Guiding Principles of

English Language Teaching

(ELT)
Facilitated By:
Daniel Lopez,
Senior English Language Fellow
Office of English Language Programs
United States Embassy, Mexico
 Getting to know the facilitator
Below are 6 statements about me. Read each statement and decide which
three statements are true and which three statements are false:

Daniel.....
1. is related to Jennifer Lopez.
2. is half Mexican.
3. is allergic to chocolate.
4. lives in Washington D.C.
5. loves to hike and ski.
6. speaks Portuguese.
What purpose do these
“get-to-know-you”
activities serve?
Why English is so hard to learn…
 Writers write, but fingers don’t fing and hammers
don’t ham.
 “Buick” doesn’t rhyme with “quick”.
 Iron – how many syllables?
 The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
 The plural of tooth is teeth, so the plural of booth
is…???
 If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?
 How can a “slim chance” and a “fat chance” mean
the same thing, while a “wise man” and a “wise ass”
are opposites?
 Daniel’s Top 10 Guiding Principles:
1. Professional development is an ongoing process.
2. Both students AND teachers have to be motivated.
3. Classroom materials have to be relevant and meaningful.
4. Experiential learning works wonders.
5. Skill development must be integrated.
6. Language = Culture.
7. Variety is the spice of life!
8. Preparation is the key.
9. Teachers need support from Coordinators and SEP.
10. Teachers need support from each other.
1. Professional development is an ongoing process.

 Benefits of Life-Long Learning…

“Teaching is a process of becoming that

continues throughout life, never completely
achieved, never completely denied. This is
the challenge and the fun of being a teacher
– there is no ultimate end to the process.”
(Frances Mayforth)
2. Both students and teachers have to be motivated.

THINK, PAIR, SHARE:

 What are some DE-motivators for each?

 What are the consequences?

 What motivates YOU?

 What motivates your STUDENTS?

3. Classroom materials have to be relevant and meaningful.

 Adapted to Local Reality

 If no text, what then? REALIA!

 Students are the “experts” of their own lives.

 SAMPLE ACTIVITIES: 4-Corners Drawing,

5-Finger Grammar, Back to Back,
Perfect Teacher, “In the Ghetto” Song
 4-Corners Drawing
A favorite hobby… Someone who is special to
me…

An interesting place I’ve What animal I would be…

been to…
 Back to Back: What Am I Wearing?
1. Two players stand and observe each other for a minute.
2. Then, have each turn around, back to back.
3. Partner A describes what Partner B is wearing.
4. Partner B then asks 3 questions concerning any information
Partner A has not mentioned.
5. Partner B then describes what Partner A is wearing.
6. Partner A asks 3 questions.
7. Partners turn around and talk about what they did not see.
A Grab Bag of Communicative Techniques:
 Brainstorming
 Interviews  Videos / Film
 Field Trips  Team Problem-
 Role Plays / Skits Solving
 Discussions / Debates  Information Gaps
 Small-Group Work  Giving Advice
 Telephone Conversations
 Games
 Giving Directions
 Commercials
Which do you already use in
your classes?  Surveys /
Questionnaires
 Music / Songs
 Example #3: “The Perfect Teacher”
INSTRUCTIONS - With a partner, put the
following qualities in order, from 1 (the least
essential) to 9 (the most essential).
______ Maintains strong discipline and control.
______ Knows his/her subject thoroughly, and keeps up to date.
______ Really likes his/her students and socializes with them.
______ Tries to give his/her students moral guidance.
______ Tries to make lessons interesting and fun.
______ Shares his/her own ideals and experiences with the students.
______ Treats all students fairly and does not have favorites.
______ Makes the students work hard in and out of class.
______ Encourages the students to think for themselves.
 A little music goes a long way…

You can find music all over the internet. Some popular
sites are: http://www.youtube.com/
and http://www.myspace.com/.

You can download music for free using the freeware
“realplayer sp.” Realplayer sp can be downloaded at
http://www.real.com/realplayer

There are many websites for finding the lyrics to
songs. Some popular sites are: http://www.lyrics.com/
& http://www.azlyrics.com/
Elvis Presley was known as “The King of
Rock ‘n’ Roll.” He was born in a two-room
house in Mississippi. The family was very
poor. Elvis became one of the most successful
recording artists of all time. He had 33 #1
singles and made over 60 films. This song was
recorded in 1969.
 “In the Ghetto” Variations:
 Listen to the song and watch video.
 Fill in the blanks (information gap activity).
 In small groups, make a timeline of events in the order they
happened; Compare your timeline with another group.
 Have a discussion about the effects of poverty in America.
 What else??
 Some Possible Challenges of CLT:
 One or more students dominate the conversation.
 You find yourself doing almost all of the talking.
 Students are too shy or speak too quietly.
 The students become so embroiled in a controversial
topic that the atmosphere becomes tense.
 The students lapse into their native language.
 The group is too large, and the levels are mixed.
 Any attempt at error correction inhibits the students.
 Does not fit into the established curriculum.
 It takes too much time & effort to prepare.
4. Experiential learning works wonders.
LESSON PLAN ACTIVITIES
 CONE OF EXPERIENCE
People generally remember…
 10% of what they read.
 20% of what they hear.
 30% of what they see.
 50% of what they hear and see.
 70% of what they say or write.
 90% of what they say as they do something.

What would help them remember 100%?

EXAMPLE: Students can teach each other
how to do something…
 Chinese Proverb:

Tell me, I forget.

Show me, I remember.
Involve me, I learn.
 Collaborative and Task-Based Learning

Discussion Questions (Shaping, Module 4):

1. These 2 video segments showed examples from a
class of young learners and also university-level
students. Which of the activities would work well
for both age groups? What kind of adjustments
might be necessary?
2. How were the principles of experiential education
being utilized in these examples?
3. What skills were being practiced in these classes?
 5. Skill development must be integrated.

 How often do you talk without listening?

 How often do you write without reading?

 Which of the 4 skills are most difficult to teach?

 Which are given the most emphasis in your class?

 Using Language
Communication Skills
Can you listen? Can you speak?

Can you read? Can you write?

In Can you grammar?

What happens when we emphasize…

Knowledge of Language forms

(grammar)
over
Use of Language
(communication)?
Read the text below then answer the questions:
“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”
What was it like?
What were the slithy toves doing?
Where did they do this?
How were the borogoves described?
What did the mome raths do?
How did you do?
 How about these questions:
What does brillig mean?
Is the wabe a nice place to be?
Can you draw a borogove?
Why did the mome raths outgrabe?

“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”
Now, how did you do? Which was harder? Why?
 Grammar Awareness Activity
1. Begin with a two or three word sentence.
Examples: “I ran.” or “Close the door.”
2. Ask students to expand it with one word.
3. Ask students to expand the new sentence with a
specific grammatical structure. Examples: “with a
prepositional phrase”, “with an adjective”, or “with
a clause that answers the question WHY?”
4. See how long you can make the sentence through
expansions with specified grammatical terms.
 Running Dictation Text
1.The oldest person is a fisherman.
2.The 50-year-old lives above the doctor.
3.Ms. Lee is the youngest person.
4.Two people are 40 years old.
5.The youngest person lives on the 5th floor.
6.The 20-year-old lives on the 4th floor.
7.Mr. Edwards lives on the 2nd floor.
8.The teacher is one year younger than the person on the 4th floor.
9.The person who lives below Mr. Edwards is a doctor.
10.Mrs. Smith is an accountant.
11.Mr. Hudson lives immediately above a woman.
12.The teacher is one year younger than the policeman.
 Activity
Five people with five different jobs live in this apartment building.
Use the clues to complete the chart and answer this question:

What floor does Mr. Mason live on?

Floor Name Age Job
 
5th
 
 
4thst
1 floor
 
3rd
 
 
2nd
 
1st
Shaping Module 3 Discussion Questions:

1. What language skills were used? What

activities were used to integrate them?
2. What was the teacher doing?
3. How would you adapt this activity for a
larger class?
4. What are some possible follow-up
activities? What might come before?
5. How might you evaluate student work?
 6. Language = Culture
 “Hablar dos idiomas es vivir dos vidas.”
 Bilingual = Bicultural?

 What is language for? (conveying meaning and

perception, describing the world, self-expression,
recalling the past, thinking)

 “Culture is a system of beliefs, values, and assumptions

about life that guide behavior and are shared by a
group of people. It is transmitted from generation to
generation, either explicitly or implicitly.”
(Source: Building Bridges: A Guide to Cross-Cultural Understanding, Peace Corps World Wise Schools, 2003)
 How Culturally Aware Are You?
True or False: I Know That Culture Influences…
1. How close people stand to one another.
2. How to deal with problems & conflict.
3. Whether to give a soft or sturdy handshake.
4. How to say “no”.
5. How loudly or softly someone speaks.
6. When to be casual and when to be formal.
7. What are appropriate topics for discussion.
8. When to make eye contact.
9. How to praise and/or criticize someone.
10. What time to arrive for an appointment.
 A Sampling of Activities
 Proverbs / Idioms  Global Speak
 Survey/Questionnaires  Games: Value Topics
 Articles: “Body Rituals  Simulations: Chispa and
Among the Nacirema” Pandas
 Storytelling
 Values Clarification: “The
Drawbridge”
 Model UN
 Scenarios / Foreign
 Rites of Passage Observations
Comparisons  Songs / Poetry
 Debates  Case Studies (ESP)
 Role-Plays  Coat of Arms
 English Proverbs
(and the values they represent)
 “Time is money.”  Punctuality
 “Don’t cry over spilt milk.”  Practicality
 “You’ve made your bed,
now sleep in it.”  Personal responsibility
 “Don’t count your chickens
before they’ve hatched.”  Practicality
 “The squeaky wheel gets
the grease.”  Competition
 “If at first you don’t
succeed, try, try again.”  Work Ethic
 “There’s more than one way
to skin a cat.”  Creativity / Problem-Solving
 STEREOTYPES
True or False:
All Americans…
…are like the tourists you see in Cancun?
…are tall with blue eyes?
…eat hamburgers?
…drive big cars?
…always agree with US foreign policy?
…speak English as their native language?

(Is there any such thing as a “typical Mexican”?)

 Counteracting Stereotypes
1. Avoid Making Broad Generalizations
2. Go Deeper! Look “under the surface”…
3. Increase Awareness of Self & Others
4. Be Objective (watch language patterns &
implicit judgments / ethnocentrism)
5. Actively Question Sources (Media?)
6. Challenge False Interpretations
7. Don’t Take It Personally
8. Role Model: Practice What You Preach!
 Top 8 Cross-Cultural Skills:
(According to Richard Kohls)

1. Open-Mindedness
2. Non-Judgmentalness
3. Flexibility
4. Curiosity
5. Tolerance for Ambiguity
6. A Sense of Humor
7. Low Goal/Task-Orientation
8. An Ability to Fail
 7. Variety is the spice of life!
 Not all students are the same (learning styles –
visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, emotional);
It’s all about BALANCE!

 Learner-centered vs. Teacher-centered

 The importance of small group work

 Teacher = Facilitator
 Tea cher-Centered:
Learner-Centered:

 The main objective is to  The main objective is to

convey information. change behavior.
 Philosophical View:  Philosophical View:
Language is a system of Language has to be
repeated habits. practiced authentically.
 Learner role is passive.  Learner role is active.
 Methodology: lectures,  Methodology: question
demonstrations, drills, & answer, problem-
reading aloud, largely solving, small-group
deductive (show & tell). tasks, largely inductive.
 Which are these activities?
 Students take turns  Teacher – Centered
reading aloud.
 Students read silently.  Learner – Centered
 Discussion in pairs.  Learner – Centered
 Whole class discussion.  Teacher – Centered

 SS prepare a role-play
in small groups.  Learner – Centered
 Students present their
role-play.  Teacher – Centered
 SS copy information
from the board.  Learner - Centered
What is the Teacher’s Role in
a Learner-Center Context?
 Introduce topics/discussion questions
 Pre-teach vocabulary
 Moderate/Facilitate
 “Nudge”/ “Suggest”
 Focus discussion
 Focus on form and accuracy (error
correction)
 Play “devil’s advocate”
 Discussion Questions:
 How are the two lessons the same? How are they different?
 In which class would you prefer to be a student? The
teacher?
 Which lesson outline gives more students the opportunity
to participate? How so?
 Which lesson do you think would be harder for the teacher
to plan? Why?
 How many minutes of each is “learner-centered”?
 What are some of the challenges of using a L-C approach?
How can you overcome them?
 Students Learn Best When…
…they are involved in the design of learning and given the
chance to make choices.

…their needs are addressed.

…a conducive learning environment is established.

…the course material builds upon what they already know.

…the topic is of direct relevance and utility to their lives.

…the learning process is an active and engaging one.

 8. Preparation is the key.
 Lesson Planning / Learning Objectives

 Environment: time, materials, space, etc.

 Evaluation (rubrics) – http://rubistar.4teachers.org

 Academic Calendar

 Syllabus Design / Curriculum

 The Three Levels of Planning

 Program Planning = Consists of developing a

curriculum and content map for the entire year.

 Unit Planning = Medium-range plans corresponding to

the extension of each learning segment considered in
the long-term planning.

 Lesson Planning = Daily actions that reflect the different

parts of the medium-range plans or unit planning.
(Cortesão and Torres, 1994)
 3 Stages of a Lesson…
I. PREPARATION
 attracts learners attention
 connects new content to what they already
know

II. PRESENTATION

III. EVALUATION
 checks for comprehension
 asks learners to use new content in context
Good Learning Objectives Should…

…Ask learners to use information/skills

they’ve learned.
…Be seeable, hearable, and holdable.
…Tell specifically what learners will do.
…Be achievable in one lesson.
…Describe a result that requires higher
level thinking.
 What grade (A through F) would
you give the following objectives?
1. Learners will…know  D (no application)
about present-perfect.
2. …Predict the training  B+ (connected to real
needed for their chosen life, requires higher-
professions.
level thinking)
3. …Take turns while
working in groups.
 C (no connection to a
curricular goal)
4. …speak clearly in perfect
English.  D (too general, not
5. …Write a timeline and achievable in 1 lesson)
use it to tell a story.  A+
Jose Manuel’s “Super Slide”:
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Affective Psychomotor
Realm Realm
Cognitive
Remembering
Knowledge Realm Evaluation
Evaluating

Comprehension
Understanding Synthesis
Creating

Application
Applying Analyzing
Analysis
Action Words Related to BT:
Which level are these activities?
 Making a poster  3 – Application
 Multiple choice quiz  2 – Comprehension
 Classifying objects  4 – Analysis
 Making a list  1 – Knowledge
 Role-Play  3 – Application
 Creating a commercial  5 – Synthesis
 Repeating after the  0 - Does not require
teacher ANY level of thinking!
The Process of Critical Thinking:

State Precise Identify Identify

your your your your POINT
PURPOSE QUESTION ASSUMPTIONS OF VIEW

Support with
DATA

Trace INFER, Define

IMPLICATIONS & INTERPRET, KEY
CONSEQUENCES CONCLUDE CONCEPTS
 LESSON PLAN CHECKLIST
CRITERIA YES NO

Does the lesson plan include:

Objectives?

Timing?

Preparation, presentation and evaluation?

A variety of learner-centered activities?

Creative, higher-level thinking activities?

Activities for students with different learning styles?

I did a good job of:

I need to do a better job of:

 9. Teachers need support from Coordinators and SEP.

 Supervisors need training too (giving/receiving

feedback, how to conduct classroom observations)
 “Mentoring is about one person helping another to achieve
something. More specifically, something that is important to
both of them. It is about giving help and support in a non-
threatening way, in a manner that the recipient will
appreciate and value and that will empower them to move
forward with confidence towards what they want to achieve.
Mentoring is also concerned with creating an environment in
which one person can feel encouraged to discuss their needs
and circumstances openly and in confidence with another
person who is in a position to be of positive help to them.”

(Source: Pelletier, Carol. A Handbook of Techniques and Strategies for Coaching Student Teachers. Allyn & Bacon, 1995.)
 What Are Features of an Effective Supervisor?

 Clarifies Expectations
 Non-Judgmental (constructive criticism)
 Two-Way Communication (dialogue)
 Assesses Needs
 Encourages staff to identify their own areas of growth
 Links feedback to wider ELT and educational issues
 Positively Reinforces Creativity and Best Practices
 Delegates Responsibility
 Holds Teachers Accountable
 Follows up
 What else??
10. Teachers need support from each other.

 Sharing (collaboration, best practices)

 Solidarity (teacher associations)

 Submissions (FORUM)
 Here they are again…
Daniel’s Top 10 Guiding Principles:
1. Professional development is an ongoing process.
2. Both students AND teachers have to be motivated.
3. Classroom materials have to be relevant and meaningful.
4. Experiential learning works wonders.
5. Skill development must be integrated.
6. Language = Culture
7. Variety is the spice of life!
8. Preparation is the key.
9. Teachers need support from Coordinators and SEP.
10. Teachers need support from each other.

Which resonated the most with you?

 Some Final Thoughts…
 People who have positive feelings about English,
and are in a supportive environment, are more
likely to learn faster.
 People learn at different rates, but everyone must
ultimately take responsibility for his/her own
learning.
 L1 interference in inevitable, but you are not
helping your student(s) by speaking to them in
Spanish. Just make sure to adapt your language to
their abilities.
The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher
demonstrates. The great
teacher inspires.
William Arthur Ward
“It is noble to teach oneself; it is
still nobler to teach others.”
– Mark Twain

“A teacher affects eternity; he can

never tell where his influence stops.”
- Henry Brooks Adams
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Harmer, Jerry. The Practice of English Language Teaching.
Longman, 1988.
Larsen-Freeman, Diane. Techniques and Principles in
Language Teaching. Oxford University Press, 1986.
Paulston, Christina and Mary Bruder. Teaching English as a
Second Language: Techniques and Procedures. University
of Pittsburgh, 1976.
Teaching and Learning Are Lifelong Journeys, Blue
Mountain Arts Collection, 1999.
Woodward, Tessa. Models and Metaphors in Language
Teacher Training. Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Thank You and Good Luck!

Contact Information:
[email protected]
[email protected]