MOTIVATION AND PROGRESS

Factors influencing learner motivation 1.Past learning experience. 2.Success and reward. 3.The content of the lesson. 4.Self-confidence. 5.Length of time studying English. 6.Lack of challenge. 7.A sense of difficulty.

Using English in the classroom Some of your students will not be used to an English-only classroom. It is advisable for them to make the most of your mother-tongue status but it can sometimes be difficult to insist on English-only. In some school systems translation is used, particularly in a contrastive way, to highlight differences between the native language tense system or use of prepositions, etc. and the relative usage in English. These uses can be constructive but assistants are generally not called upon to present language, just to reinforce and practice it. Therefore your lessons should be in English, except in exceptional circumstances, like a student falling ill or major misunderstanding that can only be cleared up in the native language.

Tips for encouraging the use of English in the classroom

1. Always reply in English

2. Try not to be too dogmatic

3. Artificial motivators like the swear box for use of the students’ mother tongue can be introduced in a light-hearted way, or a list of forfeits which anyone not speaking in English must carry out. Use dice and a list of six forfeits (which you can vary throughout the year), e.g. ‘Count from twenty backwards very quickly’, ‘Sing a song you know in English’, etc.

4. Points can be deducted…

5. Make it clear to the students that you do not welcome the use of the mother tongue in your classes. If this proves to be a problem, report it to the teacher in charge.

6. Simplify the English you use

7. Help students to make an effort to understand

Types Of Learner Error

Interference from the mother tongue All languages are different and it is natural to assume that other languages might perform in the same way as our own. Our system of reality, which defines how we view the world, often collapses when we try to apply it to another. In European languages there may be two forms to denote the ‘you’ of English and these forms are used depending on how well you know someone in your own social hierarchy, such as using vous or tu in French and Lei or tu in Italian. When a French or Italian learner says: ‘I am living in Nice with my parents’, rather than ‘I live in...’, it is because their own language does not have two present tense forms to distinguish between permanent/fixed time and continuous/temporary fixed time. It is common for learners to ask ‘What is the future tense in English?’ as if looking for a direct translation. These assumptions show up in their errors and are natural.

Translation Sometimes when speaking or writing, students may find they do not know a suitable expression, so they fall back on using a direct translation of their own language. This is a conscious decision, rather than the unconscious interference. It is useful to develop communication strategies to get the message across, and this is more successful in the long term than staying silent. Experimentation is a vital part of the process towards fluency.

False friends Some words may have been borrowed from other European languages, notably Latin in origin, and look the same as a word in your own language. This ‘false’ assumption leads us to think they mean the same and can be used in the same way.

Sound system Each language has its own sounds, which are produced by using the throat, mouth, tongue, etc. This involves basic motor skills, which differ from one language to another and need time and effort to master. W_bwM

When and How to correct Errors

Fluency Vs. Accuracy

When To Correct?

Correction Techniques

Feedback on Errors 1.Verbal praise or encouragement in class 2.Discussing progress with teachers 3.Written praise of their written work 4.Recording students

Visual Correction Technique Use hand gestures for clarification and for encouraging self- correction: 1.Use your index finger and thumb to indicate contractions. 2. Use all the fingers on one hand to represent the words in a sentence or question. 3. Use your arm or hand to gesture for inversion in question forms.

Encouraging peer or self-correction 1. When correcting written work put a line to indicate where the error is, but don’t correct it. It helps if you indicate in the margin what type of error it is with symbols, e.g. w/o for word order, sp for spelling, etc. ‘My father like__ football but I don’t!’ (Third person?) The learners then have to puzzle over their errors, discuss with classmates and, if necessary, the teacher, to come up with a solution.

2. You can use the same approach as above during oral feedback on the board. Select the main error types. Write four or five on the board with an indication of where the problem lies. Put students in pairs for a few minutes to correct the problems. This might be pronunciation, but with higher level groups you can also focus on appropriate context, e.g. ‘Was the expression polite enough?’ ‘Was it too formal?’

3. Activities involving group writing will naturally involve a certain amount of peer correction as students contribute their knowledge to the group effort. To take this a step further, students can be encouraged to pass round their group work to be marked by another group before handing it in. This can be very motivating for teenagers who value the opinion of their peers.

4. To reinforce feelings of progress get students to collect their most frequent errors weekly. Students copy the uncorrected phrase, question or word on a piece of card or paper and keep in an envelope or small box. Put a corrected version in another envelope or box. Encourage them to look at the uncorrected version frequently for five minutes every day. When they are sure that they are not making the mistake anymore, they remove the uncorrected version from their envelope and transfer it to the envelope with the corrected version to form a pair. Students may also like swapping error envelopes in class once a month and then try to correct them orally or in writing. This gives teenagers a sense of control over their own progress.

Clarification techniques to use during feedback Diagrams Diagrams are particularly useful in representing abstract concepts of time, quantity and degree. You can use them: to clarify confusion to give a board summary which students can refer to as prompts on the board for learners to use during controlled oral work or discussions.

Diagrams for degree. Draw on board or take five sheets of A4 paper and black marker. Stick each on to card and laminate or cover with self-adhesive plastic film so they can be re-used. Write the various uses on the back as they come up in your teaching. ‘Do you ever see films in English on television?’ ‘Yes, sometimes.’ / ‘No, never.’

Time-lines These are very useful for: contrasting tenses (past/present) He was an English teacher but now he’s an international pop star. contrasting a period with a fixed point in time (future and past) It was raining when we arrived at Kate’s flat. contrasting continuous with interrupted actions He left the village that night and has lived in London ever since.

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