Alternatives to PPP [Presentation-Practice-Production]

Harmer's elements for successful lg learning:

Engage>>>Study>>>Activate sequence E S A

Three models of lesson suggested by Harmer:

1. Straight Arrows sequence:

ESA Engage>>>Study>>>Activate:

• Ss practice in a controlled way;

• good procedure for lower level Ss.

2. Boomerang sequence:

EAS(A)

• T responds to Ss` needs;

• appropriate for intermediate and advanced levels.

3. Patchwork sequence:

EAASASEA etc.

• a mixture of procedures and mini- procedures; a variety of short tasks building up to a whole;

• at more advanced levels.

Four kinds of lesson by J. Scriviner:

1. Logical line:

A >>> B >>> C>>> etc.

• similar to PPP;

• one clear aim to the whole lesson;

• step by step clearly prepared sequence of activities.

2. Topic umbrella:

• TOPIC is the organizing principle/ focal point of work;

• a variety of separate activities linked by TOPIC (all skills);

• a number of different aims, e.g. vocab, grammar, etc.

3. Jungle path:

__________________________________

• responding to Ss` needs;

• T works with people, not prepared plans.

4. RAG - BAG:

- made up of a number of unconnected activities;

• variety but also `bittiness';

• each activity has its own aim;

• no overall aim for the lesson;

• used mainly for revision.

Project work

Paraphasing Legutke, PROJECT WORK is task and theme-centered maodel of teaching and learning(learning by doing) and a joint process of negotiation, experiential and holistic = dualism, in which the balance between the product and process orientation schould be preserved.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PW LEARNING:

• autonomy;

• challenging;

• creativity;

• freedom;

• interdisciplinary;

• peer-learning;

• cooperative learning;

• integrated skills;

• responsibility;

• learner-centered;

• investigative;

• egalitarian.

KINDS OF PROJECTS:

1. encounter (meeting people in other country);

2. text = authentic materials; looking for info based on texts, modifying it and presenting;

3. correspondence:

16. snail mail

17. Internet chatrooms.

PROCESS AND PRODUCT-ORIENTEDNESS:

process-oriented becuse you learn by doing, you have to experience it to get some knowledge about, e.g. negotiation process, social/cultural differences;

PRODUCT-ORIENTED because you have to have some kind of result, no matter if it is written text or a video film, you produce sth = that is your task.

PROJECT WORK= A ROUTE TO AUTONOMY:

We learn how to work in a group, but at the same time we work individually. I think that what is most important- it is the fact that we learn “how to live” in a society, how it works and that you have to put a lot of effort to see satisfactory results. The same problems we solve in our lives, so thanks to project work we have some practice to real life problems.

Stages of a project:

• opening

• topic orientation

• research and data collection

• preparation of data presentation

• presentation (final, end product)

• evaluation (assessors= peers and teacher)

• follow- up (e.g. mistakes).

Teaching pronunciation

“ Pronunciation should be an integral part of an English teaching programme from the earlt stages, just as the teaching of strucyures and vocabulary.”

(TEFL: 207)

“Communicative efficiency” suggetsed by Harmer, means that it is enough to be understood, efficient, other name= INTELLIGIBILITY.

To teach PRONUNCIATION means to teach:

• sound

• stress

• intonation

• rhythm.

Tasks for improving pronunciation (Ur):

• imitation of the teacher;

• varied choral drills;

• self-correction by listening to one's recordings;

• jazz chants;

• tongue twisters;

• clear explanation & information on the side of the teacher.

SOUND PRESENTATION:

• model (a teacher, a tape);

• transcription/ phonetic symbols:

TEACHING PRONUNCIATION OPPORTUNISTICALLY (Harmer 2001):

The teacher shouldn't teach pronunciation every single time and put big stress on it because Ss may feel discouraged to speak. It should be done rather by the way.

Large heterogeneous classes

HETEROGENEOUS= mixed-level, mixed-ability, mixed-proficiency classes.

CHARACTERISTICS (DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LEARNERS):

• independence;

• creativity;

• lg competence;

• tempo/ pace;

• discipline;

• motivation;

• cultural background;

• learning styles;

• L1;

• intelligence;

• world knowledge;

• learning experience;

• age/ maturity;

• gender;

• personality;

• interests;

• educational level.

A D V A N T A G E S :

• boosted motivation;

• peer-learning;

• varied options;

• increase in knowledge;

• awareness;

• tolerance;

• cooperation;

• creativity;

• innovations;

• professional development.

D I S A D V A N T A G E S:

• discipline;

• lazy Ss;

• attention to individuals limited;

• correction;

• T never satisfies everybody;

• pacing/ tempo;

• achieveness.

Techniques used with heterogeneous classes:

• pair-up stronger ones with weaker ones;

• begin and finish with a lockstep;

• vary the activities for the stronger and the weaker ones;

• change the tempo/ pace of the lesson.

Video techniques

TYPES:

• Jig-saw viewing/ video split:

• speaking practice;

• watchers & listeners, or detectives & witnesses.

• Silent viewing:

• write the dialogues;

• write a story;

• “What the person was doing?”

• Sound only:

• “Where do you think it takes place?”

• “What they look like?”

• act out later.

• Partial viewing:

• when you cover some parts of the screen.

• Fast forward:

• reconstruct the story.

• Freeze frame:

• description;

• summing up;

• repetition;

• predicting;

• finish the sentence activity.

WHY USE A VIDEO IN A CLASS:

• basis for discussion;

• practice in taking notes, e.g. main points;

• provides visual support;

• offers variety &entertainment;

• links through topics;

• addition to the unit;

• realistic, authentic, slices of life;

• culture bound;

• gets Ss talking;

• input to the activities;

• communicative.

t e r m i n o l o g y :

• developmental errors - errors that come from overgeneralization and when Ss develop, they stop making them as they improve their knowledge of L2.

• reformulation - teacher corrects a student by giving the right / correct version of S`s sentence.

• elicitation - occurs when the T tries to check how much Ss know about a certain matter and he/she asks a questions.

• meaningful drills - drills that are.....................................................................................

• stir - settle - is the way of varying the lesson activities from lively ones, encouraging, to more calming down ones.

• fluid pairs - “changing” pairs, you change your partner all the time, but it is always a pairwork.

• opening the closed -ended activity - changing the activity in such a way that it has many correct answers.

• backchaining - teaching pronunciation by adding one syllable after another beginning from the end.

• teacher as a prompter - teacher encouraging Ss to participation in class.

• content feedback - to be interested more in the content of a work (report...etc.) rather that in accuracy.