efl toolkit for teachers

8/17/2019 EFL Toolkit for Teachers

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EFL Tool Kit for Teachers

June 2015


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Colleges of Excellence: EFL Tool Kit for Teachers 2

Contents

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ 3

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4

2. Colleges of Excellence EFL provision ...................................................................................... 4

3. Best practice in teaching and learning in the foundation year ............................................. 4

4. Lesson planning ......................................................................................................................... 5

4.1. Student-centred and autonomous learning ..................................................................... 5

4.2. Class profile and learning styles ....................................................................................... 6

4.3. Learning outcomes and differentiation ............................................................................ 7

4.4. Anticipated problems and solutions ................................................................................. 74.5. Materials and resources ..................................................................................................... 8

4.6. E-learning ............................................................................................................................. 8

4.7. Assumptions .................................................................................................................... 10

4.8. Assessment for learning (AfL) ........................................................................................ 10

4.9. Personal PD aims ............................................................................................................ 10

5. Skills ......................................................................................................................................... 10

5.1. Reading ............................................................................................................................. 10

5.2. Writing ............................................................................................................................... 15

5.3. Speaking ........................................................................................................................... 22

5.4. Listening ........................................................................................................................... 26

6. Systems ................................................................................................................................... 29

6.1. Grammar ........................................................................................................................... 29

6.2. Vocabulary ........................................................................................................................ 34

6.3 Pronunciation .................................................................................................................... 37

6.4. Functional language ........................................................................................................ 40

7. Classroom activities – Combined skills / systems .............................................................. 42

8. Assessment for learning ........................................................................................................ 46

9. Developing exam techniques................................................................................................. 51

10. Differences between the Arabic and English languages .................................................. 55

11. Additional on-line resources ................................................................................................ 56


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1. IntroductionWelcome to the English in TVET tool kit which will help you prepare your students for

English medium vocational study during this foundation year. The contents are informed

by current EFL teaching practice, which in turn is underpinned by research carried out

across the global EFL teaching community.

2. Colleges of Excellence EFL provisionBefore reading any further it worth taking a moment to look at the bigger picture and

familiarise yourself with the Colleges of Excellence (CoE) EFL mission and goals1.

The EFL Mission:The EFL Mission:The EFL Mission:The EFL Mission: is to provide students with the language skills needed to accessvocational education through the medium of English, in order to obtain high quality

globally recognised vocational qualifications and to communicate effectively in English in

the workplace.

The EFL Goal:The EFL Goal:The EFL Goal:The EFL Goal: is to facilitate high quality EFL provision, which enables vocational

students to enter and succeed on internationally, recognised SSS vocational programmes

and to communicate effectively in the workplace and wider society.

3. Best practice in teaching and learning in the foundation yearAs part of the Colleges of Excellence EFL teaching community it is important to adhere to

the principles of best practice to ensure the CoE EFL mission and goals are achieved. The

following graphic captures the essential elements that demonstrate integrity as an

effective EFL practitioner.

FigureFigureFigureFigure 1111: Teaching EFL: Teaching EFL: Teaching EFL: Teaching EFL ---- best practice cyclebest practice cyclebest practice cyclebest practice cycle

1 Colleges of Excellence EFL Policy Handbook (2015)

You have high

expectations of yourself inthe learning you facilitate

There is a clear link

between your lessons,SoW and curriculum

Lessons are planned to

cater to student needswith progressive learning

outcomes

Lesson resources and

materials match studentlearning styles and needs

The principles of

Assessment for Learningunderpin all forms of

assessment

Tool kit for teachers


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The sections that follow expand the notion of best practice in the key areas of EFL

teaching and learning, together with strategies and example activities for you to embed

into your teaching.

4. Lesson planning

Here are all the elements you need to consider when planning an effective lesson thatmeets the needs of every learner. Use this as an aide memoire and the expanded

definitions to deliver high quality teaching and learning in every lesson.

FigureFigureFigureFigure 2222: Essential elements of lesson planning: Essential elements of lesson planning: Essential elements of lesson planning: Essential elements of lesson planning

4.1. Student-centred and autonomous learningThis is an approach that encourages your students to work in partnership with you and

begin to take responsibility for their own learning. This means that rather than just telling

your students about a skill or system, you guide them, set up and manage activities and

direct learning2 in such way that they notice and work things out for themselves.

Facilitating this concept of noticing 3 has shown that students are more likely to move

information from short-term to long-term memory i.e. acquire language more effectively.

2

Jones, L. (2007). The Student-Centred Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.3 Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics . 11,129 – 158.

Class profileLearning styles

Student-centredAutonomouslearning

Anticipatedproblems and

solutions

E-learningClear LearningOutcomes DifferentiationMaterials and

resources

Assessment

for learning

Personal aimsPD areas to

work on

Assumptions

i ! "#


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The following table shows some strategies you can use to achieve student-centred and

autonomous learning.

StudentStudentStudentStudent----centred learningcentred learningcentred learningcentred learning

Encourage students to collaborate bysetting up pair-work and group work

activities

Use an inductive approach to introducingnew language (see grammar section for

further details)

Facilitate self and peer-evaluation Elicit student feedback on different activity

types so that you can use strategies they

like and enjoy

Provide opportunities for student choice in

topics and tasks

Facilitate self-directed learning

opportunities

TableTableTableTable 1111: Student: Student: Student: Student----centred autonomous learningcentred autonomous learningcentred autonomous learningcentred autonomous learning

4.2. Class profile and learning stylesBuild a profile of your learners over the first trimester so that you are more able to cater

to both class wide and individual needs4. Use a grid that records information like the

following:

Name of student: Fatimah AzizName of student: Fatimah AzizName of student: Fatimah AzizName of student: Fatimah Aziz

Notable strengthsNotable strengthsNotable strengthsNotable strengths ---- across the foursacross the foursacross the foursacross the fours

skills and four systemsskills and four systemsskills and four systemsskills and four systems

A confident speaker who can get her

message across even if she makes quite a

few errors. Good cursive writing.

Notable weaknessesNotable weaknessesNotable weaknessesNotable weaknesses –––– across the fouracross the fouracross the fouracross the four

skills and systemsskills and systemsskills and systemsskills and systems

She is not good at discerning between

some sounds – particularly / ʊ/ book and

/ ɒ/ box

Personality typePersonality typePersonality typePersonality type ---- quiet, shy, noisy,quiet, shy, noisy,quiet, shy, noisy,quiet, shy, noisy,

disruptive etc.disruptive etc.disruptive etc.disruptive etc.

Quite noisy, a bit disruptive and Likes lots

of attention.

People skillsPeople skillsPeople skillsPeople skills –––– organizer (can be relied onorganizer (can be relied onorganizer (can be relied onorganizer (can be relied on

to manage group activities), team player,to manage group activities), team player,to manage group activities), team player,to manage group activities), team player,

delegator etc.delegator etc.delegator etc.delegator etc.

Not a team player so needs a clearly

defined role during group activities

Preferred learning stylePreferred learning stylePreferred learning stylePreferred learning style –––– visual,visual,visual,visual,

kinesthetic, auditory etc.kinesthetic, auditory etc.kinesthetic, auditory etc.kinesthetic, auditory etc.

Very visual

Blended learningBlended learningBlended learningBlended learning ---- strengths andstrengths andstrengths andstrengths and

weaknessesweaknessesweaknessesweaknesses

Good at using her tablet for research

activities

MotivationMotivationMotivationMotivation Really keen to progress so that she can

start vocational next year

TableTableTableTable 2222: Student profile: Student profile: Student profile: Student profile

4 Ur, P. (2012). A Course in English Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press


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This is an important element of lesson planning as it will help you to know in which areas

you need to differentiate tasks, the sort of activities your students respond well to and

the type of interactions you can set up.

4.3. Learning outcomes and differentiation

Refer to your class profile and set learning outcomes that ensure every learner can workto their capabilities and will have progressed by the end of the lesson. For example you

can articulate differentiated outcomes like this:

• All the students will be able to try predicting the content of the text from the title.

• All the students will be able scan the text and answer scaffolded questions

(multiple-choice) that require numerical information.

• Most of the students will be able to scan the text and answer scaffolded

questions (multiple-choice where the language mirrors that in the text).

• Some of the students will be able to read the text in more detail and answer un-

scaffolded questions (where did the man go after he left the airport car park?)• A few of the students will be able to read the text in more detail and infer

meaning.

Make sure outcomes are SMART:

FigureFigureFigureFigure 3333: SMART expanded: SMART expanded: SMART expanded: SMART expanded

4.4. Anticipated problems and solutionsIdentify where students might encounter problems in terms of the skills and systems the

lesson is targeting and the activity types they will encounter. Plan what you will do if any

of these problems arise to ensure your students are able to achieve the learning

outcomes.

For example:

ProblemProblemProblemProblem SolutionSolutionSolutionSolution

Some of the less literate and confident

students may struggle with the prediction

task.

I will use visual aids to support

understanding of the headline and set it up

as a group task where a group leader

supports weaker learners and helps elicit

their predictions.

TableTableTableTable 3333: Anticipated problems and solutions: Anticipated problems and solutions: Anticipated problems and solutions: Anticipated problems and solutions

Specific differentiated

Measurable

can be

assessed

Achievable

relate tostudent

ability

Relevant

relate tostudent

needs

Timely

allow

sufficient

time to

complete


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4.5. Materials and resourcesIf you have a course book, don’t rely on it slavishly. Think about how you can adapt the

topic, context, activity to appeal to the different ability levels, student needs, learning

styles and cultural identities within your class.

Go to recognised ELT handbooks for ideas that you can try out or emulate. For example: ACourse in English Language Teaching by Penny Ur, Learning English by Jim Scrivener5 and

The Practice of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer6.

If you don’t have a course book then the world is your oyster! But don’t get too carried

away – make sure you match resources and materials to your curriculum/syllabus and

scheme of work and above all to the students’ needs!

Refer to your E-TVET induction pack and other college guidance to remind you of what is

and is not considered appropriate for the KSA context.

There are some excellent resources on-line and some that are not so good. Be selectiveand share anything that you have found to be useful with your colleagues.

Each of the sub-sections on skills and systems in this Toolkit provide you with links to

useful websites and books that will help expand your resource pool.

And finally – choose materials and resources that have an element of authenticity and

bring the real world into the classroom. This will help retain student interest and

motivation.

4.6. E-learning

This is a term used to refer to technology supported learning7

– which could relate toanything from a CD player to an interactive whiteboard8. Since technology forms an

integral part of the working world today, it is important that it forms part of any learning

experience that will lead into that world of work. Here are some ways that you can

facilitate e- learning opportunities.

• Interactive white board (IWB): if you have one in your classroom, use it. Try setting

up activities where the white board forms the focus of group work. Use it to show

videos, films etc. to provide context and support understanding of new language.

Always remember the Saudi cultural context you are working in, so using factual

short films for example about the vocational areas students are interested in and

global topics such as environmental issues would be a good place to start. An

excellent book to give ideas for using an IWB, is Macmillan’s 400 Ideas for

Interactive Whiteboards, (Macmillan, 2011)*. Display elements of anonymous

student work and lead class correction / feedback sessions. There are many ways

5 Scrivener, J. (2005). Learning English. Oxford: Macmillan6 Harmer, J. (2006). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Harlow: Longman7 Tomlinson, b. & Whittaker, C. (2013). Blended Learning in English Language Teaching: Coursedesign and implementation . London: British Council.8 Sharma, P. & Barrett, B. (2007). Blended Learning: Using technology in and beyond theclassroom. Oxford: Mcmillan*

Sharma, P., Barrett, B. & Jones, F. (2011). 400 Ideas for Interactive Whiteboards, Oxford:Mcmillan


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in which you can use an interactive white board – and for more ideas visit

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk . If you are not familiar with an IWB, ask

someone who is to give you some guidance.

• On-line platforms: Find out if your college has subscribed to or has its own on-line

platform e.g. http://www.macmillanenglishcampus.com or the Colleges of

Excellence E-TVET website http://www.tvetenglish.net/. Use on-line activities tosupport classroom learning and encourage self-directed autonomous learning.

• Free access Learning sections for students on leading publishing websites e.g.

Oxford Book worms

https://elt.oup.com/student/bookwormsleveltest/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en&mode

=hub

• Supplementary on-line materials to course books: Check which course books your

college is using or has on the shelf, and find out if they have subscribed to the on-

line materials. Here are some of the course books that have e-support elements.

Course bookCourse bookCourse bookCourse book OnOnOnOn----line resourceline resourceline resourceline resource

HeadwayHeadwayHeadwayHeadway Headway on line

https://elt.oup.com/student/headway/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en

Macmillan GlobalMacmillan GlobalMacmillan GlobalMacmillan Global Infographic lessons

http://www.macmillanglobal.com/resources/infographic-elessons

Cutting EdgeCutting EdgeCutting EdgeCutting Edge My English lab

http://www.pearsonelt.com/cuttingedge3e/myenglishlab

UnlockUnlockUnlockUnlock On-line workbooks

http://www.cambridge.org/us/cambridgeenglish/catalog/english-

academic-purposes/unlock

TableTableTableTable 4444: Course books: Course books: Course books: Course books ---- OnOnOnOn----line supplementaryline supplementaryline supplementaryline supplementary materialsmaterialsmaterialsmaterials

Expand your knowledge of and ability to use e- learning strategies further through

accessing publications like:

• Blended Learning: Using Technology in English Language Teaching by Tomlinson

and Whittaker

• Blended Learning: Using technology in and beyond the classroom by Sharma and

Barrett.

The Colleges of Excellence are committed to delivering e- learning opportunities for

students across all its colleges, so why not share any ideas you have on

http://www.tvetenglish.net/ too.


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4.7. AssumptionsWhat can you assume your students already know (can do) in terms of the activities you

plan to use and the skills and / or systems the lesson will target? This is an important

question to ask because it will help you pitch the lesson level just beyond current abilities

and take student learning to the next level. Stephen Krashen’s input hypothesis explains

this as i+1 and is a concept worth familiarizing yourself with, if you have not encounteredit before9 http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf

4.8. Assessment for learning (AfL)Try to ensure that any element of assessment you include in your lesson is part and parcel

of the learning process. In other words, create self-assessment or peer-assessment tasks

that enable students to see where they are now and where they need to go next. Section

10 of this handbook explores AfL further. Have a look and see if there are any new ideas

you could try with your students.

4.9. Personal PD aimsUse every lesson as an opportunity to continue to develop the knowledge and skills youneed as an EFL teacher. Target an area that you want to work on e.g. grading your

language. Take a moment to self-reflect at the end of the day. Ask yourself a question

like: Did I manage to simplify my language but still provide an authentic model? And, if you

need to work on this further – flag it up for future attention.

5. SkillsIt is important to give each of the four skills sufficient attention in your teaching to ensure

your students develop both their receptive and productive linguistic competence. This

section provides input on each of the skills, together with some tips and activities that will

help you facilitate effective learning. Do remember however, that there is often an overlap

in skills practice. For example, if students are taking part in a Mingle activity (see section

5.3) to provide speaking practice, they will also be working on their interactional and

intensive listening skills too.

5.1. ReadingThis section provides tips for teaching native Arabic speakers and more general tips that

relate to teaching any non-native English speaker to read English language texts.

Tips for teaching Arabic speakers

• FamiliariseFamiliariseFamiliariseFamiliarise yourself with the differences in cognitive processing between reading

in English and reading in Arabic .e.g. reading from right to left, letter, word and

sentence processing10.

• DevelopDevelopDevelopDevelop your students’ phonemic awareness . The Latin alphabet is very different

from that used in the Arabic language system and your students will need to learn

to be able to differentiate between different sounds (phonemes) and then relate

9

http://www.sdkrashen.com/content/books/principles_and_practice.pdf [accessed 16 June 2015]10 Harley, T.A. (2008). The psychology of language: From data to theory. Hove: Psychology Press.


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them to the symbols they see on a page11. It is widely accepted within the EFL

teaching community that raising phonemic awareness will help Arabic learners in

their ability to access and decode English texts.

• BeginBeginBeginBegin with letter recognition by exposing your learners to examples that are

supported with pictorial representations:

C and then gradually remove the graphic scaffolds.

• ExposeExposeExposeExpose students to different fonts and type scripts so that they are able to

recognise different versions of the same letter e.g. a / ɑ or g "Ǳ! • CombineCombineCombineCombine a phonic and whole word approach as learners progress from single

letter processing to combinations of letters (words). Current thinking suggests that

very common words can be introduced as whole words from the beginning.

• Be awareBe awareBe awareBe aware that Arabic readers find it difficult to differentiate between letters that

mirror each other12 e.g. p " # and d " b! See section 10 for more differences

between the Arabic and English language.

• ReferReferReferRefer to approaches and materials / resources for teaching literacy at primary

level. The principles remain the same for more mature learners, although you may

want to adapt the content / topic area. Here is a link to teaching English literacy to

Arabic primary learners that has some useful ideas to consider

http://www.buzzingwithbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Overview-of-

Reading-Approaches-for-EFL-Primary-Classrooms-1.pdf .

• EstablishEstablishEstablishEstablish if any of your learners have low literacy skills when accessing written

texts in their native language. If this is an area you are unfamiliar with, go to

recognised EFL websites like the British Council to develop your knowledge and

skills in teaching learners with basic literacy needs:https://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/teachers/staff-room/teaching-

articles/working-esol-learners-basic-literacy-needs.

Tips for teaching all non-native English speakers

• DevelopDevelopDevelopDevelop the individual sub-skills that students will need to be successful readers

i.e. skimming for gist, scanning for key words, reading in detail, inferring and

making connections13. If you are not familiar with the cognitive processes

associated with each of these skills, then take some time to broaden your

understanding. There are some go to publications suggested at the end of thissection.

• EncourageEncourageEncourageEncourage reading outside of college. Even if your students are not habitual book

readers, this does not mean that they don’t read. The world we live in today

provides opportunities to interact with written texts every day. See the activities

to try that follow, for ideas that draw attention to and provide reasons to read

outside class.

11 Ur, P. (2012). A course in English Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press12

Swan, M and Smith, B. (2011. Learner English: A teacher’s guide to interference and otherproblems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.13 Harmer, J. (2006). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Harlow: Longman


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• DevelopDevelopDevelopDevelop task awareness and associated reading sub-skills. For example, if you

open a book on how to teach reading because you want to find out more about

teaching skimming skills, you will scan the index for the word skimming, you won’t

read every word in detail.

• ImproveImproveImproveImprove reading speeds by introducing timed sessions into class14. Make it fun and

establish a sense of urgency. This is important as students need to move awayfrom processing every word if they are to master all the sub-skills that efficient and

effective reading demands.

• Use / adaptUse / adaptUse / adaptUse / adapt a variety of written texts that appeal to your students’ interests and

needs. We don’t just read books in the 21st century!

• EncourageEncourageEncourageEncourage extensive reading by providing students with access to graded readers .

And don’t assume that extensive reading has to take place outside college. You

could consider setting up an extensive reading period once a week, where students

can read, swap books, choose new books and take part in a reading circle (see

activities section).

•

UseUseUseUse / adaptadaptadaptadapt examples of real world texts and instead of grading the text(language) – grade the task so that learners can still interact with authentic

examples. This will build their confidence and help their motivation to move

forward (see example in activities to try ).

• DifferentiateDifferentiateDifferentiateDifferentiate task difficulty and expected outcomes (when you have different

ability levels in one class) to ensure ALL students take their learning forward.

• ExposeExposeExposeExpose students to texts of different complexities – that is to say both authentic

texts and graded texts that have been developed for their current ability level e.g.

The Oxford Bookworms Library https://elt.oup.com/teachers/bookworms

Activities to try

Here are a few activities that you might like to try with your students. You may of course

need to adapt them to suit different abilities and learning styles. In some cases they are a

group of tasks / activities that are interrelated and could form the framework around

which to build a lesson. Therefore, if you decide to try one out – consider also where you

could build in assessment points and how else you might exploit them in terms of skills

and language development.

Everyday text Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1 – Arrange students in groups and appoint a scribe in each group. Give them twominutes to brain storm and record as many examples of things they read every day. You

may need to start them off with a few examples like food labels, road signs, emails etc. If

they are very low proficiency e.g. A1, you may need to allow them to record their ideas in

Arabic. You can make this a competition too, with a possible prize for the winners.

14Chang, A.C.S. (2010). The effect of a timed reading activity on EFL Learners: Speed

comprehension, and perceptions. Reading in a Foreign Language. 22, 284 – 303.http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ901548.pdf [accessed 17 June 2015]


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Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2 – Tell the students that they must each find two examples of English texts

they have read outside of college (e.g. a shampoo bottle label) and bring them in to class

to share with their peers.

Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3 – Students show their examples to their groups. The group then chooses a

corresponding number of texts to group members (e.g. 4 in the group 4 texts) and eachmember is nominated to make a handwritten copy of one of the texts.

Activity 4Activity 4Activity 4Activity 4 – All the original texts are hidden away and each group swaps their

handwritten texts with another group. The group then have to read these texts and

decide what sort of text it is.

Activity 5Activity 5Activity 5Activity 5 – Groups come together e.g. Group A and Group B (who swapped texts) and

tell the other group what text types they think they have read e.g. I think this is a label on

a food tin. The group who made the handwritten copies can reveal the original texts and

those who guessed can see if they are correct.

This group of activities exposes students to authentic texts and alerts them to the idea of

different text types. It also provides scaffolded writing practice encourages legibility and

reading practice.

Grade the taskPrepare your materials.

•

Choose a newspaper article that has an interesting headline, accompanyingphotograph and is appropriate to your learners in terms of topic content and

cultural content e.g. go to http://gulfnews.com/ .

• Keep a copy of the original and then take another copy and blank out as many

words as you can, whilst leaving sufficient information bearing words to enable a

reader to arrive at a gist of the content.

• Create a worksheet (worksheet 1) with a series of possible headlines on it

(including the original) that could accompany the photograph featured in the article.

• Create a worksheet (worksheet 2) with well scaffolded questions that require the

reader to scan the text for specific words / numeric information i.e. multiple choice

questions.• Create another worksheet (worksheet 3) with less scaffolded questions (not

multiple choice).

• Create another worksheet (worksheet 4) with non-scaffolded questions that

require the reader to gather clues from co-text i.e. The question does not reflect

the exact vocabulary of the text (vehicle / car).

Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1Activity 1 – Create context: All students try to guess which headline matches the

photograph.


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Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2Activity 2 – Prediction: All students try to work out what they think the story might be

about from the actual headline and photograph. You could scaffold this by putting some

guiding questions on the IWB like - What do you think the man is called? Where do you

think he is? What do you think happened to his boat?

Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3Activity 3 –––– Skimming for gist: All the students have a limited time to skim the blankedout text for gist and see if their predictions are correct.

Activity 4Activity 4Activity 4Activity 4 – Scanning for specific information: All the students scan the original text for

the answers to worksheet 2.

Activities 5 and 6Activities 5 and 6Activities 5 and 6Activities 5 and 6 – Scanning, reading in detail and inferring: Some students will be able

to access the information required for the final worksheets depending on their proficiency

level.

This group of activities is graded in such a way that you can differentiate learning

outcomes. In other words all the students will have the same starting point but as the

activities become more demanding the more able can be stretched and the less able will still

have achieved appropriate learning outcomes !they finish after activity "#. It also means that

low level learners can be exposed to authentic texts and interact with them in a meaningful way.

Reading Resources BoxStart a collection of texts that match your students’ areas of interest15. Try and make sure

you have a variety of text genres e.g. fiction, non-fiction related to hobbies / interests,

non-fiction related to their vocational aspirations. Put them into a large box or create a

dedicated Reading resource corner. Encourage students to contribute to the reading

resource box as well e.g. printed articles they have read on-line, magazines they like

reading. Don’t forget to include graded readers as well as authentic texts that challenge

learners’ reading skills in different ways.

Assign a time to extensive reading each week – e.g. every Sunday for the first twenty

minutes of class. Students can exchange their current text for a new one; bring one in to

share and note down what they are reading in a personal reading resources record . You

may like to extend the role of the reading resource record by getting them to note down

what they liked, didn’t like, found interesting about the text and any vocabulary they want

to remember. Low level learners may need to begin their record in their native languageand transfer to note taking in English when they have sufficient literacy skills.

This activity is intended to encourage extensive reading. It can be an effective way to start

the week $ especially when punctuality is an issue.

15 Gawn, J., Derrick, J., Duncan, S. and Schwab, I. (2009). Teaching Reading to Adults: A pack of

resources and ideas for adult literacy tutors. www.aloscotland.com/alo/downloadresource.htm? [accessed 17 June 2015]


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%ore resources & reading

You will notice that there references to publications and e-resources in the footer of each

page. In addition to these the following also provide ideas and insights into teaching

reading skills.

•

Teaching Reading Skills in a Foreign Language by C. Nuttall• Extensive Reading Activities for Teaching Language by R. Day and J. Bamford

• Developing Reading Skills: A practical guide to reading comprehension exercises by

F. Grellet

• http://www.onestopenglish.com/support/methodology/teaching-

materials/teaching-materials-using-readers-in-the-efl/esl-classroom-

1/146513.article

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/10/1

01014_6min_classics_page.shtml

5.2. WritingThis section provides tips for teaching native Arabic speakers and more general tips that

relate to teaching any non-native English speaker to write in the English language.


• RememberRememberRememberRemember that for native Arabic speakers, using a completely differentwriting system from their own i.e. Roman script - can be very challenging.

• ProvideProvideProvideProvide plenty of cursive writing practice that enable your students todevelop their fine motor skills. Arabic students find it particularly challenging

linking letters together

16

• ProvideProvideProvideProvide plenty of opportunities for your students to interact with a Roman

alphabet computer key board. Much of our writing in today’s world iscomputer generated so it is important to develop real world skills (skills forlife).

• EnsureEnsureEnsureEnsure your students develop their ability to differentiate between,understand the use of, and demonstrate ability to produce lower and uppercase letters.

• Be awareBe awareBe awareBe aware that your students may transfer cognitive processing from theirL1 and (as a result of habitual right to left eye movement) and wronglyorder letters within words e.g. twon instead of town17.

•

ProvideProvideProvideProvide plenty of practice in the use of punctuation. Although there areforms of punctuation in written Arabic, the system is much freer and Arabicspeakers are likely to produce long sentences with often inappropriate overuse of commas.

16 Swan, M and Smith, B. (2011. Learner English: A teacher’s guide to interference and other

problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.17 https://eal.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/document-files/LI%20Arabic.pdf


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• IntroduceIntroduceIntroduceIntroduce different text types (genres) and the elements of layout and language

that are specific to each18. Try to make sure that these are text types that relate

to students’ everyday needs – particularly in terms of their vocational training that

follows the foundation year.• EnsureEnsureEnsureEnsure your students have the knowledge and skills needed to produce texts that

are cohesive, coherent and register appropriate.

• EmbedEmbedEmbedEmbed the principles of assessment for learning (AfL) into lessons by including

self-assessment tools that enable students to acknowledge what they can do and

where they need to go next. See later section for suggested ways of doing this.

• Develop and standardiseDevelop and standardiseDevelop and standardiseDevelop and standardise an error correction system that enables students to see

which areas of their written texts they need to work on and that they can use for

peer and self-assessment.

• ConsiderConsiderConsiderConsider when and how to use product or process driven approaches to teaching

and learning writing.

• DifferentiateDifferentiateDifferentiateDifferentiate tasks to ensure that ALL students are able to develop their skills in

writing cohesive and coherent texts.

Activities to try


need to adapt them to suit different abilities and learning styles. Plan-Write-Edit provides

an example of a process writing approach with a series of activities that are interrelated

and could form the framework for a single lesson or series of lessons.

Write and RepeatLow level learners needs lots of fine motor skills practice in forming letters on the page,

followed by words and later by phrases and sentences. Line guided writing is really useful

for promoting uniformity in letter and word production.

Start by providing scaffolded letter practice where students can follow the dots and

arrows which provide shape and directional guidance. There are many websites that

enable you to produce and print worksheets to provide this type of copy practice: try

www.handwritingworksheets.com.

This type of activity is important for pre-A' students who need to master fine motor

skills for creating (oman script. %ake sure you provide sufficient opportunities for this type of

controlled practice.

18 Harmer, J. (2008). How to Teach Writing. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.


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Writing FrameUse a writing frame which will help students to include all the elements associated with

specific text types (genres). Here’s an example writing frame for creating a very simple CV.

Name:Name:Name:Name: Email address:Email address:Email address:Email address:

Personal statement :Personal statement :Personal statement :Personal statement :

Say what your personal goals are and how they match the job you are applying forSay what your personal goals are and how they match the job you are applying forSay what your personal goals are and how they match the job you are applying forSay what your personal goals are and how they match the job you are applying for

Technical skills:Technical skills:Technical skills:Technical skills:

Say what you can do e.g. useSay what you can do e.g. useSay what you can do e.g. useSay what you can do e.g. use word, excel, PowerPointword, excel, PowerPointword, excel, PowerPointword, excel, PowerPoint etc.etc.etc.etc.

Educational qualifications :Educational qualifications :Educational qualifications :Educational qualifications :

List school and university qualificationsList school and university qualificationsList school and university qualificationsList school and university qualifications –––– include school / university name,include school / university name,include school / university name,include school / university name,

qualification and datequalification and datequalification and datequalification and date

TableTableTableTable 5555: Writing frame for CV: Writing frame for CV: Writing frame for CV: Writing frame for CV

%atch the complexity of the writing frame to your students’ ability levels and think ofways in which you can differentiate the task for stronger and weaker students.

Group writingDivide students into groups and assign each group member a specific responsibility / role.

Group interactions encourage peer collaboration, student autonomy and opportunities for

peer AfL. For some student, group work is a new experience and by assigning everyone a

role, no-one can remain passive or disengaged. Here are some possible categories you

could use.

RoleRoleRoleRole DescriptionDescriptionDescriptionDescriptionLeader / task organizer This person explains the task to the group and

makes sure everyone works together to stay on

task and achieve the learning outcome.

Planner This person is in charge of the planning phase of

the writing task. They will have to make notes /

mind map group ideas.

Scribe This person will write out the final copy of the

target document.

Editor This person uses the AfL tool to help the group

decide if any changes or corrections are necessary.TableTableTableTable 6666: Individual roles for group: Individual roles for group: Individual roles for group: Individual roles for group writing taskwriting taskwriting taskwriting task


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Ensure that the group task is )%A(T)%A(T)%A(T)%A(T$ Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely

Plan – Write – EditHere is an example of what is called a ‘Process’ Writing Lesson and is designed to guidelearners through all the stages of creating a simple instructional written text. Each stage

is an activity in itself, and you could stagger stages across two or more lessons. It is

aimed at strong A2 learners who should be able to achieve the learning outcomes with

your support.

Note, the example given here may not appeal to all learners, so think of an instructional

text that might be of more interest or relevance. In the case of male students, maybe how

to carry out some simple mechanical procedure associated with a car like changing a

wheel.

Learning Outcomes:Learning Outcomes:Learning Outcomes:Learning Outcomes: AllAllAllAll students will complete the Plan, Write, Edit process of creating

an instruction text (recipe). MostMostMostMost will be able to word process their final draft unaided. AAAA

fewfewfewfew will be able to post on a recipe forum website unaided.

You may need to break the learning outcomes down into smaller units if you are spreading

across more than one lesson.

MaterialsMaterialsMaterialsMaterials:::: Copies of example mind map, complete example recipe text and AfL rubric.

*rite the model text before the lesson and think about collaborating with colleagues to

create materials you can share. Try to ensure that you include language structures and

vocabulary that your students can access but upholds the principle of i+'.

Stage 1Stage 1Stage 1Stage 1 –––– Activate schemata and create contextActivate schemata and create contextActivate schemata and create contextActivate schemata and create context

Show students a cookery book and an enlarged copy of a recipe. Tell a simple anecdote

about your favourite cake recipe and show the students the cake you have brought in and

which they can try at break time.

Stage 2Stage 2Stage 2Stage 2 –––– Planning / Mind mappingPlanning / Mind mappingPlanning / Mind mappingPlanning / Mind mapping

Put the following title on the board in the middle of a mind map bubble: Chocolate cake

recipe.

Mind map information needed to create the target recipe on the IWB (see example below

at the end of lesson outline) and then have students make a copy for their own reference

later.

This is ,ust an example and you will need to demonstrate a mind map that relates to

your instructional text.


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Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to draw a bubble in the middle and write

the following in the middle: My favourite sweet recipe . Then ask them to look at their copy

of the chocolate cake mind map and begin to create a mind map for their own recipe. If

they are not able to complete all the bubbles from memory, then stop the process there

and ask them to bring the missing information to college tomorrow and resume planning

then.

rovide dictionaries and access to on-line tools to scaffold vocabulary.

Stage 4Stage 4Stage 4Stage 4 –––– WritingWritingWritingWriting

Give each student a copy of the complete chocolate cake recipe (see example below) and

then have them go to their computers (if not available then they will have to create a

handwritten copy). Ask them to word process their own recipe, using the chocolate cake

framework as a layout guide. Be prepared to get stuck in when you are monitoring this

activity – use concept checking questions to guide them towards language accuracy.

Stage 5Stage 5Stage 5Stage 5 –––– EditingEditingEditingEditing

Give the students the task self-assessment tool – see section 8 for ideas for creating an

AfL rubric. Encourage them to review their text using the AfL tool and make any changes

they feel would improve the target areas.

Stage 6Stage 6Stage 6Stage 6 –––– Share it!Share it!Share it!Share it!

Organise the students into groups and ensure that each group has a leader who has the

ability and skills to post their recipe on a recipe sharing forum. Instruct the group leader to

post their recipe, share the process with their group and help others to do the samewith theirs.


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Example mind map for chocolate cake recipeExample mind map for chocolate cake recipeExample mind map for chocolate cake recipeExample mind map for chocolate cake recipe

IngredientsIngredientsIngredientsIngredients

175g butter175g butter175g butter175g butter

175g sugar175g sugar175g sugar175g sugar

3 large eggs3 large eggs3 large eggs3 large eggs

150g self 150g self 150g self 150g self----raising flourraising flourraising flourraising flour

50g cocoa50g cocoa50g cocoa50g cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon1 teaspoon1 teaspoon1 teaspoon vanilla syrupvanilla syrupvanilla syrupvanilla syrup

OvenOvenOvenOven

temperaturetemperaturetemperaturetemperature

Heat the oven toHeat the oven toHeat the oven toHeat the oven to

EquipmentEquipmentEquipmentEquipment

An 18cm round cake tinAn 18cm round cake tinAn 18cm round cake tinAn 18cm round cake tin

Grease proof paperGrease proof paperGrease proof paperGrease proof paper

MethodMethodMethodMethod

Lightly grease the cake tin and cut aLightly grease the cake tin and cut aLightly grease the cake tin and cut aLightly grease the cake tin and cut apiece of greaseproof paper to fit thepiece of greaseproof paper to fit thepiece of greaseproof paper to fit thepiece of greaseproof paper to fit thebase of the tin.base of the tin.base of the tin.base of the tin.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl andPut all the ingredients in a large bowl andPut all the ingredients in a large bowl andPut all the ingredients in a large bowl andbeat with a spoon for 1 minute until thebeat with a spoon for 1 minute until thebeat with a spoon for 1 minute until thebeat with a spoon for 1 minute until themixture is smooth.mixture is smooth.mixture is smooth.mixture is smooth.

Put the mixture in the tin and smooth thePut the mixture in the tin and smooth thePut the mixture in the tin and smooth thePut the mixture in the tin and smooth thetop.top.top.top.

Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40 –––– 45454545minutes.minutes.minutes.minutes.

Take cake out of the oven. Leave it in theTake cake out of the oven. Leave it in theTake cake out of the oven. Leave it in theTake cake out of the oven. Leave it in thetin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.tin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.tin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.tin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.


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Example recipe textExample recipe textExample recipe textExample recipe text

IngredientsIngredientsIngredientsIngredients175g butter175g butter175g butter175g butter

175g sugar3 large eggs175g sugar3 large eggs175g sugar3 large eggs175g sugar3 large eggs

150g self 150g self 150g self 150g self----raising flourraising flourraising flourraising flour

50g cocoa50g cocoa50g cocoa50g cocoa

1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon1 teaspoon1 teaspoon1 teaspoon vanilla syrupvanilla syrupvanilla syrupvanilla syrup

You will also need You will also need You will also need You will also needAn 18cm round cake tinAn 18cm round cake tinAn 18cm round cake tinAn 18cm round cake tin

Grease proof paperGrease proof paperGrease proof paperGrease proof paper

MethodMethodMethodMethod

Lightly grease the cake tin and cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the base of theLightly grease the cake tin and cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the base of theLightly grease the cake tin and cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the base of theLightly grease the cake tin and cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit the base of thetin.tin.tin.tin.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a spoon for 1 minute uPut all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a spoon for 1 minute uPut all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a spoon for 1 minute uPut all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a spoon for 1 minute until thentil thentil thentil the

mixture is smooth.mixture is smooth.mixture is smooth.mixture is smooth.Put the mixture in the tin and smooth the top.Put the mixture in the tin and smooth the top.Put the mixture in the tin and smooth the top.Put the mixture in the tin and smooth the top.

Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40Bake on middle shelf of oven for 40 –––– 45 minutes.45 minutes.45 minutes.45 minutes.

Take cake out of the oven. Leave it in the tin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.Take cake out of the oven. Leave it in the tin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.Take cake out of the oven. Leave it in the tin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.Take cake out of the oven. Leave it in the tin for 5 minutes then remove carefully.


In addition to the references posted in the footnotes to this section, the following also

provide ideas and insights into teaching reading skills.

•

Keep Writing Book 1 by Richard Harrison• Simple Writing Activities by J Hadfield and C Hadfield

• Assessing Writing by S Cushing Weigle

• https://esol.britishcouncil.org/content/teachers/staff-room/teaching-

articles/working-esol-learners-basic-literacy-needs

• http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/33697.html [Scottish Qualifications authority]

• http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/english/eng1202/Appendices

_B.pdf

• www.sparklebox.co.uk/literacy/writing/#.VPnxi41yZjo [can be adapted for adults]

• http://www.onestopenglish.com/searchResults.aspx?keywords=writing&x=37&y=

16


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5.3. SpeakingThe following tips will help you develop your students’ speaking skills. Pease note that

tips relating to pronunciation are addressed separately in section 6.3.

Tips to help all non-native English speakers to develop their speaking skills

• FamiliariseFamiliariseFamiliariseFamiliarise yourself with what the terms fluency and accuracy relate to in terms of

teaching EFL students the sub-skills for speaking.

• Be awareBe awareBe awareBe aware that speaking practice at early stages of acquisition needs to be well

scaffolded, with lots of opportunity for rehearsal and recycling.

• EnsureEnsureEnsureEnsure that you provide plenty of opportunities for low level learners to try out

authentic chunks of (formulaic) language. These ‘islands of reliability’19 act as

scaffolds around which learners can begin to extend spoken language content and

move in the direction of spontaneously generated (fluent) speech20.

• EmbedEmbedEmbedEmbed speaking practice in authentic contexts which have relevance to your

students’ needs in both their everyday lives (including language for learning tolearn) and their vocational aspirations.

• AvoidAvoidAvoidAvoid doing too much talking yourself during speaking activities. It is the students

who need practice, not you! However, be aware that with lower level learners your

percentage of teacher talking time is likely to be a bit higher.

• DevelopDevelopDevelopDevelop strategies that encourage more able students (strong A2 and upwards) to

expand their talking time. For example, use open ended questions (whether you

are asking the question or you are providing prompts for pair-work / group work) or

information gathering exercises that demand longer explanations, etc.

• ProvideProvideProvideProvide appropriate and timely feedback. For example, if you are monitoring during

a mingle activity (see activities to try that follow) avoid cutting into studentexchanges. Instead make notes, and do anonymous feedback / correction with the

group post the activity.

• ConsiderConsiderConsiderConsider when it is appropriate to provide individual feedback. Be careful not to

damage student confidence by drawing attention to a student’s error in front of

the whole class. But do draw attention to examples of good talk – especially

weaker less confident students who will benefit from being praised in front of their

peers.

• Make sureMake sureMake sureMake sure both you and the students know what the intended learning outcomes

are for every speaking activity. If you are encouraging free flow speech i.e. fluency,

avoid drawing attention to grammatical errors - but do note them down forattention on a separate occasion.

19

Thornbury, S. (2005). How to Teach Speaking. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.20 Ortactepe, D. (2013). Formulaic language and conceptual socialization: The route to becomingnative-like in L2. Science Elsevier, 41, 852 - 865


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Activities to try

Draw my Picture

This is a simple but effective activity that provides practice in giving clear instructions and

intensive listening for information. It also provides language elements i.e. prepositions ofplace and discourse features like asking for clarification.

Arrange students in pairs (student A and student B) and have them sit facing each other

across a desk or table. Create a barrier between them (e.g. stand up a large book) so that

neither can see the other’s piece of paper.

Instruct student A to draw a picture (you can do this verbally or with a written instruction)

of whatever subject area is relevant to the level, stage and needs of your students. For

example you may ask them to draw a picture of a car workshop or an office. Stress that

student B must not be allowed to see the picture and set a time limit to give a sense of

urgency.

Now explain that Student A must give instructions to

student B so that he/she can reproduce the picture -

model with another student to support your explanation.

For example, if I am student A I might begin by saying

“draw a computer desk in the bottom right corner of the

paper”.

Remind student B that they can ask questions to clarify if

they need more information e.g. “how big is the desk?”

When Student A has finished giving instructions, pairs can compare their pictures to see

how well they have transmitted and received instructions. This is also an ideal time to

introduce an element of peer-assessment (AfL) – so provide pairs with some check points

to consider. For example use a traffic light system (see section 8) together with some

task/ skill related questions e.g. Did your partner give clear and easy to follow

instructions?

ou can also extend the activity by bringing two pairs together to compare pictures.

A Mingle

This activity can be used to motivate learners to achieve an interactional goal in real

time21. Depending on their level and stage of language acquisition, you can provide more

or less scaffolding via written prompt cards. This means that the activity can be very

controlled and promote accuracy or less controlled and promote fluency. The following

example facilitates the use of expressions that ask for someone’s opinion.

21 Thornbury, S. (2005). How to Teach Speaking. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.


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Give each student a sheet of paper or card with a list of topics which

have been touched on in previous lessons. The aim of the activity is

for them to approach different students within the group and ask for

their opinion on the topics they have on their card. Questions need

to be open ended to prevent monosyllabic answers i.e. encourage

longer responses. For instance, Abdullah approaches Mohammadand asks: What do you think about driving in Saudi Arabia? They

have a short discussion and then both move on to seek other students’ opinions. Target

language can either be included at the top of the topic list, as in ‘What do you think

about….’/’what’s your take on….’ for lower level learners, or left out so that higher level

learners have to access appropriate expressions from memory.

For lower level learners e.g. A1 you can use Mingles for more controlled practice that

enables lots of repetition and recycling of functional language like adjacency pairs for

meeting and greeting. In this instance, split the students into two groups and put a green

sticker on the arm of each student in group 1 and a blue sticker on the arm of each

student in group 2. Students with green stickers have to go up to students with blue

stickers and ask: How are you? And students with blue stickers should reply Fine thank

you. You can set a time limit and the number of people the green sticker wearers have to

approach, and then swap roles and have blue sticker wearers start the greetings.

*hilst the students are mingling circulate and note any areas of language &

pronunciation etc. that re/uire feedback. *hen the %ingle is complete conduct class feedback by

noting some of the errors on the I*0 and encouraging peer & class-wide correction.

Disappearing dialogue

This activity has been found to be popular with low level learners as it begins with a full

scaffold of the text and gradually increases the challenge to remember more and more of

the target language. It is controlled practice which is accuracy driven but fun and

encourages peer support and learner autonomy.

Divide students into two groups and then line them up in two single files in front of the

IWB on which are written two columns of dialogue. Explain that the student at the head

of the line on the left must read the dialogue on the left and the student at the head ofthe line on the right must read the dialogue on the right. When they have finished they

move to the back of their respective lines and the next pair repeats the dialogue. This

continues until all the students have had a go, then the lines swap sides and the readings

start again. When you are satisfied that everyone has had at least one go on each side –

rub a word off each side and then start the cycle again. As each cycle finishes, rub another

word off each side until eventually no words remain.

Experience has shown that students who struggle to remember the full dialogue are

usually helped by those who do remember; thus encouraging peer assistance in learning.


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Here is an example of a possible dialogue:

Hi Abdullah. What are you going to doHi Abdullah. What are you going to doHi Abdullah. What are you going to doHi Abdullah. What are you going to do

this weekend?this weekend?this weekend?this weekend?

I think I’m going to visit my brother andI think I’m going to visit my brother andI think I’m going to visit my brother andI think I’m going to visit my brother and

his family in Riyadh.his family in Riyadh.his family in Riyadh.his family in Riyadh.

You can adapt this activity to create a variety of controlled speaking practice

opportunities. Another version could be that you organise the students in one line in front

of the white board and put up a longer text. An excerpt from part of a presentation on a

relevant topic (where there would only be one speaker) would work well here. Then

conduct the activity as above, with students reading aloud what they see and then, as

you remove words, having to read and remember the missing words. Here’s another

example:

Good morning everyone. My name is Abdullah and I am here today to talk to youGood morning everyone. My name is Abdullah and I am here today to talk to youGood morning everyone. My name is Abdullah and I am here today to talk to youGood morning everyone. My name is Abdullah and I am here today to talk to you

about starting a small business. Thabout starting a small business. Thabout starting a small business. Thabout starting a small business. This slide shows you an outline of my presentation,is slide shows you an outline of my presentation,is slide shows you an outline of my presentation,is slide shows you an outline of my presentation,

and as you can see, I am going to start by talking about the importance of identifyand as you can see, I am going to start by talking about the importance of identifyand as you can see, I am going to start by talking about the importance of identifyand as you can see, I am going to start by talking about the importance of identifymarket opportunities.market opportunities.market opportunities.market opportunities.

It is important to maintain a good pace & sense of urgency throughout the activity to

prevent those waiting their turn from getting bored. )o really encourage the teams to support

any of their members who struggle and that way turns can change /uickly.


In addition to the references posted in the footnotes to this section, the following also

provide ideas and insights into teaching reading skills.

• 39 No-Prep Low Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults by Jackie

Bowlen

• Essential Speaking Skills by J Baker and H Wesup

• Simple Speaking Activities by J Hadfield and C Hadfield

• Getting beginners to talk by J Wingate

• http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/speaking/teaching-ideas/

•

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/speaking-activities


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5.4. ListeningThis section provides tips for teaching native Arabic speakers and more general tips that

relate to teaching listening skills to any non-native English speaker.


• Be awareBe awareBe awareBe aware that Arabic speakers find it difficult to discern between some

sounds which include /p/ and /b/ - /v/ and /f/ - / ʊ/ and / ɒ/ as in books and

box22.

• RememberRememberRememberRemember that your students are listening to English through the ears of

their first language. That is to say, their cognitive processing is set up for

processing the sounds of Arabic, so you need to help them adjust to the

sounds of English.

• SelectSelectSelectSelect resources and materials that are appropriate to the needs and

sensitivities of the Arabic culture.


• Be awareBe awareBe awareBe aware that before a student can comprehend what is being said, they must

first process a stream of sound. This means that very low level learners (pre-A1 /

A1 and A2) need help in discerning individual sounds and word boundaries before

they can begin to comprehend the subject matter. It can help if we make a

distinction between helping our students hear the sounds of English and helping

our students listen for comprehension.

• DevelopDevelopDevelopDevelop your understanding of the phonemic chart so that you can help your

students differentiate between the sounds they hear. See Section 8n for an

example chart.

• RememberRememberRememberRemember that listening is the skill that unlocks other skills. For example, a

student can’t take part in meaningful spoken interactions if he / she can’t

understand what the other person is saying. And, a student can’t work on

articulating sounds and words if they don’t know what they sound like first.

• ProvideProvideProvideProvide authentic contexts for students to develop intensive, extensive,

interactional and transactional listening skills.

• EmployEmployEmployEmploy authentic materials like radio, podcasts, television and CDs to engage

students’ interest.• ExposeExposeExposeExpose your students to a variety of accents (both native and non-native English

speakers) so that they can develop their ability to hear / detect variations in the

way sounds can be produced.

• UseUseUseUse visual scaffolds to help low level learners make a connection between what

they see and what they hear.

• ExpandExpandExpandExpand your knowledge of how and why we listen 23 through reference to

acknowledged authors in the EFL teaching community.

22

Swan, M and Smith, B. (2011). Learner English: A teacher’s guide to interference and otherproblems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.23 Wilson, J. (2009). How to Teach Listening. Harlow: Pearson Longman.


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• ActivateActivateActivateActivate listening skills by assigning students roles in the class to listen for specific

information during student presentations, invited speakers and media broadcasts

for example.

Activities to try


need to adapt them to suit different abilities and learning styles.

Hear the sound / word / phrase

This activity employs a rank approach to developing hearing skills. It begins with a

problem sound, then moves on to words to help promote awareness of word

boundaries and finishes with phrases to extend cognitive processing.

Find a text that contains problem sounds that you want to target – one that you

can read out or a recording. Here is an example of a poem that contains the problemsounds /p/ and /b/.

FigureFigureFigureFigure 4444: Poem for hearing sounds: Poem for hearing sounds: Poem for hearing sounds: Poem for hearing sounds

Tell the students which sound they should listen out for e.g. /p/ and then recite the poem

and have them listen and put a mark on a piece of paper every time they hear that sound.

If they hear all the instances they should have five marks. Repeat as necessary. Then have

them listen for /b/ - this time they should have three. Then have them listen for the word

apple, then the apple tree and so on.

If you are reading a text out loud or reciting a poem try to read at a natural pace

!perhaps a fraction slower for very low level learners# to ensure you provide an authentic

model.

I stood beneath the apple treeThe apples were so good to see

High up above my headI saw them shining round and red

And after I had waited longA robin sang a tiny song

And a squirrel in the apple treeThrew an apple down to me


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Listen, Note, Ask

This activity is for strong A2 upwards and promotes intensive listening skills by providing

the students with a clear reason for listening.

Select an appropriate audio file that matches your students’ ability, interests and needs.

Explain to the students that they are going to hear a recording and they need to take

notes so that they can create questions for their partner to answer later. Give a target

number of questions that they will need to produce – depending on the length and

complexity of the content.

Play the recording once, and repeat once only if necessary.

Give the students time to write out the questions for their partner to answer and then

have them swap question sheets and write down the answers if they can. NB. Do not

worry if the questions contain some linguistic errors. The initial aim here is to give them a

reason to listen.

When they have finished they can swap back again and see if their partner has provided

the correct answer.

You can then go on to exploit the written questions for grammatical analysis. For

example: have students come and write some of their questions on the board and

encourage peer feedback and correction.

This is a student-centred activity that encourages learner autonomy. It gives everyone a

reason to listen and moves away from text-book driven comprehension exercises that rarely pi/ue

student interest.

Mind the gap

Gap fill listening activities are a great way of merging listening and reading for

comprehension skills – in other words students have to listen and reconstruct the text24.

You can also use gap fill activities to highlight discourse features, functional language

(chunks), idiomatic expressions etc.

For example, find a piece of authentic dialogue between two people and blank out the

words / phrases you want to target in the transcript.

Give the students the blanked out transcript and ask them to listen and fill in the gaps. For

longer phrases (functional language) you may need to play the audio file more than once.

Have student compare what they have written in each gap and discuss whether what

they have written creates a comprehensible utterance. If it doesn’t make sense, what

other word / phrase could it be? This is an important step, as it draws attention to how

24 Wilson, J. (2009). How to Teach Listening. Harlow: Pearson Longman


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what we think we hear and what was actually said may not match up – particularly with

reference to key problem sounds.

Finish by providing students with the original transcript to compare their answers against

together with an AfL task that helps them identify areas of their hearing and listening to

target for the future.

1or low level learners you may need to make your own recording grade your language

and ensure the gaps can be filled by words they are already familiar with and can write.


• Simple Listening Activities by J Hadfield and C Hadfield

• Listening by G White

• Listening in Language Learning by M Rost

• Teaching Listening Comprehension by P Ur

• http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/listen-and-watch

• http://efl-resource.com/skills-focus/listening/

• http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/listening/

6. SystemsThis section provides some tips, activities and further resources / reading for that will

guide you towards facilitating effective learning across the systems of grammar,

vocabulary, functional language and pronunciation.

6.1. GrammarHere are some tips for teaching native Arabic speakers and more general tips that relate

to teaching grammar to any non-native English speaker.


• Be awareBe awareBe awareBe aware that Arabic speakers find it challenging to adjust to the pattern and

syntax of English, which has more variants than their own L1. See the section 10

on differences between Arabic and English.

•

FamiliariseFamiliariseFamiliariseFamiliarise yourself with Arabic tense structure options so that you are better ableto understand their areas of difficulty when learning English language tense

structures.

• CapitaliseCapitaliseCapitaliseCapitalise on what your students know about the grammar of their own language

(Arabic) so that they can make comparisons with English.


• AdoptAdoptAdoptAdopt an inductive, as opposed to a deductive, approach to teaching and learning

about language and grammar. The former is where you help students to work out

rules for themselves as opposed to the latter where you just tell them.


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• FacilitateFacilitateFacilitateFacilitate noticing – that is to say, help students see (notice) patterns and

structures. The noticing hypothesis championed by Schmidt25 has shown that if we

can help students to have those light bulb moments their learning will progress

much faster.

• Find outFind outFind outFind out what students already know then go from there i.e. use diagnostic tasks.

This is important; as it will help you apply the i+1 principle26 and extend eachstudent’s knowledge and ability at a sustainable rate.

• IntroduceIntroduceIntroduceIntroduce target language in context to establish meaning – in other words let the

context (task) 27 demand the language.

• EstablishEstablishEstablishEstablish meaning first, and then move on to address form. Don’t forget to draw

your students’ attention to pronunciation issues as well. For example contractions

of auxiliaries as in I am going →I’m going, weak forms as we were working →we

/w ə/ working.

• UseUseUseUse phonemic symbols to help your students become familiar with elements of

spoken grammar e.g. weak forms, contractions etc. ( See section 6.3 for more

information about phonemic symbols).

• Guide studentsGuide studentsGuide studentsGuide students to ‘notice’ patterns and sentence construction by looking at the

co-text i.e. the words that surround the target language.

• Check understandingCheck understandingCheck understandingCheck understanding of meaning by asking concept checking questions and using

time lines.

• Use learners’Use learners’Use learners’Use learners’ own errors to create relevance and encourage peer learning and

sharing.

• DifferentiateDifferentiateDifferentiateDifferentiate where necessary to allow ALL learners to move forward in their

learning.

• AdaptAdaptAdaptAdapt existing materials to capitalise on their potential and create new materials

where needed.

• IncludeIncludeIncludeInclude self-assessment opportunities that empower students.

• ContinueContinueContinueContinue to increase the depth and breadth of your own knowledge and

understanding of grammar so that you are more able to facilitate your students’

learning.

Activities to try


need to adapt them to suit different abilities and learning styles.

Notice the colour (colour-coded syntax guide)

This activity is based on Michael Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar 28 approach for

teaching and learning grammar and Schmidt’s noticing hypothesis (mentioned earlier). It is

a useful way of helping learners to work out the syntax of verb phrases – particularly

when auxiliaries move position in negative and question forms. It is also a useful way of

25 Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics .11, 129 – 158.26 Lightbown, P. and Spada, N. (2006). How Languages are Learned. Oxford: Oxford University

Press.27 Willis, D. And Willis, J. (2007). Dong Task-based Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.28 Halliday, M. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Routledge.


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showing the positions of adjectives, adverbs prepositions etc. The example here

highlights the syntax of phrases which contain adverbs of frequency.

Source or create a series of phrases / sentences which contain adverbs of frequency. The

subject content and complexity of the phrases / sentences will depend on the level and

needs of your learners.

Assign each word class a colour and print out a grid with the colour coded phrases /

sentences in their usual syntactic order. Bearing in mind, of course that some may have

more than one possibility (See example below). Keep copies of the complete grid for

students to refer to later and then cut up each phrase / sentence, jumble it up and put in a

small bag (or attach together with paper clip).

Give pairs all the phrases / sentences and ask them to order each one (model an enlarged

example on the IWB to ensure everyone understands the task). Once they have finished

pairs can compare to see if they agree. When they are satisfied with their sentence order

they can compare their choices to the original grid.

Now it is your turn to start asking some questions that help your students notice the

position of target word classes e.g. adverbs of frequency. So for example, you could say:

Look at sentences 1 and 2. What do you notice about the position of the red words?

What is front of them? What is behind them?

Look at sentences 3 and 4. What do you notice about the position of the red words?

What is in front of them? What is behind them? Are the red words in these sentences in

the same position as in sentences 1 and 2? If not – why do you think that is? Could the

red words move to another position? Etc.

1 WeWeWeWe alwaysalwaysalwaysalways eateateateat breakfastbreakfastbreakfastbreakfast

2 sheshesheshe UsuallyUsuallyUsuallyUsually hashashashas coffeecoffeecoffeecoffee

3 IIII WasWasWasWas sometimessometimessometimessometimes angryangryangryangry

4 TheyTheyTheyThey AreAreAreAre occasionallyoccasionallyoccasionallyoccasionally noisynoisynoisynoisy

5 HeHeHeHe hashashashas rarelyrarelyrarelyrarely calledcalledcalledcalled

6 wewewewe havehavehavehave seldomseldomseldomseldom arguedarguedarguedargued

7 You You You You nevernevernevernever callcallcallcall homehomehomehome

8 IIII nevernevernevernever eateateateat FishFishFishFish

TableTableTableTable 7777: Colour coded syntax guide: Colour coded syntax guide: Colour coded syntax guide: Colour coded syntax guide

Colour coding word classes to highlight syntax really appeals to visual learners, and the

ordering element of the task appeals to kinesthetic learners. The task also appeals to

analytical learners – so effectively appeals to a range of learning styles.


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If you use colour coding to highlight word classes and syntax make sure you always

use the same colour classifications. This way your students will become familiar with the colour

code and able to apply it in future tasks & activities.

Noughts-and-crosses

This activity is adapted from one featured on learning English and there is a link provided

in the resources and reading section that follows.

Make a noughts-and-crosses grid and put a grammar element in each box – as in the

example below. Divide the class into pairs and then group pairs together as Team (Pair) A

and Team B. You will need a copy of the noughts-and-crosses grid for each set of teams.

When a team chooses a square, they have to respond to the example in a specified way,

i.e. use it in a sentence or provide an example. Make sure that everyone is clear what they

have to do before they begin – model if necessary.

If their answer is correct, they get a nought or a cross – if not, they skip their turn. As in

the traditional game of noughts-and-crosses, the winner is the person who first gets a

row of noughts (or crosses) horizontally, vertically or cross-wise.

has (eat)has (eat)has (eat)has (eat) did notdid notdid notdid not were (run)were (run)were (run)were (run)

areareareare waswaswaswas has nothas nothas nothas not

are youare youare youare you were notwere notwere notwere not have youhave youhave youhave you

(eat)(eat)(eat)(eat)

TableTableTableTable 8888: Noughts and crosses grammar game: Noughts and crosses grammar game: Noughts and crosses grammar game: Noughts and crosses grammar game


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This game is a useful way of recycling language students have worked on previously

and the chance to revisit and cement their understanding of & ability to use an element of

grammar.

Grammar in context

This is a simple but effective activity that enables you to establish a context for the

element of grammar you want to focus on. It ensures meaning is at the forefront of

teaching and learning and sets students up for analysing form / function and syntactic

features afterwards.

Sources a text that features the key grammar point: Preferably an authentic text or

graded version of an authentic text that will be of interest to your learners. If you decide

to create or grade a text yourself, try and retain an element of authenticity i.e. use

language in re

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