`A COURSE IN LANGUAGE TEACHING,'

Penny Ur, CUP

THE FUNCTION OF PRACTICE

PRACTICE a rehersal in certain behaviours with the objective of consolidating learning and improving performance.

LEARNING A SKILL by a course of instruction, in a three- stage process:

1. 
   VERBALIZATION = the bit of a skill to be learned is focussed on and defined in words as well as demonstrated. It corresponds to `presentation'.

2. 
   AUTOMATIZATION = learner's performance of the target behaviour, monitored by the teacher, usually in exercises, until they get it right.

3. AUTONOMY = learners take a set of behaviours mastered so far and begin to improve on their own through further practice, speeding up their performance, perceiving and creating new combinations.

Characteristics of a good practice activity:

VALIDITY - the activity should activate learners primarily in the skill or material in purpose to practise.

PRE- LEARNING - learners should have a good preliminary grasp of the language they are required to practise, though they may only be able to produce it or uderstand it slowly and after thought.

VOLUME - the more language the learners engage with during the activity, the more practice in it they will get.

SUCCESS- ORIENTATION - it's important to select, design and administer practice activities in such a way that learners are likely to succeed in doing it.

HETEROGENITY - a good practice activity provides opportunity for useful practice to all, or most, of the different levels in class.

TEACHER ASSISTANCE - the main function of the teacher is to help students do an activity successfully.

INTEREST - if interest isn't derived from the challenge of getting- the- answer- right, it has to be rooted in other aspects ( topic, info- gap, game- like fun, etc.).

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