1170. Authentic communication in the target language is necessary and nice



“The language teaching profession was still not ready for much real communication [50 years ago for example].” (page x). Today we as teachers should foster real communication too and not just always simulation. Think for instance of the warm-ups we practice in class: they usually deal with real things of the students’ lives and current news. The quotation is from Rebecca Oxford, whose book I have already posted about. / Photo from: dirknoy di funpic de

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3675. What I Do to Plan Lessons I Wish They Be Efficient?

  Lesson planning, you asked? You, like I do, may think that that is essential to teach efficient lessons. You may also be a second or foreign language teacher.  Today I’m telling you something of what I do, just in case it helps you out.  When I sit to plan a lesson, first I think about my dear students and what they do need, and perhaps also what they may be expecting. And then I specify a couple of aims and write them down at the beginning of the lesson plan, at the top.  Even sometimes I let my students – and I teach adults but the same may be applied to teenagers I guess – know what those two goals are – also for them to become more aware and more involved in the class. The more I get them involved in their own learning English, the more they will learn, sure thing!  So I first think how things are going on my lessons and try to solve those possible problems.  And the body of the lesson plan includes stuff where I have my students speak a lot, a lot, a lot. They have and need to p
Read more

3677. Should I Foster Positive Motivation in Class? Some Guesses

  Today I’m talking about positive motivation and other topics alike.  The first premise is that when our dear students get involved in lessons and the activities we as teachers implement, they will likely work nice and keep on behaving that way. A person who is getting interested in studying something, that one will carry on doing that way likely.  And we teachers I think ought to also give them oral presentations about the topics involved in the school subject we teach. Presentations and explanations alike. A teacher has to speak a lot in class, in a good manner.  If we teach a second or foreign language, we have to give them a lot of correct pronunciation and we must speak for a lot, plus we must have them speak also for a lot, thus the lesson is something like a nice conversation between the teacher and his or her students.  Also we may utilize audios and videos where native speakers talk.  As well in that way we will be getting them involved in class.  Positive motivation helps a
Read more

1701. Debating

Image
Something that can be interesting is to make our students engage their minds to solve problems; to think, in other words.  We can include texts with substance, either historic, biographic, ethics, philosophy, thought, science and technology… Besides, in that way we’re preparing them for their future. School is preparation for adult life, isn’t it?  As well we can organize debates: we split up the class into two groups, we let them prepare their arguments by speaking in their native language (L1) if they prefer so, and then, we dedicate the rest of the class to give turns into the big conversation.  It’s worth to try.  The speakers will speak in English (the L2), and try to convey and express their positions, opinions... We can let other students intervene. It’s interesting and sound, in the process of learning and acquiring English. / Photo from: students’ presentations. www rhodeisland edu
Read more

3676. To Improve Our Lessons: The Importance of Lesson Planning

  On the last post I told you some practical things on lesson planning which hopefully might help you out, my dear colleague teacher, or you may be a prospective one, or a novice or rookie one. There may be several different situations and circumstances.  As well right here and now I join in some way all the victims of recent floods here in our dear Spain – it has been so terrible, as you may have learned from the news. Poor people, and I pray for them as well. It’s been the worst natural catastrophe of the century in Spain. A lot of volunteers are helping out there.  Let’s carry on with our usual work.  Lesson planning is so paramount so as to have better and efficient lessons in class. And the teacher may pass on so much – if he or she is well prepared and mature. The students have to hear good English in class: a lot from their teacher – better if they are native speakers, otherwise we have to set an example and learn more and more, plus they can listen to class audios and watch cla
Read more

2430. How Babies Acquire a Foreign Language

Image
Babies start to speak about one year and half, but since week number eighteen, the baby in mom’s belly can produce sounds.  After birth babies listen the same to their parents and adults in general a zillion times, and these adults repeat the same word or phrase, and the infant starts to repeat and pronounce those words, or short phrases, not full sentences.  You, father or mother, can take advantage of this phenomenon to make your children speak in English.  In general terms, infants and young kids have their brain forming itself, and at that point of time is when those children can acquire a language – adults also can acquire a language though; you can see the label or tag about acquisition and adult learners. / Photo from: mom-and-baby francesiacussi com
Read more