Blogging terminology

• There is an if-clause and a then-clause in conditional sentence.
• The then-clause should be understood as the consequence of the if-clause.
• Conditional sentences are used to talk about possible situations. That’s why it is sometimes called the real conditional.
• The structure of conditional type one involves the use of the simple present in the if-clause and the simple future in the then-clause.
• Conditional sentences may contain verbs in the affirmative as well as the negative form.

Here is a lesson plan that will help you teach conditional type 1

Activity

• Start by drawing a line to divide the board into two parts.
• Label the first part facts and the second part consequences.
• Give examples of facts:
  If I eat too much,
  If I have enough time this evening,
  If I write a poem,
  If don’t understand something,
• Ask students to imagine the consequences. warn them that they will have to use the simple future:
  I will get fat.
  I will watch the match.
  I will send it to my girlfriend.
  I will ask the teacher.
• Elicit the structure of conditional type one from the students:
  IF + SIMPLE PRESENT + SIMPLE FUTURE
• Ask students to provide more examples.

Affordance

Traditionally  input was seen as all words, contexts, and other forms of language to which a learner is exposed. Input in this sense is said to provide a basis for acquiring proficiency in first or second languages. The problem with input in the context of language acquisition is that it should be slightly above the level of the learner. Krachen in his Input Hypothesis noticed that providing comprehensible input may boost language acquisition. The dogme approach goes further to suggest that, in addition to providing comprehensible input, learners must be exposed to real language through classroom conversations and language activities that enhance the emergence of language. Scott Thornbury contends in a post about affordance that learning opportunities offered by real talk in the real world, must surely be the best language learning method ever devised. In his book A-Z of ELT he describes affordance as:

a particular property of the environment that is potentially useful to an organism. A leaf, for example, affords food for some creatures, shade for others, or building material for still others. It’s the same leaf, but its affordances differ, depending on how it is regarded, and by whom. The term has been borrowed from ecology to describe the language learning opportunities that exist in the learner’s linguistic ‘environment’…

Is this a shift away from the concept of input?

Emergence

While language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the ability to perceive and comprehend language in order to use it for communicative purposes, dogme approach puts emphasis on the fact that language learning is a process where language emerges rather than one that is just acquired. Emergence happens when relatively simple elements combine together to form a higher-order system. This is a shift away from the traditional view of acquisition as a linear process. One of the metaphors cited by Scott Thornburry to show how we should create the opportunity for language to emerge is related to the way football emerges in the playground?

How do kids learn the rules of playing soccer? Certainly not by being lectured on them for several years. They learn by participating in certain practices. Two pivotal practices in this respect are a) playing the game; and b) participating in stories and comments about the game perhaps combined with watching games. When they start playing, children tend to run after the ball in a single swarm, kicking it around in seemingly random directions. Then at some point a ‘feel for the game’ emerges. The game reorganizes itself (not for all players at once, but for some) from ‘running after the ball where ever it rolls’ to ‘moving the ball around collaboratively in strategic ways.’ At that point the rules of the game become learnable, in an interaction between bottom-up discovery, and top-down instruction, within the social context of playing the game (Leo van Lier 2004: p.81).

How can a teacher transfer this analogy from the football playground to the context of the classroom?

References

Thornbury, S. (2006) An A-Z of ELT: A Dictionary of Terms and Concepts Used in English Language Teaching. Oxford, UK.: Macmillan Education.
Leo van Lier’s The Ecology and Semiotics of Language Learning (2004)

It is a video of a very eloquent young lady who gives such great insight into the minds of children and adults alike.

The following presentation, by Nick Robinson, introduces the principles upon which Scott Thornbury builds the Dogme Approach. It also tries to answer the question of the relevance of the Web in the classroom:

In the following presentation, Jim Scrivener explains the rationale behind this tweak to language methods and approaches he feels to be necessary.

The video is an animation from Episode 5 of Dara O Briain’s Science Club on BBC Two.

The video can be used as a material for language learners

• Why do teachers assign homework?
• What is the rationale behind homework?
• What considerations should be taken into account when assigning homework?
• How much of it should be assigned?
• Does research support it?
• What are the different types of homework?
• What are some examples of good homework?

One of the most important requirements for optimal language learning is to provide the appropriate environment for learners to develop language skills. Such environment must include appropriate (and necessary) language input for learners. Teacher talk in the classroom constitutes one major source of this input. There is, however, an ongoing debate on how much of this talk is necessary and on whether students be given enough room for reflection on and use of language.

The evil part of  a high TTT

Why are some teachers talking too much?
Let’s look at some reasons for a high Teacher Talk Time (TTT)

1. A high TTT may be a result of lack of experience. New teachers might think that by being busy talking, their students are actually learning.
2. Lack of confidence may be another cause. By doing most of the talking, some teachers may feel confident that they are controlling the situation.
3. Some teachers fear silence and think that silence means that students are not learning.

Disadvantages of high TTT

Talking too much can be counter productive. The outcome of a high TTT is detrimental. It results not only in very long or complicated instructions and explanations but also in a monotonous teacher-centered class where student’s autonomy is at stake. A high TTT also hinders knowledge construction due to the domineering role of the teacher. Besides, talking at the students doesn’t necessarily mean talking to the students. There is more to communication than just one person speaking and another one listening. By talking all the time we deprive our students not only of their share of the talk, but also of the possibility for them to reflect on language. We forget that silence has a positive effect on learners and that its power can contribute to langauge learning. It is worthwhile noting that the Silent Way method has exploited the benefits of silence. The teacher in this method is almost always silent and this silence according to Stevick (1980: 45) provides the cognitive and affective space within which the learner takes charge of his or her learning.

Is it that bad?

Don’t our English learners need some kind of input?

There is evidence (Krachen 1987: 26) that learners need a  silent period before they become able to speak. This silent period helps students develop a competence in the target language and gets learners process language before they are actually able to produce it. In other words, before they can speak they need to listen. Krachen contends that the best methods are those that supply comprehensible input in low anxiety environment, containing messages that students are really interested in hearing. Teacher talk can have positive effects if handled carefully. In fact, teacher talk can provide language model especially when students don’t live in an English-speaking community. Thus authentic talk where the conversation is meaningful and relevant can boost language acquisition and provide a low anxiety environment. Most of the vocabulary and structures can be acquired when real spontaneous input is provided. So instead of intending to minimize Teacher Talk Time in the classroom, it would be better to optimize this talk for the good of langauge acquisition.

Ways to optimize TTT

Teacher talk can be positive:

• Teacher talk is necessary when it provides language model.
• In listening activities such as story telling, a high TTT can be allowed
• Teachers may indulge in spontaneous speech where the message is clear enough for learners to understand.
• When talking, a teacher must respect one essential rule: being meaningful, purposeful and relevant.
• If a task is to be carried appropriately and effectively, a teacher talking to give instruction is not that harmful.

Links

More on the benefits of silence: S for Silence by Scott Thornbury

References

Stevick, E. W. (1980) Teaching Languages: A Way and Ways, Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Krashen, S.D.  (1987) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition, Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall.