Contents

Editorial plus information about the Artifice Conference

page 4

Language Matters:
The Authenticity of Theory, Translation, and Play: Perspectives on Past
and Future ELT by Guy Cook

page 7

So Many Englishes by Paul Roberts

A challenge to the accepted English that we teach.

page 11

Weaving Some Lexical Threads by Nick Hamilton

Transferring our own experience of learning into the classroom.

page 13

The King and Myself by Cathy Ellis

A look at English as she is really spoke.

page 16

Teacher training:
Is My Map To Scale? by Mark Wilson
Questioning classroom values.

page 18

Comparing Ukranian Teaching Styles with Western Teaching Styles

by Kristina Torkelson Gray

page 22

Teaching Younger Learners:

Word Up! Improving Teenagers Wordpower by Diana England

page 25

Teaching Business English:

How do Needs Must by Bernard Haunch

page 29

Needs Analysis in Executive teaching.

Exams:
Computer-adaptive Testing by Simon Williams
An introduction to the latest type of testing for Cambridge exams.

page 32

Classroom Ideas:
Lets Pretend: Validating Drama-Based Activities in the Classroom
by Siabhra Woods

page 34

Proof of the Pron Pudding 2: Word Stress Rules OK by Brita Haycraft

page 37

IT:
Braga Portal by Martin Heslop

page 40

Whats New in the Affiliate Network.

An Interview with Alan Pentecost, CEO IH

page 42

Letters: Responses to articles from the last issue

page 44

Is There Life After CELTA?

A new section from recent graduates of the CELTA/ DELTA and how it was for them.

page 45

What Youve Always Wanted To Know About IH Affiliates...And More!

Snapshots from schools around the world.

ihj April

page 46

2001

journal of education and development

e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0) 20 7518 6900
Editors:
Subscriptions Manager:
Editorial Board:

Rachel Day
The Subscriptions Manager
IH Journal of Education and Development
International House
106 Piccadilly
London W1J 7NL
U.K.

Rachel Clark
and Susanna Dammann
Rachel Day
Pippa Bumstead
Michael Carrier
Roger Hunt
Jeremy Page
Scott Thornbury

we would really like something from you in the next. You will also
notice there is no book review section. We had so many articles
from you we found we had no space!

Editorial
Welcome to the tenth issue of the Journal. We are very excited to
be reaching double figures - its a most important landmark! It
feels a long time since we took over - only two issues ago - as
weve learnt so much in that time. The most important thing
weve learnt has been what a wonderful lot you all are. It was
good to see many of you at the DoS Conference in London thank you for your feedback. One thing that was raised was a
request for three issues a year. Wed really like to think about that.
Our most recent plea for articles was answered so
overwhelmingly that we almost have enough for a whole new
issue already. We would like to know WHEN you would prefer to
have a third issue appear - if we are going to manage 3 a year as
a general rule they need to be better spaced. So could you let us
know what YOU think?

However, if you have a burning request for information or a

comment to make, on anything you read here, just contact us
and well put you in touch with the author and print your letter if
you will allow us.
Have a look at the contents page. Enjoy!
Rachel Clark and Susanna Dammann
The International House Journal of Education and Development
is published twice a year at present cover price 5.00.
If you would like to join our list of regular subscribers, please
contact Rachel Day.

Thank you all of you who responded so generously to our

request; keep em coming - we need letters and school profiles
as well, dont forget. Thank you to IH Valladollid and IH Torres
Vedras whose schools appear in this issue, and to those who
wrote in response to Rod Frickers article on the Present Perfect.
These came to us via the Internet in fact, which seems to be the
natural medium for this kind of reaction nowadays. So do send
us anything you see on the IH World listbot (the email facility on
the IH Website) which you think might be interesting. Then well
get in touch with the author and see if s/he will allow us to print. A
propos of email - weve had a request to print email addresses of
authors. On reflection we feel that this is only appropriate when
an author specifically includes it.

ARTIFICE
This years IH conference , Artifice, was arranged by Roger
Hunt. Does that make him an artificer - a person who organises
fireworks? There were certainly plenty of sparks around during a
very lively and exhausting week-end.

Much of this issue is concerned with questions raised by the

Artifice Conference held at IH London in January. We have some
articles by people who spoke as well as our report which, though
it certainly doesnt cover everything that happened, does, we
hope, give a flavour of the event. We will have more from the
conference in the next issue.

So many sparklers in fact, that your editors, whose bilocatory

skills are not yet fully developed, were unable to cover everything
they wanted to hear and you would like to hear about. However,
by running around very fast and asking everyone we could see for
information on what they had just been to, we managed to get a
pretty good overview of events.

As you can see, this issue is stuffed with great articles, too many
to mention individually here. As usual, we hope weve included
something of interest to nearly everyone. We are sorry theres
nothing on management this time. Dear Doses and Directors -

Of course there were lots of people that we didnt manage to see.

Among these are Paul Roberts, Robert ONeill, Bruce
McGowen, Philip Kerr, Jane Willis, Kate Evans, Jane Revell,
Jim Scrivener, Nick Barrett, Chad Fryer and Karen Adams.

ihj April

The key-note speech by Guy Cook addressed the central

question of what we mean by artifice and what it has to do with
language teaching and learning. The answer was quite a lot! In a
talk which ranged from the philosophy of linguistics to the
problems of classroom practice he gave us a great deal to think
about - of which you can read more in these pages - and set off
the first of a series of sparklers.

2001

Many of them are, have been or will be contributors to these

pages. Its not quite the same as being there, we know, but its
better than nothing; and if it stirs you to twist the arm of authority
into letting you come to next years conference - so much the
better!
One level of artifice as mentioned by Guy Cook in his opening
session, is the actors craft - excellently demonstrated in Siabhra
Woods session on role play in which we acted out and took on
the roles of people who had appeared in news items recently. All
the participants were totally involved and came away with
excellent classroom ideas.

with some difficulties. He remains convinced there is a need for

trainees to learn about language as well as to learn how to teach
it . We need the feel, not only the think, but without thought
there is no learning, he says. He will be telling us more one day
soon!

Another level is that of the craftsman, the artificer. In Steve

Walshs session he helped us to look at the tools we provide
people with on CELTAs to become craftspeople and to reevaluate these. At the moment, we tell trainees that they spend
too much time in their lessons on TTT, but according to Steve, we
should be looking more closely at the quality of TT rather than
penalising people for the quantity. He provided very useful
guidelines of ways for trainers, teachers and trainees to look at
stages of a lesson and to decide if TT was appropriate.

Mark Wilson made a persuasive case for taking another look at

teacher-led, inauthentic (artificial?) activities in the classroom, in
an illuminating talk about the in-service training sessions he runs
at IH San Sebastian see his article in this issue.

In Dave Willis discussion of the grammar of speech, his central

concern was to highlight the process of putting language
together in spoken discourse. Once more, the feeling that
language is an artificial concept, emerged. Again, you will read
more in these pages soon.

Scott Thornbury and Luke Meddings message was about

opportunities for real vs artificial language use in the class. They
argued that as a result of being constrained by materials and
coursebooks, teachers were missing many opportunities for
real language to be produced and worked on by teachers and
students together in the class. The idea that the students are the
biggest resource in the classroom was highlighted and they
believed strongly that this resource was desperately underused.
There were suggestions from the audience that asking
inexperienced teachers to throw away coursebooks and
materials and to rely on their own linguistic ability was rather a tall
order. The discussion continues on the DOGME website which
any one can add to. http://[email protected]/groups/dogme

Another meaning is real vs artificial. Several of the talks we

went to focused on this but in different areas.
Nick Hamiltons focus was the real vs artificial (or unfair)
expectations that we have of trainees when we put them into a
class on a CELTA course. By asking them to teach grammar, we
are setting them up for failure since everyone knows that the
students are going to be more proficient in their knowledge of
grammar than any native speaker trainee. So the result is that the
trainee is taught by the students! Not a real classroom scenario.
If we were on the other hand to help trainees to look at language
lexically and to present collocations and chunking, then of course
native speakers are going to have the upper hand and so real
teaching may be facilitated. Nick gave us several practical ideas
of how we could encourage this. Have a look at his article in this
issue to learn more!

On the other hand, Jeremy Harmers talk on why coursebooks

are the best training tools in the world, would seem to be at the
opposite end of the spectrum. We hope to bring you more from
these heavyweights of the ELT world in future issues.
One of the central sources of heat, and quite a lot of light, was the
debate between the proponents of TBL (real?) and those of a
more classic PPP (artificial?) approach. As regular readers will
know, Derrin Kent, who spoke with Karl Kaliski on TBL in
training courses, is obviously a TBL enthusiast. His original
trainer, Bill Harris is, however, still convinced that some training
in PPP is essential. When they found themselves working
together on a CELTA course in Barcelona, you can imagine the
results were interesting, not to say lively! Bill gave a fascinating
talk, with input from Derrin, which showed us how they made the
debate into part of a very successful course. Again, watch this
space for more on this from both of them.

Simon Marshalls view was of the real vs artificial expectations

that students have about their own learning. We all believe that
we should listen to our students and learn from them about what
they want. However, he argued that nowadays students are used
to computers, fast food and TV zappers and have the mentality
that if they dont like something they can just switch over. They
also feel that they should have everything NOW and have
forgotten that if they want to learn a language they have to work
for it. So teachers are in danger of always trying to make lessons
fun and activity driven which may result in the students having a
good time but not really putting any effort into learning. The reality
is that if you dont put anything in, you wont get anything out.
Again, Simon provided original and effective activities that would
help students to really learn in that class while also having fun.

We couldnt get to everything in person but we sent our

representatives (actually we didnt - they went anyway -and
kindly gave us an overview of what they saw).
Nancy Wallace writes:
Jane Willis demonstrated some task-based activities for lowlevel learners, highlighting that certain conditions, both real and
artificial, are essential for successful language learning.

Many teachers find the language of linguistic theory is artificial in

the bad old sense of the word; Thomas Fritz spoke to us about
his experience of running a training course in Vienna, where an
attempt to introduce an element of linguistics into the course met

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2001

the place of technology in the modern classroom. Will computers

and projectors take their place alongside video machines, OHPs
and tape recorders as essential classroom furniture?

Chad Fryer outlined an action research study he had carried out

in a Japanese University on motivating low level learners of
English. Artifice was required to get students to attend! He
achieved this by developing a rap music project, which he
demonstrated with audience participation. (We are kicking
ourselves for not going Chad - very sorry! - eds)

Roger Hunt brought many of the themes of the conference

together in his talk on The Chaos of Artifice. He challenged us to
justify our classroom practice by identifying a valid rationale for
our choices.

Jane Revell gave a hands-on session on how to resource

yourself to maximise your learning opportunities. This consisted
of making ourselves receptive to learning and provided a positive
start to the day and some practical ideas to go away with!

This was a very positive conference from which everyone came

away full of new practical ideas as well as inspiration and food for
thought. Overall, the message we got was that we may be in
danger of not doing real teaching if we are constrained to follow
particular teaching methodologies simply because they are
fashionable or what we were told to do on CELTA, or, if we are
focusing on the wrong things. But, on the plus side, we have
many roles at our fingertips and if we use them thoughtfully, we
can show that within our daily work we are extremely skilled
teachers, actors and craftspeople who can utilise our arts for
the benefit of all. A little crafty linguistic smoke, some grammatical
fountains, a collocational catherine wheel or two and lots of
lexical rockets will provide a feast of artifice for every language
student who comes knocking at our doors.

Devon Krohn writes: Paul Roberts talk on So Many Englishes

began with an account of the standardisation of the English
Language under James I and the ensuing building of a national
consciousness. After a look at the different backgrounds learners
come from, he focussed on the implications of these variations
for our teaching. He gave us some memorable examples.
(Of which you can read more in this issue - eds.)
Philip Kerr, on Skills Lessons and Teaching Skills gave a talk
which questioned how we teach reading skills and why. He
pointed out that vocabulary recognition differentiates good
readers from bad; therefore reading ability is essentially related to
language knowledge. This means that a students problem is
frequently fundamentally a bottom-up problem, which we try to
deal with, using top-down practice. He also made the point that
slow reading inevitably taxes short-term memory so maybe we
should be teaching fast-reading strategies involving the ability to
read in chunks. He also mentioned the need to bear in mind a
learners cultural attitude towards written texts. This talk raised
some interesting points and having recently done the DELTA,
I was obliged to question (in a healthy way) what I had learnt.
We are most grateful to Nancy and Devon for their effort in
taking, keeping and writing up their notes for us.
A talk which had its audience rolling in the aisles, was
Rodney Blakestons discussion of The Pleasures of Artifice. In a
perfectly judged performance, Rodney gave us a hilarious
illustrated history of language teaching, some wonderful jokes
and a serious point to consider - what language does a student
actually NEED as opposed to what we think s/he needs?. Fun,
he said, should be a product, but not the aim, of any well-judged
lesson. He also paid tribute to the pioneering work of Robert
ONeill, the godfather he said of modern ELT.
Another tremendously influential figure, Mario Rinvolucri, gave
us an inspirational insight into how he uses some of the ideas that
we have met in his books, in the classroom and some
suggestions as to how we might use these to meet our own
needs. We hope to have more from him in a future issue.
Rosie McAndrews delightful demonstration of how to use
Powerpoint in the classroom not only provided some fizzy special
effects - Like fireworks said one of the audience - it served as
the starting point for what promises to be a fruitful discussion on

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2001

The Authenticity of Theory, Translation and

Play: Perspectives on past and future ELT.
Guy Cook
Guy Cook is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Reading. He has published widely on discourse analysis and
the teaching of language and literature. His most recent books are Language Play, Language Learning (Oxford University Press
2000) (winner of the Modern Languages Association Kenneth Mildenberger Prize) and a new edition of The Discourse of
Advertising (Routledge 2001)
This article first appeared in The English Teachers Assciation of Switzerland 1st AGM Special 2000

theory is dysfunctional
for the teachers, making
them worse not better
at their jobs.

pressure, in which there is no let-up. Things are coming at the

teacher all the time (maybe even literally) and there is certainly
more to think about than abstract formulations concerning
language and mind. It is hard to see clearly, to get any idea of
how the place and the moment relates to other places and times.
In ELT (even more than in other professions) these pressures are
exacerbated by constant changes in fashion, and by commercial
and academic interests seeking to impose a normalising
influence - trying to get everyone to do the same thing at the
same time, creating the illusion that every snowstorm is the
same. To abandon theorising about teaching, however (as
Chomsky and Clarke and Freeman would have us do) is not the
only response to such pressure. It is also possible to theorise in
a different and richer way, drawing on pedagogic traditions other
than our own, and using them to forge new approaches to
language and of learning. What I want to demonstrate here is
that we need more theory, and theory about theory, rather than
less! We need to be outside the snowstorm to see that there are
different ways of shovelling snow.

There is a popular view that academic theory about language

teaching has a disempowering effect upon language teachers,
and cannot engage with the realities of the classroom. The view
has been expressed in many different quarters, and in many
different ways. No less a theorist than Noam Chomsky, speaking
in the mid 1980s, remarked that Psychology and linguistics have
caused a good deal of harm by ... telling teachers .... how they
should behave, and added for good measure that often the
ideas presented by the scientists are totally crazy and they may
cause trouble. (Chomsky 1988:180-182). Mark Clarke , writing
in TESOL Quarterly in 1994, expressed the notion that theory is
dysfunctional for the teachers, making them worse not better at
their jobs. More recently Donald Freeman (2000) has expressed
similar ideas through two analogies. The first is that a practising
teacher is like a person living alongside a river. The experience is
quite different from, and also predates, maps of the river which
name it and place it - and in effect freeze it - on a map. The
second is that teaching is like being lost in a snowstorm. What is
needed is a shovel - and the best shovels are always those which
are to hand, not the ones which, however elegantly and carefully
designed, are to be found elsewhere. These are vivid and
seductive metaphors. They make a useful starting point. What I
want to do, however, is to turn them around and use them to
illustrate quite the opposite point. To me it seems that there is a
benefit in finding a vantage point from which the course of the
river is clearly visible, or a peak above the snowstorm.

One way of doing this, which entails one type of theorising, is to

consider current language teaching practices in historical
perspective. With the recent turn of the century, such
retrospectives have been very much in the air - so much so that
they have even become rather wearisome. Too many recent
conferences have used slogans about stepping into the 21st
century, and often such slogans can seem superficial, artificial
and false. This is understandable - the end of a century is an
arbitrary point thrown up by one system of reckoning time. In
ELT, however, retrospectives on the last century are pertinent for
two reasons. The first is that the twentieth century did have a
certain unity in ELT theory; the second is that - as a period in
language teaching history - it is singularly curious and perverse.
It is possible, despite the centurys many apparent movements
and shifts, to see it as dominated by only two major changes.
The first was the shift away from interlingual teaching (which
involved translation and explanation in the students language) to
monolingual direct methods (in which the use of the students
language was banned). The second was the shift within Direct
Method, away from explicit explanation and practice of rules,
towards inductive holistic learning, in which the focus was upon
real activities, where language was used to transact meaning
rather than to focus attention upon itself. Under the influence of

The metaphor of the

snowstorm is
particularly apt to ELT.
The metaphor of the snowstorm is particularly apt to ELT.
Teaching is an activity in which action has to be taken under

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2001

reign of the Direct Method, from the beginning of the 20th

century to the end, first language acquisition has been variously
seen as habit formation, as the unfolding of a genetic
programme, as the fruit of the childs need to communicate and
interact. ELT has responded by creating its own echoes of these
changing schools of linguistics: audio-lingualism, graded
structures, functional syllabuses and so forth. Yet the central
notion that the small child is the best model for the second
language learner has remained.

these two developments, a number of well-tried language

teaching and learning activities were outlawed and ridiculed:
translation because it involves both languages; deductive
teaching and manipulation of forms, because they involve explicit
attention to rules; dictation, choral work, repetition, and rote
learning, because they are not apparently how language is
really used; drilling, teaching from the front, and error
correction, because they were regarded as authoritarian
hindrances to natural acquisition.

it is a critical theoretical
examination of
dominant theory which
can gives teachers the
power to reject
unreasonable
impositions of experts

In many ways it is a very odd one. From a teachers perspective,

the first language learner is in many ways slow and inefficient.
Suppose - at a conservative estimate - that a five-year old child
has had an average daily exposure to the language of 8 hours,
and then relate that to the experience and expectations of an
adult second language learner. By this calculation, the child has
had an intensive immersion programme of 14608 hours, very
likely in a supportive and friendly environment with one-to-one or
small group interaction with a native speaker. Yet their language
ability is still only that of a five year old child. They have faulty
grammar, a very limited vocabulary and range of styles, hopeless
turn taking skills, and they still can not read or write. An adult
learner would certainly be disappointed with such progress. It is
true of course that there are other factors, of course, to be taken
into account. The child has other things to learn, and it may be
that he or she, despite this slow progress, attains a better end
state etc. Yet at the very least, the belief that the child is a model
language learner cannot be taken for granted. Its persistence,
moreover, across otherwise incompatible theories of first
language acquisition should suggest to the critical teacher that
there may be other - non-theoretical forces at work.

So strong was the hype behind these two movements that many
teachers became persuaded that they were the only possible
ways of teaching. From, say, the 1920s to the late 1960s a
teacher abreast of - and obedient to - theory, though still using
drills, pattern practices, rule explanations and so on, would have
argued that the use of translation was quite wrong. A similar
teacher in the late 1980s would have added that not only is
translation wrong, but so are explicit correction, explanation and
learning of rules. (Not all teachers, of course, were so easily led,
and not all theorists were so simplistic.) Yet just as there are
different approaches to teaching, so it is with theory. A different
kind of theory - theorising about theorising - can allow people to
stand back and place the fashions of their time in broader
perspectives. Paradoxically it is a critical theoretical examination
of dominant theory which can gives teachers the power to reject
unreasonable impositions of experts, and legitimise resistance.

Behind these theories lie assumptions about language itself: that

the unmarked linguistic environment is monolingual, that code
switching and translation are not part of the childs environment,
but academic, artificial and contrived uses of language which
belong in the schoolroom rather than the home. This too is odd.
Though exact figures are unavailable, it seems almost certain
that a bilingual or multilingual environment is far more common
that a monolingual one (Crystal 1997). Historically, the perception
of monolingualism as the norm seems to have its origin in the
ideologies of the powerful European nation states (where the
Direct Method had its origins) rather than the actual nature of
language use in the world at large. Yet at the end of the twentieth
century, with increased migration and globalization, the view of
monolingualism as the norm is even less accurate than before.
Ironically, it is in those European nations which claimed a degree
of linguistic homogeneity in the past, that multilingualism is now
most in evidence. In London for example an education authority
census in 1987 revealed over 172 languages in London primary
schools. For many people, the Direct Methods insistence on a
monolingual classroom is a departure from the realities of
language acquisition and experience. At worst, it can additionally
have sinister political overtones - when for example, immigrants
or linguistic minorities are barred from speaking their own
languages in the classroom.

Consider, for example, the Direct Method, the overriding

orthodoxy of the 20th century. As with any language teaching
movement, its rationale can be explicated from a number of
standpoints: the psycholinguistic (how does it view language
learning) the linguistic (how does it view language) the pedagogic
(how does it view teaching). Alternatively, or additionally, it can be
looked at critically: as a response to political and commercial
forces.
So let us look first at the Direct Method view of language
learning. It is dominated by one central idea: that infant first
language acquisition is the best model for adult second language
learning. Strangely, this notion has survived apparently radical
shifts in first language acquisition theories. Throughout the long

ihj April

2001

extremely influential. The general perception is that language

teaching should be about real language and activity; and that
real language and activities focus upon transactional meaning
rather than language forms and artifice. Not only did this lead to
the rejection of yet more language teaching activities (on top of
those already outlawed by Direct Method), it also further
devalued the knowledge of the non-native teacher. If all that is
needed is the ability to use the language, rather than to reflect
upon it, systematise it and explain it, then it follows that the
qualified bilingual non-native teacher is no better than even an
unqualified monolingual native speaker.

So the Direct Method, which seemed so progressive in the

immediate environments (in the snowstorms) of classrooms in
1960 or 1980, does not seem so reasonable once the theories
behind it are made explicit. It rests upon a misrepresentation of
language acquisition and use; and its assumption that both are
typically monolingual reveals a very limited cultural and historical
perspective.
But what of the third, pedagogic standpoint from which we can
assess the Direct Method? Here the assumption has been that
translation and first language explanation are boring,
demotivating, and artificial. These too are odd claims. The claim
for unpopularity is merely assertion without evidence, usually
anecdotal, belied by the overwhelming popularity of bilingual
courses for self study, and ironically made by researchers who
are generally addicted to empirical research on every other
question but this one. The notion that translation is artificial is
even more curious. One of the main uses of knowledge of a
foreign language is mediation between speakers of two
languages. People whose employment demands knowledge of
English will almost certainly find themselves called upon to
interpret from one language into another. Even if English were
being learned for purely social purposes (as implied by many
early communicative courses) translation would still have a large
part to play in everyday life (translating the menu in a restaurant
for someone who does not know the language for example).

As with the Direct Method, these ideas can be critiqued both by

making explicit and questioning the theories of language
acquisition, function, and pedagogy which lie behind them. Is it
true, for example, that small children (still held up as the most
successful language learners) are preoccupied with transacting
meaning? A good deal of the language around a young child
rather than being focused on meaning, is ritualistic, repetitive,
form focused (Cook 2000). Consider, for example, the following
well-known rhyme used when drying a childs toes.
This little pig went to market.
This little pig stayed at home.
This little pig had roast beef
And this little pig had none
And this little pig went wee wee wee wee all the way home

Lastly of course there is the fourth, political standpoint on the

Direct Method. This suggests that the original rejection of
translation in the early years of the 20th century was not a matter
of principle at all, but of expediency and commercial interest.
Growing immigration and increased travel to the English
speaking countries brought with it mixed language classes
where Direct Method was simply a necessity (Howatt 1984);
while in the rest of the world, the doctrine of monolingual
teaching (where it was accepted) backed up the export of
monolingual textbooks and teachers whose blithe ignorance of
their students language was even conceived as an advantage!

It can have very little meaning, presumably, in the referential

sense, to the infants with whom it is used, especially to modern
children unfamiliar with taking pigs to market. It is rather a
rhythmic patterning of language, and a joking basis for pleasant
social interaction. It also, as it happens, acts very much like a
substitution table. Each line follows the same grammatical
structure with only partial lexical changes, and may well facilitate
the childs daunting task of segmenting the language into units.
Many - if not most childrens rhymes and stories - are of this kind:
they seem focused upon rhythm and form rather than meaning.
How many children listening to Little Miss Muffet ask what a
tuffet is or (assuming a modern urban lifestyle) about the
meaning of curds and whey? They seem satisfied with
language as sound and form, and with bizarre fragmentary
decontextualised meanings - all those features which were
supposed to make the invented sentences of grammar
translation so unappealing.

The second major shift in 20th century ELT was the movement
away from explicit focus on the forms and rules of the language
in favour of doing practical things with it. Like the movement
away from translation (of which it is an extension) this later
development was also based upon particular ideas about
language acquisition, use and pedagogy. As earlier Direct
Method had posited a monolingual environment as the norm, so
the new movement assumed that transactional meaning (i.e.
doing practical things and exchanging information) was the norm
in language use, and the best trigger for acquisition, both in
children and in adults.

And the trend continues even beyond the nursery rhyme stage.
In longer extended stories, a good deal of the coherence (not to
mention the fun) comes from the superfluous repetitive
patterning of language beyond the needs of merely getting the
information across.

As we know to our cost, some theorists went so far as to argue

for no conscious attention to form, no deductive teaching of
rules, no focus on language per se at all, claiming that all that
was necessary for natural acquisition was meaning (vaguely
defined), and doing practical things. Although in recent years,
there has been a retreat from such excesses, they remain

ihj April

What big eyes youve got - All the better to see you with!
What big ears youve got - All the better to hear you with!
What big teeth youve got - All the better to eat you with!

2001

Children, in fact, do - and like doing - all the things that learners
are not supposed to: repetition, rote learning, structural
substitution, saying things without understanding them,
producing and receiving language which communicates no
information.
Much child language, then, is characterised by a playful
artificiality, which may - by highlighting form - contribute to first
language acquisition. That need not, however, undermine the
implicit assumption that the main function of adult language is
transactional. In early task-based approaches, for example, it
was assumed that the most fruitful language use for learners
would be generated by pieces of work such as, according to
Michael Long (1985:89),
filling out a form, buying a pair of shoes, making an
airline reservation, borrowing a library book, taking a
driving test, typing a letter, weighing a patient, sorting
letters, taking a hotel reservation, writing a check,
finding a street destination
The problem with this is that such activities and the language
they generate (if any!) are not typical of the kind of language use
which adults find the most memorable motivating and enjoyable.
This is particularly true if we look not at what adults have to do
with language, but at the uses of language to which they turn
spontaneously in their free time and which we value and/or
remember. Thus if we look at the most widely disseminated and
valued genres of language use (and there is of course a
connection between the two), we find that they are not the
mundane necessary uses, but those which, like childrens
rhymes and stories and games, are characterised by fiction (as
in films, novels and soap operas), by repetition and patterned
form (as in, songs, poems, religious liturgy), by language play and
puns (as in advertisements and tabloid journalism), or by using
language to reinforce and establish group membership (as in
jokes, and rituals and ceremonies). These are instances of real
language use, just as much as any task such as buying an
airline ticket.

We need to recognise
that both ends and
means are far broader
than late 20th century
language teaching
dogmas have allowed
us to believe.

recent language teaching has reduced options even further.

Fruitful language learning activities, we are told by the taskbased movement, do not give learners other peoples meanings
to regurgitate, are not concerned with language display, are
not practice oriented, and do not focus upon specific
structures (Skehan 1998:95). The 20th century it seems has
been a century of forbidding, first of bilingualism, then of the
form-focused ritual and artifice which characterise a good deal of
both child and adult discourse. The ends of language learning
have been misrepresented - as though students learned a
language only to exchange information with monolingual
speakers; in addition ends have become confused with means.
We need to recognise that both ends and means are far broader
than late 20th century language teaching dogmas have allowed
us to believe. This is easier to see outside than inside the
snowstorms of fashion. It needs a historical and a theoretical
perspective.
Chomsky, N. 1988 Language and the Problems of Knowledge:
The Managua Lectures Cambridge Massachusetts: M.I.T.
Press
Clarke, M. 1994. The dysfunctions of the theory/practice
discourse in TESOL Quarterly 28/1:9-27/
Cook, G. 2000 Language Play, Language Learning. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Crystal D. 1997. The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Language.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Freeman, D. 2000. Plenary address at the TESOL
Convention, Seattle.
Howatt, A P R 1984. A History of English Language Teaching
Oxford: Oxford University Press Long, M. 1985. A role for
instruction in second language acquisition. in K. Hyltenstam
and M. Pienemann (eds.): Modelling and Assessing Second
Language Learning. Clevedon, Avon: Multilingual Matters.
Skehan, P. 1998. A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Just as the Direct Method narrowed permitted pedagogic

language use by insisting on a monolingual context, so more

ihj April

10 2001

So Many Englishes: New Challenges in ELT.

Paul Roberts
Paul Roberts has worked as an English Language teacher and teacher trainer in eight different countries. His publications
include Cambridge First Certificate Reading and he was a contributor to the Cambridge International Dictionary of English.
He is currently teaching at the University of Hertfordshire, where he is undertaking research into English as lingua franca in
international settings.
Introduction.
The world has seen, in recent years, a proliferation of English
languages and a fundamental shift such that the majority of
people using an English language do not belong to a traditional
native speaker group. The term native speaker itself is losing its
significance.
This poses challenges in English Language Teaching. It requires
us to look very carefully at what the aims of teaching are and to
examine appropriate methodology in the light of those aims.
Standard Englishes
In many contexts, when people talk about the English language
they are referring to a standardised language, brought about as
the result of specific efforts of grammarians and lexicographers,
whether British, in the seventeenth century, or American, a little
later. They are probably also referring to the invention of RP or
General American pronunciation, again the results of concerted
efforts to standardise. More recently, standard Australian English,
and a few other standard Englishes, could be added to the list.
Among these Standard Englishes, there really is very little
difference, even though what differences there are can form the
basis of interesting or amusing lessons. Any real
misunderstanding is much more likely to be between speakers of
non-standard versions of English.
Non-standard Englishes
We could begin with the large number of spoken Englishes within
the UK. There are Afro-Caribbean Englishes, Muslim-Indian
Englishes, Hindu-Indian Englishes and Afro-Indian Englishes.
There are Englishes which express Anglo-Scottish identities and
those which express Scottish identities having nothing to do with
England and so on.
Moving away from the British Isles, but still limiting ourselves to
Europe, there are those Englishes which have become
naturalised in countries where, for one reason or another, most
people can use at least one. Most Danes, Swedes and Dutch
people can already use an English language not only to
communicate outside their own communities, but also to talk to
co-nationals: groups of young people interested in various types
of pop music (rock, hip-hop, etc.) use English as their community
code. Englishes are also used in listening to local television. It is
clear that these Englishes do not necessarily come from contact
with England but from international commercial culture,
expressed through English languages.

ihj April

Beyond Europe, there are hundreds of Englishes being spoken

as first languages, additional languages, foreign languages and
naturalised languages. There is probably not a country in the
world where at least one English is not spoken on a daily basis.
English Language Teaching
Our profession needs to take stock of this situation, addressing
the needs of different learners and the English they want to end
up with.
In this respect, I feel it is time to question some of the traditions
of teaching spoken English that have grown up over the last forty
or fifty years.
As is well known, teachers have been attempting for some time
now, to teach genuine spoken discourse and to train learners in
understanding what is often called everyday spoken English. If
were talking about learning and teaching English in Europe, by
which I mean in the European Community, then it is certainly
possible to make a case for learning how to decode
conversations among or with British people and how, therefore,
to participate in such conversations. In a European Community
context, this fits in with the spirit of a unified Europe in which we
all strive to understand each other better. We should also be
learning, and therefore teaching, Portuguese, French, Flemish,
Danish, Greek and so on.

teaching English must

be forever dissociated
from teaching other
European languages
But it is pretty obvious that, in Europe as elsewhere, the first
request when it comes to language learning is to learn English
not because, in most cases, there is a requirement to understand
the English, but for international purposes. Outside the European
Community, it is extremely difficult to make the case for learning
how to interact with British people.
It is in this way that teaching English must be forever dissociated
from teaching other European languages, with the possible
exception of Spanish.
This means that traditional teaching options are being questioned.
On the one hand, a return to the tradition of teaching I was

11 2001

introduced into, teaching a standard English orally, seems quite

attractive: grammatical rules and vocabulary are handily laid down
in a range of reference books, the finished product, in the mouths
of learners, would enable them to speak in formal settings and to
understand formal spoken English anywhere in the world. This
means leaving out all those everyday conversation sections
commonly found in most course books. I remember when my
educational head of school told me and my colleagues that we
had to bring in Would you like a cup of tea? at beginner level,
even though our students were not going to come across the
conditional for some time, because it was a useful phrase. And I
agreed. Now Im not so sure. Im not too worried about the tea,
which you can easily replace with coffee, hot chocolate, mat,
hot barley or tisane. It is the Would you like that, I think, is out
of place. It seems to represent an English language which is
nationally, locally and socially restricted. It seems absurd to
present to learners, at least at such an early stage, items of
language which are used by only a small part of the Englishspeaking world.

Im not too worried

about the tea

than a native speaker to be an expert in international

communication in English.
Teaching materials
From the all-important teacher figure, I would like to pass on to
the area of teaching material. As you can imagine, I am going to
suggest doing what a very large number of teachers have already
decided to do, that is to abandon the classic text book and to
focus on teaching materials which correspond to the learners
priorities. Leaving aside the essential work on a standard written
language - delivered through written materials - it would seem to
make sense to provide learners with spoken language examples
from as many different sources as corresponded to their interests
or to their possible future interests. It would have to be quite clear
that these materials were not to be considered as models for the
written language, after which, there is no reason not to use song
lyrics, business presentations, international conversations and so
on, from all over the world.
Models of spoken English

This is just one example, a significant one, I hope, to make the

point that the cultural norms of a restricted area of British society
should not inform teaching materials which are aimed at helping
learners achieve international aims.
Teaching spoken discourse - other ways forward
Not wanting to be too negative, I would like to propose ways
forward: ways of teaching English without necessary reference to
the English.
Non-native-speaker teachers
If I am insisting on a non-English English, it is because of the
status of English as a non-national language, or, to put it in a way
more consistent with my theme, because there are so many
Englishes in the world.
To that end, I would suggest, at great risk to my own
employment, the abolition of the native speaker assistant or the
native speaker teacher. As far back as 1978, Larry Smith
suggested that - EIL doesnt need native-speaker teachers - or,
better, has urgent need of non-native speaker teachers. (1)
The native speaker teacher can be, in the worst case scenario,
very detrimental in helping learners in their efforts at international
communication. If this native speaker teacher is an Englishspeaking monoglot, with little real travel experience and little idea
of how other languages work, he or she is very unlikely to be able
to help people either to acquire English or to acquire intercultural
communication skills. Paradoxically, perversely, even, it makes a
lot more sense for a class of Milanese or Parisian or Berliner
students to have, for example, a Russian, Chinese or Brazilian
English teacher - just as it makes sense for the Muscovite,
Shanghai or Sao Paolo students to have Italian, French or
German teachers of English. This person would be more likely

ihj April

When training learners to speak in English, what better model than

the proficient co-national? In Milan, the best teacher-model would,
therefore, be Milanese - or at least Italian - since his or her English
best represents the kind of spoken English most learners will be
aiming for. Similarly, in Sao Paolo, the best model will be the
Brazilian English one and so on. It is, I think, an illusion in all senses
to try to force learners into native-speaker-like use of English.
Firstly, in my long experience, only very few of those who aim for
this actually achieve it, leaving the majority frustrated and
depressed.

When training learners

to speak in English, what
better model than the
proficient co-national?
Secondly, for those who do achieve it, problems lie in store: in
contact with real native speakers, inevitable misunderstandings
are not tolerated and the native speakers may express rancour
that a non-native is trespassing on his or her territory.
Thirdly, there would be the question of which native-speaker to
emulate: would the choice fall on someone of the same social
class, income background or level of education, someone with
the closest cultural background? Someone English, American or
Singhalese?
Fourthly, becoming a native speaker in English seems to mean
giving up some, or all of your own culture and disallows you from
expressing your real identity through English.

12 2001

Re-naming English lessons

My final suggestion may seem to be a wander into absurdity. I
would propose taking away the word English from the school
curriculum. Similarly, International House schools could stop
calling themselves schools of English. I would substitute English
mostly with International Communication. Within the EU, I
would also substitute it with European Studies.
In European studies, students would go ahead and learn all
about the British and the Irish and the habit some of us have of
saying Would you like a cup of tea?. They would also, naturally,
learn about the other components of the European Union.
In International Communication lessons, and, therefore, in
schools where this was the main aim, learners would learn
English intensively and would continue to learn to read and write
using one of the handful of standard Englishes. But at the same
time, they would learn about intercultural communication - about
pragmalinguistic failure, about cross-cultural interaction
problems and, crucially, about the dangers inherent in following
cultural norms which an English language may seem to impose.
And they would learn to develop their own English, expressing
their own identity.

I have tried to elucidate my own position which is that learners of

English need to be aware of how English is used, perhaps in
England, but certainly as an instrument of international
communication, and to learn to use English for themselves, in a
way that truly reflects their needs and aspirations.
Note
1: Smith, L (1978) Some distinctive features of EIL vs. ESOL in
English Language Education in Smith, L (ed) 1983 Readings
in English as an International Language Oxford, Pergamon
Press
Select Bibliography:
Byram, M. and Zarate, G. (1994) Definitions, Objectives and
Assessment of Socio-Cultural Competence Strasbourg,
Council of Europe
Coppieters, R. (1986) Competence Differences between Native
and Fluent Non-native Speakers Language 63(3): 544-73
Kramsch, C (1998) The Privilege Of The Intercultural Speaker
in Bryan, M. and Fleming, M. (eds.)
Smith, L (1979) English for cross-cultural communication: the
question of intelligibility in Smith, L (ed) 1983 Readings in
English as an International Language Oxford, Pergamon Press

Conclusion
With the continued demand for English instruction and the
continued spread of English throughout Europe and the rest of
the world, it is becoming increasingly clear that reference to The
English Language is of restricted value and cannot correspond
to all the actual or future needs of those learning English.

Widdowson, H (1994) The ownership of English TESOL

Quarterly 28/2: 377-89

Weaving Some Lexical Threads

Nick Hamilton
Nick has been a teacher-trainer and teacher in the Executive Centre at IH London for fourteen years. His interests include the
Turkish language and culture and writing haikus.
Background
My own exploration of lexis and experimenting with it, was
prompted by my experience as a learner of Turkish. In this
process, I became aware of a number of things:

the usefulness of focusing on larger chunks of language

rather than single words, and the importance of word
partnership, especially where this differed from English.

how much language I could notice for myself, both word

partnerships and expressions, but especially grammatical
structures embedded in lexical chunks.

the role of reformulation as the key to how things are

expressed in a language. In my case, Turkish friends
naturally reformulated what I was trying to say.
This prompted a shift in my teaching to maximise the language
that students learn and to encourage them to become more

ihj April

independent in acquiring language for themselves. I was also

interested to see how this view of language and learning could
be incorporated into a more analytic type of syllabus such as
Task-based Learning, or a more topic-based approach as found
in Business English teaching. With this end in mind, I have
chosen to describe 3 main ways of working lexically, and have
also included some thoughts on the role of language focus in
general. In the process, I went back to the writings of Caleb
Gattegno on the Silent Way and was intrigued to find that his
view on gaining access to the unique spirit of each language is
bound up in its lexis and control of the phonological system.
Noticing language
These are ways of training students to notice useful chunks of
language, both collocations and their accompanying
grammatical patterns, in written and spoken text and to become
more independent in doing this.

13 2001

1.

of Indian classical music,

the reason being that we pause after the main stressed
words. A good activity is to select a short passage from a
listening text, either from a coursebook or a video, which
you have already processed for meaning. Students then
transcribe this word for word, working collaboratively. They
then listen again to mark where the speaker takes a breath,
or they predict this and then listen to check. In some cases
you can then read it out aloud to show additional places
where you might divide up the text. You can then go on to
provide some practice by inviting students to choose a
chunk and say it to you; you then repeat how you would say
it; and the student has an opportunity to repeat after you if
they wish. The important point is to get the students to look
at you as they speak, and for you not to give any feedback
either vocally or with your face or gesture. Students are then
forced to take responsibility for their own learning by
listening hard to the differences in how they and you say
something. I first came across this technique of Acquisition
Drilling in the writings of Earl Stevick.

Lexical chunking of text

This is a way of showing how text is put together from
lexical items, and then to see where the language is fixed
and where it is open. The aim is for students to develop the
ability to notice useful language in texts for themselves. A
good introduction to this is to jumble up lexical chunks in
news items of one sentence. Students sequence the
chunks, and you can then look at how the texts were cut up
and the principles behind chunking. The main issue seems
to be whether the prepositions belong to what comes
before or after. You can then draw their attention to what is
fixed and what is open, and what else could go into the
slot. It is this aspect of how fixed language is which is
impossible for students to know, and is, I would suggest, a
primary function of the teacher. Students can then have a
go at chunking other short news items. Later, you can work
with longer texts of one or more paragraphs. In the practice
of this process students can gradually acquire a feel for the
lexical nature of language and text.

The aim is for students

to develop the ability to
notice useful language
in texts for themselves
2.

Sound chunking of text

This is about how we phrase spoken text, and how we
breathe in the language. Its a good way of building
confidence and fluency with learners, especially at a low
level, and you can do this with any natural text in
coursebooks. The aim here is to develop students fluent
articulation of lexical chunks of language, which can also
make a significant difference to their ability to understand
natural spoken text. In many cases, this aspect of
developing students listening skills may well be the most
useful application of this form of chunking. The difference
between lexical and sound chunking seems to be that the
latter divides up the collocation from its grammatical
pattern. For example, the sentence:
Ravi Shankar has long been recognised as one of the
greatest exponents of Indian classical music
when chunked lexically would be:
Ravi Shankar
/has long been recognised as/
one of the greatest exponents of/
Indian classical music,
where the second and third chunks are fixed, while the first and
fourth are open, allowing for different content to be slotted in.
Sound chunking, on the other hand, would give:
Ravi Shankar/
has long been recognised/
as one of the greatest exponents/

ihj April

3.

Stress patterns over whole chunks of language

This is a way of raising students awareness of rhythm and
tune in the language, and it emphasises the idea of lexical
items rather than single words. It is done by students
matching phrases or expressions which have the same
stress patterns. As such, it is a very good activity type for
reviewing language that has been covered. It can come as
quite a surprise to students to learn that, for example, See
you later and Pleased to meet you have the same stress
pattern even though they have a different number of words.
Working with the acquisition drilling technique outlined
above can then highlight the use of intonation, which may
well differ between two matching expressions.

These aspects of
phrasing, both lexical
and phonological, were
recognised by Gattegno
as the means to access
the Spirit of a language.
These aspects of phrasing, both lexical and phonological,
were recognised by Gattegno as the means to access the
Spirit of a language. I think that we can trace the first
elements of the spirit of a language to the unconscious
surrender of our sensitivity to what is conveyed by the
background of noise in each language. This background
obviously includes the silences, the pauses, the flow, the
linkages of words, the duration of each breath required to
utter connected chunks of the language. (Gattegno, 1972)

14 2001

So, instead of focusing

on what students
actually say, you focus
on what you think they
were trying to get
across.
Reformulation
This is an alternative to the traditional error correction, and
focuses on the intended meaning behind the utterance. Its
interesting to note that many grammatical errors appear when
students are forced to paraphrase when they dont know a
lexical item. So, instead of focusing on what students actually
say, you focus on what you think they were trying to get across.
For example, the student who says The police sometimes dont
see only because its better doesnt know turn a blind eye. In
practical terms, this means giving students the language they
needed in linguistic feedback, whether by putting this up on the
board after a speaking activity, dictating it, or by writing it up on
a worksheet for the next lesson, and making a task out of this by
blanking out some key words. The error correction slot then
becomes a major language focus stage in the lesson and will
include:
a) Exploration of the lexis to identify the whole chunk of
language and see how it works.
b)

Experimentation with it, so students have a chance to learn

what does and doesnt work, i.e. to access the negative
evidence of its use.

This also has implications for the way in which we monitor

speaking activities. Listening for the lexis the students dont
know can give a completely different slant to how we see their
language production.
Language focus in the classroom
The ideas outlined above provide two different ways of
maximising the focus on language in a lesson, one through a
receptive focus by encouraging students to notice lexical chunks
in text, the other by reformulating student production of
language. Both of these fit in very well with a TBL model of
working, where the former could come in the language focus at
the end of the task cycle, while the latter could follow this or be
incorporated into the task or report stage. A further focus on
language could then come from the input of key lexis such as
work partnerships at the pre-task stage. Thus we have 3 main
ways of focusing on language in the classroom:

Planned input of key lexis related to topic areas.

Focus on lexis in text, and strategies for developing

awareness of this.

ihj April

Reformulation of student language following (or

during?) a task, focusing on the intended meaning
rather than tidying up the grammar errors that appear
on the surface.

Learner skills
It seems clear that once we start focusing on lexis, which tends
not to be as easy to wrap up as a grammar lesson, we need to
give students help in processing the language they are working
with. This will include guidance in putting together a lexical
notebook and formats for recording language in it. It is also
helpful to refer to this in class and give specific suggestions as to
the use of the notebook. Another very useful resource is the
monolingual dictionary, especially for encoding language, i.e.
checking how a particular word is used rather than just focusing
on the definition. The CD ROM versions of these dictionaries are
excellent for creating mini concordance samples by working with
the full text search facility. A good activity is to get students
working together to produce their own one by selecting the
interesting examples from what the dictionary comes up with;
they can then print this out as a worksheet. The great advantage
of using a dictionary for this is its user friendliness, whereas
corpus based concordance samples usually need to be edited
down before they are manageable for most students.

Each student is a
learning system and has
proved so several times
over in his life.
The aim of all of this is for students to become more
independent and able to go away knowing how to
continue to work on their English on their own. This is what
Gattegno referred to as freeing the students.
Each student is a learning system and has proved so several
times over in his life. We can grant him that, when confronting the
new language, he will act again as a learning system, i.e. will
mobilise what is required by the tasks from his arsenal of
achievements and from that part of his potential called in by the
challenges. (Gattegno, 1976)

15 2001

The King and Myself

(or English as she is really spoke).
Cathy Ellis
Cathy Ellis is a freelance CELTA and DELTA trainer who worked for many years in Spain and has also trained at IH London, in
Poland, Brazil and the Republic of Georgia.
Im sure many of you who have taught in an English speaking
country will be familiar with the scenario - You mean youve got
students from eight different countries in your class? Thats
incredible - you must be able to speak all those languages amazing! How do you do it?! Reluctantly I disabuse my listener
of my superhuman (well, they would be to me) linguistic skills no, we teach through English, we dont need to be fluent
speakers of all our students languages. But of course most of
us whove lived and worked abroad would agree that learning a
new language is both a great pleasure and a great challenge,
especially when its not the necessarily more static language you
find in a textbook, but the living language as she is really spoke.

You start to lose that

20/20 vision of what is
even possible in your
own mother tongue
A by-product of this is that the longer you stay in one language
environment, the greater the leakage of one language into
another can be. You start to lose that 20/20 vision of what is
even possible in your own mother tongue, apart from what is
correct, and students grammatical and lexical bloomers which
may have had you smiling surreptitiously in those early days now
start to sound vaguely OK. After countless years living in Spain,
I can remember questioning a friend visiting from the UK - Ive
been here since ten years ago does sound wrong to you,
doesnt it? (just checking, Id heard it said so many times that
Id started to wonder...) - and the long stayers amongst us would
be heard in the staffroom speaking an English smattered with half
translations and whole Spanish phrases, things that either
couldnt be expressed in English at all or just had so much more
flair en espanol.
As teachers, were all encouraged to grade our language in the
classroom but this can be responsible for another kind of leakage
- or should that be drainage? - so that without realising it, we end
up instinctively excising much idiomatic language, phrasal verbs
and more colourful expressions from our day to day conversation
outside the classroom as well as in it - again, the longer you stay,
the worse it gets. Of course, all this does depend on your social
environment outside classroom hours and the availability of TV,

ihj April

original version films, newspapers etc: but Im sure the

experience of a friend of mine will be familiar to many - living in
Mallorca and married to a Mallorqui - she spent the majority of
her time outside the classroom speaking Spanish (and initially
listening to Mallorqui) and as the years went by, she felt her
English had started to deteriorate into a kind of shorthand
version of what had once been a much richer language. Her
Spanish, on the other hand, went from strength to strength.

we end up instinctively
excising much idiomatic
language, phrasal verbs
and more colourful
expressions from our
day to day conversation
Of course another side effect of living abroad is that while youre
picking up the authentic version of the local language, you are
also missing out on the new or revised expressions back home.
I can still vividly remember another occasion some years ago
when, again, a visiting friend (not the same one) told me during
the course of an anecdote that she had been completely
gobsmacked. The conversation was briefly interrupted while
she explained to me, with a few funny looks, what this meant.
(How can you not know?) This happened to me again recently
when I was told that a mutual acquaintance was a bit boracic
- You know, boracic lint - skint, geddit? (How can you not
know?) Spending more time in the UK in the last couple of years
than I have for some time, Im intrigued to discover how many
things are being turned round (often failing schools) and how
people (often, it would seem, the Home Secretary Jack Straw)
are now minded to do things (usually pass new legislation). This
new legislation could take the shape of a raft of new measures,
or even a tranche of reforming proposals, which will (hopefully?)
be in place in the very near future. Of course, if things get really
serious, the Government will appoint a tsar who will then be
tasked with finding a solution for the situation probably by
having bouts of face time with influential movers and shakers,
and who will no doubt be exposed, as it seems everyone is these
days, to a steep learning curve (whats the opposite of steep -

16 2001

gentle? mild? - but then you never hear about that kind.) We all
know what learning curves are but it seems theyve moved out
of more academic circles and are now on everyones lips. And in
a rather less journalistic mode, it seemed appropriate to hear a
fisherman confess to feeling gutted at the new restrictions on
cod fishing in the Atlantic announced in January (but then this
ones been around for a while, I take it, and may last longer than
the cod themselves.)

it seemed appropriate
to hear a fisherman
confess to feeling
gutted
Only very recently, Tony Blair announced his intention to get rid
of bog standard comprehensives - thats another one (bog
standard, that is, not comprehensives) I can remember hearing
for the first time in wonderment - and the Home Office contrived
to send a letter to an Afghani asylum seeker telling him that his
application was a pile of pants (ie: rubbish). Tell that one to the
Taliban. And now Comic Relief is encouraging everyone to Say
Pants to Poverty. When it comes to contacting official
organisations on the telephone, how many times have I been told
recently to bear with me? Thats a useful chunk for your next
session on Talking on the Telephone - absolutely indispensable.
On a more grammatical note, verbs which used to be more
commonly used passively have become active - news now
breaks rather, perhaps, than being broken to someone;
advertising or political campaigns launch (The new book
launches on the 21st); and the verb grow is now used in a
more dynamic, transitive way, in cases where it used to be
intransitive, as in We continue to grow our network of services
and Grow your business on the Internet.
In spite of coursebooks efforts to instill the rule of limit
adjectives, authentic English speakers seem quite happy (or
even very delighted) to be very elated and very terrified but
then at the end of the day we all knew this was a bit of a dodgy
rule, didnt we? Just a few random examples of things which
were at first unfamiliar, the usual evidence of a living language
ebbing and flowing.
It would seem that lexical changes - the coining of new words
and phrases or adapting familiar ones to meet new
circumstances - find an easier route to acceptance than
grammatical ones. The language used by letter writers to The
Times et al when confronted by what they see as grammatical
inaccuracies seems to bear witness to this - they are incensed,
furious, even incandescent at the sight of yet another split
infinitive or example of hopefully. In fact, although Ive never
written a letter to any newspaper as far as I can remember, my
little ears pricked up when I read the following, relating to a boxer

ihj April

who had suffered a blood clot on his brain during a fight, in a

statement made by his wife: Myself and all of Pauls family are
shocked and devastated. Myself? I thought, didnt that use to
be a reflexive pronoun? I can still remember a lesson based
around a unit towards the end of Swan and Walters Cambridge
English Course Book 1 from the dim and distant past of my early
EFL career, where students were encouraged to differentiate
between my/your/him/her (etc:) self and each other, and
happily (or so I thought at the time) played rounds of Pictionary
in which they sketched Shes looking at herself and Theyre
looking at each other, Hes kissing himself and Theyre kissing
each other. Over the next few weeks I noticed a few more
examples: There is no man on earth more eager to solve this
than myself, They took every man except myself and the
porter and The chief target of his humour is himself. And then
there was this one - An art gallery was prosecuted for showing
drawings by John Lennon depicting himself having sex with his
wife, Yoko Ono, because police feared the singers great
influence on young people, according to official files made public
yesterday.

Was this a recent grammatical development which I needed to

alert my Advanced students to, I wondered? But then I heard it
uttered by Captain Kirk in an early episode of Star Trek (not so
recent, then) So I referred to a couple of grammar books which I
had to hand. In Sylvia Chalkers excellent Word by Word, we
have three uses of -self - as a reflexive pronoun (as in I burnt
myself when I was cooking or I sometimes talk to myselfthats the one from the Cambridge English Course); secondly, for
emphasis, as in Ill bring it to you myself or I myself believe in
peace through security, in which case it can be left out of the
sentence (but see below for more about this one); and finally as
subject or object pronoun, introduced with the following note
from the author - Myself is sometimes used where I or me would
be correct - however many times I read that, I cant interpret that
would - does it mean would also or does it really mean is?
Anyway an example of this is My brother and myself are going
to the States this week as opposed to My brother and I, which
brings us back to my first example above - Myself and all of
Pauls family... where I (as Sylvia Chalker might say) would be
correct.
Maybe the problem is that those little subject and object
pronouns in English (and many other languages too if in fact these
pronouns exist at all) are just too damn small - I mean, I ask you,
one letter to express ... MYSELF and all that means to me. But
then theres the other problem of order - I seem to remember in
my school days learning the rule that when you wanted to make
you(rself) along with some other person the subject of the
sentence, you should always put yourself in secondary, subsidiary
position - so it was supposed to be Doris and I.. rather than I
and Doris... - but then youd never say that; it would be Me and
Doris.. which, if competing for grammatical correctness, would
run Doris and me... to a close race. Is it I, or is it me? Hence,
maybe, the confusion and its almost a relief to just go for it and
put yourself first - Myself and all of Pauls family... Phew!

17 2001

Purists object to the

use of myself as a
substitute for I or me
According to the Readers Digest guide to correct usage The
Right Word at the Right Time (a commodity incidentally that I
rarely have at my disposal): Purists object to the use of myself
as a substitute for I or me but the writers also make the point
that the reflexive form just sounds better sometimes (well, they
say it is stylistically preferable) as in The relations between
ones parents and oneself where one would sound
nonsensical, and in I beg to move an amendment in the names
of my right honourable friend and me - no, it just has to be
myself here, however apoplectic the purists may get. Obviously
there is a stylistic issue here, and as the boxers wife was making

a statement to the press, this may have further influenced her

choice of the more formal sounding pronoun.
The Readers Digest guide goes on to differentiate between the
perfectly acceptable I did it myself and the sometimes
dubious, though widespread I myself did it. Why (I hear you
asking)? Well, the first one means by myself, unaided whereas
the second one uses what purists would say was an
unnecessary pronoun for added emphasis - but then goes on to
add The emphatic use of myself is now in very wide use, despite
the criticisms, and is likely to gain full acceptance in due course.
It only remains to advise you to listen out for the Queens Speech
next Christmas Day - if she slips in an example of My husband
and myself youll know full acceptance has been gained and the
course mentioned above has been run, not that the Queens
English is a measure of anything in the global language that
English has become. But did you know that according to a
recent study, the Queen now speaks a kind of Estuary English
(dare I say it) herself? But thats another story....

Is My Map To Scale?
Questioning Classroom Values.
Mark Wilson
Mark is a DoS and teacher trainer at IH San Sebastian. He previously taught in Indonesia, India and the Dominican Republic.
The task sequences presented here aim to provide ways of
questioning the relative value of various aspects of our classroom
practice - in other words, to enhance a sense of perspective and
proportion. Which things are really important and which less so?
Have I been overvaluing or undervaluing anything?

Task Sequence 1: Teachers A & B

In designing these tasks Ive tried to avoid the trap of setting it

up to knock it down. I would hope that equal respect be
extended to both of these teachers!

This sequence is designed to encourage questioning of four

terms that sometimes receive too uncritical a thumbs-up:

learner-centred (sometimes over-simplistically taken to

mean not involving the teacher - even if that leaves
students floundering)

communicative (over-simplistically = get em talking however hesitant or low-octane the communication)

Teacher A

personalisation (over-simplistically = get em talking about

themselves - even if imposed or fictitious material might
actually be more interesting or rewarding)
authentic (over-simplistically = make it real - regardless of
unhelpful distractions)

Task 1
You will see how two teachers go about teaching lessons which
have virtually the same aims, but which are approached in
different ways. Discuss the relative merits of the way teachers A
and B choose to begin their lessons.

Teacher B

Vocabulary review game

Vocabulary review

T divides class into two teams. T gets a S from one team to

come to front of class and sit with back to board. T writes on
board a word which has cropped up recently in class. Team
members have to elicit the word from the S at front through
definition, explanation or oral gapfill. When the S gets it,
team get a point and play switches to other team, and so on
alternately.

ihj April

T elicits items of recently-encountered vocabulary through a

variety of techniques e.g. suspended sentences, oral
gapfill, first-letter priming, explanation, definition.
All this is done at a brisk pace with frequent recapping. T
ensures that all Ss participate by alternating between group
response and random individual nomination.

18 2001

Should teacher Bs wrist be slapped for being teacher-centred,

uncommunicative, not fun? Perhaps you can see where Im
heading.
Consider the following task before reading how Teachers A & B
continue their lessons.

Teacher A

Task 2.
For each of the two lessons described - assuming a
competent, alert, knowledgeable, sensitive teacher in
both cases - indicate which of the following attributes apply,
and then evaluate.

Teacher B

Value? (comment)

Learner-centred?
Communicative?
Authentic?
Personalised?
Teacher As Gerunds & Infinitives
Lesson
1.

Teacher Bs Gerunds & Infinitives Lesson

T gives out cards for an activity requiring the Ss to

match up half-sentences to form complete
sentences, each containing a verb which is
sometimes used with the gerund and sometimes with
the infinitive, e.g. stop, remember, forget, try, regret.
Examples include:

1.

Please remember to include / descriptions with

each image.

Eventually he told us he was closing in five minutes, so

he wouldnt be able to fix the window till the following
morning. This meant staying the night in a hotel. And we
had meant to arrive in Cadiz by 7 oclock in the evening!

I dont remember seeing her / on the Carol Burnett

show.
I shall not easily forget meeting / several scouts
who stated firmly that hiking was the best part of
the adventure.

2.

T recaps briefly every few minutes, putting key words or

drawings on board as story is built up. These are used
as prompts to elicit sentences about the story so far.
Ss are encouraged to add detail if they like.

3.

At end of story, T puts Ss in pairs to try and reconstruct

story orally from key words on board. T monitors.

4.

Whole-group feedback.
T elicits back whole story, asking concept questions at
points involving target verbs in order to clarify how
infinitive or gerund give the verbs different meanings.
T paraphrases these meanings in a column at one side
of the board. Ss take notes.

5.

T cleans board, then gives out gapped text telling story.

Gaps force Ss to decide between infinitives and
gerunds.

(The sentences are authentic examples collated by

the teacher) The Ss are asked to work in pairs, then
the answers are checked in whole-group feedback.

2.

3.

or

T draws attention to, and concept-checks, the

different meanings of the verbs depending on
whether used with infinitive or gerund.

Ss are given another handout beginning:

Tell your partner about...
...someone youll never forget meeting
...something you remember doing when you were five
six
...something you forgot to do which caused a
problem. (etc)

T half-tells, half-elicits a story concocted so as to

contextualise verbs which take either gerund or infinitive
e.g. stop, remember, forget, try, regret etc. It is a story
about a disastrous car journey - somewhat unnatural
and far-fetched, but nevertheless (or, indeed,
consequently) easily memorable at least in outline.
The storys ending typifies the ways it contextualises the
target language:

Ss talk in pairs.

ihj April

19 2001

Task 3.
Discuss the following, weighing up and comparing to what
extent for the lessons given by teachers A & B, and considering
what further steps might enrich the learning process:

Task
Here is a list of things which are often regarded as good
practice. For each of them, think of as many ways as possible
of completing the following sentence, then discuss with
colleagues:

................................... is/are valid for

1.

Is students memory challenged?

2.

Are students engaged in buildup?

3.

Might teacher flair be a factor here? Can the

ability to perform influence the decision about the
best approach to take?

4.

Is the lesson easy to recap in future?

5.

Is students effort of an engaging nature?

6.

Is student production likely to be faltering or

confident?

7.

Have students been empowered for future

production?

8.

Do students leave with a sense of satisfaction at

having learnt something?

9.

Does the chosen method suit both motivated and

reluctant learners?

10.

Do students leave with a useful record of

something?

............................... but
not if ...................................

Task Sequence 2: Limits Of Validity

Good teaching
Good teaching is not just a matter of assuming there are certain
good things to do in the classroom and then applying them
uncritically. It is a question of constant watchfulness and
decision-making, prioritising options for optimal effect, choosing
the most appropriate next step at each point. To a large extent
this can happen at the planning stage, but to a certain extent it
has to happen on the spur of the moment in the classroom itself.
Over time, the better I develop my instincts for such decisionmaking, the less meticulous I need to be in planning. These
instincts can perhaps best be developed by questioning the
limits of validity of any given procedure.

It is a question of
constant watchfulness
and decision-making

ihj April

brainstorming
eliciting
drawing timelines
getting students to compare their answers
setting tasks and activities
getting students to predict
games
getting students to read aloud
explaining grammar
getting students to explain language points to each other
using dictionaries in class
going over homework in class

Obviously the list can be extended, adapted and constantly

updated. It might take several sessions to cover all of it in
satisfying depth. Through such discussion, and perhaps by
comparing with results obtained from previous discussion
groups, teachers come not only to question their own practice
but to feel part of an emerging consensus as to what is and isnt
valid in their particular teaching context. And where controversy
arises, that too is part of the process: simply add a rider to the
framework-sentence so that it reads:

............... is/are valid for ............. but not

if ................; but ............ or ............?
Teachers then explore the controversy in their subsequent
teaching.
In practice, it is of course useful for the session leader to have
sketched out their own suggested answers in advance, and
then to seek an appropriate blend of elicitation and guidance
during feedback. If you would like a set of already road-tested
suggested answers, contact me on [email protected].

20 2001

The results of a discussion on the first item - brainstorming might look like this:

And so on for the other listed aspects of classroom practice.

Task Sequence 3: Four Truths Of Teaching

brainstorming

is valid for

but not if

Task 1: For each of the four statements below, discuss:

- getting Ss thinking about a given

topic as a lead-in to a task
(reading, listening or writing)
- diagnosing how much vocab they
already know in a given area
- confidence-building
- reinforcing/extending what Ss
come up with by adding a
collocational element
- it goes on too long
- teacher doesnt clearly distinguish
between diagnosis and input (i.e.
assumes that what they come up
with is all they need)
- not challenging enough
- teacher
automatically
puts
everything up on board regardless
of how new or useful
- teacher doesnt fix new items on
board and get Ss to copy in
notebooks
- T doesnt check that what is
written in notebooks is in fact
correct
- teacher doesnt check that all Ss
understand (and hear!) the items
that come up

ihj April

To what extent is it true?

What should be done about it?

1. What you put in doesnt necessarily go in.

2. What goes in doesnt necessarily stay in.
3. What stays in doesnt necessarily come out.
4. What comes out wasnt necessarily put in.

Key concepts: input intake practice revision exposure

acquisition
Task 2:
Extend each of the four statements by adding because... or
unless...
These tasks are intended for in-service training sessions or
teacher development or discussion groups, and at a push, might
be adaptable to late stages of CELTA courses. I hope, in any
case, that you will feel an insatiable craving to try them out with
a few colleagues.

21 2001

Comparing Ukrainian Teaching Styles with

Western Teaching Styles
Kristina Torkelson Gray
Kristina first became aware of teaching style differences when in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer 1981-83. She was
sufficiently intrigued with Asian culture after that to go to Harbin, China to teach English for two years (1986-88). She obtained
a Fulbright grant to teach in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and another later to go to Kyiv, Ukraine from 1998-2000. She is currently
teaching composition in Kyiv at a private, western-style university and also teaching part-time at Kyivs International House.
After having taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in
several different university settings in the former Soviet Union
(FSU), I believe I can make a reasonable analysis when
comparing their teaching styles to western ones. There seems to
me to be a closing of the gap which has been commonly known
to exist between western style teaching and that traditional to the
FSU.
On the experiential level, I had observed how my Kyrgyz students
and continue to see how my Ukrainian students behave in my
classroom and what their expectations were and are of me as
their teacher. On a research level, I have collected data from over
164 teachers based on Gardners theory of multiple intelligence
and also on the Teaching as Leading Inventory (TALI) based on
Kolbs learning styles inventory (LSI).

the goal of most

western teachers is to
keep the learning in the
classroom studentcentered instead of
teacher-centered
First of all, why do I use learning and teaching style inventories
along with multiple intelligence theory in my classrooms in
Ukraine? I believe that the goal of most western teachers is to
keep the learning in the classroom student-centered instead of
teacher-centered. To keep students central in my own classroom
I administer learning style inventories to find out what THEY are
thinking and feeling. (Incidentally, I have used Kolbs LSI with over
1,000 of my ESL/EFL students in the last ten years.) After the first
several classes, I already have a good idea of who they are as
students based on the results. They also seem very interested in
reading their profiles, which tells them what they may already
know about themselves or they may learn new things about how
they study.
What is true of the students wanting to know more about

ihj April

themselves I have also found to be true of the 164 Ukrainian

teachers I have inventoried with the TALI. The TALI is based on
George Bakers work with community college professors in the
U.S.
However, before you read about my comparisons of teaching
styles with multiple intelligence theory, I need to make a few
disclaimers. This is a small and self-selected sample of
respondents and the responses are necessarily subjective and
culturally based. They are teachers who have attended my
seminars and workshops I have given at TESOL conferences in
different cities in the FSU. Altogether I have the results from 102
Ukrainian teachers in secondary schools and universities for the
multiple intelligence questionnaire and 164 for the TALI which
includes the 25 from International House teachers from
throughout Ukraine but mostly from Kyiv and Lviv.
But given all that, after over three years in Ukraine, I believe I can
make some informed hypotheses as to what kind of teachers are
in the English teaching field throughout Ukraine and the rest of
the FSU as well. The first instrument I use which is specifically
geared to second language learners is based on Mary Ann
Christisons work related to Howard Gardners theory on multiple
intelligence. She has devised some questions for both teachers
and students and it can be found in the appendix of a book
edited by Joy Reid, Understanding Learning Styles in the
Second Language Classroom.
My focus thus far has been to compare the Ukrainian teachers to
the Ukrainian students mostly from Kyiv State Linguistics
University. I have also included 30 freshman students from a
private university that has many western teachers. I believe I can
make some bold assertions about patterns that I see developing
in the seven different categories. The highest scores for the
teachers were Music and Intrapersonal. This means there is a
sensitivity to rhythm, pitch and melody and we can assume
teaching a language involves a teacher using her voice but also
listening to the students to discern if they are correctly
pronouncing words or not. Intrapersonal means being selfsmart and that is the ability to understand oneself: ones strengths,
weaknesses, moods, desires and intentions. This is recognising
and understanding how one is similar to or different from others,
reminding oneself to do something, knowing about oneself as a
language learner and knowing how to handle ones feelings.

22 2001

Interestingly enough, the 102 Ukrainian teachers who were

questioned about their multiple intelligence, came out lowest in
Linguistic/Verbal and Logic/Math. This is also true of the 25
International House teachers who were equally high in Music.
However, the I.H. teachers came out much higher in Body/
Kinesthetic. This means they are active in using music and
moving around in the classroom and expect their students to be
able to do the same. This is the biggest difference that shows up
in the westernized techniques and methods that are encouraged
and used by International House teachers. The 102 Ukrainians
and 25 International House teachers both third in the category of
Spatial. See the following table
S=102 Ukrainian university teachers
1. Music - 13.7
2. Intrapersonal - 12.9
3. Spatial - 12.8
4. Interpersonal - 12.8
5. Bodily Kinesthetic - 12.5
6. Linguistic/Verbal - 11.4
7. Logic/Math - 10.7

S=96 Ukrainian students from KSLU

1. Spatial - 8.5
2. Linguistic - 8.4
3. Interpersonal - 7.6
4. Intrapersonal - 7.6
5. Music - 7.5
6. Logic/Math - 6.4
7. Bodily/Kinesthetic - 6.3
S=30 freshmen at private university
1. Interpersonal - 9.2
2. Spatial - 8.6
3. Linguistic - 7.9
4. Logic/Math - 7.6
5. Music - 7.4
6. Bodily/Kinesthetic - 7.1
7. Intrapersonal - 5.8
These English language students highest intelligences were:
Spatial, which means art-smart and second Linguistic word smart. The first means their greatest strength is
sensitivity to form, space, color, line and shape. These students
exhibit an ability to represent visual and spatial ideas graphically.
The latter intelligence means they have the ability to use words
effectively, both orally and in writing. Their skills are in
remembering information, convincing others to help and talking
about language itself. Their third highest was Interpersonal which
happens to be the Ukrainian freshmens highest.

S=25 International House teachers

1. Music - 14.7
2. Bodily/Kinesthetic - 13.7
3. Spatial - 13.3
4. Intrapersonal - 12.6
5. Interpersonal - 12.0
6. Linguistic/Verbal - 11.4
7. Logic/Math - 10.7

Something to note as another difference between the typical

Ukrainian university teacher and the International House teacher
is that the Intrapersonal score is lower than that of the
Ukrainian teachers. I think this can be attributed to the fact that
as a whole the I.H. teachers are younger and still learning about
themselves and the environment around them.
This was also true of the 96 Ukrainian students I surveyed. They
were significantly lower in Intrapersonal (especially the 30
freshman at a Ukrainian university with western teachers) but
strikingly lowest in Bodily/Kinesthetic. This is understandable
because while the students are passively sitting and learning the
information delivered from the teacher, she is in front of the class
using her body to express ideas and feelings. As a westerner, I
have noticed when observing Ukrainian, Kyrgyz and Kazakstans
teachers, that they will sit in a chair in the front of the room and
rarely move around to interact with the students. Of course,
most classrooms in the FSU are long and narrow and usually fit
no more than 12-15 students in them.
The following is what I have learned from 96 Ukrainian students
mostly at the Kyiv Linguistic State University and 30 Ukrainian
freshmen students who are taking classes at a private university
with many western teachers:

ihj April

students have to be
people smart in order
to succeed in university
in Ukraine
Cheating is an example
of the students
strength in sharing
answers with each
other
It would seem that students have to be people smart in order
to succeed in university in Ukraine. It means having the ability to
understand another persons moods, feelings, motivations and
intentions. Sample skills are responding effectively to other
people, problem solving and resolving conflict. Cheating is an
example of the students strength in sharing answers with each
other which plagues many a western teacher when they are
trying to administer exams. It was accepted that cheating seems
to be rampant in most of the classrooms of the FSU.

23 2001

The second inventory I used with the Ukrainian teachers is the

TALI (Teaching as Leading Inventory) with its four categories as
written and explained in George Bakers book Teaching as
Leading. From the 164 inventoried all together, 78 teachers
were regarded as Achievers. According to Baker: These
teachers are constantly seeking to improve results. ...Their role is
to find the best way to get the highest performance from the
most students. The fact that almost half of the teachers strive
for this is encouraging to me as a visiting western teacher. This
means that despite all the transitions FSU countries are
undergoing, English teachers are at the forefront as leaders in
making adjustments for the good of their countries.
The following are some quotes from different teachers who
answered the question, What advice would you give to a first
year teacher? It follows with what many would be striving for as
Achievers.
Rehearse your lesson in your mind at home while preparing itthorough preparation will save every minute of valuable time
during the lesson.
Most important thing for a teacher is to be as creative as
possible.
Easy tasks corrupt students, difficult ones frustrate them, there
must be a careful, surgical individual approach.
Good teacher is like a cook-nobody sees how he prepares
dinner but the result is that its very tasty-teacher should think
about the final result from the beginning.
Know your goal-be inventive and creative in achieving it.
In Bakers study Teaching as Leading he exclusively used
community college teachers throughout the USA. A full 50.3% of
them were classed as Influencers: typically teachers who are
committed to clear objectives and are actively involved with
students in completing them...As leaders, they constantly
influence learners beliefs that their efforts will result in
performance and that high performance will result in personal
satisfaction.
The following are quotes of advice to first year teachers which
would typically come from an Influencer teacher from Ukraine of
which there were only 18.9% of the 164 inventoried.
I am always in search of motivating to influence pupils, I learn
their personalities to find the keys to their hearts.
Only an inspired person can set fire to others.
How much can be done by only one enthusiastic and loving
teacher who believes, I can make a difference!
Remember you can touch a life forever.

learn their personalities

to find the keys to their
hearts

ihj April

When the American teachers surveyed were compared to the

Ukrainian teachers, Americans were first Influencer and second
Achiever whereas Ukrainian teachers in contrast were Achiever
first and Theorist second. There were 39 out of 164 teachers
(23.1%) in my study who fit that category. What is a Theorist
known for? He or she is constantly analyzing quantitative
information about individual and group performance and
designing learning experiences to increase performance. They
actively seek more effective ways to organize information and
conceptualize theoretical models of the teaching and learning
situation.
Some quotes that follow are from a typical Theorist teacher in
Ukraine.
To have interesting lessons, to have diligent students, you have
to be interesting and diligent yourself.
The best way to become a good teacher is not only to adapt
someone elses methods, but also to learn and search for ones
own.
Teaching should be systematic and structurally organized-a
teacher should realize the ultimate aim of any lesson or a series
of lessons and a student should know exactly what a teacher
expects from him or her.
Lastly, the Supporter teaching style for Ukrainians came out at
10.9% compared to the American teachers in junior colleges at
12.4%. (Supporters are more commonly found in the primary
schools or as counselors.) The 164 Ukrainian teachers who took
the TALI were mostly teachers at secondary school or university
level. What is a Supporter teacher? It is listening to students,
objectively and with an open mind and being sensitive to
students feelings...Supporters are also aware of student values
and are able to use them to maximize student performance and
satisfaction.
Some quotes from a typical Supporter teacher when giving
advice to first year teachers.
Look attentively at students; be sensitive to needs of individual
learners.
Children are like a reflector, you send a signal and you receive
back a reflection.
Develop the uniqueness of a student.
To teach means to be in the constant process of learning...try to
find a key to each of your students and develop his or her best
qualities.
Be happy to have the privilege of working with the better half of
mankind-children!

24 2001

The following is the breakdown of American junior college

teachers compared to 164 Ukrainian teachers.

American teachers - TALI

Influencer - 50.3%
Achiever - 25.5%
Supporter - 12.4%
Theorist - 11.8%

If you have any questions about anything I have written, please

feel free to contact me. I wonder if my observations ring true in
your experience in the classroom. My e-mail address is:
[email protected]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baker, G.A., Roueche, J.E., Gillett-Karam, R. Teaching as
Leading-Profiles of Excellence in the Open-Door College,
Wash. D.C.: The Community College Press., 1990
Christison, M.A. Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory in
Preservice and Inservice TEFL Education Programs.
The English Teaching Forum 36 (2) 2-13, 1998.

Ukrainian teachers - TALI

Achiever - 46.9%
Theorist - 23.1%
Influencer - 18.9%
Supporter - 10.9%
In conclusion, there are still some recognizable differences when
comparing teaching styles of non-western with western teachers
based on the small sampling I have gathered from TALI and the
Multiple Intelligence inventories. However, I think from what I
have observed of the International House teachers
professionalism, there are strides forward in closing the gap
between
teacher-centered
and
student-centered
methodologies. My highest praise goes to the hardworking
Ukrainian teachers whom I have met and who dedicate LONG
hours of preparation and time invested into their students for very
little monetary compensation. Despite the lack of resources in
the former Soviet Union, English teachers have made great
headway. Perhaps there are some things that we as westerners
can learn from their teaching methodologies. As for me, I look
forward to learning more from my Ukrainian colleagues in years
to come and feel it is a privilege to be living and teaching in
Ukraine during this time of transition for their country.

Christison, M.A. An Introduction to Multiple Intelligence Theory

and Second Language Learning. Understanding Learning Styles
in the Second Language Classroom, Ed. Reid, J., New Jersey,
Prentice Hall Regents, 1-14, 1998.
Gardner, H., Frames of Mind - The Theory of Multiple
Intelligences. New York: Basic Books, 1983.
Gray, K. Adult Learning Styles and Individual Writing Processes.
Understanding Learning Styles in the Second Language
Classroom, Ed. Reid, J. New Jersey, Prentice Hall Regents,
1998, 124-135.
Gray, K. Learning Styles and ITA Training. Learning Styles in the
ESL/EFL Classroom, Reid, J. Ed. Boston: Heinle & Heinle, 1995,
134-147.
Kolb, D.A. Learning Styles Inventory. Boston, MA: Hay/McBer
and Company, 1981.

Word Up! Improving Teenagers Word Power

Diana England
Diana is the Director of Studies of IH Torres Vedras, Portugal where approximately 30% of the students are between the ages
of 13 and 16. She has also been a teacher trainer in IH Lisbon and has taught and trained teachers in Egypt, Poland, Romania
and Spain.
Leaving aside personal recommendation and parental pressure,
there are two main reasons why teenagers come to study with
us: either they love the language or they are getting behind with
their school English. Common complaints among weaker
teenagers are that they dont understand the grammar and their
lack of vocabulary makes it difficult for them to understand the
texts they are given at day-school. As language teachers, one of
our objectives is to help our teenagers experience English as a
living language and not just as an academic subject. Teaching
vocabulary (and by this I mean individual words, words in
combination such as pocket money, and phrases like See you
next week) should be about empowering our students ie helping
them to express themselves effectively when speaking and
writing, and providing them with useful strategies to increase their

ihj April

understanding and interpretation of things they hear and read.

This article looks at four principles underlying our attempts to
help students expand their receptive and productive vocabulary
and how these principles can be applied to teenage classes.

VOCABULARY NEEDS TO BE RECYCLED AND

EXPANDED SYSTEMATICALLY

Picture some of your brighter teenagers. What makes them good

language learners? Innate intelligence and motivation obviously
explains a lot, but they usually (perhaps unwittingly) employ
logical and sensible learning strategies. Arent you sometimes
taken aback that some of your whizz-kids can recall a phrase or
word that came up in passing several lessons ago? And maybe

25 2001

they can recall not just the word in isolation, but also use it quite
naturally in a sentence? It sometimes seems that they need only
to hear something once in order to grasp and use it for
themselves. For most of us, though, this is not the case; we have
imperfect memories and we need to make some effort if we wish
to learn and remember something in the long term.

one of our objectives is

to help our teenagers
experience English as
a living language
For teenagers, the principle of no gain without pain is doubly
true. It is easy to forget that they are mentally very active, having
to assimilate many thousands of different pieces of information
every day. And their day-school English syllabuses may be so
dense that there is little time available for the amount and type of
revision required to ensure that what is taught is actually
understood, remembered and can be applied appropriately.
Small wonder then, that some simply cannot cope with a
relentless diet of constantly new and more complex grammar
and vocabulary. By providing a variety of revision and
memorisation exercises which are progressively more
challenging, we can, however, try and encourage input to move
from students short-term to their long-term memory. This is
obviously vital in order for students to be able to communicate
more effectively as speakers and writers ... and pass exams.
Some teenagers feel anything that not new is inevitably going
to be boring. If vocabulary is revised in more or less the same
way it was introduced, students complaints of weve done this
before, we know this already are justified. But theres nearly
always something extra that students can get out of revision
activities; they may understand the words, but mispronounce or
misspell them, or not actually be able to use them in a sentence.
We can disappraise them of their negative preconceptions of
revision by selecting activities which demonstrate that recycling
can be fun, challenging and useful, like this one:
Imagine you want to revise vocabulary connected to parts of the
body, illnesses and treatment. Prepare a short story which
contains a lot of this vocabulary. Divide the class into three
groups, one for each of the above categories. Tell the students
you are going to read a story about going to the doctors and
when they hear a word or expression connected to their
category they should raise their hands. As you read the story,
there should be hands bobbing up and down like yo-yos!
Younger learners tend to remember better if all their senses can
be stimulated at various stages of the learning process. While the
use of written texts and gap-fill practice exercises to teach
vocabulary may be enough for some teenagers, this approach
alone will be insufficient, not to say boring, for many others.
Experiencing language through a variety of different senses can

ihj April

provide interest, aid concentration, and improve memory so that

more students have more of a chance of learning and
remembering. Over a series of lessons the same vocabulary can
be revised through several senses - for example, ordering
pictures as they listen to a song (aural / musical / visual); through
a dominoes game (visual / kinesthetic); through a text completion
activity (visual / linguistic); a find the odd word out exercise
(logical / linguistic).
Recycling activities do not necessarily have to take up much
planning or lesson time. They provide useful lesson intros as
well as ways of rounding off a lesson. The following activities
should only take five minutes: you can get students to decipher
anagrams on the board. Or you can divide students into As and
Bs and give each a different set of words. Working in pairs, As
silently mouth their words to Bs who try to guess and vice versa.
Or you can get students to spell out a list of words to their
partners who have to say them correctly.
How can we recycle words and expressions that crop up during
lessons, that are not included in the students coursebooks? In
our school, teachers have an A4 page in their register for each
class, where they can note down those items of vocabulary that
students had asked for during creative speaking and writing
activities. At periodic intervals, you can revise these words
alongside other key vocabulary the students have met. Before the
lesson, write the words and expressions you want the students to
revise on small pieces of card. Put the cards face up on the floor.
Ask students to work in pairs. One person from each pair picks
up one of the cards and returns to their partner. They then both
agree on a sentence or question that illustrates how that word or
expression could be used and both write the sentence. They can
change the form of the word, for example from infinitive to past
continuous, singular to plural. For example: snatch: Dont snatch
that pen from me! Allocate a time limit of 15 minutes maximum.
Stress that students must not give a definition and that there are
no winners in this activity; it is more important to show they can
come up with appropriate sentences.

IMPROVE THEIR ABILITY AND CONFIDENCE IN

GUESSING THE MEANING OF A WORD OR
EXPRESSION FROM CONTEXT

Successful students commonly use two strategies when they

come across new words or words with new meanings: they draw
on their world knowledge and previous experience (both of the
world and texts), and they are also logical when making
deductions about word form and meaning. Some research
suggests that those learners who are good at inferring are also
better at retaining the meaning as a result. Perhaps this has to
do with the mental effort they are prepared to invest into
decoding what is unfamiliar. We should therefore endeavour to
help our teenagers develop their inference skills so they can be
more self-reliant and develop their receptive vocabulary.
Teenagers can have quite limited knowledge about certain topics,
which can impede understanding. For example, if your students
are reading a text about different religions and they have some

26 2001

knowledge or experience of Islam, they can be expected to work

out the meaning of fast in the sentence Muslims fast from sunrise
to sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. However, those
students who know very little about Islam will probably have some
difficulty interpreting it because they have no concept of Ramadan.
The flip-side of this is that given sufficient motivation, teenagers
can be very inquisitive and eager to learn. By devising challenging
pre-reading and pre-listening textwork activities, we can raise
interest in the content of the text such that the desire to find out
information can be a powerful force in helping them make sense of
unfamiliar words or phrases. In the example situation I have
described above, you can divide students into teams and ask
each team to decide if certain statements about religions are true
or false. They then read (or listen) to the text, trying to determine
how many sentences they got correct.
Some teenage students see reading as a chore and would prefer
their teacher or another student to spoon-feed answers to
comprehension questions. This is partly due to their low
tolerance threshold for reading during class-time. From their
point of view, this is what they do at their day-school. It could
also be because they are not very secure readers in English, or
even in their own language. We need to show our students very
clearly how to discover the meaning of unfamiliar words, through
guided questions, so that they can continue by themselves,
rather than remaining passengers.
Heres one way to (try to!) instil a more principled attitude in
teenagers: Having worked through the usual procedures for
skimming and/or scanning, give them the answers to the task
suggested in their coursebook or the one you have devised for
deducing meaning. Rather than being expected to find the
answers, they should say why the answers are correct, drawing
on their knowledge of parts of speech, affixation, inferring likely
meaning from the surrounding words etc. The next time you wish
to do an exercise which encourages them to deduce meaning
from context, get them to remind each other how they can deal
with difficult words or expressions.

HELP
THEM
RECOGNISE
AND
LEARN
COLLOCATIONS OR WORD PARTNERSHIPS AND
FIXED EXPRESSIONS

In the initial stages of learning a new language, we normally

retrieve words that we need via our first language lexicon - the
map of words in our mind. So if a student wants to say: Can you
say that again?, they will think of the sentence in their first
language and then try to find the words and form the grammar
that will fit this utterance in English, and then finally voice the
utterance in English - a very long-winded approach! On the other
hand, native speakers store words and phrases as prefabricated chunks, so context and need will provide a trigger for
this question to be recalled and produced as a whole and fairly
instantaneously. This is also the way in which first language
acquisition takes place in young children: they are not initially
aware of the notion of words. They first extract multi-word units
(thasnofair) from the stream of speech around them, store them
and produce them as wholes. Only later are these prefabricated

ihj April

chunks separated into their component parts. The words are

then stored in their mental lexicon both as connected chunks
and individual words.
We need to help our teenage students develop an effective and
efficient second language lexicon that can operate alongside their
first language one. Rather than relying on translation as the
primary means of recalling and interpreting meanings, students
need to develop a bank of chunks of useful language, as well as
single words, which they can retrieve directly in English, thereby
short-circuiting the need for their first language. The more they
can be encouraged to see individual words as parts of wholes,
rather than just wholes in themselves, the better chance theyll
have of being able to communicate their thoughts more
successfully without trying the patience of their listener! There are
other advantages to adopting a collocational approach to
language learning and teaching: it can be appealing to those
students who like to see patterns in language (ie teaching Whats
the matter?, Whats the problem? and Whats up?) and, as we
shall see below, it also can enable them to practise a grammatical
structure without necessarily focusing simply on the form.
Many activities aimed at developing awareness of and teaching
collocations use written texts. However, teachers may well feel
that by the time their teenage students have read the text a
couple of times for general and specific understanding, they have
diminishing interest in this type of text analysis. Yet making
students aware of word partnerships is very useful and does not
necessarily demand recourse to texts. And as Michael Lewis has
argued, incorporating collocation into our lessons requires small,
not monumental changes into our teaching style. When teaching
party, for instance, the word becomes much more usable for
students if you also teach/elicit the verbs to have a party and to
go to a party and then get students to put these into a
meaningful context (Im having a party next week; I went to a
party on Saturday). Similarly, if students come across
expressions like: three days later, it takes less than a minute to
get them to make substitutions: five minutes later, two years
earlier. Indeed, many coursebooks also deal with vocabulary in
this way.
This activity focuses on expressions used in Cambridge English for
Schools 3, although you can obviously select your own. Make a
carded pelmanism game where students match halves of
sentences, such as: Its not my / fault!, Look what / youve done!,
Its none / of your business!, It doesnt / matter etc. When the
students have finished playing, give them a worksheet with the first
halves of the sentences and see if they can remember the second
halves without looking at the cards again. After correction,
students can work in small groups to create a 10 -12 line dialogue
between two or three friends, which incorporates at least three of
the expressions. They need to try to memorise the dialogue.
This can be done by telling the students to read each line silently,
then cover it, look up and say it again. When they are ready, they
can act it out, with students awarding each group points out of five
for both content and standard of English.

27 2001

ENCOURAGE
PERSONALLY
LEARNING

THEM
TO
INVOLVED

BECOME
MORE
IN
VOCABULARY

4.

We all know that teenagers can get easily distracted. If their

minds are on the next football match, or worrying about their
history test, for example, it is very unlikely they will be able to
learn or remember new vocabulary. They need to be engaged
in the task of learning. A repetition drill may not in itself be a
sufficient means of helping students get their tongues and minds
round new words. We need to provide other meaningful and
(positively!) memorable activities which our teenagers can relate
to so that new vocabulary can be successfully anchored in their
mental lexicon. Imagine you want to say Ill keep my ears to the
ground for you, but you cant quite remember the idiom. In trying
to recall it, you may be able to remember the first part of it or how
it is stressed; you may be able to explain when we would use it;
you can probably reel off other similar-sounding idioms; you may
have a mental picture of it. This is all evidence of the different
places where language is stored in our minds.
This is another reason why a multi-sensory approach to
vocabulary learning is so sensible; if we can help our teenagers
store vocabulary in different places, the easier it will be for them
to access it, the more likely itll go into their long-term memory.
Get students to play with new language. The game Backs to
the board encourages students to think of new vocabulary from
different perspectives. One or two volunteer students sit facing
the class and are not allowed to look at the board. You write a
word, expression or sentence on the board that students have
recently met. The other members of the team have to define the
word, expression or sentence using dictionary-type or
grammatical definitions, mime, sounds, the situation when it
might be used - just about anything, as long as they dont use
their own language or say the actual word(s). The team whose
volunteer can say the exact word(s) first gets a point. You can
allow different team members to come to the front of the class to
try to guess the word.
Teenagers can be very imaginative; encouraging creativity is an
important way of fixing new language. Heres a lesson that shows
how we can extend vocabulary through textwork and creative
writing with Upper Intermediate adolescents:
1.
2.

3.

Show students a photo of two teenagers and get them to

brainstorm ways in which they could prevent a crime.
Hand out the following article and read quickly to find out
what their names are and how they in fact prevented a crime.
Two fifteen-year-old girls foiled a robber who snatched a
3,000 watch. Julie Stevens, 40, was walking down a street
in Chelsea, West London, when a mugger knocked her down
and grabbed her Cartier watch. While nearby adults ignored
her pleas for help, Anne Bell and Jackie McMahon sprinted
after her assailant and tripped him up so that he dropped the
watch. They then walked Mrs Stevens home to make sure
she was safe. They were absolutely heroic, Mrs Stevens told
the Evening Post. They are my guardian angels.

The students read the text again and in pairs summarise the
order of events and think of a suitable headline.
Hand out the following article for students to read and
underline the differences.
Two fifteen-year-old girls stopped a robber who took a
3,000 watch. Julie Stevens, 40, was walking down a street
in Chelsea, West London, when a thief pushed her to the
ground and took her Cartier watch. While nearby adults
ignored her requests for help, Anne Bell and Jackie
McMahon ran after the criminal and tripped him up so that
he dropped the watch. They then walked Mrs Stevens
home to make sure she was safe. They were very brave,
Mrs Stevens told the Evening Post. They are my guardian
angels.

5.

6.

7.

The students now decide on the difference in meaning

between the words in the two texts, using dictionaries if
they cannot make a reasonable guess.
Hand out photos of other teenagers and items of jewellery.
In small groups they create their own news article
incorporating some of the lexical items from the original
article.
The class can then put together a crime news page or
display the articles for the other students to read, perhaps
to decide who were the most heroic teenagers!

Some teenagers keep their IH files in meticulous order; others

are the epitome of disorganisation! There is little point in students
copying words from the board that are not contextualised or
personalised in some way. In our school, one of the inserts we
include in the students IH file illustrates different ways of
recording vocabulary; it is very similar to ideas suggested in the
Word Flo organiser. At the beginning of the course, when the
teacher wants the students to write down key words from a
lesson, the students refer to this insert and as a class decide on
the best means of recording it. This is firstly to help steer
students away from simply translating the vocabulary, which may
not be suitable for all words. Secondly, the class can be
encouraged to brainstorm the usefulness of recording through a
picture, writing it in an example sentence, writing the
pronunciation, for example. Once students get into the habit of
recording vocabulary in this way, our teachers often get students
to write down just the key vocabulary in class and then expect
them to work on ways of recording it on their vocabulary sheets
as part of their homework.
You can ask teenagers to say how they feel about certain words.
At the end of a lesson, you can ask students these questions:
Which words sound horrible when you say them?
Which words do you find easy or difficult to say or remember and
why?
Which words do you find easy or difficult to use in a sentence
and why?
Which words do you think are going to be useful or not and why?

ihj April

28 2001

Or you can tell students you are going to show them a box
containing twenty words and expressions that theyve met
before and that they have one minute to try and remember them.
They can use any means to try and remember the words, as long
as they dont make a sound or write anything down. When the
minute is up, turn off the OHT or, if the box of words is on a
handout, ask them to turn their papers over. They have 90
seconds to try and write as many as they can. Ask the students
to compare their lists with the original, and to say which ones
they a) had no problems remembering; b) partially remembered;
c) didnt remember at all. Ask them to say how they tried to
remember - through visualisation, sounds etc. You may need to
further clarify meaning or pronunciation, if students seem unclear
about some of the words. In both of these activities, the aim is to
try to provoke a personal reaction to words and to help them
think of different ways of remembering vocabulary.
By selecting activities, texts and approaches that grab our
teenagers interests and imaginations and help to keep them
focused and engaged in the processes of input, using and

recycling of vocabulary, hopefully we will have less occasion to

complain that with them things go in one ear and out the other!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aitchison, J. Words in the Mind, An Introduction to the Mental
Lexicon, Blackwell, 1992
Gairns, R and Redman, S. Working with Words,
Cambridge University Press, 1991
Lewis, M. Implementing the Lexical Approach,
Language Teaching Publications, 1997
McCarthy, M. Vocabulary, Oxford University Press, 1995
Palencia, R. and Thornbury, S. Over to Us! (Teachers book)
Longman, 1998

How do Needs Must?

Bernard Haunch
Bernard Haunch teaches in the Executive Centre, IH, London. Much of his EFL career has been spent in the Middle East. He
also ran his own school, English Communications, for a number of years, but was eventually forced to pull the plug in the face
of competition.
Needs analysis is generally regarded as criterial to ESP, although
ESP is by no means the only educational enterprise which makes
use of it, we read in Pauline Robinsons ESP Today: A
Practitioners Guide. Indeed, it is not, as a most cursory glance
at what any search engine will bring up on the web shows. But
what do we mean by needs analysis? Perhaps, for teachers of
Business English, A. Pilbeam provides the most useful view of
needs analysis. In Language Training, he introduces the concept
of language audit. This combines a target profile of language
skills as part of a job description and a profile of present ability.
Clearly, without such information it would be impossible for a
teacher to provide a student with a practical and relevant course
of language study.
Some kind of pre-course needs analysis, of course, has long
been standard practice. In Business English, even a multiplechoice grammar test might be said to serve such a purpose, if
the teacher uses it to draw up a list of areas that need attention.
More usually, however, needs analysis for short, intensive
courses of Business English tends to be based on:

questionnaire(s) to be answered in writing by the student(s)

prior to arrival
a subsequent discussion between the student(s) and the
teacher responsible for drawing up the course.

There are several models of a needs analysis questionnaire

available. Business English - An Individualised Learning
Programme by Peter Wilberg and Michael Lewis is one such.

ihj April

Another, still in use, is provided in In at the Deep End by Vicki

Hollett et al. International House, London, like most reputable
language schools, has its own particular questionnaire. Although
these various questionnaires can be quite different, both in
content and length, some items, tend to be common to them all.
In particular, they try to elicit:

biographical data,
language background
knowledge of English
situations in which the student uses English
company information (for Business English courses)

Students are also often encouraged to provide company material

to provide an insight into the ways in which they use English and
as an authentic teaching resource.
Directors of Studies, and teachers themselves, rightly attach
great importance to the needs analysis, for without it there can
be no sensible course design. For teachers involved in short,
intensive courses, in particular, the need to get it right from the
word go is vital.
In what follows, I do not intend to focus on the items which
appear in needs-analysis questionnaires, though that would be
an interesting and valid exercise. My concerns instead are more
general. Perhaps, therefore, it is best to treat my ensuing
remarks as simple reflections on the whole process of assessing
needs and drawing up a course programme. While these

29 2001

reflections may have some general value, I particularly have in

mind the typical, one-to-one student of Business English who
comes to International House on a two-week course.
First of all, I want to insist how difficult it can be to carry out a
needs analysis. The reasons for this, as I see it, are threefold:

A lack of specificity in the students own description of the

circumstances in which s/he uses English: familiarity and
forgetfulness are the enemies here.
A clash between the way a student perceives his/her needs
and the experienced teachers judgement.
Culturally determined inhibitions. These can be seen as a
spectrum, with a typical Japanese student at one end,
seemingly ready to assent to any course of study that might
be proposed, and an assertive student at the other end who
insists on dictating all course content and methodology.

all too often needsanalysis questionnaires

fail entirely in their
intent
Secondly, I want to stress that all too often needs-analysis
questionnaires fail entirely in their intent. This is particularly true
where there are a large number of boxes to be ticked. In my
experience, students tend to tick these boxes willy-nilly - perhaps,
because, like Everest, they are there. No matter that they may
have no or little relevance to them! Boxes with imprecise terms
like sometimes or often are also open to a variety of
interpretations. Thus, they sometimes tick writing letters. When
pressed, however, they reveal that it is only a very occasional (and
perhaps, unimportant) letter they have to write. Sometimes, when
a student replies Yes to the question Do you have to write
letters? s/he means nothing more than: I write them, my
secretary translates them into English, and I sign them!

students tend to tick

these boxes willy-nilly perhaps, because, like
Everest, they are there
In a sense, Business English does not exist - just as, within the
steel industry, steel does not exist - only specific types of steel.
Of course, many skills and topics are common to a wide variety
of business people. Nevertheless, even skills like telephoning or
presentations can vary in their actual realisations in a students
own job to such an extent that no published telephoning or
presentations material could hope to capture them sufficiently. I
remember vividly one student who was able to specify her needs
very accurately. Her overwhelming need, as far as telephoning

ihj April

went, she made clear, was to have at her disposal a wide variety
of functional language to enable her to cope with angry clients.
She had no need whatsoever to make appointments or book a
hotel room!

The raised eyebrow, the

slow smile and all the
other wiles of the
experienced teacher
also need to be brought
into play
One tactic to get a student to describe his/her needs accurately,
I find, is to ask WH- questions. The answer to one WH-question
will often allow further such questions to be put. Thus, a picture
slowly begins to emerge. Of course, it does not always work. In
that case, a judicious use of pregnant silence may! The raised
eyebrow, the slow smile and all the other wiles of the
experienced teacher also need to be brought into play. The great
skill of needs analysis lies in the teacher drawing out from a
student a precise picture of the situations in which s/he uses
English.
What will need to be done in terms of linguistic refinement
(grammar, syntax, lexis, pronunciation), on the other hand, will not
be so difficult for an experienced teacher to assess. Very quickly,
while discussing his/her needs with a student, the teacher will be
able to build up a fairly clear picture of the input required in these
areas. The inexperienced teacher might be tempted to say, S/he
is low intermediate, so s/he will need to be taught the present
perfect. In fact, this may not be the case at all. For the particular
L2 learner concerned, it might, in fact, pose no problem.
A teachers knowledge of the typical problems faced by any
particular L2 learner is invaluable. S/he will know, for instance,
that German speakers have problems with word order, French
speakers with the past simple and nasalised vowels, Russian
speakers with articles and Japanese speakers with intonation.
This knowledge can be used to assess needs and draw up
course programmes.
As often as not, linguistic refinement is best dealt with as
particular needs manifest themselves. While they may not be
written into any particular course plan, the possibility or likelihood
of them arising as the course progresses, is kept in mind by the
teacher. Sometimes, large slots of time will need to be allocated
to them. Often, however, it will involve nothing more than gentle
correction. By sensitising the student to his/her deeply rooted
errors, it should not be long before the student begins to selfcensor him/herself - the best of all possible forms of correction.
Students frequently come on a course with a quite impressive
knowledge of major areas of grammar, etc. Yet, their English, it is

30 2001

quickly seen, is marred by a plethora of small, deeply embedded

faults, which vitiate their attempts to speak well. These are, as
often as not, L2 - based. I am thinking of such things as In Italy
is hot in summer, In this moment, When come you? or
Kremlin beautiful palace on Red Square. Students always
seem pleased to have these things winkled out and recognise
them for what they are - L2 interference. The International House
feedback form comes in useful here. *

It ought not to be a
static state of affairs
to be conscientiously
nodded at as the
course progresses
A needs analysis can simply be a friendly discussion on the first
day, after which a course programme is drawn up. It ought not
to be a static state of affairs to be conscientiously nodded at as
the course progresses. Instead, it should be being constantly
renegotiated and refined in a dynamic manner. Of course, this
does not mean unending confabs with students, but it does
mean being potentially open to changing directions and spotting
undisclosed needs. An experienced teacher will, naturally, be
ready to change an approach if s/he finds it is not going down
well, meets resistance or does not, after all, correspond to a
students needs. In all of this, warm human relations between
teacher and taught are of enormous importance.

relaxed, the students needs are apt to become more apparent.

The interface between linguistic theories of L2 acquisition and a
students own ideas of how s/he ought to be taught, his/her
whims and even things such as his/her state of mind on a
particular day is another factor undoubtedly influencing the
dynamic model of needs analysis. Teachers, at least in the U.K.,
have long been eclectic in their methodology, usually trying to
match it to their students preferred ways of learning. Yet, is this
the right way to go about the task of teaching? One can only
presume that the manner of L1- learning is fixed and the same
for everyone. Is the manner of L2 acquisition not similarly fixed?
Or is each of us apt to learn an L2 in our own specific way?
Whatever the answer, teachers have to remain pragmatic. For
most of us, what students learn and teachers teach is inevitably
bound up with agreeing a course of study. We cannot dictate,
nor should we wish to, so perhaps we ought to start referring
instead to a Needs and Wishes Analysis!
* [This form, essentially a blank piece of A4 paper, on which the
teacher makes notes of areas of language which need attention,
while the student is talking, may be created by any teacher with
a minimum of word-processing skills. A template is to be found
on the Execs File folder which will soon be available on the IH
Worldwide web-site - Eds]

Occasionally, there are students who do not (amazingly) want

feedback, grammar, functions, pronunciation or anything else.
You know the type: I just want to talk. Nothing provided by a
traditional needs analysis helps here. Rather, it comes down to
the teacher and the student establishing a good rapport, so that
both parties are comfortable with and open to suggestions as to
how the course should proceed. This is not necessarily achieved
on the first day!

when the atmosphere is

warm and relaxed, the
students needs are apt
to become more
apparent
And that brings me to something very important. A needs
analysis should not be thought of as simply a series of questions
to be answered or boxes to be ticked, or because it makes
learning and teaching a more pleasurable experience for both
parties, but also because, when the atmosphere is warm and

ihj April

31 2001

Computer-adaptive Testing
Simon Williams
Simon Williams works at the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. Before moving to UCLES, he worked in
ELT in Italy, Yugoslavia, Poland and the UK.

Fig 1: How a computer-adaptive test works

Computer-adaptive testing (CAT) is a method of test
administration where the candidate responds directly to
questions presented by computer. The basis for CAT is a large
bank of items, covering a wide range of difficulty. The computer
presents an item, assesses the response as right or wrong, and
selects the next item at an appropriate level of difficulty for the
candidates estimated ability. As the questions are closely
matched to the learner, each response contributes a maximum
amount of information.
The usual criterion for ending a CAT test is when the error of
estimation of ability falls below a predetermined level.
Reasonable estimates can be obtained from 20 questions or so.
Item-for-item, computer-adaptive tests are more efficient than
paper-and-pencil tests, except in the (unusual) situation that the
items in the paper-and-pencil test are all targeted precisely at the
ability level of the candidate.

ihj April

Item banking and Rasch analysis

How can we assert that a particular score in a CAT indicates the
same level of language proficiency as a pass in a particular
predetermined examination? Comparisons like this are
fundamental to interpreting performance on the CAT, and they
depend on taking a particular approach to test construction and
interpretation known as item banking. Item banking in turn rests
on a statistical approach known most generally as Item Response
Theory, or Rasch analysis.
An item bank is a large collection of test items. The key element
in an item bank is its scale: all the items have known difficulties on
this scale, and when a set of items are used to make a test, then
the ability of candidates can also be expressed in terms of this
scale. Thus an item bank provides a frame of reference which
makes test scores meaningful.
Fig. 2 illustrates item banking schematically. The scale is at the
bottom. It runs from lowest level on the left to highest level on the

32 2001

right. The units of the scale are called logits, and give a precise
indication of how many levels of ability the bank is able to
distinguish: the more discriminating the items, the longer the
scale. Each item has a difficulty in logits, which locates it on the
scale. Tests can be constructed by selecting items from the bank
at an appropriate level for the target group of candidates.
The figure shows three tests at different levels of difficulty.
When candidates take a test, their scores are transformed into an
ability value on the bank scale. Thus different candidates can take
different tests and yet their abilities can be directly compared.
A very important feature of an item bank test is that the estimate
of a candidates ability which we derive from it tells us precisely
how we would expect the candidate to respond to any item in the
bank. This allows us to construct a detailed picture of what it
means to have a certain level of proficiency (in terms of tasks
which someone at that level would probably get right or wrong).
It also underlines that it does not matter which precise set of items
a candidate actually responds to, as long as they are of
appropriate difficulty.
General language proficiency
The ability which CATs measure can be characterised as General
Language Proficiency. A general language proficiency test seeks
to characterise foreign language ability as an indivisible thing
which different people possess in differing amounts, rather than in
terms of specific language skills or capacity to operate within
specific situations.
The notion of general language proficiency is a useful one, not
least because in practice it turns out that good language tests
have a great deal in common, in terms of how they measure. That
is, one well-designed language test will rank people in much the
same order as any other well-designed language test.

A CAT is conceived as a general language proficiency test in that:

it provides an overall framework for talking about language

skills;

it allows generalisable conclusions.

Of course a CAT needs a framework to which to refer, a reliable

scale of levels, preferably universally recognised and understood.
CommuniCAT reports to the ALTE (Association of Language
Testers in Europe) framework. This is already well-established,
being the scale accepted by the principal examination boards
such as the Alliance Fran aise, the Goethe Institut, the University
of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate, Universidad de
Salamanca and many others.
ALTE five-level system of exams in a foreign language
This is not the place to give a full and detailed history or
explanation of ALTE (see www.alte.org). Here it will be enough to
give a brief summary.
From its inception in 1990 the objectives of ALTE have been:

To establish common levels of language proficiency in order

to promote the trans-national recognition of certification in
Europe

To establish common standards for all stages of the

language-testing process

To collaborate on joint projects and in the exchange of ideas

and know-how.

The 18 member organisations, representing 15 European

languages, already have in place or are producing language tests
and exams at five levels, the first three of which are based on the
very substantial research projects (sponsored by the Council of
Europe) of van Ek and Trim: Waystage, Threshold and Vantage.

Fig 2: A schematic representation of an item bank

ihj April

33 2001

As exemplified by UCLES EFL examinations, the ALTE five-level system looks like this:
Level

Exam

Full name of exam

Brief description of level

CPE

Certificate of Proficiency in English

Fully operational command of the language at a high level in

most situations

CAE

Certificate in Advanced English

Good operational command of the language in a wide range

of real-world situations

FCE

First Certificate in English

Generally effective command of the language in a range of

situations

PET

Preliminary English Test

Limited but effective command of the language at a high

level in familiar situations

KET

Key English Test

Basic command of the language needed in a range of

familiar situations

Fig. 3 : ALTE five-level system applied to EFL examinations

Summary
While it is not necessary to understand the theory behind
computer-adaptive tests such as the BULATS Computer Test
(Business Language Testing Service www.BULATS.org), the new
Quick Placement test from Oxford University Press or the British
Council Placement Test (all tests using the software engine which
won the European Academic Software Award 2000) to appreciate
the benefits brought to organisations by the use of computer-

adaptive tests, I hope that the above has given some idea of what
is happening while test takers are sitting in front of their screens
doing their tests.
(This article is based on work done by Dr. Neil Jones (UCLES
EFL). A version of this article has previously been published in
AMCI Professional, the in-house journal of the Anglo-Mexican
Cultural Institute)

Lets Pretend: Validating Drama-Based

Activities in the Classroom.
Siabhra Woods
Siabhra Woods is a teacher and trainer at International House, London. She has held drama workshops in Ethiopia, Sudan,
Pakistan, Zimbabwe and the UK.
Drama:
an exciting event/excitement
Dramatic: exciting and impressive/sudden and often surprising
exaggerated in order to create a special effect and attract
peoples attention.
(Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary)
What makes a good class as opposed to just an ok one:
Energy/ dynamic/ harmony/speaking a lot/speaking using what
were learning/ helping each other because we understand each
others mistakes.
(Some students when asked at IH, London)
In this article I would like to suggest that drama is something
which can be included in language teaching to help make
classes the dynamic, energetic, harmonious and principled
speaking -focused experiences which students feel are effective.

ihj April

What is the nature of drama - based activities in the

classroom?
After the teacher sets up the situation, the emphasis shifts to
student participation, either autonomous participation where the
teacher is one of the audience, or with the teacher directing,
moving the narrative forward, rather like a director in silent
movies, while remaining detached from the action.
All students must always be involved in some way, either as
listeners and watchers or as performers.
The main emphasis is on process rather than product or discrete
items, although discrete items or product can be focused on in
follow-up activities. For example, writing a letter to one of the
characters, writing a diary entry for one of the characters or
tackling a grammar worksheet whose content is to do with the
story.
34 2001

What are the advantages of drama-based activities in the

classroom?
1)

The watchers are as valid and as actively involved as the

performers. As in the theatre, the energy is a two -way
process from audience to performer and performer to
audience, so that the audience is contributing to the shape
and feel of the story unfolding as much as the performer.
Nobody feels excluded. This is of benefit to the quieter,
shyer or slower members of the class who can sometimes
feel awkward and too quiet, too slow. Such students
within the audience/performer framework have the time and
space they need to reflect, to listen, and when/if theyre
ready, to contribute orally.

As in the theatre, the

energy is a two -way
process
2)

Drama-based activities usually create an emotional

involvement so that students react and interact in real
time. This helps the student who plays safe in the
classroom to break self-imposed boundaries in his/her
language learning experience. By this kind of student, I
mean the quick one who performs a task speedily and
adequately, then waits passively, albeit pleasantly, for
classmates to finish. When there is a genuine emotional
response to the task and the task is process-orientated,
these students take risks, often initially getting lost, in an
attempt at real communication.

3)

The emotional involvement and interest generated by the

students creative response to the input carries them
through language they could consider daunting if it were
approached in a more traditional manner.

4)

The material can be adapted and used with all levels.

A demonstration of two different types of drama-based

activities:
1)

As a pre-reading activity to provide background knowledge

for a reading passage.

Rationale
My advanced students said they were interested in using current
newspaper articles as material in the classroom. Sometimes they
chose the articles, sometimes I did.
One day I chose an article with the headline The Unrepentant
Vigilante, a two-page interview with the woman who was
mouthpiece for the anti-paedophile demonstrators in the
Paulsgrove Estate last summer.

ihj April

I explained that I chose it because:

a)

paedophilia was appearing often in the news at the time of

that course.

b)

I was interested in the fact that the reporter wrote that,

under the veneer of spiky-haired Portsmouth harridan, she
is far more vulnerable and nuanced than the cuttings would
suggest. I thought we could maybe look at the clash
between appearance and reality.

c)

I came across the term rough music for the first time in the
article and thought it an interesting concept. This was
described as early as 1796 as follows: Rough music has
been used for a long long time as a weapon wielded, most
usually by the women of the community, in order to
humiliate or scare a neighbour suspected of filthy morals.
(Groses Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1796).

Process:
I ask the students to dip into their bags or look around the room
and come up with something with which they can make music.
I ask the students to make some nice music.
I then ask the students to make the music more aggressive, louder
and more threatening.
I explain that this is called rough music and read out the definition
from Groses Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.
I ask the men from the group to step in front of the class and start
talking about their mothers.
After a few seconds, I ask the women to start making rough music
and then to shout out hang him, hang him, sex beast at regular
intervals.
I signal stop and explain that this is what happened to an
innocent man on the Paulsgrove Estate in the tawdry summer of
2000 just because he lived alone and talked about his mother a lot.

After a few seconds,

I ask the women to
start making rough
music and then to
shout out hang him,
hang him, sex beast
at regular intervals.
I present a text. I wrote out a gap-fill summary of the article first,
gave the students a list of collocations from this text to look up
in the dictionary in order to fill the gaps with the appropriate
words.

35 2001

The students then read the real article and find more
collocations, noting down any which they liked and peerteaching with a partner.
The discussion, led by the students at the end touched on racial
prejudice (which the Germans felt they had encountered in
England just for being German) and prejudice against refugees
just for being refugees (which they had noticed in newspaper
headlines). The discussion was heartfelt.
The drama activity at the beginning of the session was a simple,
yet extremely powerful, flash of the horror of what happened in
those seven days, which is harder to understand through the
printed word alone.
With this introduction, the students had a strong emotional
involvement with the material before reading. They were shocked
and checked with me that they had understood the situation
correctly. This shock carried them into the text to find out more
details and clarify exactly what had happened and, in the
process, learning new language .
2) As an activity in which students respond creatively to input
using all four skills.
I use this activity, using a true story from a newspaper or
magazine, with all levels from Elementary (once the students
have learned the simple past) to Advanced. My role as teacher is
to set up the situation, then act as a walking dictionary and
general facilitator.
Process:
I set the scene of the story on the whiteboard, introducing
characters and explaining their relationship with each other. The
students at this stage can clarify any uncertainties they may have
about whos who.
I tell the story little by little, using flashcards. At any stage the
students can ask questions. I provide any details they ask for.
When the whole story has been told, I ask the students to
choose any one character whom they would like to interview.
The students form groups according to whom they want to
interview.
They note down their questions together.
(Meanwhile, I put some chairs at the front of the classroom.)
When the students have written their questions, I invite one
group to come to the front of the class, nominate them (say a
characters name is Michael, they would be nominated as
Michael 1, Michael 2, Michael 3 and so on) and they answer the
questions of the group who wanted to interview Michael.
In turn, each group comes to the front and answers questions in
character.

and answering the questions put to them by another group in

character.
They are always listening: in the early stages of the activity to the
teacher, who is revealing the story bit by bit as they ask for it; and
later to each other, both when they negotiate their questions and
when they answer questions at the front of the class in character.
At this stage some students are listening as audience, while the
performers are forced to listen carefully so that their version of
events (they are all the same character) fits together coherently.
At the beginning of the activity the students are reading the
story, sentence by sentence, on the flashcards. Often as a
follow-up activity, with more advanced classes, I ask them to
read the original article for homework and find all the differences
between the facts and the dramatised fiction or the poetic
licence, as it were, of my version.
Together the students write the questions they would like to ask.
Sometimes with this activity, as a follow-up exercise, I ask the
students to write a letter to one of the characters, or write the
diary of one of the characters for a red-letter day in the story,
trying to express feelings as well as facts.
Of course, follow-up activities, if you care to use them, can focus
on any language point. In addition to these, I have focused on
pronunciation (chunking) and connected speech, using short
extracts from the original article, or with lower groups, my own
simplified version.

drama which creates

its own dynamic and
energy
Conclusion:
I have found that the power of Drama, a power used from
Ancient Greek times (and no doubt before) to create catharsis,
an emotional energy or a process of releasing strong feelings
through plays or other artistic activities(Oxford Advanced
Learners Dictionary) is useful in the classroom. I believe
particularly now, when students can access so much language
for themselves through CD Roms such as Issues, that this
drama which creates its own dynamic and energy has a place in
ELT. Certainly with my students there has been a very positive
response.

This activity is truly holistic, developing all four skills together:

The students are almost constantly speaking: asking questions
throughout the teachers telling of the story, negotiating with each
other what questions they want to ask their chosen character

ihj April

36 2001

Word stress rules ok.

Proof of the Pron Pudding - Part Two
Brita Haycraft
Brita is well known for her Pronunciation Workshops - held regularly at IH London. With her late husband, John, she founded IH
and continues to serve on the Board of Trustees.
As syllables make up the single word, and words create the
compound, these two categories are best kept apart when it
comes to word stress.

A. Stress in single words

Curiously, word stress gets scant attention in EFL teaching, when
it could be a good shortcut to expertise, even for beginners.
Most of the long words are of Latin or Greek origin and therefore
familiar to all the students with European L1s, eg. demonstration:
the same or similar in all Germanic, Latin and Slav languages. All
thats needed is an adjustment in the stress and there is another
English word ready for use.

Curiously, word stress

gets scant attention in
EFL teaching, when it
could be a good
shortcut to expertise,
even for beginners.
Word stress is also pleasant and easy to teach. Even the most
timid of learners can hear if a syllable is stressed or not, without
the pain produced by trying to reproduce unfamiliar vowels and
consonants. Students may prove the place of the stress in a
word by trying it out on different syllables, eg. Is it afternoon or
afternoon?
Of course, stress means main stress. The students must be
allowed to home in on the main stress, without bothering with
irrelevant secondary stresses. Subtle shifts like afternoon tea
tend to look after themselves also in the students speech flow.
As do contrasts like happy versus unhappy.
The main stress itself, however, cannot be shown too often: as a
visual reminder on the board and in phonemic script, and in
general vocabulary lists, - a trusted guide in the jungle of
pronunciation.

ihj April

At the start, students need only one rule-of-thumb: stress the

words first syllable. It applies in all Germanic languages, but most
of all in English. Latins prefer to postpone the stress till later in the
word, hence their Portugal against English Portugal. English
pulls the stress back from the original Latin end position:
document, from document/-, institute from institut/-, hospital
from hospital. The stress on the first syllable seems instinctive to
the English speaker: nylon, caf, symbol, chalet, mobile, camel,
while the rest of the world goes for the last syllable. You could
say that if English has won on the language front, French still
reigns in the field of word stress. Everybodys out of step but us.

Word stress is also

pleasant and easy to
teach.
On the other hand, how about the perfectly English hotel,
dragoon, launderette, then? All relatively recent immigrants
refused English nationality stress! It could be that they havent
been around long enough or arent sufficiently familiar. Why
omelette but cigarette? Why guillotine but limousine? The only
solution is to collect lots of words with different endings, and
observe the trend in stress positions, which is quite fun to do.

doctor
concert
programme

cassette
career
address

hospital
caravan
president

millionaire
guarantee
entertain

tomato
inflation
statistics

We can also fit in longer words under these patterns when we

count their (spoken) syllables from the end, (not from the
beginning):
on 3rd from end on 2nd

technology
revolution
personality
enthusiastic

37 2001

on last one

lemonade
commissionaire

No matter how long they are, words ending the same are
stressed on the same syllable from the end:
clarity, reality, personality, sentimentality
romantic, optimistic, materialistic, individualistic
corruption, preparation, privatisation nationalisation

Chanting the words to Mozarts Eine Kleine Nachtmusik or a

Jean-Michel Jarre piece, large classes practise happily,
memorising the stress forever.
Apart from reminding students to adjust their stress, its certainly
worth doing an end-of lesson revision of any vocabulary listed on
the board to flex their stress muscles as well as their lexical ones:

So the word-ending is definitely a clue worth following, when

trying to establish stress.
Many endings are 100% fool proof stress-wise: -ity, -ography, ology, -osis and -itis and all those with the // sound, as indeed
they are in other European-based languages. Endings -ic and ics and most foreign-looking endings, -oon, -ee, -eer, -ique, -eur,
are also virtually stress-proof.
Thankfully, all English-speaking regions apply the same word
stress, even if Americans do say cigarette and magazine. So the
foreign learner cant go far wrong by stressing the third from the
end; unless the ending requires stress on a different syllable or
theres a prefix which should be ignored. The placing of stress
can also be drummed in when long words with the same ending
are practised in groups of fours or threes in a rhythmical way:
| ecology - pathology - psychology - biology | etc.
| musician - magician - physician - electrician | etc.

eg

system enjoy
service display
advanced

organise
potential
certificate

conductor
engineer
developed

understand

difficult

Every classroom should display the word stress patterns around

its walls. It is not enough just to have the phonemic chart.
Word stress tests also make ideal homework; for example one
could ask students to mark the stress in word families:
origin - original - originality, cooperation - cooperate - co-op,
industrial - industry - industrialisation.
This vital language area would be extremely easy to assess in
exams, oral and written. And students will always collect more
praise for well-aimed stresses than for perfect phonemes.

|silhouettes and pirouettes, marionettes and castanets|.

The rhythm ensures the stress stays in place and accelerates the
unstressed syllables in each word, benefitting the characteristic
shwas and contractions.

Chanting the words to

Mozarts Eine Kleine
Nachtmusik or a JeanMichel Jarre piece,
large classes practise
happily, memorising the
stress forever.
For a change, when one side of the class says the noun, the
other says the adjective:
|magnet - magnetic, symbol - symbolic, drama - dramatic, chaos
- chaotic| etc.

ihj April

Obviously, these rules wont answer all the questions. Endings

such as -able, or -ment that dont affect the stress position are
also worth exploring at some point. If, however, we expose
students to a few reliable word stress rules early on, they might
begin to generalise from the common patterns, instead of just
groping in the dark.
B. Stress in Compound words and Phrasal Verbs
Although English could be spoken correctly without use of
compounds or phrasal verbs, much of its character would
disappear. These two categories of double words add hugely to
the liveliness of the language and both are achieved with a mere
flick of stress. The space-saving compounds are perfect for
headlines or TV titles, and invite double meanings, as in British
Steel Works, Money Matters or Changing Rooms. Children have
long been exploiting them in riddles like Why did the hedgehog
cross the road?*
All Germanic languages have compounds and phrasal verbs, but
in English they simply abound. The foreign learner is always
intrigued by them, yet stumbles over the complicated word order
and double-edged stress and one wonders how many might not
actually be bypassing them. It would be interesting to see some
statistics on this.
*[Answer: To see his flat mate.]

38 2001

Teaching strategies for compounds

Learners encounter compounds on Day One and at once need
to know that they typically have the stress on the first word,
highlighted with a little stress symbol over the text on the board.
An easy piece of pronunciation homework is to mark the stress
over the first word in everyday compounds like: classroom,
notice board, underground, bus stop, and get praise for saying
them the English way.
Unfortunately teachers cant avoid the confusion of hyphen or no
hyphen, one word or two, in compounds. But we neednt add to
it, by inadvertently mixing true compounds with false ones in the
same list. Keep the newly created words eg toy shop (a shop
that sells toys) quite separate from false ones like toy shop (a
miniature shop which you might play with), a mere adjective +
noun.
The whole point of a compound is to create a new meaning by
tilting the stress, and learners might as well be shown this simple
trick from the start. Ignore the fact of that stress and the new
meaning is lost.
At best, wrong stress can mislead. At worst, it sounds like
nonsense. Do students meet in the smoking area, or smoking
area? Should a sick child be seen by a child specialist, not a
child specialist? Do staff want sick pay or sick pay? On a safari,
would you want a wild life guard or a wild life guard?
Conversations are interrupted by hilarious images of tables
having dinner, bags sleeping, instructors flying about in the air, as
students talk of dining-tables, sleeping-bags, flying instructors
and the like. We should at least let them decide if they want to
go on sounding ridiculous. When students know rooms are
found via a flat agent, not a flat agent, they are on the right path.

juice and other juices which the students could discover for
themselves. It it probably best to ignore stress in double
adjectives like single-minded versus blue-eyed, too. Just guide
students to the most common trends.
When the time is ripe, or at more advanced level, or in exams,
students may be tested on mixed examples, eg. baby minder,
dressing gowns, front door, taxi driver, the London Eye, travel
insurance, afternoon tea, and so on. Why allow their stress to
remain haphazard when the rules are fairly simple?
Strategies for phrasal verbs
Not long after Day One, phrasal verbs also begin to turn up.
Charming though they are, they work in intricate ways. This
burden can be made lighter.
First we can separate real phrasal verbs, come in, look after,
with their noticeable stress on the particle, from ordinary verbs +
preposition chunks like look for, depend on, with ordinary stress.
When written on the board, phrasal verbs should appear
complete with their stress markings. A student could step up and
mark them in.
It is also easier for students to practise intransitive verbs first,
unhampered by worrying about objects : come in, sit down,
come back - an easy pairs practice. Choose sentences with the
particle last, where its stress is more noticeable: When did he
come back? rather than He came back slowly.
This means that transitive phrasal verbs are best practised with
a pronoun object: Put it on. Give it back. since a noun object
steals the stress from the article: Put your coat on. Give the
book back. or else changes the word order to Put on your
coat. which half conceals the stress.

False Compounds
Students have fewer problems stressing false compounds, but
for more expertise and confidence, they deserve to know at least
two common areas, typically stressed on both words: food and
public places.
A menu gives endless practice: tomato soup, ham omelette,
strawberry tart.
The equal stresses in addresses may be more crucial to a
student trying to find his or her way round in London than the
vowels and consonants: Green Park, Marble Arch, Edgware
Road, Warwick Avenue.
When modelling the stress patterns for these words, put them
last in the utterance so that students can hear the wanted final
stress better than inside the sentence.
An important exception to this rule is the single-stressed Bond
Street and all names with street, best practised on a different
day.

The usual stress pattern is also overruled by a contrastive aspect

in, for example, series of similar phrasal verbs such as: Come
back, run back, look back. So, treading with care, we should be
able to lead our learners into the realm of phrasal verbs and their
amazing stress patterns.
It seems a waste of time to teach these clever constructions
without their relatively easy stress rules. Is it fair on the learners
to let them say such meaningless items as Look after the
children in the sitting room.
Busy teachers might argue So what if someone calls you
sweet heart?
But immigrant professionals, doctors, for example, would be
glad to have these issues sorted in advance, as would their
patients. Awareness of word stress could lead to a much better
understanding of the target language early on.
More information and practice in English Aloud 1 and 2.
(Heinemann ELT 1994)

Other compound stress patterns are more subtle, like Tomato

ihj April

39 2001

The IH Braga Portal

Martin Heslop
Martin has worked in Turkey and in Poland. He is now Senior Teacher at IH Braga in Portugal.

The aim of this short article is to describe the Internet resources

we have at IH Braga; partly because we are all aware of the
growing importance of computers as a learning tool; and also
because we are hoping to make our resources available to the IH
World Network in the not-so-distant future.
What is a portal?
A portal is essentially a Web site that offers a variety of resources
and services such as Yahoo! Our Portal, however, is an index of
web links useful for teachers and students and it differs in that it
is not an online site but a series of pages on our Servers hard
drive.

Even when you have successfully found a good page/site and

have devised a worksheet/lesson based on it, how accessible is
this to other teachers? Word-of-mouth works in the short-term
and there are long-term ways of storing material such as using
Favourites or files of hard copies but things get lost either literally
or as good as lost under the sheer weight of badly organised
material.
Our aim is to create an index that is as user-friendly as possible,
for there are teachers who are more technology-friendly than
others and we want all teachers to be using our resources. With
this Portal, teachers, and students, are just a few clicks away
from a lesson.
How is the Portal organised?

we are all aware of the

growing importance of
computers as a learning
tool
The Portal was first conceived by the previous Senior Teacher at
Braga, Karen Barns. She got the project off the ground and when
I arrived in Braga last year much of what we have now was
already in place. My role has really been one of expansion and
fine-tuning. The whole thing is the result of a lot of hard work by
the teaching staff of IH Braga and Ana Pires in particular.
Why have a Portal?
At IH Braga we have a computer room with 6 networked
machines with fast Internet access. With such resources
available, we are fully aware of how important it is to exploit them
as fully and efficiently as possible and that there are pitfalls
associated with using the Internet as a classroom tool. We all
know how time consuming and potentially frustrating it can be to
devise Internet-based lessons:
Firstly, search engines can take up so much time because
either your key words dont seem to match up with anything
relevant or else your search results in hundreds of matches to
trawl through.

On the main index page there are four columns :

1 & 2: Coursebook topics - we have tried to include the
most common topics from coursebooks, as many Web
lessons are topic rather than language based.
3: Students - this includes language practice (grammar and
vocabulary), reference (dictionaries), self-access - although
this is usually more like supervised access particularly for
YLs. Includes YLs own index of topics.
4:Teachers - links to ELT sites, resources, communications.
When you click on any of the links on the main index you
will be taken to another page of links related to that topic.
Each of these pages (49 in total) incorporates the following
features:
Title: many page titles incorporate graphics and sound.
We feel that these features make the indexes more attractive
and engaging for the students. For example, our Crime
index incorporates an animated cartoon of a gangster
waving a gun around and has the Mission Impossible
theme as background sound.
Sub-index table: each site has a row organised as follows :
Name of site
(Hyperlink)

*This is not always mentioned as some descriptions/subject

matter give a fairly good indication of a sites suitability. Levels are
based on the IH Braga system.

Perhaps the material that you do find is unsuitable due to

language level or length.

ihj April

A description of the site. Level suitability*.

Link to worksheet, if available.

40 2001

How do we use the Portal?

Essentially there are two main ways in which we use the Portal:
1. Worksheet and reading lesson.
A teacher decides to use the computer room with a class for a
topic-based lesson. Lets say, for example, that the topic is the
Environment. All that the teacher needs to do is go to the
ENVIRONMENT and ANIMALS page and look for something
suitable. There is a site called The 3 Rs for the Environment
(some pages from the kids encyclopaedia Factmonster) and a
ready-prepared worksheet to accompany it. The teacher should
have a good idea of the suitability of the site from the level
indications (our J5 level is 12-14 years and Pre-Intermediate) but
we encourage our teachers to visit the site so as to be familiar
with its content and how to navigate around it. We also
recommend checking the worksheets. It is easy to make slight
changes to these, as they are Word documents.

In class, the students are given the worksheet, which also

explains how to get to the site - very easily through the portal,
just two clicks. They read through the site index to find the
relevant pages to be able to answer the questions and then scan
each page for answers. We have found this type of lesson to be
very motivating. Students who shy away from reading the
shortest of texts when printed on paper are quite happy to
devour screen after screen when in front of a computer.
There are over 30 worksheets linked into the portal and we are
adding to them all the time. There are also sites where we
encourage students to create their own worksheets for each
other and so set up a kind of jigsaw reading activity. It should also
be noted that some sites do not require worksheets, as they are
interactive.

ihj April

2. Online exercises and quizzes

There are many sites on the Internet devoted to English language
learning. Although they have their own indexes, it can be difficult
to find exactly what you want, which is why we have grouped
them together in our own indexes on the Portal. All the teacher
needs to do is decide what area of language to practise and find
the relevant page on the Portal. We have sub-indexes for verb
grammar, other grammar, vocabulary, exam classes as well as a
large and separate Younger Learners vocabulary index.

The Braga Portal as an IH World resource ?

The Portal has been demonstrated to a number of Directors,
DOSes, Co-ordinators and teachers, many of whom have
expressed an interest in obtaining this resource for their
schools. We are currently working on this possibility and as
soon as we have further news, we will let everyone know
through the Affiliates Network.

41 2001

Whats New in The Affiliate Network

Alan Pentecost
Alan Pentecost joined us in December 2000 as the CE of IH
Worldwide and since then he has been working for us on a part
time basis. Our interview with him provided the opportunity to
find out more about the man who is looking forward to leading IH
into a more successful future.
Alans background:
He was born on Christmas day and grew up in Surrey near to
Epsom Downs. He says that his friends regard him as a nomad
because since the age of 17 until about 10 years ago, hes had
more than 20 homes. For the last 10 years, hes settled in
Wolverhampton and gets up at 4am each Tuesday morning in
order to be here by 8am to start his weekly, three day stay in IH
London.
In his sixth form, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his
life until a friend came back from Oxford and told him what fun it
was. So based on that and little other knowledge, he applied to
study Geography. He went to St Edmund Hall, where he became
the captain of the university football team, played for England
and was a football and basketball blue several years running.
After Oxford, he played a lot of senior amateur football and later
became a qualified football coach, which he enjoyed, particularly
contributing to the development of both team and individual
skills. Between 1968 and 1982, he rose rapidly from being a
Geography teacher in a school in Surrey to being Deputy Head.
Since he left teaching, he has held a series of management
positions in Local Education Authorities and has been the joint
owner of a very successful consultancy company for the last 10
years. During this time, his work has involved travelling to many
countries in Western and Eastern Europe as well as the Middle
and Far East region.
When we interviewed Alan, he had just flown back from a
consultancy visit to Montenegro (where he was working on an
EU funded project with the Ministry of Education on the reform of
their Elementary Education system) and Amman (where he was
doing consultancy work on a 4-year management and school
development plan with UNWRA - a UN organisation that
provides education, health, relief work and social services to
Palestinian refugees in the Middle East).
What attracted Alan to the job here:
Alan had heard of IH from people with whom he had worked
abroad and although he enjoyed working with them he never
considered the possibility of working within the ELT world - but

ihj April

life is full of strange twists!

The main things that drew him to the job was the size and
complexity of the organisation and the enormous management
challenges that it would bring.
IH was a totally different type of organisation from any that he
had worked in as a manager before.
How to manage an organisation whose USP is an affiliate
network of independent businesses?
How to take an organisation of this type forward in the current
world situation and changing means of acquiring English
throughout the world?
In addition to all of the above, he describes himself as a
cautious risk-taker and hes becoming fed up with flying so
much!
Alan also spoke about his vision for the future of the
school:
He aims to help IH to diversify its business base and expand into
new areas with the aim of attracting other educational markets.
He feels that reliance on one relatively narrow core business
leaves an organisation like IH London too vulnerable to
fluctuation in a fiercely competitive marketplace. He spoke about
consultancy, teacher education and training in a wider sense and
also specialist services, new courses and materials development
as being part of the strategic plan.
One of his priorities is to include all staff in the future development
of IH London and to encourage leadership and decision making
at all levels. By way of demonstration of his approach, he has
already set up groups of people to work on the development
strategies and given them the leadership of these developments.
He feels that all organisations, especially IH London, need
leadership, but that involves putting the people you work with
first.
When talking about the Affiliate Network, Alan said he would like
to explore and encourage a range of different partnerships and
commercial relationships with the affiliates, in ways which would
be much more beneficial to the affiliates as a network than at
present. He would also like to discuss ways in which a corporate
approach to growth might be established and of maximising the
huge potential of such a large - but diverse and disparateorganisation.
He added that in his short time at IH he has come to realise the
enormous differences between the circumstances of the different
Affiliates in different countries. It is extremely unlikely that one
common formula for change and development will be relevant or
applicable to all - he knows how difficult it can be to get 10 people
to reach a consensus, 115 will be an almost impossible challenge!

42 2001

It was good to have the chance to interview Alan for the Journal
and wed like to welcome him to IH and say how much we look
forward to working WITH him in the future and to sharing his
vision for the school worldwide.

The International House/

British Council Distance
DELTA Launched in April

So how will the experience of being on The Distance DELTA

programme benefit the participants? The key is in the creation of
a real learning community says project co-ordinator Karen
Adams of IH London. We have spent a great deal of time
creating a structure which will allow participants access to
materials and support regardless of where they are teaching. By
engendering the feeling of community, we have gone a long way
to countering the loneliness of the long-distance learner.

An Honour For Pam-Update

Karen Adams
April 2nd saw the launch of the new International House / British
Council Distance DELTA course, the only distance training
programme leading to the Cambridge DELTA qualification. This
new programme marks the result of a partnership between IH
and the British Council to widen participation on the DELTA
scheme to participants who would otherwise have difficulty
joining a face-to-face course.

As you will remember, we told you of the splendid news about

Pam Walshs honour in the last issue. Well, here is a happy
memento of the day showing Pam, and another lady in a blue
dress. We think Pam looks rather good in that hat.

The Distance DELTA has its roots in the long-running

International House DTEFLA Distance Training Programme,
many of whose participants worked in British Council Teaching
Centres. However, as the DELTA scheme superseded the
DTEFLA scheme, the two organisations recognised an
opportunity to combine their experience and expertise to
develop a new, electronically-delivered programme.
The structure of the new course remains similar to its
predecessor. Each participant must attend a two-week
Orientation Course prior to beginning an 8-month distance
element. During the two-week programme, participants are
trained in using various features of the new online programme
and complete the initial assignment of the DELTA course.
Thereafter, the participants communicate with their tutors via
email and with each other via the discussion forums on the
Distance DELTA website. As with the previous programme, the
practical element is supported by local supervisors who are
approved by UCLES.
Producing materials for the new programme has been the task of
the combined International House / British Council project team.
Made up of writers and web designers from both International
House London and the British Council, the team has been
working on materials which will enable participants to meet the
requirements of the DELTA syllabus and permit them elements of
the interactivity which participants on face-to-face courses
experience.
With a planned 3-year pilot period, the first stage has been to create
materials which are primarily text-based, coupled with interactive
online tasks and discussions. Future developments include more
video and audio material and expansion of the courses virtual
library, which allows participants to access articles and journal
extracts which they might otherwise have difficulty finding.

ihj April

Pam Walsh getting her honour from the Queen

A Long Flight to China

Roger Hunt
I have been asked to write a paragraph on my recent trip to
China with the hope that some of you readers somewhere might
find it of interest. So, here it is (and if it isnt of interest - sorry!)
The main purpose of my trip was to give educational talks and
seminars to Chinese teachers of English and Teacher Trainers as
a way of forming links between IH and Chinese universities and
teacher training colleges. This I duly did speaking for ten days to
a very large total number of teachers and trainers in Beijing,
Shanghai and Cheng Du (I also stopped off for a day of tourism
in Hong Kong - if you havent climbed the Peak I recommend it!).
It was very interesting giving these talks in as much the
organisers always seemed reluctant to tell me the size of the
audience, the length of the talk or the availability of such things
as overhead projectors: something of a challenge to walk into a
room with 150 people expecting a three hour talk with only a
stick of chalk by way of technology. However, us Foreign

43 2001

Experts, as we are known over there, struggle through.

In Shanghai I visited the new International House school, which
was opened in September last year. Funnily enough, it is instantly
recognisable as an IH school: bright and cheery with very
welcoming staff. The school is already growing rapidly and the
management are already looking for additional premises.
Conditions for teachers are very good in Shanghai, so if you are
interested in transferring, get in touch and Ill tell you all I know.
There are too few university places to meet the demand in China,

consequently the demand for English classes has gone through

the roof as more and more students apply for university places in
English speaking countries. Children are now starting English
classes at six years old. The worry here in London is that the
international flavour of International House might change
somewhat to a Chinese House. Certainly my visit made me feel
that David Graddol was entirely wrong in his book The Future of
English when he said that English would give way to Chinese as
the dominant world language - apart from there being 52
mutually unintelligible languages in China, they all seem to want
to learn English.

Letters to the Editors

Welcome to the new Letters Page. Were delighted to have received the following responses to the article by Rod Fricker
(Issue 9). Please feel free to add your opinions about any of the articles you see in this issue - we want to encourage you to
exchange views about any of the topics you have seen within these covers and set up an inter-journal debate - Eds.
Dear Editors
If upon telling someone that center does not end in er, you
receive a response such as; Dont frick with me, Are you fricking
crazy? ,or You narrow-minded limey frick! do not be too
surprised.
Following Rod Frickers statement in the IHJ, October 2000:And if your students, at the end of the day, still dont get it,
cheer yourself up with the thought that neither do the
Americans and theyre (sort of!) native speakers
the predominantly American staff at IH Valladolid have since
coined the following neologisms:
frick [ frIk ], vb reg trans; to make derogatory statements
regarding American English, which would in no way be
considered permissible were they made with reference to the
Irish, or to women, for example. We are, after all, teaching
English as a world language.
frick sbdy about/around; to waste ones own and others time
with imperialistic and superfluous comments.
frick out, intransitive; to have paranoiac or psychotic episodes
upon hearing or reading anything other than ones own dialect.

qualities not totally confined to British speakers of English.

William Britton Ott
Director, International House Valladolid
California School, S. L.
Plaza Mayor Marcos Fernandez,
147014-Valladolid (Spain)
E-mail: [email protected]
Dear Editors
With reference to Rod Frickers article in Issue 9 of the Journal
and William Otts response to it theres another avenue we
might go down here. Over coffee this morning weve coined the
following neologism / acronym:
faribee - acr.; Usually expressed as Failure of Americans to
Recognise Irony in British English Expressions. First noted in the
forties and fifties around US air bases in the UK. A typical
exchange might involve an American visitor scratching his/her
head at English people being ironic, sarcastic or rude to each
other and everyone else in the vicinity and saying something
along the lines of You limeys are so fricking weird - an
exchange which was often answered by an enigmatic twist of the
flat cap and a small outburst of Faribee, mate! Faribee!
Of course, it could all just be a joke...

frickful adj; applies to a person with the indefensible point of

view that we should take a prescriptive approach to both
grammar and lexis when dealing with other native-speakers.

Gavin Dudeney
IH Barcelona

frickotherapy n: a drastic and cutting remedy for those who

suffer from episodes of fricking out.
fricky adj; pretentious and xenophobic with regard to
lexicography or grammar.
We hope that Mr Fricker has not taken the above remarks in bad
kind, and will understand that a sense of humour is one of the

ihj April

44 2001

Is There Life After the CELTA?

Weve decided to start a new section in the Journal in which trainees who have completed the CELTA or the DELTA recently can
share their thoughts and experience. Dans brilliant article is the first in what we hope will be a series of fun and interesting
insights into where these courses take people and what they feel they have learnt from the whole experience. Were sure this
article will inspire course survivors to write for us and look forward to reading all about it - Eds
Even now, a few weeks later, I find myself breaking out in a cold
sweat every time I think back to that disastrous evening. Yet, for
all the horror of it, I learnt an important lesson from the whole
experience.

A Sudden Rush of Blood to the Head

Dan Vesty
Dan took the CELTA course in IH London at the end of last year
and is now working in a private language school in Bursa,
Turkey.
As far as I was concerned, it had been an almost perfect lesson.
I had been eliciting like a maniac, monitoring like a NASA spy
satellite and generally using as many of my recently acquired
TEFL skills as possible to produce a smooth-running and
interesting lesson. So, how was it that less than ten minutes later
I had lost all semblance of a structured learning experience and
my hitherto cohesive class of smiling, enthusiastic Turks had
reverted to being a group of bewildered and confused
individuals, who were beginning to wish that they had stayed in
to watch Who wants to be a Trillionaire? with Cemal Tarrant?
Well, it all started to go wrong when in the middle of pre-teaching
some informal, slang-type vocabulary I suddenly decided it
would be fun to teach them a little Cockney rhyming slang.
Needless to say, this rush of blood to the head cost me
dear.........
At first, it all seemed to be going rather well. The students were
happy and interested to discover that Cockney is an informal
word for someone in South London. Emboldened by their
interest, I rushed ahead to explain that they have their own
special language..... in which things that rhyme with other things
are used to describe those things. Even as this hopelessly
convoluted sentence left my mouth, my brain was telling me that
I was about to lose the whole class. However, with the
desperation of a drowning man who wastes his last breath flailing
helplessly at the water, I just crashed and stumbled further into
the mess. You know - rhyming - like when a word at the end of
a sentence sounds like a word at the end of another sentence.
Red sky at night, shepherds delight, that sort of thing. At this
point, my brain gave up even trying to restrain me, and just sat
back to watch the fun. From the looks on my students faces
they would have understood more if I had been speaking SerboCroat.

Namely, that for all my hours of teaching practice, feedback,

input and observation at International House, far from being over
when I walked out of 106 Piccadilly for the last time, my training
had only just begun. The grounding I had been given by the
CELTA tutors had of course proved invaluable in the classroom,
but at the end of the day, it is just that - a grounding, a basic
framework for teaching. As a new teacher, you must fill in this
framework every day with the sort of detail that can only be
learned from extensive daily experience in the classroom. The
next surprise is only ever just around the corner. As well as the
Cockney Rhyming Slang Massacre, I have been left similarly
speechless on numerous occasions.
For example, during an introductory brainstorm session on
students knowledge of British culture, I innocently asked what
they thought of British music, confidently expecting a few
references to The Beatles and Elton John (or Elton Jones as one
student delightfully referred to him). Instead, I was subjected to an
in-depth five minute lecture on nineteenth century sea-shanties
and the folk music of Dorset from a student who knew far more
about traditional English music than I could ever hope (or want) to.
Having picked my jaw up from the floor, I managed to steer the
lesson back in the direction I was hoping to, but this illustrates
once again the gloriously unpredictable nature of this job.
It sounds like an awfully trite, gushy clich but it is true that every
day you spend as a new teacher you learn just as much from the
students as they learn from you (if not more). So, for anyone
whos just finished their CELTA course, get out there and enjoy
the adventure that TEFL manages to throw up every day. Just
dont get yourself into the situation where you have to explain the
rhyming slang for thrupnny bits to a group of bemused middleaged Turkish people.

By the end of the whole debacle I had 3 students sitting in

stunned silence, one muttering apples and pairs quizzically to
his neighbour and one student who I could tell was just itching to
ask me whether plates of meat (feet) took the definite or
indefinite article in the singular. Thankfully, being very polite and
tactful, they didnt hold it against me.

ihj April

45 2001

What Youve Always Wanted to Know About

IH Affiliates...And More!
Here are the latest in our tour around the IH Affiliates. Were sure youll enjoy reading about these places and looking at the
picture of the carnival in IH Torres Vedras. As always, we would love to hear from those of you who havent told us about
your school yet.
Initially, the school had only 50 students, all younger learners.
However, during that year, and in every year since, the school
more than doubled the number of students. In fact, given that
Valladolid reportedly has the highest birthrate in Western Europe
(in a country where the falling birthrate is regarded as a national
crisis! must be something in the water...), the greater part of our
student-base has yet to be born. The average age in our area,
Parquesol, is 14, and falling fast...Were going to need to expand
our premises very soon.

IH Torres Vedras
As we celebrate our tenth anniversary, here are ten
reasons to live and work in Torres Vedras
1 The town of Torres Vedras is a 30 minute drive from the coast
and 40 minutes from Lisbon;
2 It is growing steadily but has not lost its old-world charm;
3 There is a good selection of restaurants, bars and clubs in the
area;
4 There is still relatively little crime and the people are kind and
friendly;
5 It has the best Carnival in Portugal!

We should have around 400 students next year, not including our
adult groups, and not counting our business clients throughout
the city, principally in the legal, financial and electronic sectors. We
also have a splendid French department (called Sandrine). During
the current academic year, the total number of adult students has
multiplied by four! Wall Street really dont like us much, which is
good. But why are we so popular?
The region and the city are rather conservative regarding
teaching: PPP is considered to be dangerously radical! We are
one of the very few schools here to be concerned with more
modern approaches than simply translating or filling in the gaps
and because of this both younger learners and their parents
regard us as a breath of fresh air: Our students can actually have
conversations. They actually want to be here in the evenings.

Matt and Norman prepare to paint the town red as matrafonas

during the Torres Vedras Carnaval this February!

6 The school offers good teacher development; the DOS and

Director are teacher trainers and DTEFLA local supervisors
and you will be working with some very experienced teachers;
7 It has an excellent range of resources, including a stylish
multimedia centre equipped with a wide range of materials for
all levels and ages;
8 It has a strong emphasis on the teaching of young learners;
9 Teachers can attend the annual IH Portugal Training Days and
the biennial IH Portugal Symposiums;
10 As its a small school, individual teachers can make a real
impact on the development of materials and ideas.

IH Valladolid
Valladolid. The name which nobody in Viseu 2000, nor in
London this January, could pronounce!!!
Situated in a modern suburb of this historic city, ( Cervantes wrote
Don Quixote here, Columbus died here, imprisoned for his crimes
against the native Americans, it was the adopted capital during
the plague years...) we are one of International Houses newest
affiliates. The school was founded in September 1998 by William
Ott and Nydia Diaz as California School and last year it became
the first IH in the central Spanish region of Castille.
ihj April

The area is equally conservative in its consumer choices:

advertising and logos mean less than nothing; only word of mouth
works, only tried and tested products sell. Obviously, the value of
our emphasis on communicative language-use, and on fun, has
been appreciated.
Weve recently launched a number of new ventures, including our
Spanish in Spain programme this summer, which many of you
have been very helpful in promoting. We will be running one to
four week residential courses at all levels and expect to receive
accreditation very soon from one of the local universities.
We have also been working closely with the local governments
education department, for whose teachers our senior staff have
delivered lectures and seminars on methodology, classroom
management, motivation....
In July we will be operating one-week teacher training courses for
local teachers of English. Well see if we can save some students
from hours of tedium, Grammar Translation and gap-filling.
We have a lot to learn from our colleagues in the International
House, and have benefitted greatly from our recent affiliation, but
in Castille, we already lead the way by miles. With IH we can
continue to do so, simply because, for the first time in this area,
we are applying truly global standards to language education.

46 2001