NEW

HELLOMETHODOLOGY

ALADDIN A. BASET, Ph.D. Exeter, UK.

Aims

• Help SS acquire language, thinking and study skills for communication in speaking and writing

• Help SS use skills effectively in and outside class

• Enable SS become more independent learners by engaging in CT skills

Approach

• A standards-based, communicative approach and methodology

• Different interaction patterns e.g. individual, pair and group work

Learners’ Development

• Extending learners’ linguistic knowledge

• Taking into account individual differences in learning styles

Teacher Role in a Communicative Course

• Planner• Instructor• Language model• Manager• Controller• Decision maker• Advisor• Monitor• Tutor• Assessor

Mother Tongue or English?

• Ts encouraged to use their discretion.

N.B. •English should be used as much as possible.

In which language would you • Give instructions?• Advise SS?• Praise SS?• Explain grammar?• Monitor understanding?

Course Components

2 student’s books (1/term)2 workbooks (1/term) A teacher’s book CD

Student’s Book

Student’s Book:General Aims :

• Practise target language forms and functions

• Extend SS’ strategies learning skills

• Develop SS’ independence/responsibility for learning

• Enhance SS’ CT skills

Student’s Book:Format and Content

• 3 modules covering a wide range of topics

• Each module consisting of 3 units linked by a common theme

• A total of 18 units, 9 per term

• language introduced in context of different topics

• Photographs/illustrations appealing to SS

• 1st page of each unit has an objectives box for SS– to check progress – to revise for exams

• Units cover all four language skills and some sub-skills e.g. reading for main ideas

• Units contain a variety of tasks for different learning styles

• Units encourage SS to develop independent learning strategies and CT skills

• Reader section provides an opportunity for extensive reading.

• Each story divided into 4 chapters with vocabulary, comprehension Qs and CT Qs

• Each unit has four pages/lessons and a Review page.

• The first page presents a reading activity.

• Each unit begins with Qs to discuss in small groups and activities to read text both for gist and detail • An Internet Search activity designed to encourage SS to become independent learners. • SS are asked to find out information related to unit theme and to report back to class

• The second page focuses on target language and grammar

• SS are asked to work out rules with the help of the Grammar box

• SS practise the new language, in a controlled manner then freely through pair work

• The 3rd page contains a listening activity

• SS are asked to answer gist and detail Qs or to complete notes

• The page also focuses on communication skills and contains a Functions box

• The box focuses on functional language, which SS are asked to use in real-life situations

• The 4th page extends topic and target language, and provides additional practice

• It has a Tools for Life box, which encourages learners to relate learning to the outside world

• In the second unit, SS encouraged to be more independent by completing a writing Project

• In the 3rd unit of the module, the fourth page has a different format called Eye on Egypt.

• This includes a long text with comprehension Qs and provides a theme for a CT activity.

• The texts focus on themes which relate to SS’ environment and personal experiences.

• The page encourages SS to express personal opinions and ideas.

• The final page of each module is a Review page

• Review focuses on language and structure learnt, and consolidates target language

• Review contains exercises to complete in various interaction patterns and covers different skills

• Review ends with a Writing Skills feature on an aspect of written English e.g. punctuation or style

Workbook

Workbook • should be used alongside the S’ Book.

• provides additional reinforcement of language and grammatical structures already studied • The general aim of the Workbook is to• Consolidate vocabulary, grammatical structures and reading/writing skills• Develop students’ abilities to plan, write and

proofread short texts

Format and Content

• Workbook has a practice test after every 3rd unit

• Workbook exercises are to be used in class as a follow-up to the lesson

Or • Can be started in class and finished at

home

Check your English!

• A diagnostic test to be taken during week 1 of the academic year

• It will help T measure SS’ abilities and identify problem areas

• T to identify good SS as well as weaker ones

• T expected to provide remedial work for weak SS and challenging tasks for the more advanced

• At end of Workbook, there are lists of irregular verbs and vocabulary, and the unit in which words first appeared

Unit Format and Content

• Each unit contains three pages, and each module has two pages for a practice test

• Workbook pages include a variety of grammar exercises, writing tasks, reading texts and activities

• 1st page of unit in Workbook is to be used after 2nd lesson in S Book. It contains a vocabulary exercise and practice for grammar points in S Book

• 2nd page of Workbook unit is used after S Book lesson 4, and contains practice of functions, skills and language points of lessons 3 and 4 of S Book

• 3rd page of Workbook unit is used after S Book Review page, focuses on writing skills, providing controlled and open writing tasks

• Before SS write, they are encouraged to think about what info and structures they will include

Course CD

Course CD

• Cassettes contain recorded dialogues/listening texts

• Full tapescripts included in Teacher’s Guide

• At end of each unit, there is a list of new vocabulary with a listen and repeat exercise

Teacher’ s Guide

Teacher’ s Guide

Format and Content

• A general introduction to course includes background to teaching approach

• Main part of guide consists of detailed notes on how to use material and tasks effectively

• Very early in TG, there is a scope and sequence table which summarizes language content of the course

• There is a glossary which contains words and phrases used in TG and their meanings in Arabic

Ongoing Assessment

• Workbook practice tests provide an opportunity for Ts to assess SS’ progress, and could be given under test conditions

• Ongoing assessment tasks enable Ts to form a fuller picture of individual learners and help them identify areas of difficulty

• Individual difficulties can be dealt with by talking to SS or by individual exercises which may improve their confidence

• Talk positively to SS about their progress and mistakes, and show how they can learn through reflecting on their mistakes

Supplementary Activities

• New language can be reinforced through fun activities

• The following language games can be adapted for most of the units

• Team noughts and crosses

• Divide class into two teams, noughts (O) or crosses (X). Give each team a word to read out loud. If the member of the team gets the pronunciation right, they can come and put a nought or cross on the grid for their team. The first team to get a line of noughts and crosses wins.

• You can also use language items in this game, e.g. irregular past. Give each team a verb to read out loud. One team reads the base verb to the other team and they have to say what the past form is.

Oral drills

• When you teach pronunciation or new vocabulary it can be useful to do oral drills. If students chant new words as a class first, this will give them confidence. Then ask individuals to chant the same words and hear how well they say them.

Chain drills

• These are useful for practising word groups such as times, months of the year, etc.

• One student says the first word in the sequence; the second says the next and so on round the class, e.g.:

• Teacher says: Add 15 minutes. Three o’clock• Student one: Quarter past three• Student two: Half past three etc.

• There are different ways of organising this:• students sitting next to each other take turns• students in rows from front to back• students in different parts of the classroom• Encourage students to help each other, and vary the

approaches so that each student has a chance to answer.

Picture dictations

• Using language items learned in the unit, ask students to draw something you describe, for example, an item of food. They do this individually, but can swap or compare their drawings with a partner at the end to check that they have understood the language.

• NB: This is not a test of their drawing skills; you are simply using drawing to check their comprehension.

• If necessary, teach some basic skills for drawing stick men, clock faces, happy and sad expressions, the weather, etc.

Variations on picture dictations

• Get students to dictate to each other in pairs.

• One pupil writes a word or directions for a map then reads out the word or describes the map to his or her partner.

• They then check to see if they got it right, and swap roles.

Memory Games

Pairs:• Use a set of picture cards and a set of matching cards with

descriptions on them relating to the current unit. They are all placed face down on the table. Students take it in turns to turn over two cards. When they turn over a description card and a picture card that match, they keep them and have another go. Students gradually learn where pairs of cards are on the table. The game ends when all the cards have gone. The winner is the one who has the most pairs of cards at the end.

Kim’ s game:• Place a number of either objects or word or picture cards which

relate to the unit on a tray. Students look at the content of the tray for a minute, and commit them to memory. The tray is hidden from view, and students write down the contents of the tray. The winner is the one who correctly remembers the most items.

Jigsaw telling tales:

• Using a text from the unit (reading or listening), students are given a little bit of the text (a couple of sentences each) that they have to learn by heart. The students then work either with the whole class or in groups to reconstruct the text/dialogue by listening once to everyone’s bits, then re-reading them aloud (from memory) in the correct order.