MOOC Task 2.11 - Summary

Module
2, Task 11: Summary

Congratulations on the successful completion of Module 2!
Watch the video summarizing the main themes discussed in Module 2.
[The video can be viewed online. The transcript is provided below.]

Transcript:
Navigating the grammar boat
In this Module, we asked you to explore ways of staging memorable grammar encounters for your
students and help them ‘grammar’ their way to accuracy and fluency. Now, at the end of Week 2, we
want to summarize the main points and draw your attention to some issues which, in our opinion,
deserve to be further explored in teaching practice.
Do you want your grammar presentations to make a permanent impression on your students? Your
answer is probably ‘yes, of course’, if we manage to do that, we’ll pave the way to students’ success. So,
how can it be done?
There is no single recipe or formula for immediate success. However, there are many factors that can
help us make the right decision for an individual group of students learning English in a specific place at
a specific time.
1. Economy. Quantity does not automatically bring about a better quality.

o Input should always be shorter than output. Students need to use language in order to
learn it; longer input leaves less time for them to engage in learning.
o Don’t teach things that are easy.
o Keep it simple first, then expand.

© 2016 by World Learning. Intercultural Encounters PPT for the AE E-Teacher Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department
of State and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, except
where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This is a program of the U.S. Department of State

administered by FHI 360 and delivered by World Learning

2. Include explanations, examples, exercises, but keep in mind that:
o You can arrange them in any order depending on the structure you want to present,
lesson objective, your students, etc.
o It is crucial to vary your approach. If you always present new grammar structures
following the same procedure, students are more likely to switch off and stop paying
attention. Keep surprising them!

3. Make sure you target different senses and include multiple ‘hooks’: give examples in context,
use visuals, use timelines, use formulas, use videos, mime, etc. Approach the same pattern from
many different learning angles.
4. Beware of overburden. If you plan for a first encounter with a grammar structure, attend to its
core meaning. When you meet someone you like, you don’t disclose your entire life straight
away. Rather, you present information that you consider most relevant for that person. It’s the
same with grammar: start from the most relevant point for your students. You don’t have to tell
them the entire truth all at once!
5. Engage students.
o Present grammar in context. Isolated, decontextualized examples are likely to be quickly
forgotten.
o Use catchy, memorable examples – they are more likely to stay in students’ short-term
memory for a longer period of time, and allow them time to transfer them to their long-
term memory. These examples are easier to recall!
o Personalize – ask students to use the target structure to say something about
themselves.
o Involve students in explanations. Check what they know! You can always fill in the
missing gaps.
o Engage students in discovery. Start from easy things, make sure that they are successful.
‘Scaffold’ them with guiding Socratic questions that support their noticing.
o Provide input and output opportunities for students that are beyond the sentence
level—they need to encounter and use the language not only in context or a situation,
but also within written and spoken discourse (paragraphs, stories, discussions,
conversations).
6. Plan carefully for meaningful practice:

o Learning a language is acquiring a new skill (therefore, practice is a crucial element of
language learning process).
o Practice needs to be consistent and slow.
o Practice should be related to a clear goal, to have purpose.
o Practice needs to be balanced and varied.
o Practice tasks need to be scaffolded (to progress from simple ones to harder ones).
o Good practice activities are engaging, personalized, meaningful and memorable to
students.
o Practice activities can be sequenced in many ways. Their sequencing will depend on many
factors, such as the students’ proficiency level, the difficulty of a grammar point, when it
is to be taught during the semester or course.


Since language learning is not linear, it means that the students will need several encounters with a
grammar point before they are able to use it automatically. Don’t forget to make these subsequent
encounters varied, engaging and more demanding that the initial ones.
We have chosen only six threads which we thought will help you navigate safely in the ocean of learning,
steer you away from troubled waters, and huge underwater rocks. Please keep in mind that rocks are
not necessarily dangerous and are not an obstacle for learning. Over time, the wind and the rain will
break them into small pieces. These small pieces will settle in layers at the bottoms of rivers, lakes and
oceans. Over time, these layers and layers are squeezed together to make new rocks - sedimentary
rocks. That’s the ultimate aim of learning: rock-solid knowledge. We’re sure you’ll know how to help
your learners get there!


MOOC Task 2.11 - Summary

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MOOC Task 2.11 - Summary

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

MOOC Task 2.11 - Summary

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Module

2, Task 11: Summary

Watch the video summarizing the main themes discussed in Module 2.

[The video can be viewed online. The transcript is provided below.]

Navigating the grammar boat

1. Economy. Quantity does not automatically bring about a better quality.

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State

6. Plan carefully for meaningful practice:

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State

This is a program of the U.S. Department of State

You might also like