The Structure of a Language Lesson

Recognizable speech event given its structure: 2 kinds of participants,

recognizable activities: teaching and learning, reaching a conclusion.1

Teachers structure their lessons effectively:

1. Begin a lesson with a short review (prerequisite learning).

2. Provide a short statement of goals.3. Present new material in small steps, with student

practice for each step.4. Give clear and detailed instructions and explanations.5. Provide a high level of active practice for all students.6. Ask a large number of questions to elicit or check

students’understanding.7. Guide/monitor students during practice.8. Provide systematic feedback and corrections.

STRUCTURING:

• This refers to how lessons are organized into sequences (Research by Wong-Fillmore, 1985).

• OPENING: How a lesson begins.• SEQUENCING: How a lesson is divided into

segments and how the segments relate to each other.

• PACING: How a sense of movement is achieved within a lesson.

• CLOSURE: How a lesson is brough to an end.

OPENINGS:They will depend on the PURPOSE of the lesson.

Describe the goals of a lesson.

State the TOPIC/SKILLS Point our links with

previous lessons. REVIEW learning from

previous lessons

State the activity students will do is something they will enjoy.

Do something to engage students’interest and motivation

Describe the relationship between this lesson/activities and a forthcoming test.

SEQUENCING

It will reflect a particular school of methodology.Situational Language Teaching(Richards&Rodgers, 1986):

1. Presentation.

2. Controlled practice.

3. Free Practice.

4. Checking.

5. Further practice.

Communicative Language Teaching (Littlewood,1986)

1. Pre-communicative activities: Accuracy-based activities with a focus on presentation of structures, functions and vocabulary.

2. Communicative activities: Fluency-based activities which focus on information sharing and information exchange.

PACING

• Decisions teachers make as regards how much time to allocate to each part of the lesson, as we monitor students’engagement in learning tasks.

Avoid over-lengthy explanations.Use a variety of activities.

Select activities of an appropriate level of difficulty.

Set a time limit, but respect students’ progress with the activities through monitoring.

CLOSURE: bringing a lesson to an end effectively.

Sumarizing what has been covered in the lesson.

Reviewing key points. Relating the lesson to

the course or lesson goals.

Pointing out links with forthcoming lessons.

Praising students for what they have accomplished during the lesson.