A course in improving comprehension and fluency to promote

natural conversation

SLE is the flagship program of the Native English Program (NEP) at Pagoda Academy and is

the only program taught at every single branch.

Key Facts

• Started in 1985 to help students become more adept at actual conversational English

instead of focusing on academic skills or test prep which had been the norm.

• Quickly became popular with students who wanted to study English with a native speaker that was not focused on grammatical correctness but on communication.

• Updated every few years to ensure the content, style, and format are relevant and to keep the program fresh and interesting.

• A much copied program since its inception and also sold internationally.

Overall Aims of SLE

• To help students develop communicative confidence in English.

• To develop their functional skills in conjunction with grammar skills.

• To expose students to a wide range of accent and world English without bias.

• To review and build knowledge on an array of relevant and interesting topics.

• To encourage students to self-develop conversation skills with confidence.

Format of Class

• 20 taught hours per month (actually slightly less as a lesson is 50 minutes)

• Classes will be one of the following: a) 50 minutes Monday – Friday

b) 100 minutes Monday, Wednesday and 2 Fridays.

c) 100 minutes Tuesday, Thursday and 2 Fridays.

d) 100 minutes Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday

Max # of students: 12 in regular 8 in Premium

• Weekend Classes (Saturday and Sunday) 10am – 1pm or 2pm – 5pm (150 mins) Max # of students: 15

Level of SLE Class Course Duration Material Used

1 – 6 2 months each SLE books 1A – 2C

7 2 months Topic Handouts

8 2 months Topic Handouts

SLE Advanced 1 month Article Handouts

Overview

Levels and Aims

• Like all fluency based classes students do not rapidly rise through the levels if they can

only commit up to a few hours per week to come to class.

• When students are new to Pagoda they take a placement test (www.pagoda21.com/sletest) which uses a rigorous scoring system to ensure they receive the

best advice for their level.

• Levels 1 – 8 are all designed as two month courses and student feedback is designed to help students help themselves to improve their level outside and inside of class.

• Students MUST be aware of the course aims and goals they need to achieve to go to the next level – this must be reflected in the syllabus you give to the students.

• The new monthly feedback system is designed to allow students to actively chart their improvement in a way that is not reliant on test scores and grades.

Key elements of all levels & courses

1 2 3 4 5

8

Upper Intermediate

7 adv expert

Advanced

Adv Exp

Pre-Intermediate

Fluency Accuracy Confidence

Proficiency

Aims:

• Students will review a lot of previously studied language but through more appropriate

contexts and natural topics than before.

• Students will learn to think and produce language through English without relying too much on translation to help develop basic conversation skills.

• For some students this will be their first time in both a conversation class and with a native instructor where they will only be able to use English to communicate.

• The ultimate goal is for students to start using functional language that is relevant to their needs and that they can use to express themselves.

TOPICS & SUBJECTS:

• Telling my stories – students must learn to relate to topics and be able to tell their story using English as the medium.

• Topic related grammar & vocabulary to give the students the skills to speak in complete sentences and ask each other questions to further a conversation.

• Relevant Topics such as :

• Greetings & Introductions ־ Talking about family ־ Expressing Likes and Dislikes

• Talking about experiences ־ The Home ־ Food & Eating Out ־ Describing location, quantity & relationships - Shopping - Dating – Work & Jobs – Money & Prices etc

Course Materials

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Insertion Lessons

• Level Specific non book lessons with a focus on conversation in action.

• Topics are related to those previously studied and language review.

• No structural teaching – all activities are designed to get students speaking.

• Teachers can use these as an assessment of how students are progressing.Online

Levels and Expectations: Start SLE 1 -3

Level 1: 10 units 20 Lessons

Level 2: 10 Units 20 Lessons

Level 3: 10 Units 20 Lessons

•

Aims:

• Student are entering the intermediate stage of the program, progress is likely to be slower than at levels 1 -3

• Students should now be focusing on building their use of English more freely without the

need to study too much.

• Activities are designed to encourage reason, personalization and enjoyment.

• There is a much higher 'review' element to language structure rather than presentation and should be practised through a high number of inter-personal activities.

• Despite slower progress toward tangible goals, student's confidence and ability to talk more freely about a range of topics and experiences should become more fluent and natural.

Topics and Subjects

• Telling my Stories, hearing yours – students continue to build this skill but extended answers are expected and the ability to ask follow up questions and comment on others.

• Grammar review through topic – all language structures are reviewed through the topic of the class to allow students to build more natural use of language when speaking.

• More focus on lexicon – student start to build their vocabulary to be able to call upon a

wide range of appropriate words, expressions when conversing.

• Relevant topics such as:

• Talking about health and fitness – using polite & direct language – Describing personalities – Giving & Receiving Advice – talking hypothetically – discussing preferences –

Describing jobs and careers – making suggestions & demands – Describing cause & effect in life

Course Materials

Level 4 Level 5 Level 6

Levels and Expectations: Build 4-6

+

Level 4: 10 units 20 Lessons

Level 5: 10 Units 20 Lessons

Level 6: 10 Units 20 Lessons

AIMs:

• Students are now in the upper intermediate level of English and need lots of practice in

conversation and discussion skills.

• The structured approach to language teaching changes to a more practicum stage.

• Useful language is reviewed but the focus is on natural everyday English & use.

• The activities in power conversation are designed to have students speaking about familiar topics from the beginning and useful language is added to aid them.

• The activities in power discussion are designed to build upon students speaking skills to the level of in depth discussions and debates.

Topics and Subjects

• Everyday English: Useful expressions, vocabulary and idiomatic language with a world English focus to help students recognise different varieties of English.

• Topic & Task-based activities: a variety of activities to encourage maximum speaking

time and the development of personal skill.

• Relevant Topics such as: Talking about regrets and milestones – The pros and cons of technology – Talking about modern families – The changing face of society - Talking about

health and beauty - Realist versus Optimists – If I ruled the world.

Course Materials

• WARM UP - TEXT - ESSENTIAL LANGUAGE -

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS – DISCUSSION QUESTIONS –

TASK-BASED ACTIVITY – WRAP UP

Levels and Expectations: Power 7-8

Level 7: 40 lesson Handouts

Level 8: 40 lesson Handouts

Aims:

• Students are now at an advanced level of English and can converse freely. Many students have been taking advanced classes for years at Pagoda.

• The classes are designed to give students the opportunity to maintain their English and develop a wider vocabulary and native level expressions through various topics.

• The structure of the classes is much freer and the teacher is free to choose topics and

material they feel is suited to the class.

• All activities are to encourage as much interaction and discussion as possible.

Materials:

• Advanced classes do not have a course book to keep content fresh and current.

• Teacher are sent 20 articles every month that have been created by R&D which contain the following:

• WARM UP - ARTICLE – COMPREHENSION & DISCUSSION – TASK

• Teachers are free to use as many articles as they wish but are equally as free to supplement where feel it is necessary – different students have different interests and so it is

important to use material they can discuss.

Example Past Topics

• The Price of Beauty

• Technophobe/Technophile

• Do you speak Mentalese?

• Lover's guide to divorce.

• Global Shrinking

• Breaking up with a toxic friend

• Public Health Care

Levels and Expectations: Advanced

From 2015 Sinchon, Jongro and Gangnam will be running SLE Premium classes.

These are shorter courses but with additional benefits for students who wish to spend less days

in class.

Formats

Type Schedule Duration

A Mon/Wed 100 mins + optional Friday class

2 months

B Tue/Thurs 100 mins + optional Friday class

2 months

C Mon – Thursday 100 mins + Optional Friday class

1 month

Times: 10-11.50, 12 -13.50, 14 – 15.50, 16.-17.50

Premium Friday Class

Friday classes are non-sequential, students can opt to take them or not.

Each class is stand alone and the topics will vary according to the level.

Students taking Syllabus A or B can take a 50 minute Premium Friday class.

Students taking Syllabus C can choose TWO 50 minute Premium Friday Classes.

Example Friday Topics

The classes are designed to be a break from the usual routine classes and to encourage students to use

their English to talk about topics that interest them and to have some fun. Although the students will be

taking regular classes with you they can have any teacher for Premium Fridays who is teaching that

level.

SLE Premium

1. Interesting and relevant lessons with clear objectives – this is a conversation based

class, students want topics they can relate to and tell their own stories.

2. A teacher who takes an interest in them and is open to the students – you do not have to

become best friends but you should be friendly, approachable and willing to share some

of your experiences with them.

3. Clear Objectives and Aims – the book is an important tool but students need to feel

there is a definite structure to the lesson. Your lesson plan is crucial to this.

4. Actively helping students in the lessons and providing good feedback and advice as

well as constructive praise and guidance.

5. Varied topic and task – students don't want textbook lessons, there are many different

ways of practising speaking – conversations, discussions, games, tasks and so on.

6. Visuals and Entertainment- we live in a digital age, visuals, movie clips etc. are easy

to get hold of and are much more stimulating that over explaining everything.

7. Information Gap – Students shouldn't be stuck in a Q&A where teachers are looking

for one answer to a question, opinion, exploration and guided discovery are important to

encourage learner autonomy.

Types of motivation

In a recent study into motivation in Japan, specifically representing students who were studying

English, researchers were surprised to find that the number one reason for lack of motivation in

studying English was a past experience with a teacher. This of course means that we have to

project our motivation to the students as soon as they enter the classroom and keep motivation

high.

Intrinsic Motivation Extrinsic Motivation

Student who love language or culture. Peer pressure, societal expectation.

Desire to live abroad or travel. Requirement for work or interview.

Foreign spouse, partner, friends. Needed for speaking test.

It’s important to know what types of student are in your class and adjust your methods of

motivation, motivating the students is a big part of your job and brings rewards.

PAST SUCCESS MOTIVATION SUCCESS

Student Expectations

You will be following a set syllabus but it is your responsibility to plan interesting and engaging

lessons, each class will be different so adaptation of the plans is essential and helps keep the

material fresh and relevant.

With all lesson plans you need to consider whether they fulfil the following criteria:

Interesting

Comprehensible

Meaningful

Your lessons will be evaluated on these three points, as these are what a class needs to make it a

success in the eyes of the students. As the vast majority of our students are at an intermediate

level (the intermediate plateau) we need to make sure students feel that they are improving,

hence the importance of lesson plans.

The lesson plan is divided into 4 main parts.

Level:e.g 3 Topic (of lesson) Subject (language) Time

Warm Up: (activate prior knowledge, build confidence, initiate interest)

Main: (presentation, practice activities, elicitation, concept checking)

Conclusion: (Produce activity, feedback)

Wrap Up (Review, next lesson etc)

Lesson Planning

Level:4 Topic Love and Marriage Subject First Conditional for

making plans. Time

I will give each pair of students a picture of a western church wedding and a Korean traditional wedding, they must a) brainstorm what they see and b) discuss the differences between the two pictures.

• I will write the topic on the board and listen to the suggestions from the students.

5-8 mins

Main:

• The vocabulary (bride, groom, bouquet etc) will be written on the board & I will have a visual on my laptop to show each one. Students will then do activity A

• I will give the students an advert about wedding planning which uses the first conditional to talk about possible plans, give them a few questions to discuss then highlight the first conditional on the board, highlighting if and when. Students will then do Activity 1 on Page 58. Teacher monitors and corrects.

• We will look at some common mistakes together on the board with the first conditional and vocabulary. I will then ask the students to discuss how confident they are about getting married.

• A: Fill in the blank, context sentences, in pairs students choose best answer from vocabulary. Then share with class.

20 mins

Conclusion:

• 1: In pairs, using if/when + first conditional students discuss the reasons to get married. Answers shared with class after.

• 2: Role play activity, using the vocabulary and first conditional students in pairs plan their wedding, 2 pairs will act out for the class.

10 mins

Wrap Up:On the board we will go through some more corrections from the exercise and

then discuss as a class the perfect wedding / worst wedding. Homework: Students are given the option to bring in wedding photos (family, friends etc) and we will review the lesson using their own experiences.

10 mins

Lesson Plan Example: SLE 4

Warm Up

The Greeting: Make students feel welcome in the classroom, know their names and engage in

opening conversation and questions. The atmosphere should be relaxed & productive

The Board: Have key info such as topic, page numbers, aims and key language already

up on the board to make the class smooth and coherent. This also helps as a reference for

students who arrive late.

The Warm up: A light doable activity to elicit prior knowledge and create a productive

and relaxed atmosphere in the class. It also helps to establish the topic at this point. At all levels

visuals can be very useful here or light simple questions.

Presentations: You will have several of these in any class, essential vocabulary or the key

target language to be used that day. It is important not to over-present, where you find yourself

going into lengthy lectures. Plan ahead what needs to be presented and how it can be done. Use

the board for examples not just relying on saying them out loud.

Practice Activities: Always begin with a very doable activity to promote a feeling of success,

these can build into more complex activities but still at level. Variety is very important to keep

the topic interesting and the class motivated. The book will have a lot but also supplement.

Produce Activities: Students should demonstrate learning, this is a freer more unstructured

activity where students can use the language freely to complete a task, in conversation this might

often be a role play or short discussion on something. This is how you assess students' learning.

Feedback & Guidance: As conversation skills in general are fairly hard to improve quickly

students’ needs constant honest and constructive feedback and support. A new bi-weekly

evaluation system is in place for SLE but in class support is just as important. Auto-correction is

discouraged.

Wrap Up: End the class on a positive note, a short discussion about the topic or a quick

overview of the next lesson or just free talking so students leave feeling successful.

Extension: Although homework is not strictly a part of the SLE program the books will

suggest extra practice or short research projects that students can do outside of class time. If you

have the students do homework, be sure to include time for this in the next lesson.

Back Ups: Always include more than you think you will need, especially early in the course

as you are getting to know the students. Adjust lesson plans as you become familiar with it.

Sometimes back up activities become main activities in other lessons.

Essential Parts of the lesson

The obvious and stated goal of SLE is to have students participate independently in a

conversation. Students should not only be answering questions, but also asking their own.

Complexity of language and topic will depend on level – but all levels are capable of having a

conversation.

The job of the teacher then is to review and teach useful language for a topic and then facilitate

practices and ultimately conversation (the produce)

Students should never be expected to simply produce language without the following:

a) Target Language – what structures, vocabulary, expressions etc are essential in this topic?

b) Review or introduction – practices to ensure students are aware of the expectations

c) Variety – stimulation leads to better results The more variety the class has the more

motivated the students are to participate.

d) Students need good examples of language in order to reproduce it and use it naturally. The

teacher must model, demonstrate and teach in context.

e) Feedback - students need review, support and help in refining mistakes and errors to

become independent users of the language.

Conversations in the classroom generally happen in two ways:

a) Discussion – students are asked to give their thoughts and opinions on a given TOPIC

b) Activity – students complete a set activity working together to complete a TASK.

1. What common stereotypes of Koreans do foreigners have? Why do they think so?

Topic Task

Can be successful when:

Students have background knowledge in English of the topic.

Students have an interest in the topic.

Students have sufficient variation of opinions to make the discussion interesting. (agree/disagree)

Students have sufficient level to be able to maintain a discussion on the topic.

Can be successful when:

The task is clear to the students and the goals stated.

The task is interesting to the students and not overlong.

The language needed for the task is elicited by the task itself and doesn’t require extra teaching.

The task encourages equal participation

Running a conversation class

Input for Output

Topic vs Task

Topic 1: Discuss: Smart Phones are a menace to society and should be banned from public places.

Task 1: The Seoul Mayor has decided smart phones are a menace! With your partner choose

which four of the following rules you will introduce as new laws. You must agree!

People who walk and use their smart

phones at the same time will be

arrested by police for 3 hours and will

watch a safety video.

Y/N Wifi and 3G will automatically be

charged 1000 won per minute when it

is used from a smart phone.

Y/N

Wifi and 3G will not be available

between the hours of 9am and 3pm in

offices, schools and universities

(except on computers)

Y/N You will not be allowed to upgrade or

change your smart phone until your

old one is completely broken.

Y/N

The number of Apps on the phones

should be reduced so that people

spend less time using them.

Y/N When buying a smart phone you have

to prove that you don't have a laptop

or the shop will not sell it to you.

Y/N

There will only be one brand of smart

phone available, Samsung and iphone

will not be allowed to sell smart

phones in Korea.

Y/N Smart Phones should become illegal

and we all have to use flip phones

again.

Y/N

Topic 2: Protest is democratic, rioting is anarchic and should be punished severely. Do you agree?

Task 2: (How would you turn this into a task-based activity)

Topic vs Task Examples

Classroom Management Here at Pagoda the vast majority of your students will be over 18 ( typically University, business etc) therefore disciplinary problems or issues are not likely. Principally the problems you may face will involve patterns of interaction and uneven participation. So let's take a look at common problems and how to get around them. Fill in your ideas below and then we will discuss possible solutions. Students keep speaking in mother tongue What if students don't want to talk. Students are distracted or not paying attention to the lesson. Students are bored or unmotivated Students are doing the activity incorrectly or haven't even begun. A dominant student in class.

Poor time management Students don't want to do homework Student wants to go to next level (you disagree) Personality Clash

Problems in conversation classes

The following is a list of useful activities that can be used in the classroom, they can easily be adapted to the most classroom topics. Go through and discuss the pros and cons of each.

Visual Cues & Statements – Students are given a picture or series of pictures and must describe what they see, this can be vocabulary, grammatical structures or to give an opinion.

Spot the differences – A variation on an old classic, two different pictures showing contrasting images, students practice comparisons and vocabulary.

Things in Common - Useful as an icebreaker, students begin in pairs with some examples questions (Have you ever....when, why? Etc) and the move about the room ending by reporting some interesting stories about the people they met and who likes things that they do.

Solving a Problem – Students are given a particular problem (it can range from simple advice, moral dilemmas, environmental problems, the state of the nation etc; depending on level) and they must provide or discuss possible solutions. Can easily become role-play.

Role-play - Students take on a role in a realistic setting and act out as if they were really in a restaurant, making a complaint, checking-in to a hotel etc. Gives them the opportunity to practice a skill in the safety of the classroom before doing it in real-life. Students often need some time to prepare depending on level.

Dialogue - Similar to role-plays although here it would follow a writing/study activity and require much more correct language on the part of the students. Acting skills would also be useful here.

Story Mapping – A list of nouns, adjectives, verbs etc are put on the board and students work in pairs or small groups and join them together to tell a story. Can be as simple or as complex as the level of the class allows. Students then tell to act out their stories.

Surveys – Based on an previously studied example, students devise and create questions of their own to ask partners or the class, they should make note of the answers and report back. Could be about almost any topic or to test many different types of language.

Play scripts – Many language practitioners use drama and play scripts as material in the classroom, often students are more comfortable with the idea that they are acting and a script allows them to be more comfortable with speaking and is a great way to practice pronunciation

Reaching a consensus – similar to the task based activity, where students are not so confident or of sufficient level to debate or give a long, well-rounded opinion they complete a short task with short views but must all agree. For example this could be deciding on the punishments for various crimes based on a given list.

Speaking Games – There are too many of these to mention here (for a comprehensive list of ideas check out http://iteslj.org/games/) Students can enjoy the fun of a game without feeling under pressure to 'perform'. These can be simple word association, more complex quizzes and competitions or timed vocabulary games like 'hot seat' or 'taboo'

Variety is the spice of life!

Speaking Activities

Teaching the Receptive Skills

•

• Almost every unit in the SLE books contains some form of listening activity including: dialogues, reports, adverts and lectures.

• Listening is a difficult skill to improve quickly when living in a country where that language is not commonly spoken, for most students the only real exposure they have to English is in the classroom.

• Too many teachers skip over the listening activities or do not organise them sufficiently to help the students improve leading to a general feeling of frustration and the conclusion that listening to native speakers is very difficult.

• To help with developing listening as a skill, we as teachers have to expose the students to different listening situations. For each of the following situations decide if they are Listen Only (LO) or Listen and Respond (LR)

Watching TV Job Interview

Being at an Airport Shopping

Being in a class Being in a lecture

A phone call A committee meeting

Sightseeing Receiving Instructions

Taking the Subway Going to a restaurant

Organization

• A common mistake is to simply play the audio and ask students what it was about but except in very high-level classes they will usually miss what you want them to hear. Usually this is due to the students trying to concentrate on every word instead of the meaning and can be extremely demotivating.

• Pre – Listening – A task to prepare the students for what they will hear. They need to know what they will be listening to, how many voices, is there any essential vocabulary they need to be taught first. If students are required to answer questions about the listening, perhaps they should read through them first so that they can concentrate on finding the answers rather than figuring out the questions. Remove unnecessary challenges.

• Listening – How long is the listening? If you feel it is quite lengthy, break it up into manageable chunks, how is the speed, if you feel it is too fast, have the tape script ready to read it yourself. Don't simply play once, at least twice and more if you feel it is necessary for the students to help them.

• Post – Listening - To test for comprehension, what was the main idea, follow up activities etc.

Listening Activities

Unit 15 “One More for the Road” Pre–listening

• This unit is all about drinking and drinking culture, at this level the focus is to have students thinking about issues connected with this and also what they know of drinking habits in other countries.

• The listening is a dialogue between two friends discussing a crazy night out that ended in bad way. To warm up the students will discuss in pairs or small groups a crazy night out they have had or someone they know has had. I will listen to the students stories and as they mention an incident such as “my friend vomited” I will write a corresponding word or phrase on the board “to puke” as these appear in the dialogue. I will then make sure all students are aware of the language points I want them to learn. They will then quickly re-tell their stories using as much of the vocabulary as possible. Listening

• I will tell the students that they must listen to Kevin's story as he tells it to his co-worker Dean. They will hear him talk about 7 events that happened over the evening. On the first listening however they must listen and decide if it was a good night or a bad night. On the second listening they must note down the seven events and then we will discuss if they agree on the good night /bad night issue) The recording will be played a third time for everyone to check their answers. Post Listening

• To test for comprehension the students will discuss what advice they would give to Kevin and whether they have had an experience like this.

• There will be a short fill in the blank to test understanding of the language points.

• This will now lead onto a speaking activity where the students will talk about the Korean corporate drinking culture, 3 questions to elicit opinions either positive or negative which will eventually lead onto a mini-debate.

Example Listening: SLE 7

Reading

• Although SLE books do not include extended reading texts, there are more as the levels increase and teachers often like to supplement a text as it is very useful for the students. PIP has many reading texts. They are able to see vocabulary in context, appropriate grammar structures being used and it provides a model for language and thinking.

• Like listening however, reading needs to be organised to ensure students get the most from it, we must check that the text

is not too long and level-appropriate. Pre-Reading

• The students must know what they are about to read, story, article, report etc.

• They should have been taught the anticipated vocabulary and be aware of the language structures.

• Predictive questions or visuals could help get the students thinking about the topic. Reading

• What skills are the students practicing as they are reading? Is it simply to skim for the main idea and then discuss, or is to scan for specific details such as language points or is it to see grammar / language in context.

• Reading aloud is a great way to practice pronunciation but should only be done following comprehension as students will only focus on their speaking and will not try to follow the actual text. Post-Reading

• As with listening we are testing for comprehension. Many of the books will use questions for this and are well-worded but sometimes they are not always the best way to test understanding. I was awoogering along the river bank quietly flestering myself when I saw a most dalglish pesterban. The Pesterban was quistly dommoning upon the swagoon and I was quite shocked to see him do this in the open. I spadooned whether or not I should kajagoogoo to him but I was not sure he would understand my language, therefore I decided not to jorter him as he would be canderbill. I sat a while on a floooomidwen and laughed to myself as he hydily gutsamonded. 1. What was the writer doing when she saw the Pesterban? 2. What kind of Pesterban was he? 3. What was he doing and where? 4. What did the writer want to do to the Pesterban? 5. What did she decide not to do? 6. How did the Pesterban make the writer laugh? These questions were easy to answer, they were worded in such a way that all you had to do was find the words in the text and copy them down, They certainly do not test comprehension of the story or even the vocabulary, could you even tell me now what a dalgish Pesterban is? So although questions can be a useful way to test understanding, be careful about the type of questions used, if you worry that the book might not have the best questions for your class, write your own.

Reading Activities

PIP Example Reading Activity SLE 8 “A Changing World” Pre-reading

• Students will be given a series of pictures on a handout, one shows Seoul 100 years ago and today, The other shows a pristine jungle 50 years ago and the city that now stands there today. The last set shows a traditional Korean hanbok and the second a modern, young Korean girl in distinctive fashion. Students will discuss in pairs first how things have changed among the two pictures and then if they think they have changed for the better or worse. This is a review also of comparatives from a previous lesson. Reading

• Students will first skim through the text and summarize the main idea with their partner, they must decide if the text is about good change or bad change. A Lost Identity Fatewana delivers her bundle of straw to the bamboo door of her son's hut, she does not shout for him to come and help her, she knows that would only cause problems. Instead she returns to the village centre and there, nestled among the beads and canes, she builds the simple baskets they sell in the big town and gossip together. This is life in the remote Cameroonian village of Hafia – Watta, they have been here for generations, but a sense of melancholy hangs over this small settlement. Parked at the side of the river a 4x4 sits waits for its owner to drive it to the city and the temptations of the modern world. It was Fatewana's birthday yesterday, the first time she has seen her son and his wife in 8 months. As she gazes out across the river, the scaffolding of development rising above the treetops, she sighs and chuckles for she knows it will happen with or without her approval. Post – Reading Students must answer the following questions in pairs.

• What kind of place does Fatewana live in?

• Why doesn't she wake up her son? Why is he visiting?

• Why is there a ' feeling of melancholy' do you think?

• Does Fatewana have a lot of money? What is her job?

• What will happen without her approval?

• How does Fatewana feel about her life do you think? Students must go back to the text and find supporting details (scanning) for their argument of good change or bad change, which we will then discuss / debate as a class. As a follow up activity, the students will discuss how Korean society has changed in both positive and negative ways.

From text to discussion

1. In class feedback:

• During any SLE lesson you should try to give the following types of feedback.

Positive Praise Corrections Guidance

a) In a conversation-based class students need to feel they have communicated. b) You, as the native speaker, must show interest and allow the student to become autonomous in their use of language. c) Honest praise is important to give a feeling of success as much as possible.

a) Avoid auto-correction in a conversation class – it often causes lack of confidence. b) Always check meaning when correcting something, involve the students in the exercise. c) Corrections can be about structure, better English or alternatives. d) Note down common issues and get them on the board.

Class time is never enough, even over two months. Students are always happy to receive tips and advice that will help them long term. One way is the online progress report that you will do every two weeks. The other way is in class, useful websites, extra resources, recommended readings etc.

2. Online Feedback:

• All SLE online feedback must be entered by day 14.

• The feedback is entered at www.pagodaacademy.com/admin

• There are 5 categories in which students are evaluated: a) Participation in class activities

b) Content Communication (fluency) c) Target Grammar use

d) Target Vocabulary use e) Pronunciation

◦ Each category has a maximum of 4 points and is not dependant on level (i.e. a student at 2 could get a higher participation score than a student at 4)

• Each student receives an overall score out of 20 points every two weeks

Evaluating the Students

• Both positive and negative assessments should be made available to the student.

• Feedback MUST be honest.

• Assessments should be given in a supportive manner.

• Students must feel that the teacher’s assessment will help them, not put them down;.

• Watch out for recurring corrections of the same mistake. If this happens, invest time in creating opportunities for students to get it right.

• Fluency training through conversation should not be endlessly interrupted through corrections.

• Oral correction is usually provided directly by the teacher.

• Oral correction may be requested by the student.

• Correction may or may not include a clarification of why the mistake was made.

• Repetition should not always be requested.

• Be aware of your students’ own expectations regarding being corrected.

• Correction should be encouraging and tactful. Correction exercise - For each incorrect sentence:

• Write down the correct version of the sentence.

• Why do you suppose the student made the mistake?

• Explain what the mistake is.

• Consider: a) Structural problems b) Better English c) Confusion in meaning.

She throwed the bouquet at the people.

The wedding hall has very good cookers.

They bought their ticket next week.

I have stopped to dance because my leg hurt.

They are very exciting to marry.

She looks quite pretty doesn't it.

We should better go now.

They are going to prance for honeymoon.

What do you do later? Oh I go for a walk.

Corrections

Good instructions

Give them from the front of the class Make sure everyone is listening to the instructions Give all instructions and check them before handing out any worksheets

Include:

What the task is, with an example and demonstration if necessary Who is to complete the task (individually, pairs, etc) How it is to be completed (written or spoken) How long the students have to complete is (time limit) Check all parts of the instruction with questions that require a one-word answer

Avoid

Modal verbs e.g. ‘What might this be?’ for ‘What is it?’ Phrasal verbs e.g. ‘What did you come up with?’ for ‘What’s the answer?’ or ‘What do you think?’ Embedded questions e.g. ‘Do you know what the answer is?’ for ‘What’s the answer?’ or ‘Could you tell me what she likes?’ for ‘What does she like?’ Unnecessarily polite forms e.g. ‘I was wondering if anyone knows the answer to ‘a’?’ Complex and hypothetical language e.g. ‘If you were on holiday, what would you take?’ for ‘You’re going on holiday. What do you take?’

Use

Polite imperatives e.g.’ Please stop’ Simple language, especially Present Simple Direct Questions Concrete ideas, especially at lower levels

Don' t make understanding the teacher a challenge in

class, there are challenges enough

Giving Instructions

Organizing The Board

A guide to making a useful reference for your students

Every teacher uses the board to a different degree but it's use in the classroom is essential. The most important part of the teacher's job is to explain and clarify language, depending on the level of your students doing this only through oral means is extremely limited. When it comes to study, modelling language, giving examples, students need an easy to follow, clear focus. Whenever you write something on the board, the students assume it is important. Do not rely only on the book for study, the book is often extremely busy and not organized in the simplest way. Students look to the board for references and therefore it must be organized.

Example Number One - Modern Art

Q.s 1 – 6 discussion aptitude Second Cond. If I had …... would, could etc I.Q = Intelligence quota Intellect brilliant to be ahead of the game big-headed

This is often what I see in the classroom, information is only put on the board as and when it comes up in the class, it is without organization, incomplete sentences, random words and almost impossible to quickly find information to help students complete an activity successfully using the target language. Example Number Two - Ghost Town

The teacher appears to be using invisible ink, communicating telepathically or barely / not using the board at all.

Using the board

Example Number Three – The Guide

VOCAB Aims of

Class

to + verb Full example on board as model

a/an/the + If I want students to use, perhaps this will help.

noun

Adjectives FREE SPACE FOR NEW INFORMATION

etc OR INSTRUCTIONS etc

(this can easily be erased once used) Idioms

Whiteboard do's and don'ts

DO write all essential information on the board in an organized fashion.

DO write verbs in base form and nouns with an article so students can understand what

part of speech they are using.

DO write full examples on the board, especially sentence structures so that students have

something to follow during presentation and study.

DO write the topic/aims on the board so late students can catch up easily.

DO use different colours to highlight important information and again act as reference.

DON'T ignore the board and rely only on oral language, students have a limited

attention span and/or tolerance for this.

DON'T write random words all over the board that make it impossible to find info.

DON'T erase essential language and examples and then have to write again.

DON'T overload the board, one good example is better than 10.

DON'T write in cursive or unclear script, remember this is a foreign language.

DON'T sit down when writing on the board, a little exercise never hurt anyone!

Running a conversation class

Level:e.g 3 Topic (of lesson) Subject (language) Time

Warm Up: (activate prior knowledge, build confidence, initiate interest)

Main: (presentation, practice activities, elicitation, concept checking)

Conclusion: (Produce activity, feedback)

Wrap Up (review, next lesson etc)

Level:e.g 3 Topic (of lesson) Subject (language) Time

Warm Up: (activate prior knowledge, build confidence, initiate interest)

Main: (presentation, practice activities, elicitation, concept checking)

Conclusion: (Produce activity, feedback)

Wrap Up: (review, next lesson etc)

Level:e.g 3 Topic (of lesson) Subject (language) Time

Warm Up: (activate prior knowledge, build confidence, initiate interest)

Main: (presentation, practice activities, elicitation, concept checking)

Conclusion: (Produce activity, feedback)

Wrap Up: (review next lesson etc)

Level:e.g 3 Topic (of lesson) Subject (language) Time

Warm Up: (activate prior knowledge, build confidence, initiate interest)

Main: (presentation, practice activities, elicitation, concept checking)

Conclusion: (Produce activity, feedback)

Wrap Up: (Review, next lesson etc)

Mock Teaching Task

Instructions

You are going to create a class around some language concepts – the concepts are all related.

First, you should choose a conversation topic that links all the concepts together.

Second, you should plan how to do the following:

a) Warm up to the topic

b) How you will present the concepts

c) How will the students practice?

d) What main activity will the students do?

e) How you would wrap up the lesson

Although you will plan a full 50 minute lesson, you will only take us through steps a-c.

Steps d+e you will describe to us.

Concepts

Group Concepts to be taught 1 Each/Every Make/Do Raise/Rise So/Such 2 First, Second, and Third Conditional

3 Can/Could will/would may/might need to/must

You will have around 45 minutes to plan today, and you will present tomorrow.