Classroom language 3

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	I want you 'all
	to join 'Hn.
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Work in 'pairs, ^please.

I d like

'everybody to answer the next ^question.

Ali to'gether ^now.

r^^ORGANisATION)^^

'Finish this off at ^vhome.

'Get into groups of ^four.

I want you to 'read these cards 'silently to your'selves.

'Open your books at page

seventy-Hhree.

Giving instructions

Come out and write it on the ^board, please.

Listen 'carefully to the Aape.

Language used by the teacher to give appropriate instructions related to recurrent classroom activities, such as using textbooks, board work, pair and group work, etc.

ORGANISATION

Requests & suggestions

Shall we do this in groups of three?

Do you think you could move your desks together, please?

Would you like to take one and pass the others on?

Could you pass these papers round, please? Could you answer the next question?

I’d like you to try the next one, please.

Do you want to try question six?

Would you mind switching on the lights?

You’ll need the worksheet we were using last time.

It might be an idea to leave this till next time.

Depending on the role the teacher wishes to adopt, he/she can affect rapport and influence students’ attitudes simply by switching from giving instructions to making polite suggestions and requests. This is a good example to refer to for introducing the cultural concept of polite ‘softeners’.

ORGANISATION Sequencing

Let me explain what I want you to do next. First of all today ...

Right. Now we’ll move on to exercise two. OK!

First we’re going to practise this.

Then I want you to ...

When we’ve finished this, we’re going to ... Are you all ready?

All right.

Fine. Now ...

Sequencing markers indicate new activities and new stages in a lesson.

ORGANISATION Supervision

Would someone take it down and put it on my desk?

Be careful. Mind the cable.

Look this way, please.

Stop talking.

Listen to what Abdul is saying.

Is anybody absent?

Quiet now, please.

Come and see me after the lesson.

Pay attention.

Stop now.

The supervision language directs the attention to the lesson content.

EXPLANATION Reference

Listen to the way my voice rises.

This is a picture of a typical English village. It’s somewhere near the front of the book. Listen to Pedro’s sentence.

Notice how the graph starts to fali here.

Have a look at the diagram on page twenty-five.

You can refer to the map on the other page. It’s in the top left-hand corner.

Here’s a song by Simon and Garfunkel called ‘Cecilia’.

Can you make out the library, just to the left of the church?

The teacher can give appropriate background factual information relating to people, places and events.

INTERACTION Affective attitudes

Good. That’s much better. But there’s something missing in this linę.

That’s interesting!

That really is very kind of you.

Don’t worry about it.

Never mind.

I was just a little disappointed with your results.

I think we’re going to have to do better than this.

Oh dear. We seem to have a problem.

That’s a tremendous effort. Weil done.

Just do the best you can for the time being.

Expressing interest, surprise, disappointment, friendship, appreciation, pity, sympathy, etc, as appropriate at a personal level.

INTERACTION Sociai ritual

l’m sorry. That’s my fault.

Weil, I hope you all enjoy yourseives.

Good moming.

Happy birthday.

Have a nica weekend.

How are you all today?

Weil, did you enjoy the holiday?

Your hair looks nice.

Goodbye, everyone. See you all tomorrow. Congratulations on ...

Everyday phrases relating to recurrent sociai situations (greetings, apologies, thanks, congratulations, etc) can be a rich source of language.

The diagram at the top shows how I normally display CL to students and/or teacher trainees. You will no doubt be able to add your own examples to the other boxes on this page.

®What language would you include under the heading of ‘INTERROGATION Asking ąuestions’ and ‘INTERROGATION Replying and responding"?

“3^3- o ENGLISH TEACHING pfojcssioncil • Issue Eighteen January 2001 •

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Classroom language is really ‘teacher s j language’. Everything a teacher does in j the classroom has a great impact on students’ learning, and that goes for what we say too - and what we say should not be underestimated as a source of language learning.

So, the next time you open your mouth in the classroom, please make the most of the opportunity. i?Jp    :

Brian Winn-Smith has been a teacher and teacher trainer for morę than 25 years. His specialist interest is in the development of distance training materiał for teachers of English to speakers of other languages. He is Executive Director of Eurolink Teacher Training, the UK’s largest provider of TESOL distance programmes.

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