NATIONAL AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF

NICARAGUA
UNAN-LEON

“Methodology Module for English teachers”

Elaborated by: PH. Melania Noguera

Msc. Manuel Armas
Msc. Carlos Martinez
Lic. Oscar Rosales

Leon, APRIL 2018

Introduction

We want to help your child communicate better in English. Many different teaching
methodologies are used to boost your child’s confidence and build up positive
attitudes towards language learning.

 Primary Plus uses fun, interactive activities such as communicative games,

songs, chants, drama and role-plays which emphasise spoken fluency and
improve students’ pronunciation.
 Students read and write stories, poems, letters, reviews and reports to learn a
variety of text types and styles of writing.
 Our Primary Plus lessons use topics which are relevant and motivating to the
age and level of the students to present and develop grammar and vocabulary
for everyday use.
 Students work on projects to activate and consolidate English learned in class,
and develop leadership, critical thinking and digital literacy skills.

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 Session 1 y 2

I-STARTING UP

1.A - An Icebreaker

Activity presented by the facilitator.

II- GETTING KNOWLEDGE

What is the difference between strategy, technique and

method in terms of teaching

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Ø Strategy
Strategy usually requires some sort of planning. You'd probably use strategy when
faced with a new situation, ie. the strategy to win a game.
A plan of action designed to achieve an overall aim.
Strategy means a method. Such as when playing a football game, "That was a great
strategy! It always works!" or when playing a video "Ok, our strategy is to go around
the enemy".
Your example, "Whats your strategy for setting goals?", is ok to say but some people
might not know what you mean. Strategy is almost like the word 'tactic'. Example :
A) What tactics do you use?
B) My teams tactics are going around.

Ø Technique
Technique is a procedure or skill for completing a specific task. I'd imagine this would
be used for predictable events, ie. solving a long division equation.
Teaching Techniques: These are the little sneaky tricks we all know and use to get the
job done in the classroom. Teachers all over have systems of rewards/punishments for
students who comply and exceed or defy and lag behind. If a classroom is becoming
distracted a teacher may use the technique of silent reading or shared reading to try to
rope them in again. Another may choose to use a quick physical activity to distract
their distraction and get them all to do the same thing at the same time - then quickly
direct them back to work. This is really where someone with loads of experience can
help another teacher improve her abilities. These are the tricks that can be taught to
another teacher. Sort of "I find this really helps during math class" type of suggestions.
Also a lot of the in-services and workshops all teachers attend offer little tidbits of
games, activites, and actions that teachers can use to achieve certain goals in the
classroom. Everything from sending a note home to mom and a trip to the principal's
office to giving out 'points' for good behaviour are examples of techniques teachers
can use to keep ahead of the pack.
Ø Method
Method is a way something is done. Perhaps used for routine tasks.
Teaching Method: Refers to how you apply your answers from the questions stated in
Teaching Approaches to your day to day instruction in front of your students. Do you
follow the textbooks and curricula to the letter with everything? Are you more of a
Socratic teacher and prompt discussion by asking questions to lead students to
understanding? Do you advocate learning by doing? Are your students expected to
simply listen attentively and take notes (not that any student really does that) with the
hopes that they can memorize the facts for assessment? This is not really a question of
'what works for you' but what actual practices and procedures of teaching do you
prefer and come most naturally to you?

Teacher-Centered Learning

Teachers control access to information and direct learning

process, which is envisioned to consist of knowledge
transmission to student

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Students are envisioned as empty vessels or tabula rasa

Syllabi are discipline

-specific and product based

Assessment is typically by exam

Teaching objectives (rather than learning outcomes)

Student
-Centered Learning (SCL)

Teachers are facilitators of the learning process, which is

envisioned to consist of constructing meaning of information
within social contexts and by means of reflection

Students prior knowledge is valued and individual learning

styles are recognized

Syllabi are organised not merely around facts but also on the
process of learning them

Assessment is typically continuous assessment of the learning

Process.

Learning outcomes (rather than teaching objectives

Teaching Approaches and Methodology

 Difficulties
 Lesson Planning Approach
 Alternatives to Translation
 Non-verbal Communicative Teaching
 Teacher as Counselor
 Suggestions for Good Communication
 Different Learner Styles

There are many theories and methodologies ranging from, for example, Total Physical
Response to the Silent Approach, which have been used to teach students a second
language. However, we shall just focus on one particular methodology.

Difficulties

First of all, we should outline some of the typical difficulties that are experienced. It is
often problematic for both JTEs and ALTs to effectively team-teach together.

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There are a number of reasons for this, namely:

 Communicative and cultural language barrier: the JTE and ALT have difficulty
understanding each other's intended actions and ideas.
 In some cases, fear, reluctance or apathy towards team-teaching by either ALT
and/or JTE.
 Underutilization of the ALT in lessons due to the reasons stated above.
 Lack of awareness of the differing student learner styles that exist in the
classroom.

Suggested Lesson Planning Approach

A very simple yet effective method of teaching is achieved by using the ARC approach.
(as outlined by Jim Scrivener 'Learning Teaching' (1990)). Information on ARC teaching
methodology and Jim Scrivener. The lesson is essentially divided into 3 clear stages.

Clarification & Focus stage- e.g. Teacher/ALT demonstrates, explains, illustrates, pre-
teaches the necessary new vocabulary, grammar etc. in order for the students to do
the first exercise.

Restrictive Exercise stage- Ss do an exercise as stipulated by the T/ALT to practice

grammar structure and form, increase their English accuracy and test and demonstrate
their ability on a given language point.

Authentic Exercise stage-Ss do an exercise that involves communication with language

fluency practice which can be used and directly relates to- real- life and is meaningful.
Such activities are normally enjoyable as they are flexible and allow the students to
decide what to do/say for themselves.

A typical lesson might run something like this: CRCAC

From “Learning Teaching” by Jim Scrivener, Longman p.134

Authentic Use Restrictive Use Clarification & Focus:

For: For: I show you
Meaning Form I tell you
Communications Practice I help you find out
Accuracy You find out for yourself
Fluency Testing
Real-life Display
Pleasure

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For a lesson to be 'balanced' you need to have all of the 3 stages above. Without them,
both the lesson staging and the learning process are not complete. This also makes it
difficult to determine how well your students have learnt and understood what you
both have been trying to teach them.

Consider these rhetorical questions:

How can a student know what they are supposed to practice if they haven't been
shown what to do? How can a student do an exercise if they cannot understand the
grammar structures or vocabulary that you want them to practice during the exercise?

All of the above problems should be addressed in each Clarification & Focus Stage of
the lesson.

 How can a student openly communicate with another student using newly
taught English if they have not had the chance to practice the new structures
beforehand?

Such a topic should be addressed in the Restrictive Exercise stage of the lesson.

 Why would a student be interested in practicing English structures and being

tested on a grammar point if they didn't know how such phrases, vocabulary
etc. could be used effectively in real-life situations in English speaking
countries? i.e. Students need to have a Reason and a Purpose to their learning
English in order for it to be interesting.

The above point should be addressed in the Authentic activity stage of the lesson.

Each stage is as essential as the next in the whole lesson staging process. Every step is
inter-linked and relies upon the preceding part to facilitate student learning. Thus an
authentic activity (i.e. one used to demonstrate either a student's fluency or raise
awareness of real-life/authentic language through use) is as important as the
Clarification and Focus (illustration/explanation) and Restrictive (practice) stages
during the lesson.

Clarify what students need to do by telling/showing/helping them and lastly allow

them to find out for themselves.

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 By 'bringing the language to life'- using real-life scenarios etc.(authentic
material/activities)- you are providing the students with an interactive, meaningful
context for learning English. Such knowledge has a real, specific purpose and can be
used directly thereafter in a real-life situation in countries where English is spoken.

Alternatives to Translation

It is often better to explain the meaning of words by using alternatives to translating

into Japanese. The following are suggested methods:

1) Using Pictures

This works well for nouns and adjectives. You can draw or use a picture source from a
book, the internet etc. to demonstrate the word.

2) Using Gestures

Gestures work well for verbs, adjectives, prepositions and a whole range of grammar.

3) Using Easy English

Explain the meaning of the word using words that the students already know.

Environment = the area around us. The trees, animals, rivers, air etc.

Voluntary = when you do something because you want to.

4) Using the Word in a Sentence/in Context

Write up a sentence in English, which uses the word, to convey its meaning effectively.
Students are surprisingly good at inferring or deducing meaning from context.

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Example: President = George Bush is the President of the USA.

Friendly= a friendly person always smiles and says hello.

The Non-verbal Communicative Teaching Technique

Non-verbal Communicative Teaching requires that only English be used in the

classroom. Students learn the meanings of new words and phrases through gestures,
body language, and context. This technique is widely considered to be the most
effective means of introducing new language concepts.

Teacher as Counselor in the Classroom

It is important to empathize with your students. To do this requires acceptance and a

deeper understanding of your students. This is not always easily achievable.

 Acceptance should be unconditional. Accepting students unconditionally is

difficult yet achievable.
 Empathic (deeper) understanding: It is better to accept a student from his or
her standpoint. This requires the teacher to be adaptable and versatile in their
relationships with students and to modify their stance from student to student.

Useful Suggestions for Good Communication in the Classroom

 True communication is a two-way process.

 Communication is mutual understanding.

 True communication results in mutual influence.
 The key to a good relationship is trust.
 The purpose of teaching is learning: learning is changed behavior.
 Admittance of our ignorance is the entrance to our own education.
 Knowledge is more than information- it is conversion.
 Careful listening involves patience, openness and a desire to understand.
 Communication lies more in feelings than in words.
 Be aware of the dangers of comparing.
 When you borrow strength, you build weakness

Different Learning Styles

Of course, all of the above is potentially useless if both the JTE and the ALT have not
considered using a range of activities to cater for the various learning styles that exist
in the classroom. Each of us has a preferred method of learning and each of us
responds and learns better when that particular teaching or learning style is being
administered in the classroom:

Visual-Spatial Learner (ability to visualize objects and spatial dimensions, and create
internal pictures and images)

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  Verbal-Linguistic Learner (the ability to use words both orally and written)
 Logical-Mathematical Learner (the capacity for inductive and deductive
thinking and reasoning, as well as the use of numbers and the recognition of
abstract patterns)
 Musical-Rhythmic Learner (ability to recognize tonal patterns and sounds, as
well as sensitivity to rhythms and beats)
 Intrapersonal Learner (capacity to understand yourself and act adaptively,
spiritual inner state of being- self-reflection and awareness)
 Interpersonal Learner (quickly grasp and evaluate moods etc. of others and
have good capacity for person-to-person communications and relationships)
 Bodily-Kinesthetic Learner (use the body to express ideas and feelings and
have the ability to control physical motion)

Useful site with brief overview of different learner style preferences and multiple
intelligences

Student-focused lessons – lessons where students are more active and involved in the
lessons and where the teacher takes a more passive role.

Eliciting passive knowledge – where the teacher draws out knowledge from the
students by asking questions. Knowledge that the student has acquired over a period
of time almost unconsciously and rarely uses.

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III-PRACTICING THE ACTIVITY

 In this section the facilitator will

put in practice three activities in
the workshop.

SOME SAMPLE ACTIVITIES

1-Name of the Activity 1 MATCHING

PICTURES TO THE NUMBERS Description
Teacher describes one of the pictures
shown and ask them to guess the
number of pict. Language focus/aims -
colours, adjectives, clothes, appearance, present continuous.

2-Name of the Activity 2 Memorising the picture Description - T. shows a picture for a
while and cover it up and read out True-False statements prepared beforehand. Ss.
write or say T. or F. Language focus/aims - have/has, there is-are, numbers,
prepositions, colours, how many..

3-Name of the Activity 3 Picture cover up Description Find a Picture, cover it up as a

whole or part of it and let them guess the covered part. Language focus/aims Good for
visual students, practising new words, way of activating words, have/has.

4- Name of the Activity 4 Double sided chunks Description Write the phrases on both
sides of a card or paper and show them only one side and ask them to guess the
backside. Language focus/aims practise and revise phrases memorising new
vocabulary

5-. Name of the Activity 5 Hot potato game Description find a potato make maximum
ten ss. make a circle, they hand the potato eachothers by saying ‘it’s hot, it’s hot, it’s
very very hot’ while one student running outer side. Aim is to circle potato faster than
the student running outside. Language focus/aims Practise adjectives, kinesthetic.
They are physically involved in the lesson.

6-Name of the Activity 6 Simon says Description T. gives commands by saying simon
says ‘……........……’ and Ss. obey the commands Language focus/aims Imperatives,
controlling the class, fun, revision.

7-Name of the Activity 7 Picture envelope Description Stick a picture on the back of an
envelope and put the words related into the envelope and ask them to guess all the
words in the envelope. (or) ask them to produce words about the Picture then next

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week you can ask them again to revise. Language focus/aims To teach words,
adjectives. It helps memorization.

8-Name of the Activity 8 Who am I? Description Write a popular name on the back of a
student and let him/her ask questions about. Others answer and student try to guess
who he/she is. Language focus/aims Have fun, making questions and giving answers

9- Name of the Activity 9 Feeling jar Description Write some feeling adjectives on
papers, put them in a jar or box, Ss. pull out one of them from the jar and mime (act
out), others try to guess the adjectives. Language focus/aims Revision of adjectives and
learning new adjectives.

10- Name of the Activity 10 Ready made pictures Description Prepare some pictures;
brushing teeth, having breakfast etc. and ask them ‘What do you do after
breakfast?etc.. they respond by the help of pictures. Language focus/aims Everyday
activities.

11- Name of the Activity 11 mixed words or letters Description Write crucial key words
on the board with mixed letters ask them to guess or correct Language focus/aims fun,
revision, and memorization.

12- Name of the Activity 12 WHAT IS IN THE PICTURE Description T. explains or

describes the thing in picture before showing it, and ask them to guess. Language
focus/aims - revision, warmer, activate curiosity, name of objects.

13- Name of the Activity 13 W E A T H E R Description Write ‘WEATHER’ on the board

and ask them to find new words from the letters as many as possible. (you will get
surprised.) Language focus/aims fun, generating words.

14- Name of the Activity 14 What is in my hand? Description Put someting in your
hand, let them ask questions to find the object in your hand. Language focus/aims
practice of asking questions, activate curiosity.

15-Name of the Activity 15 Repeated questions Description Ask the same questions
several times to get different answers. ( Why do you like ice-cream?) -It is cool. It is
tasty... etc Language focus/aims Revision of the tense learnt. Group work activity.
Competition to see which group will find more reasons

(ANLAT BAKALIM) Language focus/aims FRUITS-LIKE/DISLIKE-OBJECTS

How to Learn English with Games?

There are many games you can play to learn English, like crosswords, hangman
game, word search, and many other games. This can be a big advantage to the way
you learn English language and can improve your English fast.

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Hangman

The traditional word game Hangman is not only a fun way to pass the time but also a
test of spelling and vocabulary. Requiring only something to write on and something to
write with, it's equally easy to play at home, in a classroom or during a long car
journey.

Getting Started To play Hangman you need something to write on. This could be a
whiteboard, a notepad or just the back of an envelope -- as long as all the players can
see it clearly, it will work. Hangman requires a minimum of two players; one player
chooses a word and draws, while the other players will try to guess the word. Players
can use any method to choose who will draw first.

Choosing a Word

The player chosen to draw first decides on a word; she then draws a number of blanks
equal to the number of letters in the word at the bottom of the play area. For
example, if this player chose the word "suitcase," she would draw eight blanks. The
other player then tries to guess a letter that appears in the word. If there are multiple
other players, they may take turns guessing or simply allow the first person who has an
idea to speak.

Tightening the Noose

If the players guess a letter correctly, the drawing player fills in each blank where the
letter occurs. For instance, if the players in the example guessed "S," the blanks would
now read "S_ _ ___ S _." However, if they guess incorrectly, the drawing player draws
part of a stick figure image of a man being hanged. This picture usually consists of 11
parts; these are the arms, body, head and legs, as well as the rope, upright, crossbar
and angle of the gallows. The drawing player also writes down any letters that don't
appear in the word as a reminder for future turns.

Winning and Losing

The guessing players win if they manage to guess all the letters in the word before the
drawing player completes the diagram. They can do this either by guessing all the
letters individually, or by guessing the word once they have enough letters to suggest
it. For example, once "b_ _ _ " is filled in, the players may feel confident enough to
guess that the word is "blue." You can choose words like colors, animals or actions
according what they have learned in class.

Rules Variations As a traditional game, Hangman doesn't have a fixed set of rules.
Variations are common. Some versions start with the gallows already drawn, for
example, and only draw the rope and body, while others lengthen the drawing by
giving the hanged man facial features. Others may not penalize guessing the word
wrong.

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2. Missing letter : Numbers
It is so fun activity. Students recognize the letters and learn the words beside the
numbers.
All of these number words are missing something: the first letter of their names! Kids
choose the correct letter and write it on the lines provided to complete the words. This
kindergarten reading worksheet offers practice identifying beginning sounds and
writing lowercase letters.
4 __ our f

5__ ive f
1__ ne o
Or simple words: ___ lue b
___ ed r
___ ray g

___ ink p
3. What word is different? This activity could do by listening. Teacher says every
word aloud and students recognize the wrong word family.
Red blue one yellow
Cat dog frog blue
Pen class chair red

4. Wordsearches
Wordsearch 1 : colours and numbers
Activity type: Individual or group worsearch activity
Skills : Reading, writing (optional)
Before class: Make a copy of the worsearch of the worsearch worksheet for each pupil.

In class:
A. Show them an example of a worsearch by drawing a reduced grid on the board
and writing three words, one letter per square,in different directions:
horizontally, vertically and, if appropriate,diagonally. Now fill in the
reamainning squares with random letters, so make sure that athe original three
words are hidden.
B. Draw their attention to your wordsearch on the board and circle the three
hidden words.
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 C. Give your pupils a copy of the wordsheet.
D. Ex`lain that they must look for the words written or drawn under the
wordsearch, and tick them off as they find them. Set a time limit.
E. Circulate to monitor and help.
F. Once they have finished, pupils correct their sheets in pairs or small groups.
Extension
Pupils use the words in the wordsearch to make sentences according to their
knowledge and ability.
Ex. Hat “it is a green hat” “He is wearing a green hat”

5. Picture Dictation
Activity Type: Class and pairwork picture dictation and information transfer
Vocabulary focus: Transport: lorry, car, train, bus, `name, boat
Skills: Listening and speaking
Before class : Make a copy of the picture dictation worksheet for each pupil. Also
make an enlarged copy of the picture worksheet, colour the pictures and cut them into
flashcards.
In class:

A. Revise or pre-teach the vocabulary and structures in the activity, using the
flashcards.
B. Give pupils a copy of the picture dictation worksheet. Ask them to cut out the
picture cards and the baseboard with boxes numbered 1-6. For younger pupils,
you may prefer to do this before class.
C. Now explain the activity by example. Place your picture on the baseboard and
then dictate to the class to describe what picture you have got in each box. The
idea is for pupils to place a picture in the right box as you dictate, e.g
D. In number 1 there is a car.
E. In number 2 there is a boat.
F. In number 3 there is a plane.
G. In number 4 there is a train.
H. In number 5 there is a lorry.
I. In number 6 there is a bus.

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IV-IMPROVING YOUR PROGRESS

So here are some

innovative ideas that will
help teachers reinvent
their teaching methods
and make their classes
interesting.

Innovative
Ideas to Make
Your Teaching Methods More Effective
Assignment task at home.
All the participants in group of three will prepare an activity using these
innovative ideas, and they have to perform in the next section. Timing
between 5-8 minutes no more than that..

1. Creative Teaching

Take the help of creative tools to stimulate creativity. Include playful games
or forms of visual exercises that will excite the young minds and capture their
interest. This is a time tested method to identify young student’s creative
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abilities and encourage creative contributions. Bring aspects of creativity
into all your subjects, be it mathematics, science, or history. Think of ways to
develop their creative ideas. Encourage different ideas, give them freedom to
explore.

Audio and videos

Incorporate audio-visual materials in your sessions. Supplement textbooks

with models, filmstrips, movies and pictorial material. Use info graphics or
other mind mapping and brain mapping tools that will help their imagination
thrive and grow. These methods will not only develop their ability to listen,
but will also help them understand the concepts better. For example, you
can get some oral history materials, conduct live online discussions or
playback recordings of public lectures. There are a lot of smart apps for
preschoolers that you can utilize to create awesome slideshows or
presentations.

3. “Real-World” Learning

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Link your lessons to real world learning. Infusing real world experiences into
your instructions will make teaching moments fresh and enrich classroom
learning. Relating and demonstrating through real life situations, will make
the material easy to understand and easy to learn. It will spark their interest
and get the children excited and involved. You can make use of smart apps
for preschoolers to make these sessions all the more interesting.

4. Brainstorm

Make time for brainstorming sessions into

your classrooms. These sessions are a great
way to get the creative juices flowing.
When you have multiple brains focusing on
one single idea, you are sure to get
numerous ideas and will also involve
everyone into the discussion. These
sessions will be a great platform for
students to voice their thoughts without having to worry about right or
wrong. Set some ground rules before you start. You can go for simple
brainstorming or group brainstorming or paired brainstorming

5. Classes Outside the Classroom

Some lessons are best learnt, when they are taught outside of the classroom.
Organize field trips that are relevant to the lessons or just simply take
students for a walk outside of the classroom. The children will find this fresh
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and exciting and will learn and remember the things taught faster. Role
playing is most effective for students of almost any age group. You just need
to customize depending on the age group. You can even use this method for
teaching preschoolers; just make sure you keep it simple enough to capture
their limited attention span

6. Role Play

Teaching through role play is a great

way to make children step out of
their comfort zone and develop their
interpersonal skills. This method
comes in handy, especially when you
are teaching literature, history or
current events. The role playing
approach will help the student
understand how the academic
material will be relevant to his
everyday tasks.

7. Storyboard Teaching

Rudyard Kipling rightly said

“If history were taught in
the form of stories, it
would never be forgotten.”
Storyboarding is a great
way to teach any subject
which requires step-by-
step memorization or
visualization highly-
conceptual ideas. History
teachers can use a
storyboard to recreate a
famous event. Such visually stimulating activity will ensure that even
complex ideas are easily put across to students. You can also encourage the
use of storyboards as a form of communication and let the students tell a
story in pictures using their imagination.

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8. Stimulating Classroom Environment

A classroom environment
that is well-decorated, fun,
and engaging will help
stimulate a student’s mind
and will help think and
learn better. Children,
especially young ones
cannot be expected to sit all
day and learn. Such creative
and stimulating
environment will help them
explore and will encourage
them to learn about the subject. An environment that positively impacts the
children is beneficial for the teacher as well. Schools associated with Early
Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) will vouch for the fact that the learning
environment has a prime role in learning and development

9. Welcome New Ideas

An open- minded attitude can help you innovating new teaching methods.
Though open- minded, sometimes most of us show reluctance to new ideas.
If you’re a teacher never do this, always try to accept new ideas even if it
looks like strange at the beginning.

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10. Think About A New Hobby

Sometimes, hectic workload may affect your engagement in teaching .If it

happens to you, it’s natural. You can take a break for couple of hours and
engage in some other activity that you’re interested in. This will rejuvenate
you and you can return to your work with more passion and interest.

11. Work Together As a Team

As everyone knows, the

end result of
collaborative efforts is
always immense. Think
about spending some
quality time with your
colleagues. Ask them to
share their views on
improving teaching
methods, you can see
many of them come up
with interesting strategies. So, collaborate and introduce innovative teaching
methods.

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12. Puzzles and Games

Learning is fun where puzzles and games are part of education. Children may
not feel they’re learning when their lessons are introduced through games.
Puzzles and games help children to think creatively and face challenges.

13. Start School Clubs or Groups

What about starting an after school club or group? Being a teacher you may
not get enough time to work on interesting topics that you are passionate
about. You can share your views and learn more from others when you have
school clubs or groups.

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14. Refer Books On Creativity

To be a creative teacher, you need to do some research on creative ideas and

techniques. There are a lot of books on creativity. Choose some of the best
works and start learning, it will be helpful for your professional development
as well.

15. Love What You Do

You can give your best only if you truly love what you do. You will be more
creative and inspired when you are not stressed. Loving your work keep you
relaxed and give you room to experiment new ideas.

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16. Introduce Lessons Like a Story

Just think, why do you

watch movies with
much interest? You like
to watch movies
because there is always
an interesting story to
keep you engaged. Like
that, learning sessions
become more
interesting when you
introduce it like a story.
If you are creative even
math lessons can be
related to interesting stories.

With even the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA )

emphasizing on schools to take measures for improving the quality of
teaching and learning, these innovative ideas are sure to make teaching
methods more effective.

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APPENDIX

Add wordsheets on pdf

References:

Rivers W.M. “The Psychologist and Foreign Language Teaching” (Appendix 1964)

Murgatroyd S. “Counselling and Helping” (Methuen 1985)

https://www.edsys.in/16-innovative-ideas-make-teaching-methods-effective/

http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/parents-and-children/activities-
for-children/pre-a1-level/s-rw-01-what-is-it/

http://www.onestopenglish.com/children/

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ELT Training

Classroom Management

By
Estela Hernández
Fanny López
Francisco Sánchez
Geraldine López
Jaime Alemán
Manuel Rivera
Ricardo Mendieta
Rolando Fuentes
Sandra Ríos

Classroom Management

Giving Clear Instructions

Instructions for children must be given in a way that they
understand. Below are some helpful hints on how to give kids
instructions that will make both you and your child more
successful.

Get your child's attention - Make sure that you have your child's
attention before you give a direction. You should be within three

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feet of your child so you can talk in a normal or calm voice. This helps your child know
that you are talking to him/her. You can get your child's attention by calling his/her
name, making eye contact, or turning off the lights.

Be clear and concise - Instructions should be short and to the point. The fewer words
the better. A good guide is one word per year of life. (Ex. Instruction for a two-year-old
might be "shoes on"; where a five-year-old might be "go get your shoes on"). If there
are too many words, it becomes more difficult for the child to know what is expected.
The instruction should also be free of vague words.

Give one instruction at a time - Do not give your child a long list of instructions. When
you give more than one instruction at one time, your child may forget, not understand,
or feel overwhelmed.

Be realistic - Give your child instructions that you know he/she can follow. For example,
do not expect a 3-year-old to get completely dressed by him/herself.

Be positive - Let your child know what you want them to do rather than not to do. When
we only describe the negative behavior "don't run" we still leave many other options
available (skipping, hopping, etc.). Telling the child what we want them to do "walk,
please." Does not allow for any other options.

Don't ask, tell - Do not ask your child to do something. Instead, tell your child in a firm
but pleasant voice what you want them to do. Do not say "will you go brush your
teeth?" To the child this implies that they have a choice. Instead, say "go brush your
teeth."

Reward compliance - let your child know that he/she did a good job following the
instruction. Praise your child. The more you praise your child the better the chances
that he/she will follow directions in the future.

Examples of Good Instructions:

John, give me the truck.
Lindsey, go wash your hands.
Dylan, look at the book.
Taylor, put three blocks in the bucket.
Jessie, walk next to me.

Examples of Bad Instructions: Why

it's a bad instruction:
Be careful Too
vague.
Can you put your toys away? Don't
ask, tell.
Go upstairs, wash your face, brush your teeth and go to bed. Too
many instructions.
Okay, I think it is time for you to go to bed Too
many words
Don't run in here.
Negative and too vague
Stop horsing around!
Negative and too vague
Can you give the toy to your sister? Don't
ask, tell

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It is time for you to go upstairs to go to sleep.
Too many words

Watch the video: “Classroom Seating Arrangements”: Tesol Class

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kOh1VYCsRs

-Using the Board

Activities we can do with the board

1. Scrambled Words:
Choose a word from the lesson and write it on the board or on card
with the letters scrambled out of order. The words can be accompanied with
pictures. With scrambled words students can practice spelling, pronunciation,
stress (Molinsy & Bliss, 1994).

for example: the word ball or car for the topic “ Toys

rca
Have students take turns guessing what the word is.
2. Family Tree
For the topic “my family” (unit 6 lesson 2). Put a family tree on the board. The children
can be asked to bring pictures of their families. We can use pictures to teach meaning
when presenting new language, to practice grammar.(Epstein & Ormiston, 2007)

Elicit family member words like: mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, brother, sister, me by
using pictures and in the following way
This is my mom.
This is my dad.
This is my grandma.
This is my brother.
And this is me.

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With “Family Tree” the children can practice again spelling, pronunciation, stress,
intonation. They can also learn vocabulary.

3. Family Photo Album:

Have children bring in a family photo album tell the class about the photographs. Use
the expressions and words already studied.
Another use for the board is for drawing pictures. “Picture Frame”
Drawings can be made whenever it is required for children to understand concepts and
words.
4. Half pictures cut
Ask students to find the other part of the fruit or vegetable and then they stick the
complete drawings on the board. The teacher is pretending she’s going on a picnic.
This activity can serve as a drill to practice pronunciation.
Another way in which we can use the board is for playing games. “Game
board”
Spelling games like TIC-TAC-TOE, the HANGMAN, which involves two teams who
start off with same word can fit the game board. Each team is assigned half of the
board. Children fill up the board with the words they practice.
Also The Name Game. With this this the children reinforce the spelling of the alphabet,

-Teachers Zone
"Given the opportunity human beings, especially children, will do exactly what they
want at any given time." Bodenheimer's Law

Will you give them the opportunity? THE ZONES OF PROXIMITY (Jones, 2007).
RED ZONE: The eight foot radius around the teacher. Very few problems occur this
close to the teacher
YELLOW ZONE: Extends another six feet from the eight foot red zone radius. For the
most part, students act the way they would in the red zone, unless the teacher's back is
turned.
GREEN ZONE: The radius outside of the yellow zone. Green means go, and students
know that the teacher is not near. This is a goof-off zone.

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-keep all students on task
-give them an opportunity to display self-control
-navigate the classroom during lessons, independent work time, learning centers, etc.
-In accordance with Bodenheimer's law, no teacher wants to give any students the
opportunity to do what they want; there are plenty of things that the teacher needs
them to do.
-When students are in the red zone, they are not being given the opportunity to do what
they want.
-In the average classroom, the class size is too large to have every student in the red
zone, so teachers must utilize traffic patterns and the arrangement of student desks in
such a way that they can place each student in the red zone with a matter of a few
steps.

-Drilling
Video: “Shaping the Way We Teach English”: Module 12, Younger Learners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agx2mWqIzzU
Drilling Activities for Your English Classroom by Tara Arntsen

After introducing new vocabulary words, grammar points, or sentence structures, you
have to drill them with your class.

There are many ways to drill new material. Using a variety of drilling methods in your
classes will help make this portion of the lesson more interesting and keep students
focused.

-How to Proceed

1. Choral Repetition
Choral repetition is a commonly used method of drilling. Students simply have to repeat
words or phrases after you. This is a good method because it means that students are
given excellent model pronunciation immediately before they are asked to respond.
Going through vocabulary this way many times in a single lesson will be boring for your
students and they will be less inclined to perform well. Break up the monotony by
changing the speed or volume you use and have students change their responses
accordingly. Using this method, students are not called on individually to pronounce
words therefore you will need to check individual pronunciation and comprehension
separately.

2. Drilling with Flashcards

Drilling using flashcards can be useful as well. In the introduction, show students both
the image and word sides of each flashcard. When you start drilling words for the first
time, show students the word side of the flashcard so they can practice reading and
pronouncing it. Later on, rather than show students the word you want them to
pronounce, show them the image. This will help check their comprehension of the

30
material. With flashcards, you can also challenge your students when they become
more familiar with certain vocabulary by flipping through the cards at a faster rate.

3. Drilling in Pairs
As material becomes more familiar, you may want to conduct short pair activities where
a student’s comprehension is tested by his partner. To do this with a vocabulary list for
instance, have student A read the translation of each word in random order while the
student B says the word in English. Student A can then place a checkmark next to all
the words student B got correct and then the students can switch roles. With this
method, students can check each other and have visual proof of how well they
performed afterwards which they can refer to when practicing material on their own or
preparing for exams. Conducting an activity such as this on a regular basis will help
students review vocabulary often and should not take more than five minutes even with
fifteen to twenty vocabulary words. It may still be necessary to practice using choral
repetition before performing pair activities so that students are reminded of the proper
pronunciation of the vocabulary.

4. Games

Breaking your classroom up into sections where each section says one portion of a
new structure is another way of drilling material. In small classes you can conduct
some drilling activities in a circle. The more variation there is to an activity, the more
students have to pay attention but it is best to start off with the simplest, easiest
variation of a game and build on it as opposed to trying to explain a complex activity
from the very beginning. Challenging students but not overwhelming them is important
in maintaining their attention and participation.

Drilling is generally not the most fun part of teaching or learning English but it is an
essential step when learning new material. Varying your approach can make it more
enjoyable and encourage students to participate more fully.

Drilling (Warm-up Activities)

-The method of drilling, that is storing new information in memory, may be used for the
fixation of any grammar and thematic vocabulary.

-Picture cards (flashcards) and real objects (realia) represent essential aids for drilling
new vocabulary.

-If at all possible, have children seated in a circle on the floor (they can all see each
other and the pictures; also, it is different from sitting on a chair at their desks).

The repetition may be done in various ways and take various forms:
-the whole class repeats;
-in groups;

 divide children according to their sex: girls and boys;

 according to their physiological characteristics (groups of children with blue
eyes/long hair/etc.)
 according to the colour of their clothes (e.g. a group of red/yellow/blue/etc.)

31
  divide them into groups according to the kinds of clothes they are wearing (T-
shorts/trousers/hats/etc.)
 according to geometrical shapes (each group represents a shape, so we can
have squares/circles/ovals/rectangles/etc.)
 divide them into groups of numbers (ones/tens/hundreds/etc.)
 divide them into groups/teams of animals - exotic (lions/monkeys/elephants/etc.)
domestic (hens/sheep/cats/dogs/etc.) forest (deer/hares/butterflies/etc.)
 groups of fairy tale characters (e.g. wolves and Little Red Riding Hoods/princes
and dragons/princesses and witches/etc.)

 according to professions (teachers/doctors/shop assistants/etc.)

 divide them into groups according to moods and emotions (e.g. sad and happy
students/angry and calm)

Naturally, this list is not exhaustive. Your fantasy and imagination is unlimited. It is
important to change the patterns of dividing into groups, and not get fixed on one, in
order to prevent polarization among children.

Classroom Activities

MEXICAN WAVE DRILL

With the children, sit in a circle, either on chairs or on the floor; you may also squat.

Select a picture, get up and say what is it, e.g. IT’S A CAT.

Then sit down again and ask the student sitting next to you to do the same, name the
object in the picture, and sit down.

Children thus stand up and sit down one by one, achieving the Mexican wave effect.

BALL DRIBBLE DRILL

Name the object in the picture (or a real object you have brought into the classroom):
IT’S A CAT.
Call out the name of the student to whom you wish to throw the ball: "Jana, catch the
ball."
Throw the ball to Jana and ask: "What’s this?" Jana must give the correct answer: "This
is/It’s a ball."
Jana then calls another one of her classmates, throws him/her the ball and asks:
"What’s this?"
The classmate replies; the activity thus continues until all students take their turn.

32
Note: Naturally, the name of one student may be called out several times. After a time,
it is good to change the picture, so that the children do not get bored.
Alternative:

The sentence may be extended by other elements (attributes: IT’S A RED BALL,
adverbs of place: THE RED BALL IS ON THE FLOOR.)

SUBSTITUTION DRILL

With each repetition, change one of the words in the sentence; the core remains.
Students then replace, e.g. nouns with pronouns:

Teacher: „I like pizza.“

Students: „I like it.“
Teacher: „I like my sister.“
Students: „I like her.“

REVERSE DRILL

Say the last word of a sentence. Students repeat.

Add the word before the last word. Students repeat.

Continue until the sentence is complete.

Drills using rhythm, music, and movement

Drilling activities using rhythm, music and movement. You may use already existing
songs, poems, rhymes, dances or come up with your own.

Rhythmical Drills

Sentences such as: IT’S A CAT. IT’S BLACK. Practise in the rhythm of:

 clapping;
 moving your head from side to side or backwards and forwards;
 jumping or hopping;
 slapping the table;
 a musical instrument (a drum; rumba rattles; harmonica; cymbals; wood
clackers; tambourine; metronome; etc.)
 stamping;

 steps;
 knocking;
 snapping your fingers;
 patting your stomach or head.

33
Also, you may change the positions within the classroom - drill while sitting on the floor;
under the desks; running to the blackboard; etc. - children will think they are doing
something different each time and find it exciting.

Fox and Rabbits

 Have children sit in a circle.

 The teacher walks outside the circle, touching each student’s hair, calling out
Rabbit!
 Children repeat the word with the teacher.
 Call one of the children a fox at random.
 This child must jump up and chase the teacher outside the circle until the
teacher gets to the student’s seat.
 Both the teacher and the children repeat rhythmically: "Hurry, hurry, the fox is
coming."
 The child who is now the fox exchanges roles with the teacher; he/she walks
outside the circle, naming the others rabbit. At random, he/she names one of
the students fox, and the whole process is repeated.
Alternative: You may use other words, replacing the FOX and the RABBIT, e.g. WOLF
and SHEEP; PRINCESS and WITCH etc.
Note:

If children already know the activating word (here fox and rabbit), use the activity as a
drill; if it’s new, use it as TPR.

Clap Clap

 The children sit in a circle. The teacher hands each student a card with a word
on. First, all students read their word; the game then begins.

 The first student taps on his/her thighs twice while saying his/her word, e.g.
chair, chair. Consequently, he/she claps his/her hands twice and says the word
he/she wishes to be said next, e.g. table, table. The student with that word then
continues the game in the same way.

 Gradually, all students are involved in the game. It is important not to lose the
rhythm.

Tip: This game may be turned into a competition. The child who makes a mistake is out
of the game. The child who remains in the game for the longest time is the winner. The
tempo may gradually increase.
Note:

This activity may be used for practising any vocabulary, e.g. fruit, vegetables, animals,
furniture, numbers, etc. In addition, it is intended for the strengthening of vocabulary
previously studied.

34
Rhymes

Greeting rhymes, e.g.:

Good morning, good morning,

How are you? Fine, thank you.

Goodbye rhyme, e.g.:

Time to finish now

Goodbye, everyone

Note: Greetings may be demonstrated using puppets, dolls, and animal toys. Children
thus see how their little friends greet one another and want to copy them; they will thus
greet one another or the teacher in the same way.

Calming action rhyme - suitable for calming the children down

Energetic action rhyme - the teacher says the rhyme and children carry out
movements, e.g.:

Follow, follow, follow me. Clap, clap, clap, one, two, three. (TPR)

Story rhyme - prepare a fairy tale/story for children to listen to, e.g.:

Be very quiet, listen to me

Open the book and read with me.

-Interaction Techniques
Techniques used to indicate the language (or action) used to maintain conversation,
teach or interact with participants involved in teaching and learning in the classroom. It
refers to the conversation between teachers and students, as well as among the
students, in which active participation and learning of the students becomes vital to
achieve a successful English language learning process.
There are many techniques that can help English Language teachers to facilitate this
process. Here we are going to discuss three of them and provide clear examples for a
better understanding.

 Questioning:
 Eliciting,
 Checking understanding
Questioning:
It is the key to gain more information from students for a better interpersonal
communication among teacher–student-student. It is fundamental to successful
communication - we all ask and are asked questions when engaged in conversation.
Therefore we have to awaken our students learning device through exposure and
active interaction with the target language (English).

35
 Teachers ask questions for a variety of purposes, including:

1. To actively involve students in the lesson.

2. To increase motivation or interest.
3. To evaluate students' preparation.
4. To check on completion of work.
5. To develop critical thinking skills.
6. To review previous lessons.
7. To nurture insights

.Example of questioning
strategies

Whiteboards
Students have small white boards at their desks or tables and write their ideas/thinking/
answers down and hold up their boards for teacher and/or peer scanning.
Example:
Students can have a page from their notebook covered with tape and a marker to write
down the number that the teacher will say.

Fist-to-Five or Thumb-Ometer
To show degree of agreement or commonalities in ideas, students can quickly show
their thinking by putting their thumbs up, to the side or down; or by holding up (or

36
placing a hand near the opposite shoulder) a fist for 0/Disagree or 1-5 fingers for higher
levels of confidence or agreement.
Example:
This activity is useful to practice a variety of topics such as numbers, daily routine and
color. Teacher can have students to indicate their favorite color by holding up their
fingers.

Eliciting:
Eliciting (elicitation) is term which describes a range of techniques which enable the
teacher to get learners to provide information rather than giving it to them.

Commonly, eliciting is used to ask learners to come up with vocabulary and language
forms and rules, and to brainstorm a topic at the start of a skills lesson. The definition of
the term in the Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, ‘Techniques
or procedures which a teacher uses to get learners to actively produce speech or
writing', suggests that there may be wider applications.

Principles and advantages

Eliciting is based on several premises:

Collectively, students have a great deal of knowledge, both of the language and of the
real world. This knowledge needs to be activated and used constructively

The teaching of new knowledge is often based on what the learners already know.

Eliciting helps to develop a learner-centered classroom and a stimulating environment,

while making learning memorable by linking new and old information. Eliciting is not
limited to language and global knowledge. The teacher can elicit ideas, feelings,
meaning, situations, associations and memories. For the teacher, eliciting is a powerful
diagnostic tool, providing key information about what the learners know or don't know,
and therefore a starting point for lesson planning.

Tools for eliciting

Often, the teacher provides stimulus using visuals or the board. When working on the
simple present for daily routines, for example, a picture or drawing of a house and a
clock combined with mime can be used to elicit both the names of household items and
common verbs:

For example

Teacher: Six o'clock. Where is she?

37
Maria: Bed
teacher: Yes, she's in bed, sleeping. Seven-thirty, every day?
Maria: Get up
Teacher: Good, she gets up at seven-thirty. Eight o'clock, every day?
Maria: Eat. Breakfast
Teacher: Well done. Listen: She has breakfast at eight o'clock.

The teacher may also model new structures or lexis before it is introduced as the
target language:

Teacher: Do you like coffee?

Rosa: Yes (I do).
Teacher: Do you like tea?
Rosa: Yes I do
Teacher: Do you like milk?
Rosa: No (I don't)
Teacher: What's the question? Ask me.

Checking understanding
It is finding out if a learner has understood a new item. There are a variety of ways to
do this, including asking concept questions. It is especially important in inductive
language teaching, where learners arrive at an understanding of rules through looking
at examples of use, and the teachers may need to check that the learners have a clear
understanding of the concepts presented.

Example:
Asking learners to point to someone wearing glasses to check whether they
understand the item 'glasses' check their understanding of the concept. This is useful to
check understanding with different topics (colors, animals, fruits) having students to
point the color the animal or the fruit the teacher says.

In the classroom
Checking understanding is an important tool as it avoids asking the question, 'Do you
understand?', which can be answered 'yes' without indicating true understanding.
Concept questions, using realia, asking learners to repeat instructions, learners
explaining meaning, and open-class questions are all ways of concept checking

38
Classroom Activities
Unit 3: What color is it?
Lesson 1: Vocabulary Presentation
Time allotted: 40 minutes

Objective: In this lesson, children will be able to identify 6 different colors (red, blue,
green, orange, purple) on the board.

Presenting Vocabulary

Before starting the class, ask kids to sit in a semi-circle facing the board. Ask them to
put away their things and look at the board. Make sure you can see every little face.
Keep eye contact at all times.

Stick on the board drawings of balloons of six different colors (red, blue, green, orange,
purple). Place them on the center of the board. Point to each balloon and say the
colors of each balloon. Do this three times. Ask students the question “What color is
this?” use gestures and intonation to convey meaning to the question. You can answer
“It’s red, it’s blue” and so on. Point each balloon and ask yourself the same question
and answer it yourself three more times.

Practice Drilling

Activity 1

This time ask the questions for every balloon and guide students to answer.

Example:
Teacher: What color is this? (and point the balloon).
Children: It’s ______. (guide students to answer)

Change Roles

Guide students to ask the question together as a whole-class and you answer.

Example:
Children: What color is this? (ask everyone to say it unison: Choral Response)
Teacher: It’s red. (Say the correct color you point)

Activity 2

Ask children to open their books on page 22. Ask them to listen to the audio. Children
will point the balloon with the correct color.

Activity 3

Bring objects of different color in a bag. Ask a child to come up to the front and take an
object out of the bag.
Then he/she asks “What color is this to the class?” The rest of the class should answer
“It’s red or it’s blue.

39
Example:
Child: What color is this? (Shows it to the class)
Whole-class: It’s ________. (the color)

If they say a different color than the one shown by the child, give them a hint by
enunciating the first two letter sounds.

Example:
It’s Y-E (for yellow)
Its R-E (for red) and so on.

Games

Activity 4

Draw a line in the middle of the board. Stick two sets of balloons with the six different
colors on both sides of the line. Form two teams and ask a child from each team to
come to the board. Ask each child to point to the correct color. Call as many pairs as
time allows to come up to the board to point the correct color.

Example:

Teacher: Point the purple balloon.

Child 1 and child 2 point the balloon.

Activity 5

Give each child a drawing of different toys or other objects to color. Ask them to color a
specific object in a specific color.

Example:

Color the bear in yellow. For visual learners provide a visual example of a yellow bear.

40
Bibliography

Classroom Layout by British Council (BBC). Retrieved April 10 th, 2018 from
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/classroom-layout

Classroom Management & Discipline: Mobility & Proximity. Retrieved April 10th, 2018
from
http://classroommanagementdiscipline.weebly.com/mobility--proximity.html

Epstein, R., & Ormiston, M. (2007). Tools and tips for using ELT materials: a guide for
teachers. Ann Arbor [Mich.]: University of Michigan Press.

Harmer, J. (2015). The practice of English language teaching (5th ed. ed.). Harlow:
Pearson Education Longman.

Molinsy, S., & Bliss, B. (1994). Word by Word Picture Dictionary. New Jersey: Prentice-
Hall.New Jersey. US.

Using the Board by British Council BBC. Retrieved April 10 th, 2018 from
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/using-board

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