General english (l 1) Age 16-19
This is a general English class for students aged 16+ in an ESL setting. Students come from a variety of language backgrounds, and mostly are studying concurrently for their school-leaving exams (‘A-Levels') in diverse subjects. Some students attend both upper-intermediate and advanced classes. The lesson is centred on the topic "The Mind".
Materials used
Crace, A. & Acklam, R. (2010) New Total English: Upper Intermediate . Pearson Longman. (Student Book): Chapter 10 "The Mind"
TEACHER EDUCATION TASKS
"Acting the part": Teacher roles and accompanying language use
Aim : to explore the diverse roles taking on by a teacher in a class and the ways in which specific teacher language use supports these roles
Before viewing, discuss the following questions with a partn
- Which roles can a teacher fulfil in class?
- Which of these are the most important ones in your context/a context you are familiar with? Why these?
- If you know the L1 of your students, do you associate either the L1 or the L2 with particular roles?
- Choose one role (e.g. organiser, facilitator, etc.) and think of possible features of teacher language use associated with this role
Now observe Neil's lesson and make a grid of the phases of the lesson with the main teacher role associated with it. See the example below
Time Role Task
12:02- 15:05 organiser/classroom manager organising group work
After having done this, choose at least two roles and watch these sequences again. Now focus on the language (and body language) used by the teacher when he enacts these roles
For the extract above, for example, this could be:
Language (and body language) used
Always target language, use of orders in various degrees of politeness/indirectness (can I put you in groups, gestures, what I'd like you to, spend about 3 or 4 minutes discussing) , use of accompanying gestures
Look at the forms and functions of language that learners are confronted with by the teacher. Discuss with your partner what the potential learning opportunities are. Especially if you are used to using the L1 in some of these roles, discuss what the opportunities and challenges are of using the L2 to enact these roles.
Role of teacher
Story teller, organiser, manager, facilitator, transitions between
Listen to Neil talk about his upper-intermediate and advanced classes!