The methods of teaching english đại học mở hà nội

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH (For Internal Use) Edited by Le Thi Anh Tuyet, M.A Vu Tuan Anh, M.A Le Thi Vy, M.A Nguyen Thi Thuy Hong, M.A HANOI, 2019 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH INTRODUCTION The book Methods of Teaching English is a book which can be used in a course for foreign language teaching, addressed mainly to trainees or novice teachers; however, it is also a useful reference and guide for those who are already teaching English as a foreign language without having had specific training and for practicing teachers who received their training some time ago and are looking to update their knowledge of this field as the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Methods of Teaching English is a practical book, concentrating on examples of teaching and teaching practice rather than on a detailed analysis of learning theory Our purpose in preparing this book is to produce a comprehensive introduction to teaching of English to speakers of other languages It covers the treatment of each technique for teaching the four language skills plus pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, along with guidance on how to assess these skills through large-scale and classroom-based assessment The book is composed of five chapters with thirteen units Each unit includes teaching techniques, tasks and questions for discussion based on what you have studied in each unit, teaching practice and observation On the whole, they are ordered systematically, with the more basic topics first These chapters are free-standing and may be used independently of one another However, teachers and potential teachers may want to read Methods of Teaching English from cover to cover before they start a training course They will then have an overview of the profession and what it entails The book can be used for a course that would take about 80-90 hours of class time Each chapter is divided into units of study; a unit usually takes between two and three hours to Nevertheless, individual chapters may be used as bases for short in-service courses; a single chapter should take about six hours to get through Thus, there is flexibility in how instructors will choose to use to book As a result, the book may serve as a course text and a comprehensive reference for language methodology We welcome comments and feedbacks on this edition In our role as teachers, we all have much to learn from one another Hanoi, November 2019 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction CHAPTER I: BASIC PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES OF TESOL Unit 1: Basic principles to TESOL and Warm-Ups for the TESOL Classroom Motivation Unit 2: Basic Approaches of TESOL: TESOL Methodology and Learning Styles 20 Unit 3: Lesson Planning 28 CHAPTER II: DEVELOPING LANGUAGE SYSTEMS Unit 4: The Teaching Process – The Shape of a Language Development Lesson 37 Unit 5: Teaching Pronunciation 44 Unit 6: Teaching Grammar 51 Unit 7: Teaching Vocabulary 67 CHAPTER III: TEACHING RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE SKILLS Unit 8: The Teaching Process: The Shape of a Skills Lesson 82 Unit 9: Teaching Listening Skills 88 Unit 10: Teaching Reading Skills 101 CHAPTER IV: TEACHING PRODUCTIVE SKILLS Unit 11: Teaching Speaking Skills 112 Unit 12: Teaching Writing Skills 131 CHAPTER V: ASSESSMENT AND CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Unit 13: Assessment and Evaluation in a TESOL Classroom References 151 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH CHAPTER I BASIC PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES TO TESOL CHAPTER I BASIC PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES TO TESOL UNIT BASIC PRINCIPLES TO TESOL AND WARM ̶ UPS FOR THE TESOL CLASSROOM MOTIVATION Objectives By the end of the lesson, you will be able to: • have a basic understanding of the basic principles of good ESOL teaching (Teaching English to Speakers of Other languages) • identify six TESOL levels • know the reasons to use ice-breakers and Warm-up exercises in an ESOL classroom • master ice-breakers activities • know ESOL warm-up activities to create a motivational atmosphere for the lesson or activities you currently use The objective of this unit is to enable the teacher to understand the basic principles of a good ESOL teaching and to identify six TESOL levels to create a motivational classroom environment The lesson considers the qualities of a teacher who can motivate learners and the outcomes of those learners It covers classroom strategies to create a motivational atmosphere and the role of feedback in motivation BASIC PRINCIPLES OF TESOL 1.1 Involving the Student – Personalizing Lessons There is no doubt that the main task of teachers is to teach, but the teaching work gets nowhere if their students understand and learn nothing There are many things for the teachers to with their students, but in the classroom settings teachers should show interest in their students by involving them in their teaching and by allowing them to express their opinions and things with the language they are learning It is true that everyone likes to show what he or she knows and can and likes to talk about him/ herself Likewise, students like to hear about their classmates/fellow students When this is allowed in class you will find that your students involve themselves far more than if they are talking about a fictional character from a course book By taking part in role-play, dialogues, sketches and whatever you do, both the performing students and the listeners get involved They will be less self-conscious about the English as they concentrate on the character or acting role which they are required to carry out They may be embarrassed or nervous at first, but hopefully when THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH they have got through that they will be assured that they can also get over the 'fear' of speaking English Watch carefully to find out who is shy/confident etc and assign roles they can manage at first, gradually getting everyone confident Building up the students' confidence in any situations means encouraging them at every opportunity and never putting them down If all your students are desperately putting their hands up to tell you something, you have achieved your aim of involving them 1.2 Using Realistic Language In most schools in the world, gone are the days of courses which taught useless language Those phrases such as "I’ve got two hands." or "Is this a pen? Yes, this is a pen." are not phrases which students will often need, if at all Realistic language comes from real situations and examples which the student will use outside the classroom Realistic language focuses on information sharing; equally the language should be taught in context Modern course books are getting better and better at including real speech on recordings and using real texts for reading comprehensions But you can easily find your own Make sure that you have your students real pieces of writing too, such as letters, articles and so on rather than essays or fill the blanks exercises Another feature of realistic language is the use of shortened forms I'd, she's, weren't etc are normal spoken English In their full form they are used only for writing This means you should introduce them right from the start in your speech In addition, novice teachers often make the mistake of speaking extremely slowly to their classes so they sound like robots This helps no-one! Shortened forms help to keep a regular stress pattern that students recognized as their ears become tuned to English so be a good model for your students to speak clearly with normal stress patterns and intonation So, we should say, for example, ‘Where’ve you been? I’ve bin waitin’ for ages’ We would sound strange and be hard to understand if we said precisely: Where have you been? I have been waiting for ages Realistic language is also characterized by different accents Speakers of English not have the same accent and neither teachers of ESOL On the whole students will expect this and readily accept British accents as well as those from different parts of America, Canada and Australia and so on Try to use your normal accent and get ready to explain what words you pronounce differently from what the students might expect If they complain about the way you speak, not get offended but make your CHAPTER I BASIC PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES TO TESOL accent and how it is special the focus of a lesson Find out about colloquialisms and transatlantic differences such as faucet and tap, trunk and boot (of a car) so that you can help students with international recordings and texts However, it is essential that your students are given the opportunity to hear as many different accents as you can bring into the classroom This way they will deal better with other accents outside the classroom, and they will not find themselves unable to understand anyone but you Remember, there is no correct accent in spoken English Being pedantic helps noone, so find out as much as you can about accents and dialects 1.3 Teacher Talking Time There is a continuing debate about the amount of time teachers should spend talking in class Trainee’s classes are sometimes criticized because there is too much TTT (Teacher Talking Time) and not enough STT (Student Talking Time) Getting students to speak – to use the language they are learning – is a vital part of a teacher’s job Students are the people who need to practice, not the teacher In general terms, therefore, a good teacher maximizes STT and minimizes TTT Good TTT may have beneficial qualities, however If teachers know how to talk to students, then students have a chance to hear language which is certainly above their own productive level, but which they cam more or less understand However, a classroom where the teacher’s voice drones on and on day after day and where you hardly ever hear the students say anything is not one that most teachers and students would approve of TTT can be terribly over-used Conversely, a class where the teacher seems reluctant to speak is not very attractive either The best lessons are ones where STT is maximized, but where at appropriate moments during the lesson the teacher is not afraid to summarize what is happening, tell a story, join a discussion Good teachers use their common sense and experience to get the balance right English Language Acquisition In the acquisition of a second language, there are six internationally recognized language levels Some educational facilities may add more sub levels to suit the schools private study requirements These six levels should be recognized to apply proper topics THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH 2.1 Beginner Level ✴✴ Beginner level description: ✴✴ Usually not at all, but may speak very little ✴✴ May not be able to respond to phrases and questions but may repeat them ✴✴ Attempts to tell the difference between words in spoken English ✴✴ May be able to comprehend short words or phrases or may not show any apparent understanding of words ✴✴ Cannot read or write in English ✴✴ May not be able to read or write in own language ✴✴ May experience mental fatigue due to a strange environment ✴✴ May find it difficult to pronounce the few letters recognized Topics to Teach Students at Beginner Level: The alphabet Food and drinks Body parts Fruits Family Shapes, sizes, colors, numbers Clothing Animals Likes and dislikes Days, weeks, months, seasons Greetings and manners Grammar Points for Beginners Basic nouns Adjectives Pronouns Adverbs Basic verbs Present simple & present continuous tenses 2.2 Upper-beginner Level Upper-beginner Level Description ✴✴ Usually understand a little, but not without gesture help and only if speaking is done at a slow pace ✴✴ May not be able to respond to phrases and questions but may repeat them ✴✴ Unable to say much as they understand ✴✴ Often found using words in their present tense ✴✴ Can only speak simple words and sentences with limited vocabulary ✴✴ Commit omission of words and word parts ✴✴ Comprehend only simple words and short phrases ✴✴ Able to write alphabet and some familiar words ✴✴ Able to read the alphabet, numbers, basic words and sentences CHAPTER I BASIC PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES TO TESOL ✴✴ Can make a simple speech about very familiar topics and personal information, that is, name, age, address and hobbies Topics to Teach Upper-Beginner Level Transport Towns Hobbies Cities Fairy tales Family Daily routines Sports actions Grammar Points for Upper-Beginners Simple past Conjunctions Simple future Contractions Possessive adjectives Simple sentences Prepositions 2.3 Pre-Intermediate Level The Pre-Intermediate Level Description ✴✴ At this level, the learners are equipped with basic commands of the language that can be applied in a number of familiar situations For example, they can comprehend and pass on simple information ✴✴ At this level, the basic of English can be learned in class The focus is on learning what is considered the most relevant vocabulary and grammar ✴✴ The command of the language is limited at this level situation, e.g they can participate in routine meetings where familiar topics are discussed Student’s ability to use English can be developed in the classes ✴✴ Learners are able to write with the alphabet and some words ✴✴ Can successfully read the alphabet, numbers and basic sentences ✴✴ Learners are limited in their vocabulary Topics to Teach Pre-Intermediate Level Transport Food Around a town Family Hobbies Weekend activities and holidays Personal information House description Daily routines Fairy tales THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH Grammar Points for Pre-Intermediate Names of family members Irregular verbs Professions 10 important phrasal verbs The differences of MAKE and DO Uncountable nouns Plural nouns Common informal plural nouns 2.4 Intermediate Level Intermediate Level Description ✴✴ Be familiar with the use of more sentence patterns ✴✴ Identify mistakes ✴✴ May be more fluent, but can apply simple present/past and future tenses ✴✴ Have a better understanding in speaking ✴✴ Can identify some more important words in both written and spoken English ✴✴ Have better listening ability than spoken ability ✴✴ Can easily initiate communication ✴✴ Will only read aloud when reading familiar passages ✴✴ Understand class discussions that involve the use of repetition and/or visual aids ✴✴ Struggle with pronunciation and spelling of written English ✴✴ Often be conscious of using the language before the other students in the classroom Topics to Teach Intermediate Level Sports Games Music Famous people and famous places Dialogue: At the Doctor’s A restaurant Occupations Technology The future Hobbies Holidays Countries and culture Grammar Points for Intermediate Simple past and simple future tense Present continuous tense 10 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH 5.6 Teaching Activities as Test Type Items Objectives: To help you to see that the same activities for teaching can be used for testing To show that tests can be interesting, even fun, for students to Procedure Match the following language items or skills to be tested with the activities you have learned from the Speaking, Vocabulary, Writing, Reading, Listening materials Fill in the answer boxes Discuss your answer with a partner Discuss the following questions: Which of the activities are easy to design/mark? Which ones are more communicative? Which ones more interesting/challenging? Which ones are the most popular in Vietnam? Language or function to be tested Teaching activities Functions: Polite requests a Transformation Listening: Following the journey b Listen and draw Reading: Understanding Main Ideas c Recall Vocabulary: Colors d Mapped Dialogue Writing for accuracy: A letter e Word square Speaking: Describing People f Matching sentences with paragraphs Answers: 166 CHAPTER V ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION 5.7 Testing Vocabulary Objectives: To let your experience taking a vocabulary test –– To encourage you to use a variety of test type items for testing vocabulary Procedure: Do the vocabulary Test Look at the table (below) and complete it Do this individually and then share and compare answers As a whole group, discuss answers Item type Easy to prepare Easy to Easy to mark Problems? Multiple choice questions Matching Odd one out Guessing words from context Translation for Production Translation for reception Gap filling for production Gap filling for reception Sentence completion 167 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH 5.8 Testing Speaking Skills Aim: To raise awareness as to why and how we test speaking –– To encourage you to look at a variety of ways of testing speaking –– To examine these and decide what speaking sub-skills each test has Procedure: Fill in the net work Focus on “How” we can test speaking and look at the following table of test types for testing Speaking Examine the list and check if it tests Accuracy or Fluency Then check if it uses a Recognition or a reproduction format Finally, check the “Usable” column: Is it usable in their classroom or not? Compare answers, whole group Technique Respond to grammatical or functional cue Monologue – speaking about self Monologue - prepare topic & present 168 Accuracy Fluency Recog Reprod Useable? CHAPTER V ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION Monologue – given topic/ situation Summarizing a written text Role play Interview / discussion based on book/text Interview / discussion – picture stimulus Interview / discussion – given topic Open interview/ free discussion A Marking Scheme for testing speaking Aim: To help you understand and use criteria for marking speaking tests –– To give you practice in marking for fluency as well as accuracy through viewing the “Assessing Speaking” Procedure: Read the criteria for accuracy and fluency below and tick the answers which you think are right I Criteria for assessing accuracy When marking for accuracy there are usually criteria to look for: Grammar [ ] The students use correct word order, tenses, agreement etc [ ] The students leave out articles, prepositions, difficult tenses Vocabulary [ ] The student has a range of vocabulary that corresponds to the syllabus year list and uses words you have taught [ ] The student uses a very limited range of vocabulary 169 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH Pronunciation [ ] When the student speaks most people will understand [ ] The message that the student is trying to get across is unclear because of poor pronunciation II Criteria for assessing fluency When marking for fluency there are usually three criteria to look for: Lack of hesitation [ ] The students speak smoothly at a natural speech [ ] The student hesitate so much that it is difficult to follow what s/he is saying Length [ ] The students make full sentences and can speak for more than one sentence at a time The students can put ideas together to form a message or an argument [ ] The students can make only the simplest of sentences patterns and often doesn’t complete his sentences Independence [ ] When the student is lost for a word or can’t express an idea in English, he finds a way around the problem, re-expressing what he wants to say in a different/simpler way The students can keep talking and ask questions etc to keep the conversation going He is independent of the teacher [ ] The students give up trying when s/he cannot find the right word The students let the conversation break down or is dependent on others to keep talking He usually looks at the teacher to take the initiative III Marking sheet Grammar vocabulary pronunciation Student Student Student Student Student 170 Lack of length hesitation independence CHAPTER V ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION 5.9 Testing Listening and Reading Skills Aim: To show you some examples of communicative test items for Listening and Reading Procedure: Look at the list of sub-skills for testing for reading and listening below Then match the sub-skills to them Then follow your trainer’s instructions for writing Listening and Reading tests Reading and listening Sub-skills for Testing Listening for main idea Listening for details Reading for main idea Reading for details Reading for vocabulary Reading for opinion, inference (reading between the lines) In conclusion, in this unit we have presented an introduction to the field of language assessment; however, it merely scratches the surface of the field, which includes development, administration, scoring and reporting We hope that given the information in this unit, teachers-in-training should feel better equipped to make judicious decisions about what assessment practices they choose to use in their own classroom QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION I You have probably come across some convincing reasons for testing Answer the following questions Think and write your ideas about why we test, what we test? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… 171 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH Can you link the reasons between the reasons why and what? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… What is the most important test in school? State the reason why? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Write down how you test in your classroom, i.e what kind of questions you use? ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… II Work in group of three or four to discuss the question “Which technique will you choose to use for a certain testing purpose?” Type of How easy to How easy to How easy Technique knowledge to be compose? administer? to mark? checked 172 CHAPTER V ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION 10 11 12 III Example of a vocabulary test You have 15 minutes to the following test Choose the letter of the item which is nearest meaning to the word in italics He was reluctant to answer the question a unprepared b unwilling c refusing d slow Draw lines connecting the pairs of opposites A B Brave Awake Female Expensive Cheap Succeed Asleep Cowardly fail male 173 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH Underline the odd one out Goat horse cow spider sheep dog cat Guess the meaning of the bold words Fill in the Vietnamese translation below It was late last night Seventeen-year-old Johnny Clinton was (1 dozing) when the spaceship came down It (2 landed) near the farm where he now lived with his aunt and cousins, and the noise of its (3 engines) woke him up He knew at once that it was, as every boy in the 21st (4 century) knew He sat up in bed Why had one of the great spaceships stopped here? It was 700 (5 miles) from its usual station _ _ _ _ _ Do the following tasks 5a Translate the words below into English Nhận thức rõ: _ Hạt tiêu: dân cư: đôi khi: 5b Translate the underlined words into Vietnamese They abandoned me Answer key for exercise 5B We celebrated for three days He conveyed the message I reacted badly Do the following tasks 6a Fill in the gap with one word each The Sun ………… in the West He had an accident, so he was taken to the …………… My ……… is the father of my father 6b Fill in gaps with one of the words given Please don’t ……… the paper on the floor a throw b drink c hope d type My pen doesn’t work because there isn’t any ………… in it a dirt b oil c line d ink 174 CHAPTER V ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION That bag ………… to me It’s mine a seems b saves c belongs d begins Finish the following sentences I fell depressed when I fail ……………… I never have an appetite when I am ……………… It was a great relief when he told me about ……………… Listening Test Items Choose a listening text in the book of grade 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th, and change it into a listening test item IV Reading test items Choose one or two of the texts in the text book of grade 6th, 7th, 8th or 9th and develop it into test items: Use the first one for testing vocabulary in context; the second one for testing reading for main ideas and reading for details Write clear instructions Suggestions for Further Reading Black et all (2003) Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice Open University Press Gadsby, C and Beeve, J (2012) Perfect Assessment for Learning Independent Thinking Press Gershon, M (2013) How to Use Assessment for Learning in the Classroom Amazon Media Spendlove, D (2011) Putting Assessment for Learning into Practice Continuum 175 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH References Anderman, E.M and Anderman, L.H (2013) Classroom Motivation Pearson Blackburn, B.M (2005) Classroom Motivation from A-Z: How to Engage your Students in Learning Cambridge University Press Black et all (2003) Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice Open University Press Celce-Murica, M., Brinton, D & Goodwin, J (1996) Teaching Pronunciation Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Davis, P and Rinvolucri, M (2002) Dictation: New Methods, New Possibilities Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Dornyei, Z (2001) Motivational Strategies in the Classroom Cambridge University Press Fautley, M and Savage, J (2013) Lesson Planning for Effective Learning Open University Press Gangwer, T (2009) Visual Impact, Visual Teaching: Using Images to Strengthen Learning Corwin Gadsby, C and Beeve, J (2012) Perfect Assessment for Learning Independent Thinking Press 10 Gershon, M (2013) How to Use Assessment for Learning in the Classroom Amazon Media 11 Gilbert, L (2012) Essential Motivation in the Classroom Cambridge University Press 12 Gillbert, J (2005) Pronunciation: Why Should We Be Teaching? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 13 Harmer (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching Longman 14 Harmer, J (2004) How to Teach English Longman Group UK Limited 15 Hayes, A (2007) 100 ideas for Lesson Planning Continuum 16 Hedge,T (2000) Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom Oxford University Press 17 Nunan, D (2003) Practical English Language Teaching McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc 18 Sargent, A (2014) Outstanding Lesson Ahead: A Guide to Creating engagement and learning in the Classroom Oxford University Press 19 Scrivener, J (2011) Learning Teaching Macmillan 20 Skinner, D (2010) Effective Teaching and Learning in Practice Cambridge University Press 176 CHAPTER V ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION 21 Spendlove, D (2011) Putting Assessment for Learning into Practice Continuum 22 Thaine, C (2010) Teacher Training Essentials: Workshops for Professional Development Cambridge University Press 23 Thornbury, S (2006) How to Teach Vocabulary Pearson Education 24 Thornbury, S (2005) Uncovering Grammar Macmillan 25 Thornbury, S (1999) How to Teach Grammar Longman 26 Wright, A., Betteridge, D (2006) Games for Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 27 Woodward, T (2001) Planning Lessons and Courses: Designing Sequences od Work for the Language Classroom Cambridge University Press 28 Ur, P (2012) A Course in English Language Teaching Cambridge University Press 29 http://englishagenda.britishcouncil.org/seminars/motivating-unmotivated 177 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH 178 CHAPTER V ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION 179 THE METHODS OF TEACHING ENGLISH 180