Unit 19

WORKSHEET – UNIT 19


Task 1 – List the different categories of beginner students, giving a brief explanation of each:

Absolute beginner - no previous English at all
False beginner - may have been exposed but with little retained
Adult beginner - Highly motivated but no previous English
Young beginner - Learn quickly but not much motivation
Beginner without Roman alphabet - Requires a large amount of reading and writing skills

Task 2 – How would you as a teacher adapt your approach to beginner students?

We would first get to know the students, possibly asking them to write their names on a piece of paper then place it on the desk, as seen in the previous units’ video. Then we would ask some questions in English (using a large amount of body language) and attempt to see how much English they already know (if any at all). We believe it would be a good idea to ask the students questions about things which will interest them, therefore motivate them and hopefully initiate communication between the students who may not currently be familiar with one and other.

After some class discussion we would decide whether or not it’s necessary to alter the original lesson plan and then begin teaching the class making sure we are moving at the correct pace and if the students are having trouble in certain areas then repeating those as many times as necessary to get the ball rolling.

Task 3 – How can teaching individual students differ from teaching groups?

The main difference is that you will not be able to teach using the same classroom activities as normal and the only communication will be between the teacher and the individual. We have put together some pros and cons.

Pros:
Lessons can be tailored to meet the needs of the individual
Classes can be arranged at times which suit both the teacher and the individual
Can move at whichever pace necessary for the student to learn

Cons:
No student to student participation
Certain activities are no longer possible
Loss of dynamics and tiredness

Task 4 – What information would you want to obtain in a needs analysis for a group of Business English students you will be teaching in their office? How could you use this information when planning the program?

There is a great deal of information to obtain before writing lesson plans. Some examples are:
Purpose (i.e. presentations, phone support, business deals, meetings)
Current level of English
What the company does
The company roles of the people attending the lesson

We would then use this information in various ways to plan the lessons. For example, the analysis will decide which materials are used in class, which activities to choose for role-play, which people to group together or even which classes to put the students in (if conducting multiple classes at different skill levels).


Task 5 – How does the teaching of young learners differ from the teaching of adults?

Children catch on very quickly however they aren’t as motivated as adult learners as it is hard for them to see the benefits of learning another language. They also have lots of energy and are distracted easily. It is important to acknowledge any work which the child completes and to make sure the lesson moves along before the students are bored. Lots of visual aids are also important.

Another significant issue is to speak English at all times because if you speak in the students own language they will catch on and only concentrate towards the end of your lesson when you announce the answers in their native tongue.

Last but not least, it is imperative to have the correct teacher behaviour when conducting your lessons, this includes being fair, calm and disciplining the children in the appropriate manner.

Task 6 – Imagine you are going to teach a class of 7 year olds. The objective is that the learners use basic food vocabulary in English by identifying different foods and expressing their likes and dislikes.

Plan a 30 minute ESA lesson using the lesson plan form on pages 6/7 of unit 14.

Task 7 – Would you prefer to teach a monolingual or multilingual class? Give reasons for your choice.

We would personally prefer to teach in a monolingual class because it has been our experience at high school and college that students of different cultures are more likely to be shy amongst each other. We also agree with the point made in the book that it would be easier to find topics which are appreciated universally across the classroom. Another bonus would be being able to learn the students’ language outside of class time as you would obviously be in a foreign country.