

ACTIVITY: Grammar introduction/ review, talking about daily routines and interview game.

LEVEL: Lower levels (Beginner / Elementary)

OUTLINE:

• Ask students to talk about their daily routines. Have them make a list of five things that they
have to do every day.

• Introduce the grammar by having the students take a look at the grammar sheet provided.

• Discuss the differences between ‘have to’ and ‘must’ in the positive form. Make sure to point
out that ‘have to’ is used for daily routines while ‘must’ is used for strong personal obligation.

• Discuss the differences between ‘don’t have to’ and ‘mustn’t’. Make sure to stress the idea that
the person isn’t required to do something but may do so if he / she would like while ‘mustn’t’
expresses the idea of prohibition.

• In order to encourage students to favour the use of ‘have to’, spend the rest of the lesson
focusing on daily responsibilities by completing some exercises.

• Ask students to take out the list they created earlier and re-write the list using ‘have to’.

• Ask students to choose a job from the list provided (you might want to first check that the
students are familiar with the jobs listed) and think about what a person working in that
profession has to do.

• Once you have given students a chance to work on the 20 question game. You can begin by
choosing a profession and having students ask you 10 or 15 questions about what you have to do
in this job. Questions can only be answered by ‘yes’, or ‘no’ or ‘sometimes’.

• The student who guesses the name of your profession should be the next to be asked the 15
questions. Another variation on this game is for the students to play in pairs.
Using a Course Book

A course book can be a good source of exploitable and useable material. Activities are sequenced
and carefully thought out. Unfortunately, not all course books are that helpful but many are a
useful starting point. Students will probably expect the teacher to use a course book, so this may
be a sensible idea. It must however be remembered that a teacher does not necessarily need to be
a slave to the book. Material can be reordered, adapted, varied and omitted. Carefully select that
which is appropriate for the students. That which is not appropriate should be rejected. Teachers
may vary and adapt activities in order to give students the practice needed. Teachers should use
supplementary materials if necessary. Furthermore, a course book provides a useful syllabus for
students to follow and a devised course to help them learn.

In the School environment, it is important to select course books and supplementary resources
that are aimed at the correct target audience (young children, teenagers or adults). There are
many good course books on the market that are inappropriate for children but which are aimed at
an adult audience. There are some excellent course books available that are aimed at children,
covering interesting and relevant topics. There are also many course books written specifically
for preparing students for the Oxford and Cambridge Examinations. These are an excellent
starting point and can be supplemented using a tremendous range of resources available in the
bookstores and on the Internet.

Teaching Materials

Authentic & Non-authentic Materials

As already mentioned, a good starting point for any inexperienced teacher, is to make use of a
course book. A course book is written especially for students and is therefore non-authentic.
Materials which are not specifically designed for classroom use, but which may be exploited in a
language environment, are authentic. These may include magazines, airline tickets, time-tables,
brochures, emails, letters, newspapers, etc… Semi-authentic materials may include readers as
they are graded for different student levels.
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

Authentic Materials Authentic Materials

Interesting and fun Harder to grade

Gives confidence to students Takes longer to plan
Realistic More teacher input required
Special merit abroad Could be discouraging
Cheap
Non-Authentic
Non-Authentic
Quite expensive
Material is already graded Safe and predictable
Generates more language May not provide difficulties, useful for discussion

Selecting Appropriate Classroom Materials

Using concrete but age-appropriate materials with learners enhances instruction by providing a
context for language and literacy development. A basic kit of materials might consist of the
following objects, games, and materials:

1. Realia: clocks, food items, calendars, plastic fruits and vegetables, maps, household objects,
real and play money, food containers, abacus, manual for learning to drive, and classroom
objects;

2. Flash cards: pictures, words, and signs;

3. Pictures or photographs: personal, magazine, and others;

4. CD/MP3 player, including music for imagery and relaxation;

5. Multimedia projector/SMART Board, pens and videos;

6. Pocket chart for numbers, letters, and pictures;

7. Alphabet sets;

8. Camera for language experience stories—to create biographies and autobiographies;

9. Games such as bingo and concentration: commercial or teacher-made;

10. Colored index cards to teach word order in sentences, to show when speakers change in
dialogue, to illustrate question/answer format, and to use as cues for a concentration game;

11. Cuisenaire rods to teach word order in sentences, and to teach adjectives.
12. Coloured chalk to teach word order, to differentiate between speakers in a dialogue, and to
illustrate question and answer format;

13. Poster, butcher, and construction paper;

14. Felt-tipped pens, colored pencils, and crayons;

15. Scissors, glue, and masking tape; and

16. Children’s literature: for learning techniques for reading or telling stories to children

Topics for Different Learners

When considering appropriate topics in the classroom, one should consider the learners’ age and
intellectual maturity. Topics aimed at young learners should where possible focus on concrete
aspects of lifestyle and habit. This may incorporate practical activities including the creation of
posters, brochure, leaflets, picture stories etc. Visual stimulus is important at this stage and may
assist with captivating learner attention and motivation.

For teenagers and young adults, it may be a good idea to cover topics that they may relate to
through their own experiences. This may involve relationships, friendships, popular and social
culture, exploring one’s individuality etc. It is these topics which they will find stimulating and
interesting.
Unit: Classroom Management, Options and Techniques

1. Maximising Student Interaction in Class

An important responsibility of an ESL teacher is to create an effective learning environment for

learning to take place. This involves both actions and the decisions of the teacher. The actions
are those things that are done in the classroom, such as rearranging the chairs and desks. The
decisions relate to how and when these actions are implemented.

It is important how the ESL classrooms are laid out. Seating arrangements and various classroom
options allow students to interact with different people in the class as well as allowing a range of
different situations to be recreated within the classroom. Try to avoid arranging chairs and tables
in the classical classroom format of neat rows. The horseshoe shape or circle arrangement is
deemed to be more effective for ESL classes. In this configuration, learners are able to make eye
contact with all the students in the class and are therefore able to interact more naturally. This
setup creates a greater sense of equality within the classroom. It is more difficult for the weaker
students to hide away and for the stronger students to dominate. Students also find it easier to
hear one another, which does away with the temptation of the teacher to echo the answers of the
students.

Classic Classroom Seating arrangement

Interactive seating arrangement

Horseshoe seating arrangement

Circular seating arrangement

Encourage a friendly, relaxed learning environment. If there is a trusting, positive rapport

amongst learners and teachers, then there is a much better chance of students wanting to take
risks. (Asians: making a mistake is a loss of face)

Oral work within the classroom:

• Respect the learner’s level of English. Encourage students to set appropriate goals at the
beginning of the course.

• Take account of students’ abilities when structuring groups. Vary makeup of group
membership and size.

• Restrict the role of a dominant speaker and perhaps suggest a specific role if appropriate, e.g. a
chairperson.

• It is natural to ‘slip’ into the mother tongue, therefore visit groups to ensure they stay on task.

• Oral work represents a powerful teaching and learning style, which has many functions,
including the gaining of knowledge, demonstration of understanding, preparation of written work
and exploration of ideas.

• Ask questions, use open-ended questions (e.g. ‘What do you think about noise pollution?’)
Allow time for the students to listen, think, process their answers and speak.

• Use gestures to replace unnecessary teacher talk.

• If a student is speaking too quietly, walk further away rather than closer as this intimidates
people.

Suggested Activities

Individual work, pair work, small groups, whole class and questioning the class. Interviews,
audio recordings, debates, role-play, hot seating, teacher talk, teacher reading aloud, students
reading aloud, teacher and student talk.

Written work within the classroom:

• Keep it simple (KIS). Teachers should have appropriate vocabulary and instructions on
worksheets. Underline important vocabulary or concepts.

• Students can keep a glossary at the back of each folder or the teacher can give a list of words
before a new topic.

• Have words, diagrams and labeled pictures on display in the classroom.

• Teach the students ‘self-management skills’, e.g. read their own work, check headings, date,
correct errors. Ask students to read each other’s work and to help each other edit their writing.

Language beyond the classroom:

• School productions, debates, assemblies, use of library.

• Young children’s games, rhymes, singing, clapping games.

• Display of work. This can promote discussion in the corridors and classrooms.

• Encourage English programmes on TV and English videos.

• Encourage magazines, comics and newspapers.

• Encourage email pen pals from around the world.

• Encourage students to maintain personal diaries in English.

2. Giving Instructions

Giving instructions in the ESL classroom is often problematic because of the quantity and the
complexity of the language used. Complex instructions are very difficult for students to follow
and may prevent students from completing a task simply because they could not understand what
was expected of them. Here are a few simple suggestions for providing better instructions:

• It is a good idea to plan your instructions when you first start teaching. This ensures you select
simple and concise language and omit any unnecessary information. Provide the students only
with the instructions they need for the immediate task at hand. Giving instructions for all the
steps in a sequence will only lead to confusion.

• Ensure that you have the full attention of the class before giving instruction so that everyone is
aware what is expected of them. This will also save you from having to repeat yourself.

• Wherever possible, demonstrate by example rather than attempting a lengthy explanation.

Developing gestures may be a good way of saving yourself from repeating instructions. Here are
a few examples:

Stop/Wait Pairs Timing Think! Can’t hear/louder!

Excellent! Don’t know Quiet! Not sure! Perfect!

• Always check for understanding. An easy way of doing this is by asking some of the students
to explain to you what they are going to do.
3. Eliciting

Students often know a lot more than teachers give them credit for. Instead of simply conveying
information to the class, it is a good idea for teachers to involve students in the learning process.
Teachers can do this by a process of questions and answers in order to move forward. This is
done by eliciting or extracting from the students what they already know. With student
involvement in the actual lesson outcomes, teachers can work at the students’ pace, thereby
discovering areas of difficulty.

For Example: A teacher is working on prepositions. The teacher shows the students a book and
places it on the table in front of the classroom. The teacher then writes the sentence, ‘The book is
______ the table.’

The teacher looks at the students and gestures that she is looking for the missing word. A student
says, ‘on.’ The teacher then gets other students to repeat the word.

This same procedure is then repeated by placing the book under the table at the front of the class.
The teacher then writes the sentence, ‘The book is ______the table.’ Again, she gestures to the
students to encourage them to say the word.

This technique of eliciting is excellent as it reduces teacher talk time and actively involves the
students in their own learning. In this way, the teacher is also able to ascertain what the students
know and what they still have to learn. This in turn also provides an indication of where the
students are and the teacher can move forward from that point.

Another effective way of eliciting from students what they already know is to brainstorm ideas
on the whiteboard. Students, who contribute to the brainstorming of ideas, then have an
opportunity to explain meaning/ concept to the other students.

trousers

shorts

clothing shirt
skirt

blouse
cardigan
4. Correcting Errors and Feedback

Correcting Errors

Students should be encouraged to take risks. Errors provide evidence that a student is in fact
making an attempt to experiment with the use of language. How a teacher goes about correcting
errors is determined to a large degree by the aims of the activity in question. If the main aim of
the lesson is to improve the accurate use of the English Language, then immediate correction
would be appropriate. If, on the other hand, the main objective of the lesson is fluency, then
immediate corrections would interrupt the normal flow of ideas.

Aim of the Activity Time to correct

Accuracy Immediately

Fluency At a later stage (not at all)

Various ideas are available to the teacher to correct errors in the classroom. The most appropriate
and useful way is simply by telling the student the correction. Other suggestions are as follows:

1. By asking a question (e.g. Has this already happened?)

2. The *use of gestures and facial expressions (e.g. raising one’s hand to indicate a problem;
frowning.)

3. Writing the problem up on the board (for discussion.)

4. By repeating the sentence up to the error (e.g. The book is……)

5. By echoing the sentence (e.g. He are tall?)

6. By using the phonemic chart (to point out an incorrect sound or pronunciation)

7. By using a concept checking question

*Using hand gestures in the classroom is excellent for clarification and for encouraging self-
correction. For example, you could use hand gestures to indicate that a student use a contraction
in place of the full form. This can be done by bringing your index finger and thumb together,
signaling that a contraction was necessary, for example:
1. Student: I would like to…(teacher signals)…I’d like to study to become a pilot when I finish
school.

Contractions

You may also choose to use your fingers on one hand to represent the words in a sentence or
question. In this way, your fingers could be used to indicate visually where a problem lies, for
example:

2. Student: I am go to town. (The teacher repeats the phrase, using a questioning tone and
indicating the finger which represents the word used incorrectly.)

Problem with form

Feedback

It is essential for the teacher to get student feedback after each task set. This will provide a clear
idea as to whether the students have understood the language item and whether further
explanation and practice is required. The teacher may simply select different students to answer
questions from the set task or write the answers on the white board. It is important for the teacher
to explain difficult items and ensure the students have an adequate understanding before moving
on to the next task. Students should be encouraged to correct their own work, making notes if
necessary.
5. Drills and Checking Understanding

Drills

Drills are a form of controlled oral practice of certain language items presented by the teacher.
Drills are usually highly controlled by the teacher but there may be variations presented with
more communicative activities. These may be less controlled, allowing for more student
creativity.

The philosophy of drills derives directly from the behaviourist theory of learning: habits are
formed by a process of stimulation / response / reinforcement.

This is done over and over again and is often referred to as the audiolingual method.

The drill is simple repetition:

Teacher: I am going to town.

Students: I am going to town.

Teacher: He is going to town.

Students: He is going to town.

The essential aims of drilling are:

• To make students say a bit of language many times in different contexts without minding.

• To aid memorisation.

• To aid fluent, accurate reproduction of form.

• To aid pronunciation.

The drawbacks of drilling are:

• They can become very mechanical and meaningless.

• They can be very boring.

Repetition Drilling

Repetition drilling consists of:

1. Listening to the model. This may come from the teacher

a student

a tape

a. The teacher should stand still!

b. It is then important to attract the student’s attention (e.g. ‘Listen!’)

c. Say the model naturally (perhaps highlighting pronunciation by showing the stress and
intonation with your hands.)

d. If necessary, break up the sentence to show:

– the number of words

– the features of pronunciation (contractions, linking, weak forms)

– the features of grammar (e.g. – ing)

But ensure that you then say it again at a natural speed before students try it!

N.B. You may need to say the sentence 2 or 3 times depending on its difficulty and/ or the
student’s level.
2. Everyone saying it together

CHORAL DRILL and/ or MUMBLE DRILL

a. All together. Conduct them! a. Students mumble the sentence over and over
b. Be decisive and clear (‘Everybody!’) to themselves.
c. Cue them – using gestures b. Teacher walks around listening to and
– beat the stress helping the students.

Some types of Controlled Practice

1. Repetition drill

2. Substitution drill (prompts: pictures, flashcards, verbal, etc.)

e.g. Would you like to come to the cinema?

go out for a walk?
go out for a meal?
stay in?

3. Mingle drill (students mingle in the classroom with prompts/ questionnaires)

4. Chain drill (prompts handed round in a circle)

5. Information Gap Activities (students are given partial information and have to share it with
other students in order to complete a task)

6. Personalisation (students use the new language item/s creatively to talk about themselves) e.g.
to practice ‘used to’ – students talk about their school experiences.

Useful points for teachers using drills

1. Speak at a normal speed and keep your intonation and stress constant. If you can’t manage
this, use tapes.

2. Keep a good, steady pace.

3. Get everyone starting in concert and loudly.

4. The teacher’s mouth should be on view (observation of mechanics).

5. Use gestures to control rhythm and pitch.

6. Dot around the class. Do some choral, pair, individual, half class and group drills.

7. Use eyes and gestures as well as names.

8. Highlight the form, stress and intonation with hands and fingers.

9. A response can be a word, a smile or a real appropriate response.

10. Don’t go on for too long.

11. Allow a certain amount of freedom in non-structural details.

12. The information in a drill can always be useful rather than inane.

13. Students can give the prompts.

14. Drills can be meaningful.

Checking Understanding

We can’t simply assume that all learners have understood all things all the time no matter how
clear the language focus stage was. It is important to check that students understand the
instructions or the task given to them. Do not ask students “Do you understand?” Perhaps you
could ask, “Is everyone clear?”

Most students will say that they understand even if they do not. Students do not want to appear
‘stupid’ in front of the class nor do they want to appear to ‘lose face’ (particular to Asian
cultures).

If you do not check understanding, students will often work through an exercise or task unaware
that they are doing it incorrectly. During the feedback stage of the lesson, students will realise
that they have misunderstood, leading to a loss of confidence. Those students who don’t
understand are usually convinced that they are the only ones who do not and will not want to
openly admit it.

• One way of checking understanding, is to ask a student, “What are you going to do?” You may
then ask another student. “What are you going to do after completing the first exercise?” This
will clarify to the rest of the class what is required of them. If it becomes apparent that nobody
understands, then it will be necessary to go through another example together. They should then
get it!

• This brings me to the next way of checking understanding. Always lead by example. Complete
an example of the exercise or task on the white board. This gives a clear and visual
representation of what is required.

• Another method of checking understanding is by asking Concept Questions (closed questions

requiring a “Yes / No” answer.) Here is an example of how you can go about writing concept
questions to explain the meaning of a grammatical structure:

Example: 3rd Conditional (Impossible condition)

If you’d been at the party, you’d have seen Ana.

This sentence means: - Ana was at the party

- You weren’t at the party

- You didn’t see Ana

In order to make a concept question, turn all of these into questions to check the students’
understanding:

- Was Ana at the party? Yes

- Were you at the party? No

- Did you see Ana? No

Concept questions should:

- be short and simple (below the level of the students’ understanding)

- only test what you want to test

- not be too open-ended

6. Pair and Group Work

In English Language Teaching, we are usually involved in whole class, individual or pair/ group
work. Pair and group work, when planned and well organised, is an excellent vehicle for the pro-
motion of learning. Minimal intervention during pair and group work activities is known as an
interactive approach to language learning. Mingling is an activity where the whole class gets up
and walks around, as at a party, meeting each other and talking with different people, moving on
when they need to.

There are many ways of organizing pair and group work in the classroom. Here are a few ideas
which you might consider:

• You could give the students a number and tell them to remember their numbers. Once each
student has a number you could say, “Let’s have all the number ones together over here and all
the numbers twos over there….” This usually divides the students up quite quickly and
efficiently.

• If, which is often the case, there happens to be an odd number of students you could make one
group of three. You could at a later stage break them up and put them in pairs with someone else
so they get more chance to speak. Don’t pair up the extra student with yourself!

• It is a good idea to change the partners quite often so that the students don’t get bored with their
partner.
• If you have a mixture of talkative and quiet students, put the quieter students together for
fluency activities. This will encourage them to talk more. This also ensures the talkative students
do not monopolize the conversation within a mixed group.

7. Monitoring Classroom Activities

Monitoring is not only important but vital in order to assess how the students are coping with a
particular activity. It also gives you an opportunity to take some notes on any areas of
pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar which may be causing difficulties. The teacher is seen
merely as a supervisor, facilitator and listener.

While monitoring a classroom activity, you can walk slowly around the classroom and listen to
the students’ conversations. Alternatively, you can sit near a pair or group taking care to remain
in the background so that the students do not direct their conversations to you.

Try not to intervene, but be ready to add some vigour to conversations which seem to be
petering-out thus adding some new life. You may want to ensure that certain students are not
monopolising the conversation. You may offer some praise and encouragement where
appropriate.
You can write any pronunciation difficulties, vocabulary and grammar points on the white board
for explanation and discussion at the end of the activity.

8. The Language Learner

It has been extensively argued that among the attributes of a ‘good’ language learner is the
ability and willingness to take responsibility for learning and to take risks. The ‘good’ learner is
one who:

- takes decisions with regard to:

• Language areas to focus on

• Activities to facilitate learning

• Strategies to apply in learning, and

- actively seeks:

• Information

• Opportunities for practice

• Assistance from proficient language users and general resources (dictionaries etc.)
Monolingual versus Multilingual Classes

Generally speaking, classes in learners’ own countries are monolingual and classes in English
speaking countries are multilingual.

There are advantages and disadvantages in both situations. Here are some of the key factors that
differentiate the two types of class:

MULTILINGUAL IN ENGLISH vs. MONOLINGUAL IN NON-ENGLISH

SPEAKING COUNTRY SPEAKING COUNTRY

A. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

1. Reasons for study

In both cases, motivation will often depend on who paid for the course / studies: they did? Their
parents / company did?

Students in the UK, US, Australia,

South Africa may have higher
expectations as they have paid more
for their course.

2. Exposure to English outside class

In an English Speaking country, Students may have little or no contact with

students have much more access to English outside class so the teacher must
English outside class, ensure that they have sufficient
so may ‘acquire’ more, learn faster opportunity to practise in class.
and see the value of practice in
communication e.g. free speaking
activities (on the other hand some may
not want to practise speaking in class
as they can do so outside)

3. Motivation

Students have to use English to Students have less/ no need to

communicate basic needs so they are communicate outside the classroom in
usually highly motivated. English so the teacher may need to harder
at motivating students e.g. by organising
out of class activities, showing progress,
creating realistic opportunities for
communication in class
4. Culture Shock

Students will suffer from this to a The teacher is the only potential source of
greater or lesser degree and may well culture shock! You need to be aware of
feel homesick. The teacher has to deal national characteristics/ taboos etc. A plus
with a wide range of cultural point is that cultural input can motivate.
difficulties.

5. Cultural Differences between Students

May cause tensions. Less likely but there may be class or status
differences.

6. Role of the Teacher

Students may have very different Students’ views on this will be more
views on this and also different uniform.
approaches to learning: you need to be
eclectic/ flexible.

B. TIMETABLING: STUDENTS’ NEEDS AND ANTICIPATED PROBLEMS

1. Students will have a wide range of Much easier to define common problems,
linguistic phonological and cultural so easier to work on them systematically:
problems. can emphasise similarities/ differences
between their first language and English;
can use translation with discretion.

2. Need lots of skills work to survive Also need to work on all four skills, but
outside, probably need more probably more weight given to structure
vocabulary too, but still need a solid and function as a solid basis..
structural/ functional ‘core.’

C. MATERIALS AND ACTIVITIES

1. Where possible these must relate to Cultural input can motivate, but materials
the world outside to help students orientated to their culture can make life
survive! easier. This may depend on the students’
eventual needs and intentions

2. A range of activity types is A range is still required but you can select
necessary to cater for different activities which won’t cause cultural
learning styles and needs -instructions confusion.
are often a problem!
3. A wealth of authentic materials is Harder to get authentic materials (bring
available. from your own country)

D. RATE OF LEARNING

1. Likely to be faster!

2. Pace of lessons may be quicker!

3. Course can be more intensive and cover syllabus more quickly.

Cultural Considerations

One of the rewarding aspects of teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to
both children and adults is getting acquainted with their different cultures. These cultural
differences may encompass a variety of non-verbal communication styles, beliefs, values,
customs and much more. Following a few basic points may assist the teacher in making the
learning experience more comfortable for both the students and the teacher. One thing to
remember is that probably the best way of getting to know a student’s culture is by getting to
know the student.

Laura Schanes Romstedt in her article, Communicating with Nonnative Speakers of English
(1994, Parenting Education Centre, Fairfax County Public Schools) addresses some ideas for
communicating with non-native speakers of English. These ideas can however be used to
effectively communicate with anyone, foreign or native born.

Eye Contact: When attempting to hold a conversation with someone from another culture, it is
important to hold eye contact with that person so that you can notice any signs of
misunderstanding, confusion or miscommunication. However, certain cultures prefer less eye
contact (Koreans).

Gestures: It should be remembered that certain gestures do not mean the same all over the world.
A gesture which is seen as perfectly acceptable in one country may not necessarily be acceptable
in another e.g. In Malaysia it is not acceptable to point with your index finger and one should
point using one’s thumb. If you use a gesture which provokes surprise or anger, it may be an
indication that you have unintentionally offended someone and you should explain.

Response Time: It is important that you give language learners sufficient time to respond to you
– pause time. Remember that some people respond quickly and others do not. A person who is
learning English and who is attempting to converse is dealing with a complicated process. They
first receive information, and then they translate English into their first language. They then
formulate a response in their own language and have to translate it into English. As you can see,
this may be quite a time consuming process.

Literal Interpretation: Many people learning a second language take each word or sentence
literally. They may also have difficulty distinguishing between important and nonessential
words. It is therefore a good idea to use simple sentences in a logical order and attempt to avoid
unnecessary information. It may also be beneficial to use nouns to replace pronouns, (he, she,
and it etc…)

Use of Idioms: It is usually a good idea to avoid using idioms unless you are quite certain that
the person with whom you are speaking clearly understands what you are talking about.
Rephrase idioms into English that has a clear and literal meaning.

Provide Examples: Learners learn in a variety of different ways. Some learn by reading, some
with pictures, some by doing and some by hearing information. Try and provide examples,
charts, pictures or diagrams to support what you are saying. Also, demonstrate using real objects
to show exactly what you would like done. It may also be a good idea to follow-up your
conversation by asking the other person clarification questions starting with who, what, where,
when, how or why (e.g. ‘What are you going to do?’).

9. Managing a Class

The teacher’s job is to create a productive learning atmosphere and to know the subject matter.
Vital in doing a good job are:

1. Planning i.e. Thinking out how you will manage the class as well as researching what you are
teaching.

2. Sensitivity to what is happening in the classroom.

Successful class management involves consideration of the physical environment, rapport with
the students and the student’s individual sense of belonging to a group and their sense of
progress. Asking oneself pertinent questions at the planning stage will enable a teacher to create
a conducive learning environment.

The Physical Environment

1. Seating

• How do you want the students to sit?

• What choices are open to you?

• What may influence your decision?

• Are you going to give the students a chance to move in your lesson? Why? Why not?

• Where are you going to place yourself?

• Are you going to stand, sit, kneel?

• With the students? Apart from the students?

• How will this affect the atmosphere of the room?

2. Voice Projection

• How loudly are you going to speak? Why?

• How important is it that the students hear and understand one another?

• How can you ensure this?

3. Whiteboard

• Can all students see the whiteboard?

• Do they need to in your lesson?

Student-teacher Rapport

1. Physical Position

• Where will you be?

• How does distance and position (i.e. sitting and standing) affect your relationship with the
students?

2. Eye Contact

• How will the seating arrangements affect ease of eye contact? • What must you guard against?

3. Using Student’s Names

• How can you remember all the names quickly? This is important.

• What should you do/ not do if you forget a name?

• Do not nominate a student before you ask a question.

4. Personal Involvement and Enjoyment

• Seeming personally involved and genuinely interested in what the students are saying not just
how.

5. Self Confidence

• Make positive comments and give reassurance.

• How do you feel if something you think you have done well is not acknowledged?

6. Physical Position

• If you are confident in yourself as a teacher and in what you are teaching then the students will
trust you.

• What gives you more self -confidence? (Think of planning etc.)

7. Clarity

• How can you make your instructions/ explanations very clear so that students can understand
what is expected of them?

• How can you be sure that students have understood?

• ‘Do you understand’ is not a good check of understanding.

Student’s Individual Sense of Belonging to a Group

1. Teacher involving all equally

• What can you do to involve everyone equally in the class?

• Have you ever felt left out of a class? Why?

2. Expressing their own Personalities

• What aspects of your character, experience and opinions would you want to share with a group
- initially?

- with time and familiarity?

• What would you never want to express?

• How would you feel if you were never given a chance to express yourself personally?
3. Constitution of Groups in the Class

• How can you prevent students always sitting in the same seat?

• What ways can you think of re-organizing the group at the start of the class and for particular
activities?

Student’s Sense of Progress

1. Knowing what they are going to do and why they are going to do it

• Tell them your major aims at the beginning of the lesson, e.g. We are going to revise some
grammar.

2. Timing

• How long should each activity last?

• How can you judge, before and during, how long it will last?

3. Correction

• How important is it that students are made aware of their mistakes?

• Do they expect to be corrected?

• Is correction ever counter productive?

4. Record of the Lesson

• Make sure that students have a record of the work e.g. whiteboard work, tape-scripts etc.

English in the Classroom

The issue of whether or not to use the mother-tongue (L1) in the English language (L2)
classroom is extremely complex. In his book Teaching Monolingual Classes (1993), Atkinson
talks about “a careful, limited use of L1” to help students get maximum benefit from activities
which in other respects will be carried out in the target language. The mother tongue may be
useful in the procedural stages of a class, for example:-

• setting up pair and group work

• sorting out an activity which is clearly not working

• checking comprehension

Beyond these basically managerial functions of L1,Atkinson also suggests using the L1 for
translation as a teaching technique.

Probably one of the main reasons for this procedural use of L1 is that it is necessary to keep the
lesson from slowing down or because things just can’t be done any other way. In general, it can
be said that most students (especially those at the intermediate and advanced levels) seem
skeptical about the use of L1 in the classroom. The bilingual teachers are however in a position
to facilitate students’ progress by using the mother tongue as a classroom resource.

Discipline in the Classroom

Discipline problems in the ESL classroom may stem from a variety of different issues. It is
discipline which is cited by many teachers as the issue which affects their choice to remain in the
teaching profession. Discipline challenges should be dealt with on an incident by incident basis,
taking into consideration issues such as culture and circumstance. A number of recommendations
have been suggested to deal with some of these discipline issues:
Issues / Solutions
Look Inwardly:
Do you as a teacher fully understand the material that you are teaching and have you anticipated
the problems that students may have? Are you presenting material that is too difficult or too
easy? Are you connecting with your students? Do you have enough structure? Are you
presenting yourself as a firm but caring teacher? Are you engaging in mannerisms that give away
your insecurity? Students seem to have an extra sense for this. If this is the case, try to relax and
make time to get to know your students individually.
Talk about the issues:
Talk to your department head, a colleague or someone you can trust. Have this person visit your
class and give you ideas about different seating arrangements, your lesson structure, your
presentation, etc. Don’t try to deal with everything alone. Get a support system you can trust.
Remember, however, that advice given to you by others may not necessarily work for you!
Contact the Parents:
Most parents or guardians are supportive. It may be a good idea to let the student know that you
plan to call their parents. If you suspect the child’s parent or guardian may be uncooperative, or
abusive, check with the counselor or with an administrator who may know the family. When you
talk to the child’s parent or guardian, mention the positive as well as the negative points.
Empty Promises:
Never make promises or threats you won’t or can’t follow-up on! It will only make everything
worse in the classroom if you lose the respect of your students.
Never lose your temper!
Don’t lose your temper! Raising your voice may be acceptable but never engage in shouting
matches with your students. Never say “Shut up” or attempt to physically remove a student from
a classroom. In fact, never touch a student. You can be liable for touching a student unless it is in
self- defense. Familiarize yourself with your school rules. If you are extremely angry, try the
silent method and try to gain control. Appear relaxed and speak honestly about your expectations
in a firm but quiet tone.
Taking students aside: Some students respond best by being talked to outside of class. It’s
probably not a good idea to do this outside of your own class because, for obvious reasons, you
must never leave your class unsupervised. A better idea would be to try seeing the student after
your class is over so other students from the same class don’t notice. Students are usually more
receptive and cooperative if they know other students are not watching or listening.
Other ideas: Try and give problem students an important job such as class assistant. This
positive gesture may help alleviate behaviour problems in students, showing them that you value
them as a person and recognise that they can also contribute to the class in a positive manner.
Most importantly, don’t hold a grudge against any student. Many teachers do and this makes
everything worse.
Immediate Action! Some behaviors cannot be tolerated in the classroom and call for immediate
action. If you or any of your other students are physically threatened you must act immediately.
Seek help immediately if you cannot handle the situation on your own. Again, become familiar
with your school’s and country’s rules for discipline procedures. Never allow a student to
verbally abuse you or any other student.
Above all try and remember that structure and fairness combined with clear expectations and a
clear lesson are the elements of good teaching. It is important that you learn from every situation
that presents itself and be forward looking.

Mixed Ability Classes

A mixed ability class is one with students of varying abilities. This presents a number of
problems and issues. Refer to the table below for a list of the most common problems
experienced in such classes and possible solutions:

PROBLEMS / ISSUES SOLUTIONS

• Presenting tasks which all students are able to • Make use of predominantly open-ended tasks.
complete Learners brainstorm their ideas and contribute
what they know.

• Faster and more able students complete the • At the planning stage, prepare extra
task first and get bored / disruptive. questions for these students to complete

• The class comprises a wide range of different • Attempt group tasks. Divide students into
levels mixed-ability groups so that students help each
other and share ideas

• Some texts and tasks are too easy for some of • Prepare texts / lessons using current and
the students interesting topics for the age range so that you
maintain interest

Background Music

Some teachers choose to play background music in their classrooms which may be an entirely
foreign concept to the majority of teachers. If you choose to introduce background music, it is
important to ask your students if they have any objections as some students may find this
distracting.

Background music should only be introduced during a reading or writing task. This is
particularly useful during timed activities. Start the music as a cue for your students to begin the
task set. Stop the music when you want the students to stop what they are doing and listen to
you. This is usually a cue for the feedback session. You will be surprised how quiet the
classroom may become with the introduction of background music as the ‘space’ usually
reserved for chit-chat becomes occupied.
10. Use of the Blackboard / whiteboard

The blackboard / whiteboard is usually the main piece of equipment at the teacher’s disposal and
it is therefore important that the teacher uses it well. The board is a means of presenting new
language, checking understanding and summarizing the important points of the lesson.

Whatever the teacher writes on the board and how it is copied down by the students will
ultimately influence how it is imprinted in their minds. A board should therefore be well
organised, uncluttered and easy to read. Notes and ideas which are simply written at random and
which cover the whole board are not effective. Teachers should practise writing in a straight line
and big enough to be read by students at the back of the class. Disruption may occur when the
teacher spends too much time at the board without involving the students. The teacher should
concentrate on effective presentation / layout and organised content. Refer to a number of
suggestions and avoidances below:

SUGGESTIONS AVOIDANCES

• Keep eye contact with students while writing and • Writing with your back to the class in silence.
stand sideways thereby not hiding what you are Students may become disruptive / noisy
writing

• Write quickly / neatly. Keep instructions to a • Spending too much time at the board
minimum

• While writing, keep the students’ attention by • Hiding what you are writing and not
reading out key words and possibly getting involving the students
them to repeat them (choral drill)

• Tell students at what point you want them to • Writing without giving students instructions
copy the information on the board. Give them as they will simply copy everything that you
time to do this write down

• Divide board into 3 areas: • Writing everything on the board as the board
CENTRE: main structures and language points will become overcrowded. This will lead to
LEFT MARGIN: key vocabulary disorganised note-taking.
RIGHT MARGIN: temporary items (rub out as
you go along)

Choose only the important points!

Here is an example of a well presented and organised board:
Further Ideas

• Underline important points. Use different colours, highlight certain words.

• Use tables

• Use diagrams, brainstorming and time-lines to clarify certain concepts.

• Don’t be afraid to draw; even simple stick figures will do! Refer to Andrew Wright’s 1000+
Pictures for teachers to copy (Longman). This is an excellent and practical resource with good
ideas for using the drawings.

11. Potential Problems in the Classroom

There are various ways in which English Language Teachers unintentionally restrict or prevent
the learning process. We are all guilty of a number of these and it is only with a conscious effort
and over a period of time that we are able to avoid these common pitfalls.

• Teacher Talking Time (TTT). Teachers often talk far too much which allows for fewer
opportunities for the students. When faced with a question in class, students require time to
process what is required of them and to prepare an answer. Give students ample time to prepare a
response and don’t feel awkward by long periods of silence.

• The Echo Effect. Teachers often repeat what a student says in class – the echo effect. This may
have a negative impact on class interaction. Students, in many cases, become accustomed to the
teacher repeating everything in class and therefore stop listening to the other students in the
class.

• Teacher completing sentences. Often, because students may require more time in responding
to a question, teachers may become impatient when a student pauses in mid-sentence. A teacher
must resist the temptation to predict what a student is trying to say and thereby complete the
sentence for the student. Sentence completion is extremely counter-productive and students
should be allowed to complete their own sentences, using their own words where possible and
expressing their own ideas.

• Complicated and unclear instructions. Complex instructions are very difficult for students to
follow and may lead to the students being unable to complete a task simply because they could
not understand what was expected of them. Teachers should plan their instructions.

• Not checking understanding of instructions. Always check for understanding. An easy way
of doing this is by asking some of the students to explain to you what they are going to do.

• Asking ‘Do you understand?’ If you ask students if they understand, they will in most cases
respond ‘Yes.’ This may be because they don’t want to appear to be stupid in front of the class.
Students should demonstrate their understanding by repeating the instructions or by giving their
interpretation of a certain idea.

• Flying with the fastest. Often the better students dominate and are the first people to speak or
answer a question. In such a situation, it is easy to assume that everyone in the class has an equal
understanding. It is essential to get responses from many different students which will provide
you with a better impression of overall understanding.

• A weak rapport. Encourage a friendly, relaxed learning environment. If there is a trusting,

positive rapport amongst learners and teachers, then there is a much better chance of students
wanting to take risks.

• A lack of confidence in the learners or the materials used. Students may become bored in
class if the materials being utilized are far too easy and are thus not challenging. Teachers should
maintain high expectations of their students in order to get the best from them.