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• Overview: Module 1
• Unit 1: The TEFL World
• Unit 1: The TEFL World: Questions
• Unit 2: L1 and L2
• Unit 2: L1 and L2: Questions
• Unit 3: What makes a competent and effective teacher?
• Unit 3: What makes a competent and effective teacher?: Questions
• Unit 4: Setting the stage
• Seating
• Classroom rules
• Instruction-giving
• Unit 4: Setting the stage: Questions
• Unit 5: Icebreakers
• Introduce your partner
• Introduce your partner explained
• Teacher Tic Tac Toe
• Mingle / Find someone who...
• Mingle / Find someone who... explained
• Introducing warmer questions
• Unit 5: Icebreakers: Questions
• Unit 6: Student Feedback
• Unit 6: Student Feedback: Questions

Overview: Module 1
As an English as a Foreign Language Teacher, you, and only you, are in charge of what
goes on in the classroom. The success of a lesson and what has been learnt is pretty
much up to you.

You are responsible for many things such as setting up the classroom, setting up tasks,
giving instructions, correcting students, and to a certain extent, the group dynamics of a
class.

In a nutshell your primary role is to “create the conditions in which learning can take
place” (Scrivener 2009).

If you have ever learnt a language in a traditional classroom setting, you will understand
how difficult it can be. If you haven’t learnt another language, it might be a good idea to
start!

This will provide you with the ability to view the learning experience from a student’s
perspective. You’ll realise how challenging it can be.

You might be worried about making a mistake in class; you may not understand what the
teacher wants you to do. You might not understand what has been written on the board
or how to pronounce words put in front of you.

An otherwise confident person, in this setting may feel incredibly shy and self conscious
and the whole experience could, perhaps be rather stressful.

A number of authors have discussed such stresses in the classroom or “affective

filters” (Krashen 1985) and their detrimental effect on the learning process and, in our
case, language acquisition.

You progress through the course by taking the test at the end of each module.
These tests are not there to try to catch you out. On the contrary, it has been
proven that assessment aids learning so we will only ask you questions that are
based on key information given in the modules.

Unit 1: The TEFL World

In this Unit, we will explore two very important elements. Knowledge and understanding
of these elements will serve you well on your TEFL journey.

The first of these elements relates to some specific characteristics of the English language.

Show video transcript

1. Some Specific Characteristics of the English Language

Why would you want to learn about some specific characteristics of the English
language? Well, we imagine it’s quite helpful and interesting but there are other reasons.

You may be sitting in the staffroom one day when, say, a native-Chinese teacher
colleague asks you this: What is special about the English language? How will you feel if
you cannot answer this?

Your colleagues-to-be in many countries will view you as an expert and will believe you
know everything about the English language. Again, this question may come up in an
advanced class.

This has happened to us and it could easily happen to you. So, absorb this and it will
serve two purposes: it will provide help and interest for you, and it will get you out of a
tricky situation.
But there is also another critical reason. You need to be fully aware that there will be key
differences in language structures, grammar, vocabulary usage etc. in the native/first
language of the learners you will be teaching, compared to your native English language.

You’ll have grasped the importance of this already if you have studied a foreign language
at school or university, or if you are a seasoned traveller who likes to pick up a bit of the
native language of the country you are visiting.

Specific Characteristics

Here are some specific characteristics of the English Language:

Fairly easy to learn

English is one of the simplest and easiest natural languages in the world.

Of course, the concept of easiness is relative, and it depends on which language a learner
knows already. However, the concept of simple is undeniable. English is a fairly easy
language to learn, understand and speak when compared to very complex languages
such as Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and Japanese.

Latin alphabet

The English language uses the Latin alphabet, the most universal, simple and short
alphabet (only the Greek alphabet is shorter and simpler). In addition, in English, the Latin
alphabet presents its most clean form as a true alphabet with only 26 basic letters.

Its simple inflection

Inflection is the name for the extra letter or letters added to nouns, verbs and adjectives
in their different grammatical forms, e.g. cat, cats; eat, eats; big, bigger.

English is considered a weakly inflected language when compared to, say, French or
Russian. Its nouns have only traces of inflection (plurals, the pronouns), and its regular
verbs have only four forms, e.g. look, looks, looked, looking.

Even for irregular verbs, there is almost no variation in person (except the 3rd person
singular in the present tense, e.g. I eat, you eat, she eats). The English language can
indicate the relationship of words in a sentence with only the minimum of change in their
structure. There are other languages which do this but this is a strong characteristic of
English.

Its receptiveness

A major characteristic of English language is its receptiveness to accepting and adopting

words from other languages. Here are a few examples from Spanish:

• alligator from el lagarto meaning the lizard

 • barbecue from the Chibcha word barbacoa, meaning a wooden framework for
sleeping on, or for storing meat or fish to be dried
• cargo from the verb cargar, meaning to load

This is regarded as an extraordinary feature of the language. It has accepted and adopted
words from Asian, European, African, Indian, Japanese, Chinese and other languages. And
English has kept an open-door policy of accepting words from classical languages like
Latin, Greek and Sanskrit.

Its (generally) fixed word order

Another strong characteristic of English language is its (generally) fixed word order. Most
English sentences (clauses) conform to the SVO word order. This means that the Subject
comes before the Verb, which comes before the Object. Examples:

• I (S) bought (V) a new computer (O).

• She (S) doesn't like (V) dogs (O).
• Why did you (S) do (V) that (O)?

There are other word orders in English but this is by far the most used, making it easy for
learners to grasp.

No markings on letters

There are no diacritics (a mark that is placed over, under, or through a letter in some
languages to show that the letter should be pronounced in a particular way) such as
happens, for example, in Spanish:

• exámenes
• muñón
• muñones
• canción

The exception is words imported from other languages, e.g. rôle and naïve from French.

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of English words such as this, thin, clothes, thirteenth, months inevitably
causes problems for learners who do not need to use the tip of the tongue to produce
words in their own language.

Continuous tense

Many languages do not have a continuous tense form, so English learners may make
mistakes such as: I had a bath when the phone rang; instead of I was having a bath when
the phone rang.
Articles (a, an, the)

The article system is another feature of English grammar that causes some students
enormous difficulties; particularly, of course, those whose native language does not use
articles.

Phrasal verbs

A phrasal verb is an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, typically
either an adverb, as in break down, or a preposition, for example see to, or a combination
of both, such as look down on.

These phrasal verbs are a VERY significant feature of the English language and can cause
severe difficulties for learners. Sentences such as I put it down to the weather, or I made it
up with my sister, are usually gobbledegook to beginner non-native speakers.

Unfortunately for the English language learner, phrasal verbs are extremely common in
colloquial English language.

Non-tonal

English is a non-tonal language.

In tone languages, e.g. Chinese and Vietnamese, pitch (the degree of highness or lowness
of a tone) is used to distinguish word meaning. So, a word said with high pitch may have
a different meaning from the same word said with a low pitch.

In English, changes in pitch are used to emphasise or express emotion, not to give a
different word meaning to the sound. It is not surprising that native speakers of tone
languages often have strong accents when speaking English.

Sound and spelling

A final feature of English that is enormously problematic for non-native learners and
some native-speakers is the unpredictable correspondence between word sound and
word spelling.

It is often impossible for learners of English to predict the spelling of an English word
they first encounter in speech, or the pronunciation of an English word they first
encounter in writing.

In fact, the majority of English words do conform to spelling patterns. The difficulty for
the learner, however, is that the words which don't conform are some of the most
common words in the language, and thus the ones that learners encounter first. For
example:

• Words containing ough: thought, although, rough,

• Words which have the same sound but different spellings: ate, eight; hear, here;
their, there
 • Words with silent letters, not pronounced: know, could, hour
• Words that look exactly the same but must be pronounced differently: read (present
tense), read (past tense); present (a gift), present (to give to); close (near); close (to
shut)

Let’s explore the second element which covers how important it is for you to recognise
some key differences in some languages compared to English.

2. Examples of key differences in some languages compared to English

Show video transcript

It’s important to be aware that there will be key differences in language structures,
grammar, vocabulary etc. in the native/first language of the learners you will be teaching.

Never assume that your students’ native language will be structured or pronounced in
the same way as English. If you do, this may lead to confusion in your classroom.

Note that this is simply an awareness session, to emphasise this point. So, you don’t need
to ‘learn’ the materials in this section if you aren’t teaching either Spanish or Chinese
students.

The key learning point is that all languages are different and it’s wise to learn a bit about
your students’ native language to ensure you choose the right strategy when teaching
them specific elements of the English language.

You don’t need to be able to speak or write your students’ native language; it’s just so
helpful when you know some of the key differences between their native language and
the English language.

Let’s have a quick look at this in practice. Imagine you are teaching a group of either
Spanish or Chinese students. What are some of the key differences you need to keep in
mind from day 1?

Remember! Note that the points below are generalisations based on our TEFL
experiences; individual students may differ.

Here are some general observations:

Spanish EFL Students

1. Gender and articles: In Spanish, all nouns have gender, whereas we just use a, an, and
the no matter the gender:

• a boy: un niño; a girl: una niña

• the boy: el niño; the girl: la niña
Also, there is no equivalent in Spanish for it that we use for inanimate objects.

Note that there are situations where we do not insert articles but these will usually be
inserted in Spanish. Their article for the is underlined in these examples:

• Cars are a hassle: Los coches son una molestia.

• Mr. Smith is here: El Sr. Smith está aquí.

2. Relationship between sound and spelling:In Spanish, words are spelled as they
sound and vice versa. In English, there is little correlation between sound and spelling.

3. Vowel sounds: Spanish has fewer vowel sounds than English. The length of the vowel
sound in Spanish is not so important when distinguishing between words; there is little
distinction between short and long vowel sounds. In English, however, there are many
more vowel sounds and the length of the vowel sound is very important.

Thus, Spanish learners have a lot of difficulty in first distinguishing differences in vowel
sounds and then producing them. This results in confusion when hearing and
pronouncing many groups of words, for example:

• ship/sheep
• fool/full
• cat/cut
• beat/bit

4. Consonant sounds: Spanish-native speakers frequently confuse the consonants v and

b in English, and the first sounds in words beginning with y as in yacht and j as in jeep
with ch as in cheap. Some speakers also have difficulty with sounds at the end of words
such as thing/think.

5. The s sound: Spanish words do not start with an s sound. As a result, they often add
an e sound to English words beginning with the s sound, resulting in utterances such as I
come from Espainand I went to eschool in Barcelona.

6. Consonant clusters: These are groups of consonants which have no intervening

vowel, e.g. split. These are much more common in English than in Spanish.
Sometimes they may add in a vowel sound or an extra syllable when tackling these, e.g.
ad-vance-ed. In addition, sometimes they ‘swallow’ sounds when faced with a cluster, e.g.
next becomes nes.

Remember: A syllable is a part of a word that is pronounced with one uninterrupted

sound.

7. Syllable-timed and stress-timed languages: Spanish is a syllable-timed language,

where an equal amount of time is given for each syllable when syllables are expressed.
On the other hand, English is a stress-timed language where stresses tend to occur at
regular intervals and unstressed syllables are squashed in between the stresses to
maintain the regular beat of the stress.
So, what does this mean? It means that many Spanish learners have difficulty in mirroring
the combination of stress, pitch and rhythm required to project the exact meaning of
their utterance in English. That is, their flattened, slightly robotic-like and evened-out
syllable-timed speech in English makes it difficult for native English speakers/listeners to
grasp the important words in the sentence.

A popular example used to demonstrate this difference in TEFL classes is:

• The Beatles were bigger than Elvis: English, stress –timed, stress bolded
• The / Beat / les / were / big / ger / than / El / vis: Spanish, syllable-timed, each
syllable in each slash pronounced in an equal timing

Overcoming this flat-sounding intonation is very important, particularly in formal and

important situations in English, where clarity and stressing a point are paramount.

8. Pronouns often omitted: When speaking Spanish, native speakers of Spanish will
often drop the pronoun subject unless they're stressing it to avoid ambiguity, because
whom they're referring to, e.g. you/they/he is normally clear from the Spanish verb
conjugation.

So, this can transfer across to English. You may find Spanish speakers making expressions
such as:

• Came with me to the train station, when they mean He/She came with me to the
train station.
• Is Carlos here? Yes. Is here.

9. Word order: In English, the word order in everyday statements is generally: subject,
verb, object. In Spanish, though, more variations are allowed:

Here are three variations of the same meaning: Carlos wrote the letter.

• Carlos escribió la carta. (subject, verb, object; very common in Spanish and the same
order as in English)
• Escribió Carlos la carta. (verb, subject, object; very common in Spanish but not used
in everyday English)
• La carta la escribió Carlos (object, object pronoun, verb, subject; not as common as
the two above but it is used.)

The opportunities for making errors in the word order of everyday statements in English,
due to the influence of their native language, are self-evident.

10. Prepositions: English has many prepositions, much more than many other languages.
Most English prepositions have multiple meanings. In addition, many are monosyllabic
and are thus difficult to pick up in rapid speech.

Also, non-native speakers cannot depend on prepositional knowledge from their first
language. For example, the Spanish por could be expressed in English by the prepositions
by, for, during and through. You can see the potential for error when they are attempting
to use English prepositions.

11. Adjectives: In English, an adjective generally comes before a noun but in Spanish it
generally comes after the noun. But there are Spanish adjectives which come before the
noun. And note that Spanish adjectives have gender and also have plural forms with
plural nouns.

12. Possessive apostrophe: In English, we express possession in one of two ways. We

use the possessive apostrophe: the boy’s book, or the of construction: The wellbeing of
the refugees is paramount. Spanish uses only the of construction.

The possessive apostrophe is probably the greatest challenge for all native-English
writers, so you can imagine how difficult this will be for Spanish learners.

Chinese EFL Students

1. Different writing systems: A major difference is that the Chinese languages use a
logographic system, whereas English uses an alphabetic system. Some Chinese learners
may be fully au fait with pinyin, a system of writing Mandarin Chinese which uses the
Latin alphabet. However, pinyin is a phonetic system and so the sound to letter
correspondence differs in various areas.

2. Lack of cognates: Lack of cognates is a second major difference. Cognates are words
which share an historical origin, which makes the learning of some words in a new
language easier to grasp.

Although we majored above on the differences for a Spanish native learning English, one
of the great advantages is that there are many cognates Spanish natives can lean on to
help them guess the meaning of English words. But Chinese learners do not have this
advantage.

In addition, there are very few borrowed words from English in the Chinese lexicon
(vocabulary).

3. Syllable-timed and stress-timed languages: The third major difference is that,

similar to Spanish, Mandarin is a syllable-timed language whereas English is a stress-
timed language. Thus, Chinese learners also have difficulty in mirroring the combination
of stress, pitch and rhythm required to project the exact meaning of their utterance in
English.

4. Uninflected language: Although we have said earlier that English is, generally, a
weakly inflected language compared to some other languages, it does convey much
meaning by using auxiliary words (often called ‘helping verbs’) and verb inflections
(changes to the verb structure): is/are/were, eat/eats/ate/eaten, etc.

In contrast to this, Chinese is an uninflected language which conveys meaning via its
word order, context and adverbials.
5. Consonant sounds: In Mandarin, there are only three consonant sounds which can be
used at the end of a syllable. Chinese speakers thus have great difficulty with the
pronunciation of any English words that end with any sound outside of the three they are
familiar with and, as a result, the final consonant is often omitted.

6. Some other common difficulties:

• Distinguishing the difference between l and r, and so they may mispronounce rake
and rice as lake and lice.
• Getting to grips with unfamiliar sounds, e.g. v, so that very may become wery
• Pronouncing each syllable in an English word too clearly (because Chinese is a
monosyllabic language where each character has only one syllable)
• Placing adverbial phrases of time and place at the end of a sentence as these are
never placed at the end of a sentence in Chinese
• Confusing personal pronouns, e.g. he and she, because these words have the same
pronunciation in Chinese
• Omitting the verb to be before an adjective, e.g. He sad, and omitting articles as
these don’t exist in Chinese

Unit 1: The TEFL World: Questions

English is one of the simplest and easiest natural languages in the world
True
False
Check answer
The English language uses the Greek alphabet.
True
False
Check answer
Inflection is the name for the extra letter or letters added to nouns, verbs and adjectives
in their different grammatical forms.
True
False
Check answer
Most English sentences (clauses) conform to the Subject, then Verb, then Object word
order.
True
False
Check answer
All languages have a continuous tense form.
True
False
Check answer
English is a tonal language.
 True
False
Check answer

Unit 2: L1 and L2
You may or may not have heard the terms ‘L1’ and ‘L2’. No matter which, this Unit will tell
you all you need to know.

1. What do we mean by L1 and L2 learning?

Show video transcript

L1 is the label given to a person’s first language (the student’s native language). When
this person learns a second or foreign language, this additional language is labelled the
person’s L2 language.

So, all the students you will be teaching will have a non-English language, e.g. Spanish, as
their native/first language (L1) and you will be teaching them English which will be a
second or foreign language for them, known as L2.

Another teacher may ask you: Do you occasionally allow L1 in your classroom? She is
asking if you allow your students to drop back into their native/first language (L1) in your
classroom now and again or do you always ensure they can only speak English (L2) at all
times within your classroom.

Let’s just hit this on the head right now as it’s a critical factor in EFL and EYL (English for
Young Learners) teaching.

2. Should learners use their L1 in class?

Have a look at this:

Example: True story demonstrating the need to use the L1

Show video transcript

Some years ago, we were teaching older learners (a wide range of ages 12 to 20+) in the
heart of Africa. The only resources we had were chalk, a blackboard and old printed
workbooks with passages and exercises for students.

There were no printing or copying facilities or internet facilities, so the workbooks had to
be used.

The workbooks were generally OK, except that they had clearly been written by someone
who had never been in our situation. One of the passages was based on a plane getting
into difficulty and having to land on an aircraft carrier.
The passage was important for other language and continuity reasons, so it needed to be
used.

Now, all of these learners had seen a single small plane flying over the game parks. In this
land-locked country, they had certainly never seen a big ship.

They had seen small canoe-type boats on the river. It was impossible for them to grasp
the complex concept that a plane like the one they had seen could land on a canoe.

Thus, an explanation was clearly necessary. And this explanation had to be made in their
L1; otherwise, they would have endured a long, long period of confusion as we attempted
to explain this complex concept in English.

For over a century there has been a continuous debate amongst theorists and
practitioners about the use of the L1 language in the L2 classroom.

For most of that time, the pendulum swung in favour of those who were against using
the students’ native language in the English classroom.

The anti-L1 usage lobby often propounded (amongst other things) that non-usage of the
L1 resulted in maximum classroom time for studying the L2. Use English only was a
commonly heard exclamation.

During this period, the use of the students’ LI within the classroom was forbidden in many
schools and programmes.

In recent years, though, the pendulum has been swinging back gradually and a number
of educationalists see value in using the students’ L1 in specific circumstances.

Based on our lengthy experiences, we would view the L1 as another classroom resource
and would use the student’s native language judiciously to achieve certain goals. We
suggest that you also consider the L1 as another classroom resource.

Here are some good and practical reasons for using the L1 in class:

1. To clarify meaning, where a word or idea in English is complex and it’s easier and more
time-efficient to use a similar word in the L1 to get to the meaning quicker.

2. To clarify anticipated problems. A short reference to the L1 will help to demonstrate

the potential problem. For example, some languages, e.g. Thai, do not have definite
articles.

Instead of students making mistakes later in the lesson, it seems sensible to pre-empt
these mistakes and show the differences between the two languages a bit earlier via L1
examples.

3. To demonstrate that languages often have more similarities than differences. By

helping them to understand the similarities using L1 examples, the linguistic challenge
may seem less daunting for the learners.
4. To save time, now and again, e.g. explaining instructions for an activity. We have often
observed teachers taking longer to put over their instructions than the time it took the
learners to do the activity. This seems a bit silly to us.

Translation is a time-efficient means of conveying meaning, compared to, say,

demonstration, explanation, or working out meaning from context. But use it only on
specific occasions.

5. To carry out any disciplinary measures. Using the L1 makes them sit up and really listen
and will demonstrate to them that what you are saying is real and not a pretend
statement.

6. To tell a student how well she has done, in her own language, adds import to the
feedback.

7. To show that we care. We have made an effort to learn a bit of their language,
probably in a short time, to make their learning even better. They will really appreciate
this. Remember this!

3. Key differences between acquiring a first language (L1) and learning a

foreign/second language (L2)

There’s no doubt that L1 learners learn differently from L2 learners. It’s important for you
to reflect on the key differences.

You can easily work out for yourself the key points relating to L1 learning as you have
been an L1 learner. But here some points to get you reflecting.

L1 learner

• Generally immersed in the English language at all times from birth

• Wants, needs and is motivated to communicate by signs or baby words, with
meaning, e.g. I want some food!
• Adults often praise and encourage the child’s use of language, spurring her on to
greater linguistic achievements
• Gets a lot of attention to aid the learning
• Learns by playing and experimenting with new language, and has lots of time to do
so
• Not often corrected

Let’s now consider the L2 learner’s learning situation

L2 learner

• Not intensively exposed to the L2

• Most often exposed by being taught the English language; often limited exposure
outside the classroom
• May not be motivated; but could be, though
 • Often only learns through interaction with you and her classmates; may not be
motivated to try out functions outside of the classroom
• Often learns by using language in a controlled setting with you and other students
and often with lots of controlled practice activities
• Teachers vary in the amount they praise or encourage L2 learners. Some teachers
may not do this effectively, certainly not as effectively as a mother/ father/guardian
would do in an L1 situation. When you see good, specific examples of positive
behaviour, praise your students.
• The learner typically receives limited attention from the teacher.
• Many teachers regularly correct learners for accuracy; this can be demotivating for
some learners.

So, there are some big differences in L1 and L2 learning. Remember these and another
piece will be in place in your ‘Good Teacher Jigsaw’.

4. Influences on L2 learning

Why do some L2 learners learn faster and better than others? Here are some important
points for you to remember and reflect on regularly when you are on the job. They are
not in any specific order.

1. Degree of intellect: Some learners are just brighter than others.

2. Learning style: if the teaching is not carried out in line with the student’s preferred
learning style, e.g. lots of visuals or lots of audio or lots of discussions and exercises etc.,
learning may very well be curtailed. We’ll explore learning styles in-depth in Module 7.

3. Motivation: Whether this be intrinsic (learning for its own sake) or extrinsic (for some
goal or reward, e.g. getting a new job), every student has varying degrees of motivation.
It’s also a challenge to keep students motivated all the time.

Remember this! The whole person comes to school, be it your students or you. Students
have their ups and downs. They come with all their personal baggage, e.g. worrying
about a sick parent/child, or upset due to a breakdown in some personal relationship. So,
the motivated person yesterday may not be the motivated person today. Help and show
empathy wherever you can.

And the same applies to you.

You may feel a little bit down due to some personal issue. Or you may have had just one
too many social events the nights before. You’ll need to make a supreme effort not to let
this happen. Your learners need you to be constant, i.e. positive, welcoming and full of life
all the time.

We’ll explore motivation in-depth in Module 3.

4. Language proficiency in L1: There’s no doubt whatsoever that a learner who is
proficient in her L1 language (grammar, structure, mood etc.) and understands all of this,
has a great head start on others.

These were pretty easy for you! Let’s ramp it up a bit. Now, let’s look at some
trickier additional issues that we have come across in our years of teaching EFL:

5. Prior learning

Learners may bring to class their expectations regarding teacher relationships, teacher
behaviour and teacher approaches to learning that prevailed in their home countries,
especially if they had extensive schooling there.

Thus, learners from more traditional educational systems may expect you to behave in a
more formal and authoritarian fashion during classes and may be displeased, puzzled, or
offended if you use an informal instructional style, such as using first names in class or
allowing learners to move freely around the room. This will affect their learning.

When teaching students, it’s imperative that you try to find out how they have learned
previously and how they prefer to learn now. The learners may welcome a change in
method, but they may want to learn in the same way as they learned before. Simply put,
you need to ask them.

6. Pattern of classroom activity

Some learners may also want you to maintain a clearly ordered pattern of classroom
activity and, perhaps, engage in extensive correction of grammatical form or
pronunciation during all activities rather than at irregular points in a lesson or not at all.

Failure to conform to these ideals may give some learners the impression of lazy or
inadequate class preparation on your part.

7. Your behaviour

You, similarly, bring to the classroom your own expectations regarding teacher behaviour.
This includes your views on appropriate behaviour within society in general, as well as in
the classroom.

If, for example, you come from a culture of self-reliance, are at ease in expressing and
defending personal opinions, and are interested in personal advancement, you will likely
provide instruction that addresses these goals and may unconsciously attribute these
same goals to your students.

The potential for conflicting expectations and evaluations of behaviour between you and
your learners is evident.

8. Gender
You need to find out whether learners have ever experienced mixed educational
groupings, whether they expect male and female teachers to behave differently, and how
different classroom activities, e.g. role plays or dialogue practice, might affect learners
differently because of their native cultural constraints.

Failure on your part to take this into account may affect student learning.

9. Female participation

In encouraging women students to speak up and take an active role in class, you may
sometimes encounter reluctance from both men and women from cultures in which
women have historically been constrained by social roles that do not promote active
participation in mixed-sex settings.

It’s critical that you reflect on this point continuously.

10. Appropriate topics for learning

Cultural expectations regarding the nature of education and what is appropriate to talk
about may also affect the kinds of topics students are willing to pursue in class and their
motivation to learn. Cultural as well as personal sensitivity is vital in knowing if, when, and
how to introduce topics or lessons that may be inappropriate or difficult.

11. Participation

Verbally expressing ideas and asking questions during class can prove difficult for
students unaccustomed to this form of active participation. In addition, some students’
perceptions of their classroom participation may not concur with your perception.

12. Communication styles

There are patterns of expression and rules of interaction that reflect the norms and values
of a culture.

A lack of understanding of these communication styles could lead to confusion, anxiety

and conflict – and a reduction in learning. Let’s consider just two of these styles.

1. Direct Style v Indirect Style

Direct style

Here are the key indicators of a direct style of communication presented by the teacher
and, perhaps, some students in the classroom:

• Straightforward talking
• No beating about the bush – straight and to the point
• Directness means there is honesty and respect for the other person
• Avoiding ambiguity
Here are the key indicators of an indirect style of communication presented by the
teacher and, perhaps, some students in the classroom

Indirect style

• Meaning conveyed by subtle means, stories, implication – not getting to the point
• Indirectness means politeness and respect for the other person
• Frequent use of implication – not directness

2. Idea-focused style v person-focused styles

Idea-focused

• Ideas and person are separate

• Open disagreement is acceptable
• Disagreement with person’s ideas is not seen as personal attack

Person-focused

• Ideas and person are not separate

• Feelings are important
• Disagreement is handled very carefully
• Disagreement is attack on the person

So, here we have two conflicting ways of looking at communication. This is a potential
boiling pot. Learning will be affected and your critical task will be to find a balance. It’s
not your role to try and change people’s cultural ways of working. It is your role to
find a solution to this.

So, in summary, there are lots of ways a student’s L2 learning can be influenced.

5. Some effective L2 learning strategies

Language learning strategies are the conscious steps or behaviours used by language
learners to enhance the acquisition, storage, retention, recall, and use of new information.

Research shows that the most successful learners tend to use learning strategies that are
appropriate to the material, to the task, and to their own goals, needs, and stage of
learning.

Strategies can be assessed in a variety of ways, such as diaries, think-aloud procedures,

observations, and surveys. More proficient learners appear to use a wider range of
strategies in a greater number of situations than less proficient learners.

For example, proficient L2 learners:

• Employ appropriate language learning strategies that often result in improved

proficiency or achievement overall or in specific skill areas.
 • Tend to select strategies that work well together in a highly-orchestrated way, and
which are tailored to the requirements of the language task. These learners can
easily explain the strategies they use and why they employ them.
• Use cognitive strategies, such as translating and analysing, and other strategies,
such as planning and organising. Using combinations of strategies often has more
impact than relying on a single strategy.
• Use certain strategies or clusters of strategies that are linked to particular language
skills or tasks. For example:
◦ L2 writing, like L1 writing, benefits from the learning strategies of planning,
self- monitoring, deduction, and substitution.
◦ L2 speaking demands strategies such as risk-taking, paraphrasing,
circumlocution, self-monitoring, and self-evaluation.
True
◦ L2 listening comprehension gains from strategies of elaboration, inference,
selective attention, and self-monitoring.
◦ L2 reading comprehension uses strategies like reading aloud, guessing,
deduction, and summarising.

Remember to introduce your learners to some of these strategies if they are not
already using them.

Unit 2: L1 and L2: Questions

L2 is the label given to a person’s first language (the student’s native language).
True
False
Check answer
The L1 can be viewed by some teachers as another classroom resource.
True
False
Check answer
An L1 learner is generally immersed in the English language at all times from birth.
True
False
Check answer
If the teaching is not carried out in line with the student’s preferred learning style,
learning may very well be curtailed.
True
False
Check answer
A learner who is proficient in her L1 language (grammar, structure, mood etc.) and
understands all of this, does not have a great start on others.
True
False
Check answer
Communication styles are the same in all cultures.
True
False
Check answer

Unit 3: What makes a competent and

effective teacher?
Show video transcript

If you have never taught before, this will be the biggest question in your mind. Even if
you have already started teaching but it’s early days, this will still be a big question in
your mind.

As in any working role, the goal a person aims for is competence. But what is competence
and what makes a competent teacher?

The best place for us to start is for us to agree on what the word competent means. The
Oxford Dictionaries tells us that competent means having the necessary ability, knowledge
or skill to do something successfully.

Far be it from us to question this dictionary definition when relating it to teacher

competence… but here goes.

Our experience tells us that you also need to include habits when considering how
competent you are as a teacher.

For example, it seems to us that you turning up at the classroom on time, ready to greet
your students and welcoming them as they come into the classroom is a very good habit.
So is you reflecting on how the lesson panned out, immediately after the lesson or as
soon as it’s possible.

So, let’s expand our definition of a competent teacher to: A person who has the
knowledge, ability, skills and habits necessary to teach successfully.We hope you
agree with this definition.

Notice that we changed the order of the words a bit. There was a practical reason for this
as you will be able to recall these critical components of competence by the mnemonic
KASH for knowledge, ability, skills and habits.

So, when you’re asked to contribute your thoughts on what makes a competent teacher
during a staff meeting, you’ll have a good aide-memoire by using the mnemonic KASH.

Here’s what we believe are the key traits and characteristics of a competent and effective
teacher. We have broken this down into 2 sections:
 • adheres to a Code of Practice for Teachers – at all times
• demonstrates the necessary knowledge, abilities, skills and habits – at all
times.

1. Adheres to a Code of Practice for Teachers at all times

You’ll find on your travels that many schools do not have a Code of Practice that you are
asked to follow. Don’t worry about this – it’s just the way things are. It doesn’t stop you
from following YOUR Code of Practice.

So, where do you get this? Don’t worry; we have one already made up for you. YOUR
Code of Practice has been developed by ACCREDITAT (www.accreditat.com), who are our
accrediting body. It’s based on their experiences and the experiences of thousands of
teachers in EFL. Here it is:

ACCREDITAT Code of Practice for Teachers

At the heart of the ACCREDITAT Code of Practice for Teachers is:

• a conviction that excellence is achieved via competence

• a belief in the worth, individuality and dignity of each person
• a commitment to truth, excellence and democratic principles
• an allegiance to freedom to learn and teach
• a dedication to the principle of equal opportunity for all

Members of the TEFL/TESOL teaching profession are committed to demonstrating the

following values and ideals which underpin the profession:

Honesty and Integrity

• creating and maintaining appropriate professional relationships in the classroom,

school and in public
• acting with impartiality, truthfulness and honesty
• displaying consistently high standards of personal and professional behaviour
• refraining from disclosing information about colleagues in the course of
professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is
required by law
• refraining from any abuse of a position of authority or relationships with students,
parents, carers or colleagues for financial, political or personal gain
• acting according to the law

Dignity and Diversity

• valuing diversity and treating students, parents, carers and colleagues equitably and
fairly and with care and compassion while respecting the uniqueness of family and
socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, races, religions and beliefs
• valuing the learning needs, effort, and potential, and acknowledging the
uniqueness, of each student
 • improving the wellbeing and progress of those students with special needs
• fostering the valuing of diversity and encouraging the development of international,
multicultural, gender, and indigenous and other perspectives
• allowing, reasonably, the students’ access to varying points of view

Respect and Trust

• acknowledging that relationships with students and their families must be based on
mutual respect, trust and confidentiality of personal information, unless disclosure
of any information serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law
• acknowledging the contribution that mutual respect, trust and confidentiality make
to students’ wellbeing and learning
• acknowledging the desires and hopes of the students’ families and carers
• acting with educational colleagues and the wider community in ways which
enhance the profession
• acknowledging the status, responsibilities and authority of colleagues
• remaining open to constructive criticism from peers and showing respect and
consideration for different viewpoints

Responsibility and Accountability

• giving priority to the education and welfare of all students in our care
• guiding and encouraging students to achieve their potential, ensuring all students
have an equal opportunity to achieve their potential
• creating interactive learning environments, rather than environments in which the
students are merely passive recipients of information
• regarding themselves as learners and engaging in continuous professional
development, and improving teaching and learning strategies for themselves and
colleagues
• working collaboratively, co-operatively and enthusiastically with colleagues and
other educational bodies in the best interests of the education and welfare of the
students
• taking precautions to distinguish between their personal views and those of the
local school district or governing body
• promoting the ongoing development of teaching as a profession
• upholding school policies, procedures and practices
• modelling the behaviour, attitudes and positive values which are widely accepted in
society and encouraging students to apply them and critically appreciate their
significance

Care and Protection

• having empathy and respect for, and rapport with, students and their families and
carers, colleagues and communities
• committing to students’ wellbeing and learning through the practice of positive
influence, professional judgment and empathy in practice
• adhering to the school’s student protection policies and procedures
 • making reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning
or to health and safety
• refraining from any racial, gender, political, verbal, physical or emotional abuse,
embarrassment or harassment
• being generous with praise and giving positive inputs and feedback

Fairness and Justice

• being fair and reasonable at all times

• being committed to the wellbeing of individuals and the community and to the
common good
• resolving competing claims or problems arising from different ethical principles and
different interest groups through reflective professional discussion

Adhere to this and you won’t go wrong. Print this off and keep it with you always.
Reflect on it frequently. It will serve you well.

2. Demonstrates the necessary knowledge, abilities, skills and habits – at all times.

Here are the key areas of knowledge, abilities, skills and habits you should aim to nurture
and demonstrate in your day-to-day teaching.

1. Demonstrate that you are warm, caring and approachable

You can demonstrate this in many ways, e.g. being approachable at all times, being a
person that students can go to with any concerns or to share an amusing story, being an
active listener, trying very hard to be consistent even although you may feel under the
weather etc.

2. Establish good rapport and relationships with all learners at all times

This doesn’t mean that you strive to be humorous at all times. Some older students may
not take to this. They may feel that too much fun is eating up their valuable time. Or
some students may come from a culture where humour in the classroom is not the
accepted thing.

Rapport exists when people develop a feeling of harmony, well-being and security. The
same processes are involved whether we’re applying them to learners or anyone else in
the school.

3. Foster a constructive learning experience

For example:

• everything is planned
• there are good class routines
• standards of behaviour are agreed
• an inclusive environment is created where all learners are treated fairly and equally
4. Create a sense of community and belonging in the classroom

A classroom community is one where:

• everyone feels accepted and supported as a vital part of the community

• there is a sense of belonging
• collaboration to achieve the goal is at the centre
• positive social skills are promoted
• students know they can depend not only on the teacher but also on the whole class

Creating a classroom community spirit is critical to the success of you and your students.
This promotes learning, engagement, and retention. The more students feel comfortable,
the more they will participate, engage, learn and retain the learning.

5. Set high, yet achievable, expectations for your students

The expectations that you propound for your students will influence their achievement
levels. If you set low achievement expectations, then it’s likely you’ll get low achievement
levels. Generally, students give their teacher as much or as little that is expected of them
by the teacher. So, set high, yet achievable, expectations.

6. Plan and work flexibly

Although you will have planned well, things don’t always go to plan. So, reflect on what
might not go to plan. Based on continuous monitoring, you’ll be ready to change tack a
bit or find a new way to present the material seamlessly, without anyone else being aware
of these necessary changes.

7. Adjust your own level of English to suit the class

There are no prizes for any teacher who uses fancy or complex language.

8. Always give clear, precise instructions

9. Choose appropriate moments for correcting the learners’ language

When students are in full flow and are communicating, it’s often wise to let it run even if
there are mistakes. After they have finished, you can then pick up on the mistakes.

10. Understand the need to use a range of relevant and suitable materials and
resources

Be prepared to make your own supplementary materials. These are often much better
and more relevant than materials in course books.

11. Work successfully with learners at different levels

Yes, this can be daunting at first but with good planning and good materials everything
will work seamlessly.
12. Enable learners to feel a sense of progress

13. Assess fairly and frequently, and plan on the basis of assessment

14. Recognise and understand the range of backgrounds and experiences within the
learner group

15. Employ a range of teaching styles and approaches at different stages and in
different contexts

16. Understand the broad range of learner needs including the needs of learners
with learning difficulties

17. Reduce your teacher talking time (TTT) and maximise student talking time (STT)

Teachers just talk far too much.

18. Reflect and self-appraise continuously

Of course, things don’t always go according to plan. Even NASA sometimes has to
change plans at the last moment! By making reflection and self-appraisal a daily habit,
you will reduce the occasions where things don’t exactly go to plan.

19. Facilitate language learning and acquisition both inside and outside the
classroom

Never view your classroom as an island.

In addition to bringing bits of the real world into the classroom (e.g. newspapers, CDs
and videos), you can, if allowed by the school authorities, take your students out into the
world during class time, effectively using it as an extension of the classroom.

Learners need to use and understand language outside the classroom, so that they can
progress. Become a user of inside and outside activities and you will observe remarkable
progress in your students as they put into practice what has been learned in the
classroom.

In summary, the end goal for you should be a mix of these traits and characteristics.
In essence, the end goal you are aiming for is an ‘effective and competent teacher
cocktail’.

Unit 3: What makes a competent and

effective teacher?: Questions
All schools you teach in will have a Code of Practice for Teachers.
True
False
 Check answer
‘Valuing the learning needs, effort, and potential, and acknowledging the uniqueness, of
each student’ is part of the Dignity and Diversity section in YOUR Code of Practice.
True
False
Check answer
Rapport exists when people develop a feeling of harmony, well-being and security.
True
False
Check answer
A classroom community is one where students know they can depend only on the
teacher.
True
False
Check answer
If you set low achievement expectations, then it’s likely you’ll get low achievement levels.
True
False
Check answer
Increase your teacher talking time (TTT) and minimise student talking time (STT).
True
False
Check answer
Communication styles are the same in all cultures.
True
False
Check answer

Unit 4: Setting the stage

Seating

One of the best ways of making sure you engage your students and maximise on
communication in the classroom can be as simple as arranging your classroom so that its
layout encourages interaction. Unless you are particularly unlucky, most classrooms, even
in the most modest of schools, will have moveable chairs and/or tables.

Your previous learning experience probably involved sitting at rows of static desks.
Human nature also normally means that on each return visit to the classroom, you’ll sit in
the same position in the classroom. One of our roles as an EFL teacher is to maximise
student interaction and increase confidence in the ability to communicate in English.

A very simple method of achieving this is by thinking about the layout of the classroom.
It’s important to experiment with different seating and standing arrangements to find out
what works best for different tasks such as group activities, pair work and opposing team
games.

• Whole class discussion: In a horseshoe layout students are able to interact more
naturally because they can see each other. It also ensures that the same students
aren’t always dominating at the front of the class.
• Small group work: When students are placed in ‘islands’ they are able to collaborate
effectively, feeling part of a team but are close enough to work with neighbouring
groups if necessary.
• Pair work: A traditional seating plan which allows students to work together in twos
with the added advantage that the teacher is able to monitor from the front of the
class or by moving between rows.
• Opposing teams: Each team has its own corner which gets students really excited at
the prospect of winning against the ‘enemy’ side; great for getting students
participating wholeheartedly in the task!
• A/B role-play: For role-play activities it’s best to have students facing each other
rather than sat side-by-side, this way they focus on their own part of the task rather
than trying to work on the activity as a whole. Another alternative would be to line
up all the chairs in two rows in the centre of the classroom.
• Student-led lesson: Much like the horseshoe style, students in the circular layout
can make eye-contact and interact together easily. In this arrangement, however,
the teacher is positioned in the circle with the students, putting them on an equal
level and encouraging the students to lead the class themselves.

Seating
Look at the following seating plans and drag each activity at the bottom to the most
appropriate seating plan.

How the drag and drop practice questions work - scroll down and you will find some
sets of words or sentences which you can click on and drag up into the rectangular
spaces marked by dotted lines. The 'Check answer' button reveals if you have placed the
text in the right places. Please note that these are for fun/practice only and answers are
not saved or counted towards your progress. Interactive features may not work on all
browsers/devices.
Whole class discussion
Small group work
Pairwork
Opposing teams
A/B roleplay
Student-led lesson
Check answer

Classroom rules
Whether you’re teaching a class of forty Chinese five-year-olds or twelve Arabic men, you
will need to enforce some rules in the classroom in order to establish control.

One option is to hand out a copy of the rules on the very first lesson and get students to
sign it like a contract.

It may seem patronising but, the success of your lesson lies in not only building rapport,
but in getting all students involved and engaged in tasks.

There is nothing more frustrating than effectively setting up a task, all your students
understanding and ready to start, then a couple of late students wander in and the whole
equilibrium is ruined.

Hence, a rule about punctuality is important. Having said that, people will always be late.
A good way to deal with is to ask the rest of the class to explain what has happened and
what they are about to do.

This further clarifies understanding for the class, encourages communication and means
that not all the language and explanation come through you. We want to maximise on
student participation after all!

Another technique for establishing classroom rules is to engineer a discussion of how the
students are going to learn, and for them to brainstorm their own classroom rules.

You can then suggest a few key areas such as only speaking in English in the classroom.
This approach engages students and stands a better chance of working if they are
responsible for the creation of the rules.

Below is a guideline for some effective rules that are suited to an EFL classroom:

Effective rules guide

• Only speak English in the classroom.

• Switch off your mobile phone and never answer it in class.
• Be on time for class and come back from breaks on time.
• If another student is speaking, show interest and listen.
 Below is a list of some ineffective rules that would not encourage communication in the
EFL classroom:

Ineffective rules

• Silence in the classroom.

• Don’t ask questions.
• Only sit next to the students that you already know.
• It’s OK to say small sentences in your language e.g. “Can I borrow a pen?”

Instruction-giving
So, once you’ve set up your classroom and established some ground rules, before you
can undertake any activity you need to tell your students what they need to do.

Surprisingly, this can often be one of the trickiest things as many students will nod along
when in reality they aren’t sure what’s going on (which becomes obvious when you ask
them to begin!).

That’s why it’s essential to keep your instructions clear and concise.

An untrained or inexperienced teacher might think it useful to constantly repeat words

and instructions or speak more loudly to help students understand what they want them
to do but this isn’t really the case.

Compare the following examples of instruction giving and decide which one would be
easier to understand.

Scenario 1

“Right then. What we’re going to do is to put you in pairs. One half of the class will be A
and the remaining half will be B. Both of you will be given a role card that will contain all
the information that you’ll need. So, to clarify, half of you will be A’s and half of you will
be B’s. I’m going to tell you who you’ll be working with, alright? So, we’re going to do a
role play where one of you is a tourist and the other student will be a tour guide, then
we’re going to practise all the vocabulary and grammar that we’ve learnt this week. Right
then. So, you’re in pairs. If you wouldn’t mind, could you all sit in two lines parallel to
each other. The one on the right is the tourist and the one on the left is the tour guide.
You’re on a coach, and the tour guide is going to point out what you can see out of the
window. The tourist should ask as many questions as they can. Next, we’re going to swap
and take turns. OK then. So get yourselves into the two rows and off we go. Let’s start.”

Scenario 2

• Before class, set up the classroom chairs in two rows.

• Instruct each student (by name) where to sit and appoint them A’s and B’s
• “A’s you are the tour guide. B’s you are the tourist”
 • “OK. Look” (gesture to board of picture of tourists on a coach travelling through a
city)
• Elicit the names (nouns) of what students can see, pointing to each; “coach, tourist,
tourist guide, (name of the city)”
• Write the words next to the pictures as you go.
• Hold up clear role cards stating “A: TOURIST listen to the tour, showing interest and
ask questions ” and
• “B: TOUR GUIDE give a tour of the city.”
• “Speak.” (gesture to mouth). “10 minutes.”

Check understanding of the task by asking the following:

1. Who is student A?
2. What do they do?
3. Who is student B?
4. What do they do?
5. How much time?

Which of the two scenarios would be easier to understand?

Check answer
Now answer these true/false questions about scenario 2. 1. The teacher used as many
sentences as possible to maximise on language exposure in the classroom.

Check answer
2. The teacher hadn’t planned their instructions

Check answer
3. The teacher had set up the classroom before the students had arrived

Check answer
4. The teacher used repetition to help the students understand them

Check answer
5. The teacher avoided using future tenses in the instructions such as “What we’re going
to do is….”

Check answer
6. The teacher used linking words such as “then” and “next” to explain the task
 Check answer
7. The teacher used visual prompts to help understanding

Check answer
8. The teacher checked understanding by asking simple questions about the task

Check answer

As you have hopefully learned from the last exercise, the amount of language you use
should be limited.

We term this ‘reducing your Teacher Talk Time’.

Of course, we are being employed because we are fluent in English but this doesn’t mean
that we bombard learners with too much language in instructions. This can overwhelm
students.

We want them to focus on practising the target language of the lesson rather than
listening to us needlessly.

An EFL learner might be studying anywhere from 2-25+ hours per week and we need to
preserve their energy for the main aim of a lesson by keeping instructions short and
simple.

Notice also how the language used by the teacher was “graded”.

In other words, the language chosen was not over-complicated and difficult vocabulary
was not used.

For example, in the first set of instructions the teacher said “So, to clarify, half of you will
be A’s and half of you will be B’s”. The students may not understand the word “clarify” or
“half”.

In the second scenario, the teacher gestures to students and appoints pairs A and B (half
the class) and clarifies understanding by using ‘Instruction Check Questions’ for example,
in the second set of instructions:

“Who is student A?” (Answer: A tour guide)

“Who is student B?” (Answer: A tourist)

Another key technique is to always set time limits for tasks such as “How much
time?” (Answer: 10 minutes)
This reassures students that the activity won’t go on forever and they won’t run out of
language. It also helps to keep learners motivated in that they will want to move onto the
next task.

It would be very easy with, say, a high-level class to just sit back and relax and let
students carry on with a task for double the time than originally planned. While this may
provide an easy time for the teacher in the short term, it sends a clear message to
learners that you don’t really care about their learning and may very quickly undo any
rapport with a class as well de-motivate them in future tasks.

So, now that you have set up your classroom, established some classroom rules and are
equipped to give some clear instructions, you’re ready to move on to learning about first
lesson ice-breakers…

Unit 4: Setting the stage: Questions

When doing an A/B roleplay activity, students should be placed:

Check answer
Once you have decided on a seating plan you should stick to it for the remainder of the
course.

Check answer
When giving instructions it is important to: (Tick all that apply)

Check answer
A good way to deal with latecomers is to:

Check answer

Unit 5: Icebreakers
Show video transcript
It’s really important to make sure that the class feel comfortable with each other
and with you right from the beginning.

It is essential that students are able to interact with each other naturally because if they
don’t, any form of communication activity becomes very difficult indeed!

For those students who are shy, and often for adult learners who haven’t been in a
classroom for a long time, the first lesson can be particularly intimidating. And being
nervous can obstruct learning.

It’s your job as a teacher to make them feel at ease by allowing students the time to
interact with each other on a personal level so that you can get the best out of them
academically.

In this way you will build up a rapport with the class so that the students can get the most
out of every lesson.

Ice breakers are not only useful for the first day of a new course, but you can also
use them as warmers at the beginning of a lesson or if you substitute another
teacher for any reason.

Think about the type of task you’re going to be teaching and try to use a variety of ice
breakers to introduce the topic.

Look at the next unit to see some examples.

Introduce your partner

INTRODUCE YOUR PARTNER

Where are you from?

Who is your best friend?

Aye you married?

Do you have children?

Why are you on this course?

What's your favourite type of food?

What do you love and hate about learning?

Introduce your partner explained
This classic ice breaker is great for the first day of a new course and is particularly
appropriate for adult learners.

Essentially students work in pairs and get to know their partner then present the
information to the rest of the class.

The good thing about it is that it gets students to ask slightly more interesting questions
such as ‘who is your best friend?’ rather than the mundane ‘where do you live?’/‘when’s
your birthday?’.

You could also encourage students to ask for more information and even leave a space
for them to invent a couple of their own questions.

This ice breaker can also be adapted for children, where they draw a humorous picture of
their partner in the box and you put it up on the classroom wall to help the students
remember each other’s names.

By introducing a partner instead of themselves students are also able to practice the
ever-important third person forms of the verb (most third person verbs in the
present end in ‘–s’ e.g. I live (1st person), he lives (3rd person).

Equally, having to memorise the information to present to the class allows them to really
interact with their partner rather than just going through the motions and immediately
forgetting their partner’s responses!

This particular version is most appropriate to classes at pre-intermediate+ levels but the
questions can be adapted to suit any class.

Teacher Tic Tac Toe

In this game the teacher draws a noughts and crosses board and writes a word or
number in each.

The information in each square is an answer to a particular question, for example you
could write ‘3’ in one of the squares as the answer to the question ‘how many brothers do
you have?’

Students work in two teams, choose a square and try to guess the question it
corresponds to. Whichever team gets three in a row wins.
This is a great activity for the first day when the students already know each other but
you are teaching them for the first time as it allows them to relax and get to know you in
a fun and interesting way.

All the information should answer questions about you so you can make it as personal as
you like and level appropriate.

For higher levels it’s good to throw in some ‘trick’ answers if possible, I knew an English
teacher who used to always write ‘gin’ in one of the squares and everyone would assume
the question was ‘What’s your favourite drink?’ The real question was actually ‘What’s the
name of your first pet?’

As well as being a fun game which can induce some friendly rivalry between teams,
this game is also great for practising word order in questions and for higher levels
you can decide to only give the teams a point if they ask the correct, and
grammatically correct, question.

Tea
che

Mingle / Find someone who...

m
in

Mingle / Find someone who... explained

‘Find Someone Who…’

This activity is perfect as a warmer for a conversation lesson or as an ice breaker for
higher levels as it gets students to talk to as many people in the room as possible. The
aim of the game is to find one person who has done each of the items on the handout
and get some more information about each. The questions can be adapted to fit in with a
particular theme or can be left random for use on the first day.

An element of competition can be added by making the activity into a ‘first person to
finish wins’ and can get students to really launch themselves into the task without having
time to feel nervous. They also have to practise question formation by transforming the
statements on the worksheet into appropriate inquiries.

Introducing warmer questions

Which of these questions would be appropriate for an elementary level ‘Introduce Your
Partner’ activity? Drag and drop the ones you would use.
Suitable

Not suitable

1. What is your favourite colour?

2. How long have you been studying English?
3. How old are you?
4. What's your favourite thing about the country you live in?
5. What do you find most difficult about learning English: speaking, reading, writing or
listening?
6. Where are you from?
7. When is your birthday?
Check answer

Here are five ‘Find Someone Who…’ questions. See if you can write some follow-up tags.
1. has lived abroad 2. has done an extreme sport 3. speaks another language 4. walks to
class 5. was born in August

Check answer

Unit 5: Icebreakers: Questions

Ice breakers are useful for... (tick all that apply)

Check answer
In the ‘Introduce Your Partner’ ice breaker, what grammar point do students practice?
 Check answer
What follow-up would be appropriate to this ‘Find Someone Who…’ question? ‘Find
someone who has been to China’:

Check answer
The 'Teacher Tic Tac Toe' game should include answers to questions about the teacher.
T/F?

Check answer

Unit 6: Student Feedback

The ability to give good, constructive feedback is essential for student motivation and
performance.

1. What do we mean by the term ‘feedback’?

Feedback is information that is given to the learner about her performance of a learning
task, usually with the objective of improving performance. While such feedback is
generally verbal, your body language can also provide the student clues about her
performance.

The main purposes of feedback are:

• to motivate learners when they are doing well

• to help them understand what their problems are and how they can improve when
they are not doing so well

Some examples of feedback in language teaching might be:

• Yes, right! to a learner who has answered a question correctly

• An arched eyebrow in response to a mistake in grammar
• Comments written in the margin of an essay
• An Almost; do you want to try again? to a student who may not have provided a
correct or full answer to an exercise

Feedback can focus on learners' language or skills, the ideas in their work, their
behaviour, their attitude towards learning, or their progress. Sometimes we give feedback
to the whole class, while at other times we give feedback to small groups or individual
learners.
2. Importance of constructive feedback

It’s critical that your feedback is constructive and not destructive.

Remember these key points:

• Feedback is a way of students learning more about themselves and the effect their
behaviour has on others.
• Constructive feedback increases self-awareness, offers guidance and encourages
development, so it is important to learn how to give it. Constructive feedback does
not mean only giving positive feedback (praise). Negative or critical feedback given
constructively and skilfully can be very important and useful.
• Destructive feedback, which is negative feedback given in an unskilled way,
generally leaves the recipient feeling bad with seemingly nothing on which to build
and no useful information to use for learning.

Here’s how to give constructive feedback to achieve a positive outcome:

Start with the positive

Students need encouragement, to be told when they are doing something well. When
offering feedback, it can really help the student to hear first what they have done well. It
is often common for the giver of feedback to emphasise the negative, therefore the focus
is likely to be on mistakes more often than successes.

In a rush to criticise, we may overlook the things we liked. If the positive is registered first,
any negative is more likely to be listened to and acted upon.

Be specific

Try to avoid general comments which are not useful when it comes to developing skills.
Statements such as You were brilliant! or It was not so good! may be pleasant or upsetting
to hear, but they don't give enough detail to be useful sources of learning.

Try to pin-point what the student did that led you to use the label of brilliant or not so
good:

Brilliant: The way you introduced your point just at that moment was really helpful and
enabled us to resolve that issue more quickly.

Not so good: By responding in that way you seemed to want to impose your opinions on
the rest of the class.

Specific feedback gives more opportunity for learning.

Refer to behaviour that can be changed

It is not likely to be helpful to give a student feedback about something over which they
have no choice or control; in fact, it may be frustrating and even de-motivating.
Seek/offer alternatives

If you do give negative feedback then try to turn it into a learning opportunity by asking
the student what they could have done differently, or will do differently next time. It is
always more powerful to get ideas coming from the student.

However, if they are struggling to think what they could have done differently, offer some
suggestions.

Be descriptive rather than evaluative

This is expanding on 'be specific'. Describing what you saw or heard and/or the effect it
had on you is much more powerful than just giving a judgement i.e. the way you kept
calm, quiet and focussed during that situation helped everyone cope rather than you
handled that situation well.

Own the feedback

It’s easy to say to the student You are…, suggesting that you are offering a universally
agreed opinion about her rather than an individual one. It is important that you take
responsibility for the feedback you offer.

Begin with I think … or I feel that...to avoid being the giver of a general opinion which you
don't own.

Leave the recipient with a choice

Feedback which demands change or is imposed on the student may invite resistance, and
is not consistent with a belief in each of us being personally autonomous. Skilled
feedback offers students information about themselves; it leaves them with a choice
about whether to act or how to act.

It can help to examine the consequences of any decision to change or not to change, but
does not involve prescribing change.

3. Different types of feedback

Key points:

• We can give feedback to individual learners or groups of learners.

• Feedback can be oral or written.
• Feedback can be linked to formal or informal assessment and can be given to
learners in the classroom or during individual meetings.
• You can also write regular feedback in the form of comments, grades or marks on a
learner's record sheet. You can use this feedback when you make your end-of-
course assessment.
• When learners give feedback to one another, this is called peer feedback.
• Peer feedback is useful for all learners. The learners who give the feedback reflect
on the work of their classmates. The learners who receive feedback are given
 information on how they can improve. The learners are often guided by a feedback
observation sheet.
• Peer feedback can have a positive effect on classroom dynamics and can help to
train learners in skills they need to become autonomous.
• Young learners, though, are not able to give very detailed peer feedback because
they are not yet able to think about their classmates' work very carefully.
• Learners can also give you feedback about the lessons, activities and materials. They
can tell you when they like what they are doing and when they are not so interested
in the materials or activities, or when they are having problems with the language.
They can also make suggestions for materials and activities to use. Be open to this.

Summary and some examples

When we talk about feedback we don’t just mean writing ‘well done’ at the end of a
student’s written homework.

Although written feedback is essential, oral feedback can be equally constructive.

We as teachers need to comment (in a variety of ways) on the students’ work, their
language skills, their progress and their attitude not only in order to help them
understand their weaker areas and give them the tools to improve but also to praise
good work/behaviour and give them the motivation to continue in that vein.

Giving useful feedback is an essential part of how you manage a class and allows
the students to know that their individual learning is being monitored whilst being
encouraged by gaining an understanding of how they can constantly develop.

As far as the option of not giving feedback at all is concerned, what is the difference
between this and the teacher leaving the classroom for the duration of the activity?

Learners expect the teacher to listen to them and the vast majority will welcome feedback
and error correction, if such correction is constructive and comes at an appropriate point
in the lesson. They expect their written work to be corrected so why not their spoken
language?

Feedback, whether written or oral, should aim to be balanced and useful. This can be
by praising an achievement and identifying an area of weakness (with specific
information on how to get better) or by praising current efforts compared to past errors.

The comments given should also concentrate on one or two specific fields to give the
learner direction and avoid confusing them. This could include any of the following:

• Language
• Content
• Progress
• Effort
• Behaviour
• Achievement
A few examples…

Oral: “I’m not sure all of you have fully understood today’s grammar point, let’s go over it
again together on the board.”
Written: “Well done, excellent use of prepositions in your work, now just focus on using
the past simple and past perfect correctly. Have another look at the last chapter in the
textbook and make sure you know when to use each.”

1. The feedback here focuses on…?

Check answer

Oral: “You’ve understood that exercise really well, the pairwork was much better than last
time.”
Written: “81%! Excellent that’s a whole grade higher than your last story, I can see you’ve
really taken on board the comments I gave you last time.”

1. The feedback here focuses on…?

Check answer

Oral: “Some great ideas came out of your brainstorming session but quite a few people
weren’t speaking English at times! Remember to try and express your thoughts in English
as much as possible, even if it takes that bit longer.”
Written: “What you’ve done so far is good but the work is incomplete: make sure that
you’re focusing on the task during the lesson rather than chatting to your partner and if
you’re struggling to get the activity done in the set time then don’t be afraid to ask for
clarification.”

1. Mrs Smith, who is very nosy, lives in the house with the blue door.

Check answer

Peer feedback
Another way of giving your students feedback is by asking them to assess each other
(constructively!). For example, while one student is giving a presentation, you can get the
others to make notes on the successful aspects as well as highlighting any areas for
improvement. This helps to engage the students and actively involve them in a task
where they would otherwise be passive listeners. It also helps them to think about their
own work and allows them to feel more secure that they aren’t the only ones who ever
make mistakes.

To do this you need a relatively mature class, however, and watch for any feedback which
is unhelpful rather than constructive.

Remind students that this is a time to reflect on each other’s learning and facilitate
their peers’ improvement, not to just criticise.

Shy students may find it especially difficult to tell their classmates about the weaker areas
of their work. If you think this might be the case in your class then it is useful to prepare a
handout asking the students to make notes on certain areas, for example structure,
fluidity of speech etc. rather than just general comments.

Young learners may also find it too difficult to assess their contemporaries effectively
because they aren’t always able to think properly about their classmate’s work.

The way you use feedback should be tailored to the particular group and to the
individuals in it but remember that it should always be fair, focused and
constructive.

Unit 6: Student Feedback: Questions

Feedback should always be...

Check answer
Peer feedback allows students to ridicule their classmates so that they feel better about
their work. T/F?

Check answer
Feedback should always be...

Check answer
Feedback should always be given at the end of the lesson. T/F

Check answer
The sole purpose of feedback is to motivate learners.
 Check answer
Constructive feedback does not mean only giving positive feedback (praise). Negative or
critical feedback given constructively and skilfully can be very important and useful.

Check answer
When offering feedback, it can really help the students to hear first what they have done
poorly.

Check answer
It is not likely to be helpful to give students feedback about something over which they
have no choice or control.

Check answer

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