UNIVERSIDAD CENTROAMERICANAFACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES Y COMUNICACION

Enseanza del Ingles como Lengua Extranjera

Training Course for Nicaraguan Public High School English Teachers

Author: Yessica Ma. Gamez Aguinaga

Managua, NicaraguaJunio 2011

AbstractThis course is designed for public high school English teachers who want to improve their language skills and teaching methodologies in order to manage an excellent Communicative Teaching of English (CTE) in their classrooms. In doing so trainees will be exposed to a variety of activities such as problem solving, case studies, learning and teaching situations analysis, etc. It is content and situational based course for it focuses on the application of the different teaching methods used in a specific context or situation. The method to be used will be the communicative language teaching (CLT) as means of improving the language skills and applying an effective teaching method.

IntroductionSince English has become the language of communication across the world, it is relevant to have well prepared English teachers who will be the ones in charge of providing students with the necessary elements to have a good command of the target language.It is also important to equip English teachers with a variety of tools that can help them to have an effective teaching and learning environment in their classrooms. The best way to do so is by providing English teachers constant training in which they will have the opportunity to improve not just their language proficiency but also their teaching methodologies.

ContextA training course for Nicaraguan public high schools English teachers is sponsored by the Department for International Development (DID) of the British Mission in Managua. There is an amount of 75 English teachers who will be divided into 5 groups of 15 students. They come from different cities of Nicaragua and will stay at UCAS dorms during the training course. The course consists in 48 hours, 8 hours per day. It will be divided into 6 modules, one module a day. The course will last a week with an exception of not classes on Wednesday.

Goal Nicaraguan Public high schools English teachers will improve their language skills and teaching methodology in order to implement a Communicative Teaching of English (CTE) in their classrooms.

General objectivesBy the end of this course Nicaraguan public high school English teachers will: Have a better command of the English Language Apply a more effective methodology in their classrooms by using the CTE

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IntermediateHigh IntermediateGraphic OutlineReflecting upon the courseCourse EvaluationSelf evaluationContent Based InstructionTeaching Writing by using CBTBasic principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)Teaching Reading by using CLTRelating communicative principles of Cooperative Learning and Participatory ApproachTeaching Speaking through those MethodsTask Based ApproachTeaching Listening by using the TBATeaching Methods and approachesMethods used by the TsTraditional Methods ( GM & AL)Teaching Grammar (Inductively vs. Deductively)Suggested content for the first module

Introduction to the courseWhats a Teaching Method or approach?Methods or approaches used by the Ts in their classrooms.Traditional teaching methods used in public high schools in Nic (GT, AL)Main principles of GT & AL How to teach Grammar Communicatively ( inductive vs. deductive teaching of grammar)Content

Module 1

Exchanging Personal Information Expressing opinions Making decisions Analyzing Highlighting specific information Note TakingReading. WritingListening & SpeakingDrawing conclusionsActivitiesExchanging personal infoWhole class discussionsGroups discussionsMini Demo LessonsWriting a self reflection paperWriting a reflection paperMaterial

Language FunctionsHandouts Power point presentationCase studiesEnglish Books

Strategies

Skills

JustificationThere are two main reasons for the designing of this project proposal. First it is a requirement of the English Major to have students working on the design of an English course in which they can apply all the knowledge acquired during the years of study. Knowledge of Teaching Methodologies, Applied Linguistics, Language Acquisition, Philosophy of Education, Pedagogy, etc will be relevant for the elaboration of this project. Second, this project is designed as a request of The Department for International Development (DID) of the British Mission in Managua that wants to train public high school English teachers to be proficient in the English language as well as to improve their teaching methodologies by using the Communicative Teaching of English (CTE).The CourseThis training course will be based on teaching the trainees to adopt and adapt principles and characteristics of the different teaching methods, principally the CLT; thus, they can teach the target language in a communicative way, and facilitate their students learning processes. In language teaching the best way to help learners to produce the language is by exposing them to meaningful and real life situations activities in which they can communicate and interact. Margie S. Berns, an expert in the field of communicative language teaching, writes that "language is interaction; it is interpersonal activity and has a clear relationship with society. In this light, language study has to look at the use (function) of language in context, both its linguistic context (what is uttered before and after a given piece of discourse) and its social, or situational, context (who is speaking, what their social roles are, why they have come together to speak)" (Berns, 1984, p. 5). For those reasons teachers should teach the target language in a communicative and interactive way to help students to understand the language meaning and use.Moreover as part of the course, trainees will be working on different activities that will help them to improve their language skills. This is also presented as a basis of the CLT whose focus has centered on speaking, listening skills, on writing for specific communicative purpose, and on authentic reading tests (Brown, 2000). In order to implement a good methodology, it is important for teachers to have a good command of the English language, so they will not have language use related problems while teaching their students. The way in which the trainees will be exposed to the language skills will be based on Krashens Natural Order and Input Hypotheses. In the Natural Order Hypotheses, he states that we acquire the rules of language in a predictable order, some rules tending to come early and others to come late (Krashen, 1982). And in the Input Hypothesis Krashen emphasizes that the learners of a second language must receive as much input as possible. The thrust of the input hypothesis is that in order for language acquisition to take place, the acquirer must receive comprehensible input through reading or hearing language structures that slightly exceed their current ability (Brown, 2000:278). It is for that reason that the first skill to be presented is listening and then speaking, reading and writing. SyllabusThe syllabus suggested is a Mixed or multi strand syllabus since it combines different aspects in order to be maximally comprehensive and helpful to teachers and learners; in these you may find specification of topics, tasks, functions and notions, as well as grammar and vocabulary (Penny Ur p.178)The reason for using a mixed syllabus is because the students will be exposed to a variety of contents related to teaching methodologies, and at the same time they will perform different activities in which they will put into practice learning strategies, and language functions in order to have a good command of the English language.The incorporation of language functions is based on the necessity of having proficient teachers who can be able to communicate efficiently in the target language, and who can implement a better teaching methodology by using the communicative teaching of English (CTE).MaterialDuring this training course a variety of authentic material will be used to facilitate the teaching and learning processes. The material will be adopted and adapted by taking into account the course goal and objectives, and the trainees needs.The use and adaptation of the material will depend on the trainers choice as they are the only ones who will know the context in which they will teach and also, they are the ones who can identify the areas trainees need to reinforce. As Savignon says, Teachers are the ones who make materials work; they make them work for their students and for themselves in the context in which they teach (p.131-132).Furthermore, the material use will have a double purpose: to help trainees to improve their language skills as well as to teach them how to apply effective methodologies in their classrooms by using the communicative approach.The criteria to follow for selecting the material will be based on identifying WHO the users will be, WHERE the material will be used, WHAT facilities will be available, and HOW the material will be used. It is also relevant to take into account materials format, accuracy, and the way language and culture are presented.Since in this training course a specific book will not be used, there will be a compilation of different sources whose use will be oriented to the different activities trainees will be exposed to during the course. AssessmentThis is a highly participative training course thus the trainees will be assessed by their performance and participation in the class discussions and activities. During this course the participants will be exposed to real life situations and problem solving activities to which they will give a solution or response by taking into account their experiences as learners and as teachers. Recent studies demonstrate that new ways of classroom assessment can be associated with authentic, real world tasks in which language, interaction and performance play important roles (Brown 1998).Trainees will be assessed every day at the end of each module to know if they can put into practice all the theory they will learn during the day. They way this assessment will take place, will be through mini demo lessons, reflection papers, and self- evaluation sheets. The latter as a way of self- assessment as trainees will be given the opportunity to make reflections about the course and their performance on it.There will also be two written tests that will allow the trainees to apply the theory in a critical manner and improve their skills. The written tests can serve as an instrument to identify the participants difficulties and major problems. In order to properly construct an assessment instrument, it is helpful to have some explicit notion of what is being measured and how it might be labeled. An elaborate way to describe language assessment instruments is according to their primary function that can be for administrative, instructional, or research purposes (Jacobs et al. 1981). In the training course, the written test will be use to measure language learning and language use as well as to see any evidence of progress.

Universidad CentroamericanaSchool of Humanities and CommunicationTraining Course for Nicaraguan Public High School English Teachers

Trainer: Yessica GamezCell phone: 8859-5036E-mail: jessiegamez@hotmail.com

Schedule: Monday to Sunday (no classes on Wednesday) 8 A.M. 5 P.M.

Required Text: Compilation

1-Description on the course: This training course for Nicaraguan Public High School English teachers is designed to help trainees to improve their language skills and teaching methodology by using the Communicative Teaching of English (CTE). It focuses on teaching trainees how to use different methods in a communicative by using different meaningful exercises. Through the practice trainees are given the opportunity to improve their language skills which are fundamental for having a good command of the English Language.2-Goal of the program: Public high schools English teachers will improve their language skills and teaching methodology in order to implement an excellent Communicative Teaching of English (CTE) in their classrooms.3- General Objectives: By the end of this course public high school English teachers will: Have a better command of the English Language Apply a more effective methodology in their classrooms by using the CTE4- Methodology of the course:This is a training course will give the participants the opportunity to improve their language skills at the same time they learn how to apply an effective teaching methodology in their classroom by using the CTE. Therefore, the method to be use in this course will be the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) since trainees will perform meaningful tasks in which communication and interaction will be the main elements. During this training course, the trainer will work as a facilitator of communication as well as an advisor of the trainees. He or she will also monitor trainees performances.5- Requirements:1. Attend every module and be on time. 2. Have the required material for each module. 3. Participate in all activities. 4. Be prepared and do not miss quizzes and in-class assignment. 5. Turn off your cell phone during the class time. 6. Do not eat during the class. 7. Respect classmates and professor.

6- Grading SystemAssessment Description Percentage

2 Test 10% 20%

In class Assignments Mini Demo LessonsCase studiesProblem solving activities20%

Self- assessmentReflection papers Self- Evaluation sheets20%

Class performance ParticipationGroup work 15%

Final Exam Demo Lesson25%

Total 100%

MODULES CONTENT SKILLSLANGUAGE FUNCTIONSSTRATEGIESACTIVITIESMATERIAL

Module 1

-Introduction to the courseWhats a Teaching Method or approach?Methods or approaches used by the Ts in their classrooms.Traditional teaching methods used in public high schools in Nic (GT, AL)Main principles of GT & ALHow to teach Grammar Communicatively Reading

Speaking

WritingExchanging Personal InfoExpressing and supporting opinions

Analyzing a specific learning or teaching situation

Making decisions based on their personal learning and teaching experiences.Highlighting specific information

Note taking

Game: 2 truths & a Lie Whole class discussions

Groups discussions

Mini Demo Lessons

Writing a self- reflection paperName tagsCardsHandoutsPower point presentationEnglish Books

Self- evaluation sheet

Module 2

Task Based Approach main principles and characteristics

Teaching Listening by using the TBA

Reading

Listening

Speaking

Writing

Expressing opinions Agreeing, disagreeing, arguingPredicting and guessing

Listening for general info

Listening for specific Info

Listening for detailed info

Interviewing a stranger (live listening)

Jigsaw Listening

Whole class discussion about the case study Helping Students to Listen

Test

Writing a reflection paper

Power point presentationTaped MaterialVideoCase Study

Module 3

Relating communicative principles of Cooperative Learning and Participatory ApproachHow to teach Speaking through those Methods

Speaking

WritingDiscussing

Comparing and contrasting ideas

Making connection between the reading and the conversation or lecture

Learn how to speak from notes

Supporting answers

Guess the pictureInformation GapRole PlayLesson preparationWriting a self- reflection paper

Power point presentationHandoutsRealiaEnglish booksSelf- evaluation sheet

Module 4

Basic principles of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

Teaching Reading by using CLT

Listening

Speaking

Reading Questioning

Criticizing

CommentingUnderstanding word, sentence & paragraph structurePredicting by using pictures, titles and subtitlesSkimmingScanningHighlighting

Simple reading tasksIdentifying word categories and sentences structuresConnecting sentences/ ideas.Responding to a textCriticizing and selecting reading materialsMini demo lessonRealia HandoutsArticles, magazines, storiesSelf- evaluation sheet

Module 5

Content Based InstructionTeaching Writing by using CBI

Listening

Speaking

Reading

WritingCommenting

Arguing

Expressing opinions and ideasImproving hand writing (Capitalization & punctuation) BrainstormingOutliningOrganizing Ideas

Punctuating a textWriting a personal story

Responding to problems in writing (problem solving activity)

Writing a self reflection paperTestPower point p.

Handouts

Module 6

Reflecting upon the course

Course Evaluation

Self evaluation

Speaking

WritingExpressing opinions & ideasDiscussing

Summarizing

EvaluatingNote taking

Organizing ideas

Supporting answers

Demo lesson with all the language skills integratedEvaluation sheets to evaluate:the course effectivenessthe trainer performanceTrainees self- evaluation

Material: Handouts Power point presentation English books LESSON PLAN FOR A MODULEModule 1 Intermediate LevelAdults Time: 8 AM- 5 PMContent: Whats a Teaching Method or approach? Methods or approaches used by the Ts in their classrooms. Traditional teaching methods used in public high schools in Nic (GT, AL) Main principles of GT & AL How to teach Grammar Communicatively (inductive vs. deductive teaching of grammar

Objectives:At the end of this module trainees will be able to:

Use principles of Grammar Translation and Audio-lingual Methods communicatively. Teach grammar inductively Analyze and give a solution to a specific learning or teaching situation Make decisions based on their personal learning and teaching experiences.

ProcedureIntroduction to the course: Explaining the goal and objectives of the coursePassing around name tags in which trainees can write their names.Warm- up Activity: 2 Truths & a Lie (10- 15 minutes)Description: In this activity each person writes down on a card two truths and a lie about themselves, and then we will try to guess each other's lie. The goal is to: a) convince others that your lie is truth (and that one of your truths is the lie) and b) to correctly guess other people's lies. Trainees will be given 5 minutes for writing down the 2 truths & a lie.After that trainees will gather together in a circle. Start with one person who reads their three statements aloud. The trainees who will be listening will decide which of the statements the lie is. If they are correct they get a point, if not the person who read the statements says the correct answer and gets the point. The trainer may add drama and reinforcement, etc. for correct guesses, tricky statements, etc. The advantages of this activity are that trainees can get to know one another in a funny and interactive environment. And also, during this activity, the trainer can do a need analysis to identify the areas trainees need to improve.Presentation The trainer introduces the content of the module by asking participants what is a teaching method or approach. The trainees have to reflect upon that question by taking into account their philosophy of education. After having a discussion about the different answers the trainer will move to the next question that is about the methods or approaches the participants use in their classroom. There will be a whole class discussion. Once the discussions end, the trainer will explain through a Power point presentation the traditional & old methods used in ELT. The trainer will focus on Grammar translation and the Audio- lingual Methods. The trainees will highlight the main principles and characteristics of GT& AL (Handouts will be distributed). The trainer will ask the trainees how they teach grammar.Practice During the whole class discussion about grammar teaching, the trainer will show sample activities in which grammar is taught in a traditional way (deductively), and then in a communicative way (inductively). The trainees will reflect upon both sample activities. The trainer will present a grammar exercise the trainees will do.

The exercise will be about the future tense (Be going to & Will). It will consist in practicing grammatical structures by focusing on meaning rather than on form. The trainees will do the activity and once they finish, they will discuss about it by making any comment or suggestion. The trainer will distribute handouts that present examples for teaching grammar inductively and deductively.

Production The trainees will work in groups of 5 and they will prepare a mini demo lesson to teach grammar communicatively by using principles of GT& AL. (The material will be provided by the trainer) At the end of the mini demo lesson trainees will be evaluated by their peers and by the trainer.

Homework Trainees will write a reflection paper about the learned during the first module.

Universidad CentroamericanaSchool of Humanities and CommunicationTraining Course for Nicaraguan Public High School English Teachers TEST Modules 1-2

Trainee: _________________________________ Date: __________________Trainer: ________________________ Score: __________1. Aim: To teach Ss to make suggestions using Lets..PresentationGive a situation and example:Its Friday night and you and your friend are thinking about what to do. You suggest different things. For example, you want to go to a party- so you say Lets go to a party.Chorus repetition:Lets go to a party.Write the sentence on the board.Look at this part of a teachers lesson plan

?

What should the teacher do next? Consider these possibilities. Explain and support your answer.

RepetitionT: Lets go to a restaurant.Ss: Lets go to a restaurant.T: Lets go to the moviesSs: Lets go to the movies, etc.SubstitutionT: You want to go to a restaurant;Ss: Lets go to a restaurant;T: You want to go to the movies.Ss: Lets go to the movies.

2. Trainees will listen to the podcast The Experience of Language Teaching from Cambridge University Press. They will answer the following questions: What is the interviewer name?

What is the interviewer occupation?

According to Mrs. Senior a class sentence framework is _________________

What does becoming an experienced teacher mean?

Do you agree with Mrs. Rose about adding humor to Language teaching? Support your answer.

3. What are the benefits of teaching grammar inductively?

4. Write the appropriate method or approach in the box which describes that method

Students read aloud the entire passage. When they have finished, the teacher calls on students at random, asking them to translate the sentences into English.Method/ Approach: _____________________________________a)

b) The students do a task in groups, following the teachers instructions. They are each given part of the information they need to complete the task.Method/ Approach: ____________________________________

c) Students are asked to design a way to survey the other students about their favorite subjects. They are to figure out a way to report their findings to the rest of the class.Method/ Approach: ____________________________________The teacher introduces a dialog by modeling it two times. After that the students repeat each line of the new dialog several times.Method/ Approach: ____________________________________

d)

SUGGESTED EVALUATION FOR THE TRAINING COURSE

In order to evaluate the course in an efficient way, formative and summative evaluation will be used.Formative evaluation will be necessary in order to receive feedback from the trainees at the end of each module. It is important to know trainees points of view and opinions about the course in order to make changes if necessary to improve the course effectiveness. It is also a good idea having the trainer giving feedback to the participants too as maybe that can influence their performance in the next modules. Weston, Mc Alpine, and Bordonaro state that The purpose of formative evaluation is to validate or ensure that the goals of the instruction are being achieved and to improve the instruction, if necessary, by means of identification and subsequent remediation of problematic aspects (1995).On the other hand, Summative evaluation will be utilized to have a general evaluation of the course. According to Graves summative assessment is done at the end of a course and provides information about the students' overall achievement as well as the overall effectiveness of the course (p. 208). This kind of evaluation serves a double purpose for one can assess the learner to know his or her results and by knowing those results is that one can identify whether the course taught what it was supposed to teach.

SUGGESTED MATERIALSince there is not a specific book to be used for this training course, there will be a material compilation from different sources and books which will help trainees to achieve the course goal and objectives. According to Jack Richards Effective instructional materials in language teaching are shaped by consideration of a number of factors, including teacher, learner, and contextual variables (2001). That is why that at the moment of adopting and adapting material those factors will be taken into consideration.

FUTURE PROBLEM TO RESEARCHAfter presenting the proposal for the training course, it is relevant to analyze and take into consideration the possible problems that can arise. A possible problem is related to the course length. As we know the course will be taught for six days in which trainees are supposed to become proficient in order to teach English communicatively. It is not a certainty that in a short period of time trainees will become proficient in English since many of them can have any learning problem related to the contents being taught or to the activities they have to do. The trainer, on the other hand, cannot dedicate too much time to those problems as he or she has a schedule to follow. Consequently, the pace in which each module will be taught will be kind of fast as there will be too much material to cover in few days. It is here that a question emerges, is it necessary to lengthen the training course in order to achieve its goals and objectives?

METHODS AND TECHNIQUES FOR COLLECTING DATAAction research will be used as it will allow finding a solution to the possible problems that course could have. The solution can be found by consulting different sources, and using different instruments. One of the main sources the trainers could have will be the participants as if any decision related to the course is made; it has to include the participants suggestions or recommendations. As Eileen Ferrance explains, This research ( action research) is carried out within the context of the teachers environmentthat is, with the students and at the school in which the teacher workson questions that deal with educational matters at hand (2000).The possible instruments to be used will be interviews, surveys and class observations. The results will be then analyzed by using triangulation of sources. The objective for using triangulation of sources is because it is important to have different perspectives and points of view to collect as much information as possible. Then, for processing the information it is necessary to link the information, analyze it and draw own conclusions about the research.

CONCLUSIONThis research proposal is intended to allow Nicaraguan public high school English teachers to improve their language skills and teaching methodologies in order to have a better and communicative teaching of English in their classrooms.Since English has become the language most used and spoken in a globalized world, it is relevant to have well prepared and competent English teachers who manage a good command of the English language and whose methodologies facilitates the students learning processes. It is for those reasons that is relevant to implement English training courses in which teachers are provided with the tools that they need in order to be proficient in the language use, and in order to teach English communicatively.