1. Enhancing language learning: The primary goal
Penny Ur
ETAI, 2016

2. Basically...
Good learning is a function of academic learning time (ALT) Not the same as ‘time on task’ Research shows a clear correlation between ALT and achievement.
no proven similar correlation between achievement and anything else: e.g. methodology or use of particular types of materials.

3. So it makes a significant difference to achievement...
... How many weeks of learning there are in the school year; ... How many hours of English lessons there are in the week; ... How much real learning there is during the lesson.

4. How much learning is going on...
... If a young learner is spending 10 minutes coloring in ‘hollow’ letters in a workbook? ... If an adolescent is spending 10 minutes sending / receiving SMS messages in L1? ... If an advanced student is spending 10 minutes on a tablet, finding and inserting pictures to decorate a project?
Ok, these are extreme examples. Obviously, we’d prefer that students do these at home, not at the expense of lesson time.
Lesson time is crucial: it’s when the teacher is available directly to provide information (new vocabulary and grammar, explanations, translations), to guide and provide support for learning tasks, to ‘mediate’ the language. Let’s look at some less obvious ways we can enhance learning.

5. Activities that enhance learning
Involve a lot of engagement with a lot of English;
Have most of the students involved most of the time;
Give opportunities for responses at different levels;
Are success-oriented;
Allow students to help each other.
Allow, not force

6. Some examples

7. 1. Checking homework in class
The learning aims:
to check if students have done the homework;
to check if they have got it right.
But if we do this using conventional teacher- student ping-pong then...

8. ... learning is minimized
Only one student is actively involved for each item;
We don’t know if the rest have got it right, or even done it;
If the homework was mostly well done, doing it yet again gives little added learning;
Homework checking takes time away from active learning in the lesson.

9. How can we enhance learning?
Take in notebooks, check at home.
Dictate the answers, students self-check.
Write the answers on the board, students self-check.
Invite students to check each other in pairs or groups, and to ask you if there’s any problem.
Teacher ‘scanning’ or moving round the classroom to check who has / has not done the homework.

10. Learning is enhanced because
Option 1: all student work is checked and corrected.
Options 2,3,4: all students are involved all the time.
Options 3,4: teacher can move round the classroom checking individual students.
All options: time is saved for further learning activity in the lesson.

11. 2. Group work
Group work is not necessarily a ‘good thing’ in itself: It may or may not enhance language learning.

12. Advantages of group work
English learning:
Opportunities for peer-teaching
More talking by individuals
Educational:
Cooperation and collaboration
Enhancing group solidarity

13. Disadvantages of group work
Takes time to organize and disband May be ‘sharing of ignorance’ May easily go off-task Enables some students to do nothing The teacher’s knowledge is not utilized

14. Conclusion
Use group work for oral fluency practice. Use pair work as an (optional?) alternative to individual tasks. For anything else: individual or full-class interaction probably enhances learning better.
there may be other reasons to use group work: I’ll come back to this later.

15. 2. ‘Reading round the class’ (a new text)
Our aim: to mediate a new text:
comprehension
interest
learning new language

16. Student sight-reading leads to...
Less comprehension
Less interest
No learning of new language
Slower process
‘Activate them’!

17. Teacher reading aloud while students follow
More comprehension
More interest
New language mediated
Faster process
‘Teacher talk’ ‘student activation’

18. Underlying assumption
Students should be activated
BUT...

19. Student activation is not always good
It’s good when it enhances learning:
consolidation of knowledge of new language
opportunities for fluency practice in the four skills
It’s bad when it does not:
time-wasting one-student-at-a-time interactions
tasks that are likely to lead to unsuccessful performance

20. 3. The use of digital tools
Procedures based on the use of digital soft/hardware may enhance learning but they may not. They are a tool, not a goal in themselves.

21. Positive contributions
Checking students’ assignments through ‘track changes’
or SMS interaction with students outside lessons
Preparing lessons
Texts and information accessed online

22. Dubious contributions
Use of apps or programs like ‘kahoot’
Preparation by students of time-consuming recordings, powerpoint presentations
Time spent surfing to find something
If there are no glitches?

23. Questions you need to ask yourself
How much time did this take me to prepare?
How much time in the lesson goes on ‘setting up’, and how much is actual learning activity?
How much are the students learning?
How many students are actively involved?
How sensitive is the program to breakdowns?

24. In every case
The question: bottom line, will the use of this digital tool enhance learning... More effectively than the use of parallel conventional tools? Is its contribution worth the investment of time?

25. 4. Assessment
Can be used to enhance learning. Can take time away from real learning.

26. The distinction between summative and formative assessment
Summative: a grade at the end of the course Formative: feedback to teacher and learner in order to enhance learning

27. Example 1: the use or non-use of rubrics for assessment
Level
Quantity
Items included
Comprehensibility
Vocabulary
Use of language 3
At least five sentences
All elements (see checklist)
Easy to understand
Vocabulary is varied
Skilful use of basic language (spelling; word order; singular/plural forms; verb forms; capitalization; punctuation 2
Three sentences
Some elements (see checklist)
Fairly easy to understand
Vocabulary is basic
Adequate use of basic language (spelling; word order; singular/plural forms; verb forms; capitalization; punctuation) 1
One sentence
Few elements (see checklist)
Difficult to understand
Vocabulary is limited
Limited use of basic language (spelling; word order; singular/plural forms; verb forms; capitalization; punctuation)
Rubrics for performance tasks.
for elementary level

28. Student checklist Rubrics for performance tasks.
Are there at least three sentences?
Did I include everything in the instructions?
Is it easy to understand?
Did I check spelling and grammar?
Did I use capital letters at the beginning of the sentence and periods at the end?
for elementary level

29. The question is:
Is the (very large) investment of time and work worth the extra reliability of the assessment?

30. I’m suggesting that...
For ongoing formative assessment on assignments, it might be better to abandon rubrics and checklists...
And just give quick feedback based on ‘rough’ estimates and tips:
Excellent / great / good / not so good
Check your spelling!
A bit short: I expect you to write more.
You forgot to include...
...Then use the time saved for more learning activities.
Tests – not

31. Example 2: Testing or teaching?
Is the activity mainly designed to check what students know (assessment)? ...Or mainly to enhance learning?
Michael’s ‘taking temperature’

32. Teaching Testing Success-oriented Teacher support
Opportunities for repetition
Opportunities for collaboration
Feedback
Mostly open-ended items (lots of right answers)
Opportunities to respond at different levels or different speeds
Not success-oriented
No teacher support
Few opportunities for repetition
Collaboration is ‘cheating’
A grade
Mostly closed-ended items (one right answer)
Everyone does the same task and has the same time to do it

33. So for example...
A ‘surprise test’ is obviously a test, contributes little or nothing to learning. Brainstorming all the things you can/can’t do or must/mustn’t do in a library (museum/park/bus...) is a ‘teaching’ activity enhances learning of these modals.

34. Some activities can be either...
... Depends how you do them. For example: Dictations

35. A dictation is a test if...
Students didn’t have much opportunity to prepare. The teacher doesn’t help them get it right. They can’t help each other. There’s one right answer each time. The teacher checks answers and gives a grade.

36. A dictation is a learning activity if...
There was plenty of preparation. The teacher helps them get it right. They can help each other. Responses can vary (more / less). Students check their own answers.

37. Interim summary
Our teaching needs to take as its main goal the enhancement of learning. We need to check out our classroom procedures: do they enhance learning? Is the effort and time we / our students invest in fact worth the benefit in terms of learning?
more examples of the first; guessing from context; more examples of the second; not using L1; group work; don’t correct while they’re talking;
This also applies to materials

38. But it’s not quite as simple as that...

39. The difference between a rule and a principle
A rule is an ‘always’ or ‘never’ directive, imposed from above. A principle is a ‘default’ generalization, based on your own beliefs. It is applied thoughtfully. The enhancement of learning is a principle.

40. In any particular lesson, there may be other priorities
The principle of enhancement of learning may occasionally be less important than something else. For example...

41. Other priorities Classroom management
Classroom climate, group solidarity
Motivation
Attention to local/national events
Taking a break
The needs of an individual student
pep talk
songs
explaining about English
Rabin
long lessons
reading aloud

42. You, the teacher, decide Support and advice from... Pressure?
Experts, lecturers, writers, teacher trainers
Inspectors and counselors
Textbooks
Pressure?
... But the decision is yours.

43. All I’m suggesting is that you...
Think critically about your own classroom routines; Think critically about what the experts tell you. Ask yourself: Why am I doing this? There may be all sorts of reasons... But the main one has to be:

44. Enhancing language learning: The primary goal

45. Thank you for your attention