1. Teaching Accuracy: Drilling

2. Drilling
When learners are given intensive practice of the new structure / language
It is carefully guided and strictly controlled by the teacher
Both form and meaning must be correctly formed and consolidated

3. Accuracy stage
possibility of error is reduced to minimum - everything has to be corrected
SS are given confidence in using the new language
SS are given a chance to increase speed
to practice form, meaning (pron.)
SS can concentrate on only one language item / problem at a time

4. Principles for drilling
This stage must be done immediately after presentation = accurate reproduction
 Language must stay within students’ grasp that is, when a new piece of grammar is taught, there should be no new vocabulary!!!
 should be done quickly and effectively, teacher should demand a high degree of accuracy from SS
→ moving from easier to more difficult drills / exercises

5. Drilling: a brief history
derives from behaviourists’ theory (Skinner):
stimulus -response - reinforcement
can be mechanical, boring, meaningless - this is what we can avoid and make drilling:
realistic
meaningful
introduced with an appropriate expression
used for a few minutes only
used as a first stage only
It obviously helps students acquire fluency - a desired goal in CLT
Certain patterns must become automatic (chunks)

6. REPETITION DRILL T: Let’s go swimming! S: Let’s go swimming!
T: Let’s go dancing!
S: Let’s go dancing.
→ more meaningful with word prompt only
T: cinema
S: Let’s go to the cinema!

7. SIMPLE SUBSTITUTION T: How many chairs are there in here?
S: There are 4 chairs.
T: tables
S1: How many tables are there in here?
S2: There is only one table in here.
Prompts: windows, desks, boards, etc.

8. VARIABLE SUBSTITUTION DRILL
T: I have been to Dublin.
S: I have been to Dublin.
T: Susan
S: Susan has been to Dublin.
T: Susan and her husband
S: Susan and her husband have been to Dublin.

9. PROGRESSIVE SUBSTITUTION DRILL
Conditional:
It sometimes happens that Martha washes up the dishes, then her husband, John, is happy. Prompts:
T: sometimes it happens. If Martha…..
S: If Martha does the washing up, John is happy.
T: It is John’s wish – perhaps she does it:
S: If Martha did the washing up, her husband would be happy.
T: Martha didn’t do it
S: If Martha had done the washing up, John would have been happy.

10. SITUATIONALISED DRILL
Prompts: can be on board (What a pity! That’s great, Oh, that’s all right!)
T: I can’t come to the party!
S: What a pity
T: I can lend you some money.
S: That’s great!
T: I have a new boyfriend.
S: ……………………………

11. TRANSFORMATION DRILL Prompt: T: I went to see Harry Potter.
S: Which film did you go to see?
T: Robby Williams
S: Which singer did you go to see?
Students can give prompts: Lord of the Rings, U2, Hamlet, etc.

12. CLAUSE COMBINATION DRILL
T: He had a sore throat. He sang at the concert.
S: Although he had a sore throat, he…
T: raining, go on a trip
S: Although it was raining, he went on a trip.
T: headache, meeting, etc…

13. PICTURE PROMPTS

14. PICTURE PROMPTS

15. PICTURE PROMPTS

16. ORAL DRILL TYPES – IN FREE PRACTICE
1. Guessing Drills
e.g. Think of your favourite colour/ country / pop group / animal / etc
others are guessing - meanwhile practise the structure
e.g. Think of a foreign country you are going to visit. Which one is it?
S1 “Are you going to visit Japan?”
S2 “ No, I’m not.

17. ORAL DRILL TYPES – IN FREE PRACTICE
2. Imaginary situation
similar to 1 - information gap
e.g. I’ve just bought a Mercedes. I haven’t got much money left.
Have you bought a yet? (suppose S1 has a list of what he’s bought)
I suppose you have bought a , haven’t you?

18. SOURCES:
Drilling - Judicious Use of Brute Force in the ESL Classroom Drilling can be fun: