Didactics of English

Professor: Dr. Uvaldo Recino, Ph.D

 As homework, you read the article: The didactics of foreign languages
and answered some questions about it. Let’s check the answers.

• What does the didactic of foreign language explore?

• What does it deal with?
• What are the two main tasks of the didactic of foreign
language?
• Explain the two main changes suffered by the didactics of
foreign languages since the 1970’s.
• What is the aim of all branches of foreign language
didactic?
 The didactics of foreign languages. Answers to
the questions.
• What does the didactic of foreign language explore? The processes of teaching
and learning foreign languages in institutional contexts situated inside and
outside of school.
• What does it deal with? with the aims of language teaching (communicative,
inter-/transcultural, methodic, and aesthetic learning and personal
development) and consequently with material, methods and media suited for
achieving these aims.
• What are the two main tasks of the didactic of foreign language? Describing
the teaching and learning of foreign languages and the developing of
suggestions for improving processes of teaching/learning foreign languages
through content, method and lesson organization.
 The didactics of foreign languages

• Explain the two main changes suffered by the didactics

of foreign languages since the 1970’s. Firstly, empirical
research is becoming increasingly important and
secondly, the didactics of foreign languages refers
much more to research on the teaching and learning
of languages today as well as to other academic
disciplines such as linguistic, literature and cultural
studies, psychology and pedagogics
• What is the aim of all branches of foreign language
didactic? the aims of foreign language classes.
 Object of study of Didactics of English: The
teaching and learning process of English
• Its two essentail categories, then, are teaching and
learning.
• That is why, we are going to study the didactic (teaching)
categories today, but first we are going to explore your
learning needs using the Needs Analysis Interview
Questions.
• Pair work activity- 15 minutes
• Finish the questionnaire with your personal info as
homework. I will ask you some of the last questions next
class
.
The didactic (teaching)
categories
 • Which are the main
didactic (teaching)
categories?

Objectives (aims, goals, expected learning outcomes),

contents, methods (methodological strategies and
techniques) teaching aids (materials, media and resources)
and evaluation and assessment
 Didactic
(teaching)categories
• Objectives What (to teach)
for?
• Contents What (to teach)?
• Methods How (to teach)?
• ( teaching strategies and
techniques)
What (to teach)
Materials and resources
with?
Why (to teach)?
• Evaluation and
assessment.
Behaviour of the didactic components in
current teaching practice

1.Objectives 2.Contents

3. Methods
(method,
approach, teaching
strategies,
techniques
4. Materials,
media and 5.Evaluation and
resources assessment
WRITING A LESSON OBJECTIVE
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT YOUR
STUDENTS TO DO?

• Well defined to students

• Observable to teachers
• Describe: WHO, WHAT,
WHERE, WHEN, WHY
Teachers have to know if students are
learning

• Can be evaluated
• Objective is either
reached or not
Do you want your students to fail?

• Students have to be
academically ready to
complete the objective
 Significant for life

• Relevant to students’ academic success

• Relevant to previous and future lessons
• Prepare students for standardized testing
• Relate to larger ideas
• Build on prior knowledge
 Time bound

• Set a class limit on 1 or 2 periods

• Enough time
• Assigned a date for completion
 What is the difference?

GOAL OBJECTIVE LEARNING

OUTCOME
 Current trend of objectives or aims with a cognitive
approach

• Skills (skills with criteria performance),

expected learning outcomes (ELO)
• Knowledge
• Educational intention.
• All these elements have to be integrated in
the objectives or aims and expressed in
terms of expected learnig outcomes (ELO).
 CONTENT
System of knowledge
System of skills
System of values
Contents in ELT
System of knowledge: Vocabulary, Grammar structures,
functions and notions of the language etc
System of skills: The four linguistic skills: Speaking,
Listening, Reading and Writing and their integration.
System of values: Respect, solidarity, cooperation,
justice etc
 Difference between method, appoach,
teaching strategy and teaching technique
• A METHOD is a target plan or set of orderly
procedures that are based on a credible
approach. It reveals what needs to be done in
a systematic way and how to focus on
achieving those goals. A TECHNIQUE is a
precise strategy, concrete trick or a tested and
trusted tip that's designed to help you reach
your goals.
 Group work-20 minutes-4 groups
• Again, you can use the same procedure to
watch the video. You can use your own
devices: cell pones or laptops in your groups.
Watch the videos 8 and 9 about Teaching
Approaches, Methods, Techniques and
Strategies in your virtual classroom now and
write your group definitions of approach,
method, techniques and teaching strategies.
 Definitions given in the video
• A teaching approach is a set of principles, beliefs or ideas
about the nature of learning.
• A teaching method is the systematic way of doing
something. It implies an orderly logical arrangements of
steps. It is more precedural. It is the plan that you follow
when you are teaching.
• Teaching techniques are the steps we follow when we teach.
They are like the style or tricks to accomplish an immediate
objective. It is a personal way of implementing the methods.
• Teaching strategies are ways of approaching a problem or
task, modes of operation for achieving a particular end, or
planned design for controlling or manipulating certain
information.
 Difference between teaching techniques
and teaching strategies
• Teaching techniques are steps we use to teach
our students in an organized way.

• Teaching strategies are the methods (the

ways) we use to teach in order to facilitate
our students’ learning and they also help you
to teach in a more creative way.
Examples of teaching approach, teaching
method, teaching technique and teaching
strategies
• Teaching approach
• CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACH
• Teaching method
• ACTIVITY METHOD, AUDIOLINGUAL METHOD, TASK
BASED LEARNING, FLIPPED CLASSROOM
• Teaching technique
• DRAMATIZATIONS, ROLE PALYINGS, ETC
• Teaching strategies
• THINK PAIR AND SHARE (TPS)
• SELF EVALUATION
What is the difference among techniques, strategies, methods, and
approach?

Discuss in your group:

• 1. Order the concepts.
• 2. Come up with definitions in your own
words.
• 3. Try to provide specific examples
Approaches for language teaching and learning
1. Behaviorist: Language can be structured into a
syllabus of manageable parts / repetition is good /
rewards and motivation / modeled pronunciation.
2. Multiple Intelligence Theory: All learners have
different strengths / activities should be varied / lessons
should be multi-modal.
3. Input: Learners need input before output (Krashen’s
“silent period”)
4. Humanist: learners are people and have their own
opinions, reasons, and emotions that should be
expected.
5. Constructivist: Learners need to be challenged and
construct their own understandings of language and
 ELT Methods
• The main language teaching methods that
we will study are: The Grammar Translation
Method(GTM), the Audiolingual Method,
Total Physical Response (TPR)
Communicative Language Teaching (CLT),
Inductive Grammar Teaching and Guided
Discovery. Task Based Learning (TBL),
Content and Language Integrated Learning
(CLIL), Project Based Learning (PBL),
Flipped Learning and The Lesson Study,
Techniques in ELT
 WHAT IS TECHNIQUE?

• A technique is implementational
which actually takes place in a
classroom.
• At the level of procedure,
technique explains how tasks
and activities are integrated into
lessons.
Why do teachers use techniques in the classroom?

• Teachers use techniques as a

tool for teaching. Teachers
can achieve the goals of the
lesson by the careful
delivery of techniques. Using
techniques that appeal to
the interests of students can
promote the success of the
class.
 TYPES OF TECHNİQUES

Controlled
techniques

TECHNIQUES

Semi-
Free
Controlled
techniques
techniques
 TYPES OF TECHNIQUES
• Controlled techniques:They are mostly
teacher centered. Both the teacher and
students know what they will do during the
activities.
• Semi-Controlled techniques:The teacher
interferes only when necessary.
• Free techniques: The teacher doesn’t direct
the students are free in their activities.
THINK ABOUT YOUR TEACHING PRACTICES
IN YOUR OUTREACH COMMUNITY WORK

• What techniques would you

• Like to use? You can refer to

• Slide 30.

• When do you use them?

• Why do you use them?

MEDIA FROM A REDUCTIONIST POINT OF VIEW TO THE
USE OF ICTs AND OTHER TECHNOLOGICAL DEVICES IN
THE 21ST CENTURY
TEACHING AIDS/MATERIALS, RESOURCES,
or MEDIA.
• …are those that help the teacher to teach
and the students to learn. They vary from the
traditional blackboard and text book to the
use of the Internet in modern times.
Evaluation and assessment

OBJECTIVES ¿? EXPECTED
LEARNING
Or OUTCOMES (ELO)
AIMS
 Judgements
OBJECTIVES Criteria EXPECTED
LEARNING
Or Indicators OUTCOMES (ELO)
AIMS Evidences
 Pedro, according to the established
criteria and the self evaluation and co-
EVALUATION
evaluations you have achevied… , and FOR
you still have to achieve…, the strategies
that we should use are…
IMPROVEMENT
Now, we will see the relationship between the didactic
categories and the focus (eje integrador) of this term:
Pedagogical Models applied to the teaching and learning
of English (design and development of methodologies,
resources, trajectories and learning values).
 Methodology
A Methodology is a system of methods used in a
particular area of study or activity. In our case,
English Language Teaching (ELT) Methodology.
The word Methodology refers to the way we do
something, the steps and procedures that we follow
to reach an objective (aim, goal), to complete an
action or task.
 Definition of materials,
resources
(teaching aids)
Teaching resources are games, posters, etc. In English,
we also refer to them as teaching aids, which are
objects (such as books, pictures, or maps) or devices
(such as a dvd or computer) used by a teacher to
enhance or enliven classroom instruction audiovisual
teaching aids.
 Trajectories
• Learning trajectories are a device whose purpose
is to support the development of a curriculum,
or curriculum component.
• A learning trajectory has 1) a goal, 2) a
developmental progression, and 3) instructional
activities.
• The term learning trajectory reflects in a
constructivist perspective.
 7 Core Values and Principles for Learning and Teaching

• Ensure every child succeeds.

• Build upon what learners already know.
• Make learning vivid and real.
• Make learning an enjoyable and challenging experience.
• Enrich the learning experience.
• Promote assessment for learning.
• Develop learning skills and personal qualities.
 Recommended Resources
Video 9 Language Teaching_ Approach, Method and Technique. In this
video you can reinforce the difference between approach, method and
technique.
Book: A Guide to Teaching Practice by Louis Cohen, Lawrence Marion
and Keith Morrison, 2004. This book is in file 6 in your virtual
environment (EVEA). I presented this book to you last class but today I
recommend to read. Chapter 10 Learning and teaching PP 167-187.
There you can find information about:
What is constructivism? Higher order thinking, Brain-based learning,
Metacognition, Learning styles, Motivation, Co-operative learning, Key
characteristics of effective teaching, Key questions for teaching skills,
Non-verbal teacher behavior, Modelling, Student teachers’ attitudes
and expectations and the influence
 Flipped learning
Watch video 10 CCQ´s and ICQ´s in your EVEA and
answer these questions for next class (the week
after next)
1.-What do the acronyms ICQs and CCQs stand for?
2.-What do we use ICQs for? What about CCQs?
3.- What can we check when we ask CCQs? What
about when we ask ICQs?
4.- Complete the task illustrated in the video with
questions of your own for practice. Follow the
instructions and tips given.