Lesson 1. Learning languages

strategies

Chapter 11. ‘Techniques and materials´

Bibliography

Douglas, H. “Teaching by principles. An interactive

approach to Language Pedagogy”. 3rd. Edition.

Objectives:

Define concepts as:

1. Strategies for learning a foreign language

2. Main characterisctics of the strategies for learning a

foreign language.

3. Kinds of materials to use for teaching a foreing language.

Introduction

Designing and implementing techniques in the classroom

and reviewing and choosing from a wide variety of

materials.

Zoom in further to the components of a lesson: the

techiniques and activity that comprise a lesson and the

materiales to support those techniques.

Definition of technique

“ As a superordinate term to refer to various activities that

either teachers or learners perform in the classroom. In other

words, techniques include all tasks and activities. They are

almost always planned and deliberate. They are the product of

a choice made by the teacher.” (Anthony, 1963).

What kind of techniques does a teacher of a foreign

language? What do you do in your practice?

Skills…

Speaking

Listening

Reading

writing

Techniques:

1. From manipulation to communication

Manipulative techniques

- Totally controled by the teacher

- Predicted responses from students

- Choral repetition

- Cued substitution

- Drills

- Dictation (listening and writing)

- Reading aloud

Communicative techniques:

- Students responses are completely openended and

therefore unpredictable.

- Examples: storytelling, brainstorming, role plays, certain

games, etc.

- Teacher are usually put into less controlled role.

- Students became free to be creative

- Genuine communcation can take place from the first day.

Techniques:

1. From manipulation to communication

Techniques:

2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills

What is a drill?

Repeating, repeating and repeating…

Definied as a technique that focuses on a minimal number of

language forms through some type of repetition.

Techniques:

2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills

For example:

T: I went to the store yesterday Ss: I went to the store yesterday

T: Bank Ss: I went to the bank yesterday

T: Hospital Ss: I went to the hospital yesterday

Techniques:

2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills

Mechanical drills

- Only one correct response from the student

- No implied connection with reality.

- Student repeat a word or phrase whether the student

understands it or not.

Ex:

T: The cat is in the hat.

Ss: the cat is in the hat.

T: the wug is in the gling.

Ss: the wug is in the gling.

Techniques:

2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills

Meaningful drill

- May have a predicted response or a limited set of possible

resonses, but it is connected to some form of reality.

- Teacher reinforces certain grammatical or phonological

elements.

Ex: T: The woman is outside (pointing out the window at a woman)

S1: The woman is outside

T: right. The woman is outside. Keiko, where is she?

S2: she is outside.

T: good Keiko, she’s outside. Now, class, we are inside. Hiroko, where are we?

S3: we are inside.

Techniques:

2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills

Communicative drill

- It is not a drill

- It offers the student the possibility of an open response

and negotiation of meaning.

Techniques:

2. Mechanical, meaningful and communicative drills

Ex:

T: Good morning, class. Last week I went to a restaurant and I ate salmon.

Juan, what did you do last weekend?

Juan: I went to park and I play soccer.

T: Juan, “I play soccer” or “I played soccer”?

Juan: Oh… eh… I played soccer.

T: Good! Ying, did you go to the park last weekend?

Ying: No.

T: What did you do?

Ying: I went to a movie.

T: Great! And what did you do, Fay?

Techniques:

3. Controlled to free techniques

Controlled Free

Teacher – centered Student – centered

Manipulative Communicative

Structured Opened – ended

Predicted student responses Unpredicted responses

Preplanned objectives Negotiated objectives

Set curriculum Cooperative curriculum

Classroom activity

Instructions:

In pairs, review the differences among mechanical,

meaningful, and quasi-communicative drills, and illustrate

with more examples.

At least 2 examples of each

15 minutes left.

Taxonomy of techniques

Controlled techniques

Semicontrolled techniques

Free techniques

Taxonomy of techniques

1. Controlled techniques

Warm-up

Setting

Organizational

Content explanation

Role-play demostration

Dialogue/narrative recitation

Reading aloud

Checking

Question-answer, display

Drill

Translation

Dictation

Copying

Identification

Recognition

Review

Testing

Meaninful drill

Taxonomy of techniques

2. Semicontrolled techniques

Brainstorming

Storytelling

question-answer, referential

Cued narrative/ dialogue

Information transfer

Information exchange

Wrap-up

Narration/exposition

preparation

Taxonomy of techniques

3. Free techniques

Role play

Games

Report

Problem solving

Drama

Simulation

Interview

Discussion

Composition

A propos

Classroom activity

Instructions:

Individual

Review the information on the continuum of techniques

ranging from manipulation to communication, referring to both

the manipulation-communication scale and the controlled-free

scale.

Look at the Taxonomy of techniques in Table 11.1 (pages 185-

186).

For as many of the techniques as possible, decide if the

arrangement in the table of controlled, semicontrolled and free

techniques matches the manipulation-communicative scale.

20 minutes left.

Textbook and other materials

Go over page 192

Table 11.2 textbook evaluation criterA

Textbook and other materials

Realia. “object lesson”. Food items, cosmetics,

household gadgets, tools and other materials.

Characteristics:

- Add some significant reality to the classroom.

- Effectiveness in helping students to connect language to

reality.

- Useful for teaching children, who benefit from tangible

objects that can stimulate kinesthetic connections.

Textbook and other materials

Self-made paper-baed visual aids. Posters, charts and

magazine pictures.

Commercially avaliable visual aids. Slides,

photographs, posters and other illustrations from

publishers.

Classroom activity

Instructions:

In pairs

Look at the taxonomy in table 11.1 and try to clarify any

questions you have about each technique.

Choose 5 techniques you like.

With your partner figure out how to demostrate the

technique to the rest of the class.

20 minutes left.