Teaching Listening

Strategies for Developing Listening Skills

Language learning depends on listening. Listening provides the aural input that serves as

the basis for language acquisition and enables learners to interact in spoken communication.

Effective language instructors show students how they can adjust their listening behavior to deal with a variety of situations, types of input, and listening purposes. They help students develop a set of listening strategies and match appropriate strategies to each listening situation.

Listening Strategies

Listening strategies are techniques or activities that contribute directly to the comprehension and recall of listening input. Listening strategies can be classified by how the listener processes the input.

When is a board not a board?

Classes differ in terms of location, status and amount of technological equipment, and in the age, level and number of students, but they all have one thing in common: a board. Teachers are always using the board, but there may be much greater potential to exploit this resource than many people think. One way of finding new possibilities is by using metaphors. This article considers a number of metaphors for the board, and suggests that creative thinking may help teachers find the full potential of this ubiquitous ‘empty space’ resource.

English Accents

Read and listen to the information about these 11 English accents from around the world.

Project work with teenagers

Project work is becoming an increasingly popular feature within the ELT classroom. Common projects are class magazines, group wall displays about students' countries and designs for cities of the future.

A project involves students in deciding together what they want to do to complete a project whilst the teacher plays a more supporting role.

• Some advantages

• Planning the project

• Some possible drawbacks

• Example projects

• References

Some advantages of project work are:

• Increased motivation - learners become personally involved in the project.

• All four skills, reading, writing, listening and speaking are integrated.

• Autonomous learning is promoted as learners become more responsible for their own learning.

• There are learning outcomes -learners have an end product.

• Authentic tasks and therefore the language input are more authentic.

• Interpersonal relations are developed through working as a group.

• Content and methodology can be decided between the learners and the teacher and within the group themselves so it is more learner centred.

• Learners often get help from parents for project work thus involving the parent more in the child's learning. If the project is also displayed parents can see it at open days or when they pick the child up from the school.

• A break from routine and the chance to do something different.

• A context is established which balances the need for fluency and accuracy. Haines (1989)

TBL and PBL: Two learner-centred approaches

Many newly qualified or inexperienced teachers tend to base their lesson planning on the traditional PPP approach (Presentation, Practice, Production) because it is reliable and it is a valid framework around which to base a series of classroom activities. It is also usually the best way of covering all the lexical areas and grammar points in the course book or syllabus.

All good and well. The problem is that PPP serves the teacher’s needs but it is debatable whether or not it fulfills the needs of the learner.

The language presented and practiced does not take into account the particular needs of each learner; the language content is almost always dictated by the coursebook and/or syllabus. For this reason, many teachers, having experimented with the PPP approach turn to more learner-centred approaches where the needs of the learner are central to the lesson content. Two such approaches are TBL (Task-Based Learning) and PBL (Project-Based Learning).

Sincronizar marcadores en Google Chrome

Una manera sencilla de controlar los marcadores y mucho más

Hace ya un tiempo que Google Chrome viene ofreciendo la posibilidad de sincronizar los marcadores a través de una cuenta de Google. Ahora con su última actualización amplia esta sincronización a muchos más aspectos del navegador, como extensiones, preferencias y temas.

Sincronizar chrome a una cuenta de Google está pensado para aquellos que disponen de más de un ordenador y quieren tener en todos la misma configuración, de manera que: si en uno añaden una página a favoritos, se instala una nueva extensión, se cambia el tema o la página de inicio...automáticamente aparezca en todos.

Ejemplo práctico:

En casa tienes un ordenador de sobremesa y un portátil. Navegas en ambos con Google Chrome. Si sincronizas los marcadores a tu cuenta de Google ambos ordenadores, dentro del navegador Google Chrome, dispondrán de los mismos marcadores. Pero no solo eso, sino que si añades un marcador nuevo en uno de los ordenadores, Google guarda esa información en tu cuenta y automáticamente se añadirá dicho marcador nuevo en todos los ordenadores sincronizados a esa cuenta. Lo mismo ocurre al borrar el marcador.
Esta función de Google Chrome es muy interesante para las aulas del proyecto Escuela 2.0. ya que nos permitirá (disponiendo de una cuenta de Google para la clase) proponer enlaces y controlar los marcadores de todos los equipos del alumnado de manera directa y sin la necesidad de entrar a una dirección web para acceder a los mismos.

Además nos permite no partir de cero en una instalación nueva de chrome, incorporando las preferencias, extensiones, temas...

Learning strategies for learners

We’ve all heard about learning strategies and what to do to teach them to our students. The problem which arises is how you can understand this tough puzzle: 
 
DIRECT STRATEGIES 

o I. Memory

1. Creating mental linkages
2. Applying images and sounds
3. Reviewing well 
4. Employing action

o II.Cognitive 

1. Practising
2. Receiving and sending messages strategies
3. Analysing and reasoning
4. Creating structure for input and output

o III. Compensation strategies 

1. Guessing intelligently
2. Overcoming limitations in speaking and writing    

  

 INDIRECT STRATEGIES

o I. Metacognitive Strategies    

1. Centering your learning
2. Arranging and planning your learning
3. Evaluating your learning

 o II. Affective Strategies   

1. Lowering your anxiety
2. Encouraging yourself
3. Taking your emotional temperature 

o III. Social Strategies   

1. Asking questions
2. Cooperating with others
3. Empathising with others

Seven Ways of Looking at Grammar by Scott Thornbury

The PPP methodology for Communicative Language Teaching

In recent years, the purely "structural" approach to language teaching has been criticized, as it tends to produce students who, despite having the ability to produce structurally accurate language, are generally deficient in their ability to use the language and understand its use in real communication.

What is the "structural" approach to language teaching?  If your classroom is full of students that memorize vocabulary and grammar rules through repitition and rote learning, and are corrected for even the smallest mistake whilst speaking or writing English, then you are a champion of the structural teaching approach.  No doubt your students are learning a lot of English, but how effective and how enjoyable is this process?

An approach to language teaching has been developed which attempts to overcome the weaknesses of the "structural approach" (which incidentally is the kind of teaching methodology that tends to prevail in Asian public schools).  The new approach is based on viewing language as a combination of:

a)   Linguistic Structures          b) Situational Settings          c) Communicative Acts

This is known as the "communicative approach" to language teaching.  Communication is not simply a matter of what is said (structure/lexis), but where it is said, by whom, when and why it is said.  In short, this is basically the "communicative function" or "purpose" of language.

At the opposite extreme from the structural approach, and with at least as many flaws, is the purely "conversational" approach, where it is assumed that exposure to lots of conversation from a native English speaker will produce a high level of aptitude in the students.  Whereas the structural approach promotes accuracy and tends to inhibit communicative confidence, the conversational approach tends to create communicative confidence in combination with many entrenched errors.  Being keen to communicate and yet not being able to do so properly is almost as risky as knowing what to say but not having the confidence or practice to use it.

El Aprendizaje en el Conductismo

Los paradigmas de la Educacion

What is Language?

Language has been studied for many years and from different perspectives. Ancient Greek philosophers elaborated on its proper use and purpose, modern scholars analyzed how it is produced and perceived. Everything that has so far been said about language can be ascribed to a certain general conception of talking about this issue. There are four such different approaches to talking about language: treating it as a social fact, as natural behavior, as a mental organ, or as an abstract object.

Language as a social phenomenon was first described by Ferdinand se Saussure who claimed that providing only historical description of languages (as it was done at his time) should not be the only approach to this complex entity. He maintained that crucial information about language can be obtained from its common users, who in most cases do not posses practically any theoretical knowledge about their native tongue and yet are competent speakers. Moreover, as Saussure assumed language use reflects the contemporary structure which should enable synchronic language analysis (language used at a given point in time) in addition to diachronic analysis concerned with the past linguistic forms. The social aspect of using language, or speech was called parole by Saussure, while the underlying knowledge of linguistic structure was known as langue.

Read On!!


Another view on language, mainly language as behavior partially derived from the behaviorist psychology and philosophy. Linguists representing this attitude focused on different languages used by various people rather than on linguistic universals, as they assumed that linguistic data is best gathered by observation of human behavior and interaction. Apart from that, it was assumed that meaning of sentences is not observable, thus it must be analyzed referring to introspective judgments. What follows this assumption is the definition of language provided by linguists who represent this approach. They maintain that language is: the totality of utterances that can be made in a speech community.

According to the third approach to language started by Noam Chomsky language is a mental organ. Having noticed certain similarities among languages Chomsky expressed the view that they cannot be explained by environmental factors or be accidental and there needs to be a special mental ability embedded in human brains. He defined language by means of generative grammar: a finite set of rules which would enable users to make an unlimited number of expressions. Representatives of this approach support the view that it is not particular languages that should be analyzed, but the Universal Grammar, or the mental organ that allows humans to speak.

The last group is constituted by scholars who claim that language is an abstract object as it does not occupy any space or time. Thus this view is in opposition to Chomsky’s ideas, but linguists who agree with it emphasize that the analysis of the best abstract models of language can bring helpful effects of the entire area of study.

• Bibliography

- Wiśniewski, Kamil. "Linguistics - What is language? » Język angielski online." Język angielski online. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2010. .

Go to the SITE NOW!!

Structuralism and Saussure

Enhance the Learning Process with the Power of Music

Research has found that the ideal state for learning is when the brain is in a relaxed, but aware state.

So when we say relaxed, we do not mean asleep. We mean relaxed, focussed and aware.

At this point the brainwaves run at about 8 to 12 cycles per seconds or hertz.

This is called the alpha state.

This compares with the 'normal' state of 13-25 hertz which is called the beta state. The beta state is that of most of our waking moments as we go about our daily lives.

At the other end of the spectrum we find, just below the alpha level, the theta state which is even slower than alpha, and an even deeper sense of relaxation.

It is however more difficult to achieve, and really requires one to have the ability to meditate deeply. It is a highly creative state.

Slower still is the state of sleep which is the delta state.

So, How can the Alpha State be achieved?

Read On!!
It can be achieved in a number of ways and most of us achieve it at some during most days. A typical time may be just before one goes to sleep, or as one wakes.

At this time the mind is clear, receptive to information, and rapidly makes 'connections', realisations and joins up thoughts.One naturally enters the alpha state as one falls asleep, and when one slowly and naturally wakes up.

The blast of the alarm clock will shatter through theta-delta-alpha and to beta.

How does one harness this 'alpha state' on waking?

* As you awaken, just lie there and consciously direct your thoughts to the learning material you are covering, or the topics that you need to address.

This is particularly easy when you have no pressure to get out of bed, say on a weekend.

* Use a non-alarm type alarm clock. Use one of those that just wakes you up gently, for example like with quiet music that very slowly builds up.

Researchers have also found that certain music types ease the brainwaves into the relaxed 'alpha state' that is ideal for enhancing the learning process.

If you listen to music that contains rhythms at a frequency of 10 Hz,it will generate more brain waves at a frequency of 10 Hz, and enter a state of mental relaxation .


One form of this music is the largo movements of certain Baroque composers. The largo movements are around 40 to 60 beats per minute.

If you are a skeptic, why not try classical music while studying?

Suggested songs:

1. Aira, de la suite No.3
2. Adagio
3. Danza de los espíritus bienaventurados, de Orfeo y Eurídice
4. Largo de Xerxes
5. Canon en Re
6. andante, del concierto No.21 para piano
7. Adagio sostenuto
8. El cisne, del Carnaval de los animales
9. Muerte de Ase, de Peer Gynt
10. Meditación de Tahis
11. Intermezzo, de Cavalleria rusticana
12. Claro de luna
13. Fantasía sobre Greensleeves
14. Gnossienne No.1
15. Adagietto, de la sinfonía No.5

You can listen to the previous tracklist with just one click on the video below.


Bibliography

* " Música para el entrenamiento de las ondas cerebrales." Piano Red: sitio sobre pianos. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2010. http://www.pianored.com/musica/2007/10/28/ondas-cerebrales.
* "Alpha brainwaves are the optimum for Superlearning. 10 things you must know.." Language learning 200 words a day Spanish,French,German, Welsh-easy-effective.. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.http://www.200words-a-day.com/alpha.html.

7 Essential Student Motivation Techniques That You Must Use By: Honey Krumholz

As a teacher one of your top priorities is to be able to motivate your students. It's the key to drive them to reach their potential and achieve their future dreams and goals. Student motivation is a necessity so that the learning becomes a continuing, improving, interesting and hopefully enjoyable process.

Motivation to learn should be encouraged and developed from an early age. Young children have a natural curiosity to explore and learn about new things. As they grow older their motivation to learn may diminish (if not properly nourished), so you as a teacher, have a responsibility, to find ways to motivate your students.


Read On!!


There are so many ways for you to motivate your students but here are my top 7.

1. Develop a trusting relationship with your students. Show then that you care and you will create a genuine bond with them. Gain your students' respect and in most cases they will reciprocate. This is vital in establishing an atmosphere where learning is a positive, meaningful and valuable experience.

2. Everyone likes to make their own decisions, create their own personal choices, and have control of their lives. Students are no exception. So, as much as possible, give students more control. Allow students to choose their own ways of completing assignments, learning new or complex tasks, etc. Having control of your own rights, is a very resourceful motivational technique.

3. Relate assignments and class projects to real life situations. A common complaint of students is "What good is learning this, I'll never use this again?". So as they say "Keep it Real". In today's world, with all sorts of technology available, computers, the Internet, U Tube and other forms of video that can be brought into the classroom, it's easier and easier to put some excitement into your lessons and project assignments and keep your students interested and motivated.

4. Implement a reward system. Teaching strategies that offer praise and involve a reward system have proved to be extremely beneficial in motivating students. Teaching in primary grades is quite different than in junior grades and the reward system and prizes will differ, but for example, points can be awarded for achieving different tasks and awards such as free time, parties, educational books or other simple prizes are great motivational tools. Just make sure that your students realize that the reward system is a reward for finishing a task not for just participating!

5. Classroom games and class meetings to discuss personal topics like hobbies are fabulous for motivating students and team building. It's amazing how it does wonders for students' self esteem and camaraderie. Games and team building activities may also attract the unmotivated students you have in your class.

6. Having students help with some of the many jobs that need to be done in the classroom, will not only make your life as a teacher easier but classroom jobs are also a great student motivational tool.

7. Classroom displays help to make your classroom a stimulating and motivating environment in which to learn! Displaying their work for others to see, motivates students to learn, work and produce good quality results. Remember too, that it is important that students play a important part in decorating the classroom. When students feel ownership of their classroom, it motivates them and creates a positive learning environment.

Two important thoughts to keep in mind as you finish reading this article. Always display care, concern and encouragement for your students, and never give up on any unmotivated students or they will give up on themselves.



Honey Krumholz has taught elementary school for 33 years. She is presently a college supervisor and mentor to student teachers. She presents seminars on teaching strategies at York University in Toronto. Visit her website and get her effective teaching strategies on a wide variety of topics, for example, different games for classroom motivation http://www.priceless-teaching-strategies.com/classroom_games.html

English Only in the EFL Classroom: Worth the Hassle?

In considering the use of L1 (the learners mother tongue) in ELT (English Language Teaching) on the part of the teacher, one of the first assumptions is that the teacher has a sufficient command of the students L1 to be of value in the first place. Another assumption which may well impact this scenario is that all the learners in a class or group have the same L1. While these assumptions may often be the case in numerous EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching / learning settings, many times they are not. In the case of multi-cultural classes (i.e. in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India, etc.) where the learners have different L1s, or when the teacher does not have a working knowledge of the learners L1, a frequent occurrence in Asia, Africa and eastern Europe, applied L1 use in the EFL classroom is severely limited or may be rendered virtually impossible.

Read On!!



Use of L1 in the Classroom

In my case, I'll talk about those instances where I do in fact use the learners L1 in my EFL classes. I have acquired a working knowledge of Spanish and all my university and independent students have Spanish as their L1. Although I'm against any substantial use of L1 in ESOL (the teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes, there are situations where its use is quite valuable. In addition, at early levels a ratio of about 5 per cent native language to about 95 per cent target language may be more profitable than the use of "English only". (Atkinson, 1987) On the first day of class with a new group, I explain to the learners that they are allowed to ask "How do you say ______ , in Spanish?" where the Spanish (L1) word or phrase is filled in the blank. This allows the students to get key vocabulary in their written or spoken expression while limiting their use of L1 in class.

When learners are stumped for abstract lexis, a word or phrase which cannot be easily elicited during the course of a lesson, I'll simply "give" them the word in Spanish to aid in continuing with the smooth flow of the lesson and not get "bogged down" in trying to come up with the elusive lexis by other means. When a student gives me production of incomprehensible language, i.e., I (nor the other learners) cannot decipher what the student is trying to say in English, I'll say "Tell me that in Spanish." Armed with this new understanding I (or one of the other learners) can then provide that learner with corrected, comprehensible forms which otherwise might elude both (or even all) of us.

During a written exam, I’ll also "give" the learners a word or phrase writing it on the board in English and / or Spanish to avoid extensive disruption of the test-taking process. Since I do not prepare the exams, new lexis can creep into readings, instructions or exercises. When a learner, and as additional learners, ask for meaning or explanation of the word(s), I'll simply point to the lexis on the board without speaking.

When playing communicative, TPR (Asher, 1966 and passim) or "fast-paced" vocabulary games such as a learner favorite called "STOP", I'll again provide a translation of new lexis to help develop the learners vocabulary. These could be lexis of places, names in English / Spanish, foods, animals or some verbs or use of the L1 in various code-switching activities. (Clandfield - Foord, 2003) This happens especially frequently when I need to explain why a particular word is incorrect or cannot be used.

L1 Use with LEP Learners

One additional instance when I switch to Spanish is when I must talk to LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners about important administrative matters or procedures for which they do not have the necessary depth of vocabulary to understand. The importance of the material and their need to understand it outweigh the adherence of sticking to "English only" which is my "standard operating procedure" in the classroom. This is especially true in my case with groups of learners with less than about 250 contact hours of English which is equivalent to third semester or less. Note: Atkinson (1987 and passim) states 150 hours or less (second semester) for this stage although I have found it often extends into an additional semester.

On occasion, students will bring in a song or lyrics, usually Rock or Pop music, and ask the meaning of a word, phrase, expression or sometimes even the title. In providing the requested explanation (when I can), I use comparisons and / or translations into Spanish as often as is necessary. The same may occur with dialogue from popular films, movies and videos produced for native speakers of English. In rare instances, a cassette recording of a radio broadcast or book-on-tape has made its way into my classroom for the same reasons.

A final common instance in my use of L1 in the classroom is with learners in "repeat" or "remedial" classes of LEP learners. Since these learners have already demonstrated that the "traditional" teaching methods provided for in their course books is insufficient in teaching them the material. All these learners have failed the course at this level at least once, some twice or more. I subsequently use a series of alternative methodologies including translation and other types of input / feedback in the learners L1 to aid in the learning - acquisition process. These methods have, in fact, proved to be very successful. One reason may be that use of specially-targeted methodologies and altered classroom conditions help to lower the learners Affective Filters (Krashen - Terrell, 1983) and direct the new material and lexis to them in ways more compatible with their individual Multiple Intelligences and preferred learning styles (Gardner, 1983).

In conclusion I have stated that my use of L1 in the EFL classroom is minimal and should not exceed a ratio of more than 5% of the L1 to 95% of the target language. Key EFL classroom situations in which L1 can be utilized include:

• requesting new lexis

• explaining abstract terms

• to aid in the generation of comprehensible input / production

• during exams and other high-stress situations

• to maintain the flow of dynamic activities

• to explain idioms and expressions in songs, movies and videos

• giving information / instructions to LEP learners

• in adapting materials to the special needs of the learners

While the use of the learners L1 should be strictly controlled, it is plausible to make accurate use of it in activities to promote learning and acquisition. Ongoing language acquisition research and in-class practice supports that use of L1 should not be prohibited for its own sake, but allowed occasionally as an additional tool in the repertoire of the teacher and the learners as conditions warrant.