why and how ICT in ELT?

In this post, I will quickly put together my ideas on how to make good use of technology in ELT classrooms. In addition, I give a sample lesson plan where I use the following tasks designed and carried out with the help of technology.

Why would I want to use ICT in my classroom

1. It is motivating. It truly motivates students to carry out tasks, activities in a more engaging way

2. Writing. Word processor is really effective for process writing where students are encouraged to plan, draft, write, edit, rewrite etc. All of these could be complicated and demotivating when students are asked to write on a piece of paper and pen. On PCs, on the other hand, teacher can refer Students to Mic.Word for text repairing, writing, editing. Blogs and wikis can be used for collaborative writing.

3. Smartboards are really useful for brainstorming ideas. Brainstorming has been really successful way of activating schemata for a long time. Teacher can do brainstorming activity on any topic/task that he/she is going to teach. Teacher can then save the brainstorming activity on pdf, print it off and distribute to students in class for future use.

4. Listening and speaking. Internet is full of listening and speaking activities. With careful searching and selecting, any teacher can find a material to suit the objectives of his/her class. Watching video-clips in target language from youtube is a simple example of this. Finding authentic audio or video files has become easy with the help of the internet. A teacher can then design a task based on authentic material. Some websites has been developed to teach fully or partly listening skills

http://www.esl-lab.com/

http://www.englishlistening.com/

http://www.parapal-online.co.uk/listening.html

5. Power Point- is a really good way of presenting: language use/forms/structures, pictures, diagrams that could be a part of task. However, teacher can design a number of communicative activities with PPT such as Twenty Questions, Maze, Millionaire and Jeopardy.

6. Reading. Internet is full of authentic reading materials that teachers can use in classrooms. Again, with careful selection of text, teacher can design a meaningful task that suits the needs of his/her students. The advantage of internet is it gives us authentic text with a wide range of topics, situations, contexts and genres. Hence, it becomes easier to find a text that can serve as a basis for functional, notional, task-based teaching frameworks.

I am very far from suggesting that ELT classes should heavily be based on ICT. However, hence we use advanced technology in every aspect of our lives outside classroom, using it effectively in classroom would also be seen as reflecting the real-life situation. Students will be using ICT in real-life in one way or the other. The use of ICT in language teaching can be motivating, it is effective to teaching the receptive and productive skills. Teachers can access a wide range of web-based activities that probably would be impossible to find without the help of Internet. ICT activities encourage automaticity, leading students to do extensive reading and listening outside classroom.

Why task-based teaching?

First, Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) gained popular support among methodologists and teachers (Richards and Rodgers 2007: 222). TBLT proposes the notion of task as a central unit of planning and teaching. Task is a “piece of work which involves learners in comprehending, manipulating, producing or interacting in the target language while their attention is principally focused on meaning” (Nunan 1989: 10). Early application of TBLT was the Bangalore project which proved employing tasks for meaningful communication promoted learning (Prabhu 1987). In addition, Skehan argues tasks produce functional and interactional models of language. Tasks are classified to “have a clear didactic function” that require the use of language (Skehan 1998: 101). TBLT presents logical application of CLT due to interactional dimensions of tasks. Hence, meaning, conversation and lexical units play a key role in teaching (Willis 1996: 5-6). TBLT has strong theory of learning (Richards and Rodgers 2007: 226). Prabhu believed that language is “taught best by bringing about in the learner a preoccupation with meaning or with a task to be performed resulting in a desire on his part to communicate” (1987: 16). In addition, Willis suggests task activities and achievements are motivational (1996) while some argue that tasks help to monitor learning difficulty in a classroom (Long and Crookes 1991).

Second, “the role of tasks has received further support from some researchers in second language acquisition (SLA)” (Richards and Rodgers 2007: 223). In the 1980s researchers turned to tasks to develop pedagogical applications of SLA theory (Long and Crookes 1993). SLA research focused on cognitive processes and strategies in L2 learners. The research reassessed the role of formal grammar instruction in language teaching. It is argued that there is no evidence that grammar-focused teaching activities reflect the cognitive learning processes outside classroom (Skehan 1996). Engaging learners in tasks provide a better context for the activation of learning processes, hence, provides a better opportunity for language learning to take place (Skehan 1998)

In conclusion, because of its support both from methodologists/experienced teachers and SLA, I have decided to use TBLT in my classroom.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Richards, J. C. & T. S. Rodgers. (2007). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. New York: Oxford University Press.

Nunan, D. (1989). Designing Tasks for the Communicative Classroom. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Prabhu, N. S. (1987). Second Language Pedagogy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Skehan, P. (1998). A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Skenan, P. (1996). ‘Second language acquisition research and task based instruction’. In J. Willis & D. Willis (eds.) Challenge and Change in Language Teaching (pp. 17-30) Oxford: Heinemann.

Willis, J. (1996). A framework for Task Based Learning. London: Longman.

Long, M., & G. Crookes. (1991). ‘Three approaches to task based syllabus design’ TESOL Quarterly 26 (1): 27-56.

Long, M., & G. Crookes. (1993). ‘Units of analysis in course design- the case for task’ In G. Crookes & S. Gass (eds.) Tasks in a Pedagogical Context: Integrating Theory and Practice. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Sample lesson plan. Topic- "Employment". Instruction- task-based.

The lesson fit

Previous lesson- Introduction to Employment .

1. Group discussion: why do students choose to work during their studies? What are the challenges?

2. Vocabulary development- Occupations. Activities: a) match the occupation on the left with the job description on the right b) write the occupation beside the description

3. Reading. Group work. Read ‘position desired’ section from three different application packs in three groups and decide what occupation they are recruiting for

4. Writing. Write a description to three the most prestigious occupations in your home country.

5. Form focus. Teacher goes round and helps students with constructing their thoughts and sentences while students writing. Individual questions can be answered at this time.

6. Students report back to class. Teacher gives feedback.

7. Teacher recaps the lesson and gives homework.

Following lesson- Employment terms and application forms

1. Pair- work task. Information- gap. Two students each have the same application form but some information is missing from each. Complete the form by asking each other question. Ex. What is the applicant’ surname? Is the applicant male/female?

2. Vocabulary development- application forms. Match the expressions on the left with the correct meaning on the right.

3. Reading. Group work. Read three different application packages in three groups and find at least 15 common employment terms.

4. Writing. Text repair on Word processor. Vocabulary review of employment terms

5. Form focus. Teacher goes round and helps students with repairing the employment contextualized text. Individual questions can be answered at this time.

6. Teacher presents ‘broken text’ on smartboard. Students report what correction they have made. Collaborative feedback with comments by students and teacher

7. Teacher recaps the main points and gives homework.

Lesson Plan: Personal qualities and ‘Help Wanted’ ads

Aims and Objectives:

Ø To develop students’ understanding of ‘personal qualities’ descriptions in job ads

Ø To develop students’ understanding of ‘Help Wanted’ ads in newspapers

Ø To teach new words related to ‘personal qualities and employment’

Ø To teach abbreviations in ‘Help Wanted’ ads

Ø To provide an opportunity in class for meaningful communication

Stages

Stage 1. Pretask. Pair-work: Vocabulary matching activity. Appendix 1, section A. Duration: 15 minutes.

T tries to elicit vocabulary from the Ss by asking them about qualities they think are important for certain jobs and why. Many words on the sheet may be new for the Ss. Therefore, the matching exercise has been divided into groups of four to be completed in pairs of six. Each pair will share answers with the class. T will verify the answers; explain the meaning with more examples if necessary.

Stage 2. The task. Pair-work: discussion and writing. Appendix 1, section B. Duration: 15 minutes.

T asks Ss to complete exercise B. Ss discuss ideas and write a note to report orally to the whole class.

Stage 3. Planning and report. Form focus. Duration: 30 minutes.

Ss draft and rehearse what they want to say while T goes around to advice Ss on language, suggesting phrases and helping Ss correct their language. T asks groups to report briefly to the whole class so everyone can compare findings. T comments on the content; rephrase expressions but no overt public correction.

Stage 5. Abbreviations found in the ‘Help Wanted’ ads. Appendix 3. Duration: 15 minutes

T explains local newspapers do not use sentences but rather shortened forms and abbreviations. T explains the different ways abbreviations are made and give several examples. Ss take turns to read the words aloud. T monitors pronunciation and checks for comprehension.

Stage 6. Reading. Appendix 4, section A. Duration 10 minutes

Ss will read the text for ads and discuss the questions in Section A in pairs. T monitors the language and advices if necessary.

Stage 7. Recap and homework. Duration 5 minutes. T explains the homework: Appendix 5 and section B in Appendix 4.

syllabus types

There are so many types of syllabuses that it is so easy for one to get confused between any of them. The thing is, there has never been published a coursebook that solely based on one type of syllabus and didnt include the aspects of other types of syllabus. Task-based syllabus can be classed as process and procedural, functional syllabus can easily become a notional. Anyway, instead of getting myself even more confused, I will just move on to talk about different types of syllabuses in a nutshell.

1. Procedural syllabus- name associated with Prabhu and Bangalore project. Prabhu designed tasks for each class, but made the same task slightly more complicated each time. The idea is, language items are getting from simple to complex as tasks are getting more difficult. Language is learn implicitly, grammar inductively. Prabhu was against pair-work/group work. Focus was on improving writing skills.

2. Task-based syllabus- name associated with Willisis, Michael Long and Rod Ellis. Employ tasks to teach language implicitly and grammar inductively. But also have form-focus session to get students notice a language form. terms associated with TBLT are conciousness raising, risk taking, form focus

3. Lexical syllabus- again Willisis, corpus linguistics-Birmingham project, Michael Lewish. Language is a grammaticalized lexis not lexicalized grammar. Teach phraze sized chunks, prefabriacated language forms

4. Structural syllabus- grammar driven, teaching language rules one at a time, one-by-one. language is lexicalized grammar. lexis comes secondary to fill in the gaps

5. notional- developd by Wilkins in the 1960's. topic based syllabus, communicative and contextualized

6. functional- wilkins, widdowson. interactional function of language vs transactional function of language. routines in conversations, negotiation skills, negotiation of meaning

7. Content based syllabus- make english the language of instruction to teach other areas. Use english to teach science, engineering, art etc

8. CLIL- content and language integrated learning. There is some focus on form, unlike the content based syllabus. English is the language of instruction to teach science, but also focus on a particular forms of language in a given content

Although there has been written many books on each of them, this is the best written text that describes all the syllabuses in the shortest way. I am also making it very very simple and understandable for anyone who is not coming from an ELT background. Oh, how I love my notes from classes. They come in so handy for revision. And many thanks to a friend who advised me to run a blog. I dont write for weeks at times, but clearly, this has been easy way of organizing my notes when I want to do so! :D

materials development- useful terms and Brown's principles

I am really enjoying this module. I think if I am to rank all the module I take, this one would come as FIRST followed by ICT in ELT. I value these because the tutors are professionals in their own field based on their years of experience and knowledge.

Anyway, I just wanted to note down some of the terms that came up in the last two sessions. This is solely for my own revision so that I can get back and take a quick view to recall some of the things we learnt in class. Oh, yes, one more reason why I fell in love with these, I find the knowledge learned through the modules soo relevant to my teaching experience with my daughters. So many things I need to be aware of and to take into account when designing some materials for my treasures and for my students (awaiting me in the near future hopefully!)

1. Scope and sequence- referring to the proportion and the order in which language items are presented. Scope and sequence are usually given at the beginning of the book. What this books includes and in which order.

2. "Small c" is the term associated with C. Kramcsh who makes a distinction between culture with big C and culture with small c. Big C refers to what is generally known as culture- art, music, pop-culture, food. Small c refers to cultural customs, values, ways of thinking, feeling, acting etc. Whenever we teach a language, we also teach a part of small c that comes with it.

3. Washback- one can have positive or negative view of washback. Washback is working from an assessment towards a syllabus. For example, If I have a group of students to prepare for IELTS and have at least 6 in all the areas of IELTS assessment, I can work at each skill area of IELTS examination, check which skills are they assessing and how does the exam take place and work out a syllabus to prepare students for that exam

4. Carrier content- topics selected for the materials

5. Surrender value- is a term coined by Pit Corder. Some language items are perceived to be very useful by the learners- so they have high surrender value. On the other hand, something that a teacher decided to teach based on students' weaknesses could be valuable thing to learn, but could be perceived to be less valuable for students. So, when materials have low surrender value(cognitive), students resist to learn it

6. Scaffolding- is very important when designing tasks. Teacher needs to ensure that learners unsderstand the instructions clearly and feel confident to carry out the task

7. Dogme- in a nutshell, in very extreme case refers to teaching with no materials at all

8. synthetic vs analythic approach is usually associated with Wilkins (1960's, functional notional syllabuses). Synthetic approach is atomistic, systematic, building up the language system one by one, learning one item at a time. a+b+c. most schools teaching English for general purposes adopt this approach to learning. Analytic approach, on the other hand, holistic and there is no clear cut order to learning. Teacher presents what learners find valuable to learn and learners internalize and expected to analyze the language items much later on. No structured teaching of grammar. most ESP course adopt analytic approach

Next, we discussed Douglas Browns 12 principles of designing materials

1. automaticity

2. meaningful learning

3. anticipation of reward

4. intrinsic motivation

5. strategic investment

6. language ego

7. self-confidence

8. risk taking

9. the language culture connection

10. the native language effect

11. Interlanguage

12. Communicative competence

These principles are very much coming from learners' point of view. Based on this, the role of instructions and materials should mainly focus on developing learners' skills, hence most of learning is going to take place outside classroom.