Κάντε log in ή Εγγραφείτε εδώ
This is the third in a series of articles focusing on ideas about teaching grammar to English learners. The previous two articles addressed issues relating to the presentation and practice of grammar. This one will concentrate on the third stage in the teaching process - production.
The new format for the Cambridge English Proficiency exam introduced in March 2013 should not present any unforeseen problems for the teacher or student. Existing task types have either been modified slightly or changed to bring them in line with the FCE and/or the CAE examinations (eg the Reading and Listening multiple-matching tasks). Some task types (eg the Use of English gapped sentences) have gone altogether and others which might seem to be new (eg Writing Part 1) are largely building on skills the students would already have been practising for the old exam format, ie summarising.
While children learn by doing, they also learn through social interaction. Vygotsky (1962) found that children construct knowledge through other people, more specifically through interaction with adults or more competent peers who provide assistance or ‘scaffolding’ to help learners achieve more than they could on their own. View the video.
Read more
*This interview was first published in Issue 141 of the TESOL Greece Journal
How can the 5 Ts of TESOL be used in different teaching contexts?
There is a general feeling that English pronunciation is not worth teaching. This is because there are many exceptions and students are generally told that they will eventually pick up the correct pronunciation. Here, Jennifer Lowe explains how to simplify the process and focus on pronunciation essentials.
Read more:
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Here is a pairwork speaking activity titled: ‘We’re the interviewer and interviewee’. It provides oral practice on question formation and proper preparation for Exam Interviews.
PREPARATION OF MATERIALS:
1. First, prepare one set of Question Cards with question beginnings like the ones pictured below:
ANSWER: Using brainstorming activities is one of the best ways to help our learners generate ideas in writing. We use such activities often, as it is indeed difficult for most of us to think of ways to discuss a subject even in our mother tongue.
Brainstorming activities work like field practice in class. Learners need to do such activities as often and as many as possible over a period of time in order to get used to generating ideas on any given topic.
ANSWER: An essential part of English pronunciation is some basic awareness of syllabication and word stress. Our suggestion , "Let's Snap, Clap, Tap, Walk Syllables" is an activity for beginning/elementary level children, yet it can be used with all levels and ages of language learners. Learners can practice saying words and phrases in unison, while indicating on which syllable, within a word or phrase, the stress falls. We provide you with 4 ways to indicate or mark where the stress falls: Snap, Clap, Tap, Walk. Two additional silent