1.

0 The course and the learners

1.1 Group profile

This is a multilingual group of twelve adult students, five males and seven females.
Most learners are Hispanic, e.g. come from Spain, Colombia and Portugal. There are
also learners from Russia and Albania. It is a mixed ability group; most learners are
transitioning from A2 to B1 level and there are two strong B1 learners. Learners
demonstrate various types of motivation (Dörnyei and Ushioda, 2011):

 Extrinsic motivation: needing L2 for more effective communication when

travelling abroad.
 Integrative motivation: to socialize with international people and L2 native
speakers.
 Intrinsic motivation: enjoying the learning experience and the challenge it
offers.

There is a friendly atmosphere among students, and I have witnessed co-operation and
sensitive peer feedback from stronger to weaker learners. There are no behaviour
issues and teachers seem to manage this group very effectively. I have taught this
group once to diagnose their listening strengths and weaknesses; however, five
learners were absent on that day.

1.2 Course Overview

This a General English course. The class meet every day from 12:00 to 14:00, with a 5-
minute break in between. They are familiar with the centre’s program and with the
fact that they will have several different teachers. The course aims to help learners
develop both accuracy and fluency through real-life communicative tasks. A lot of
attention is placed on working with emergent language, so as to focus on what the
learner needs, instead of pre-determining and controlling what the learner needs to
learn (Anderson, 2015). It is a highly learner-centred approach, but with useful teacher
intervention which aims to encourage learners to use the language, improve their
pronunciation and notice the gaps between the existing and new knowledge.
Authentic materials are emphasised and coursebook materials are not preferred. The
reason for this, is to make learning more relevant and meaningful to the learners,
building from lesson to lesson to practise and consolidate language.

1.3 Individual Learner Profiles

1
 Name, Age, Occupation and Strengths and Weaknesses in (focus of lesson) Additional Comments
Origin motivation for Learning
Languages
Spoken
Eric Eric has missed a few Strengths: Eric seemed to understand his peers weak learner
Spanish classes. He lives quite far in group activities and responded to their Eric was quiet and did not volunteer any answers
male and for this reason he questions. He understood most of the teacher’s when I observed the group. When preparing for a
Early 20’s often arrives late. instructions. speaking task, he wrote full sentences instead of
He has just finished notes and paid attention to accuracy. He often asked
studying data analysing in Weaknesses: He only decoded a few key words teachers for help and was more eager to interact
transport. He is working at from the listening and was challenged by with them, as he is aware that he needs their
a night club and he often decoding at chunk or sentence level. support. His contributions in small groups were
feels tired during the day. usually single-word responses, e.g. “No. You? Ok.”
There are no records of He was absent when I taught the diagnostic
why he is learning English. listening lesson.
Daniela She seems very Strengths: she is a strong listener, as she Strong learner
Portuguese motivated, as she tries to mentioned that growing up in Portugal, she was Daniela kept organized notes, using different colours
female only use English to able to watch English TV programmes which and highlighters. She asked for metalinguistic
Late 20’s communicate with her are not dubbed as they are in Spain. She was explanation, e.g. “can we use the plural form after
peers. able to decode clusters and vague language. the preposition?” She told me she likes rules and
She is considering moving considers them important for language learning. She
to England for some time, Weaknesses: she was not able to decode is quiet and seems keen on analytic and individual
to improve her language unknown words and she had difficulty activities.
skills. She is also understanding sentences in the jungle
interested in writing CV (Cauldwell, 2018) version.
and cover letters.

2
 Zara She’s working at Corte Strengths: Zara could ask for clarification and Average learner
Spanish Ingles but also looking for repetition when she could not understand her Zara is a confident and fluent speaker. She relies on
female work elsewhere. She said speaker. Spanish to make sense of new concepts. She often
34 that most interviews are responds with vale. She has difficulty understanding
usually in English, hence Weaknesses: Sometimes, she could not connected speech and often asked me to repeat
the interest in L2. She also understand instructions and asked the teacher more slowly during a group talk stage. According to
mentioned an interest in to repeat, privately. the other trainees, she is also a competent writer.
translating. She was absent during the diagnostic lesson, so
I do not have records of any specific
weaknesses.

Violeta She mentioned she does Strengths: Violeta identified key words in a Average learner
Russian not have time to study previous listening lesson. She could understand Violeta is fluent for her level and pays attention to
female English at home. She has instructions and was able to understand all her detail as well. She sometimes asks questions
not stated why she is co-speakers in group discussions, and respond omitting operators, e.g you know why? Omission of
learning English. She has quickly, without much time spent on 3rd person is frequent. She uses vague language
missed several classes. processing. when uncertain, e.g. some kind of game. She is
aware of her weakness in pronunciation and always
Weaknesses: I am not aware of any difficulties, asks teachers to model the language slowly and she
as she was absent during the diagnostic lesson. repeats it multiple times to get it right. Some
problems with affricates /ʧ/ and /ʤ/, eg. In
architecture and danger.
Juan Carlos He has just finished his Strengths: Although he was absent during the Strong learner
male Master’s in motion diagnostic listening lesson, I recall he was a Juan Carlos is a strong learner. He is fluent and has a
Colombian graphics. He’s currently strong listener. J.C was able to decode most very positive attitude in class. He sometimes
Speaks working as a waiter until words, clusters and vague language, while dominates the group as he contributes many

3
 Spanish he finds a permanent job. applying strategies to make up for not interesting ideas fluently and his peers seem to learn
Late 20’s He is intrinsically understanding, e.g. say again? from him. Pairing him with stronger learners is a
motivated to learn English good idea to increase challenge, as he might often
and seems to enjoy the Weaknesses: I am not aware of any feel underchallenged. He elicits opinions with “what
learning experience. weaknesses, as he was absent during the do you think”, self-repairs, e.g. the same
diagnostic lesson. tempo..beat, he can compensate for when he
doesn’t understand, e.g. I don’t know the word in
English. Some pronunciation errors, e.g. popular,
mountain, traditional, museum. When I applied
immediate correction, I felt I embarrassed him, as he
apologized.
Diana Watches television in Strengths: Diana is a strong learner with great Strong learner
Spanish English. Enjoys all aspects listening skills. She was able to decode all the Diana is one of the strongest learners. She is quite
Speaks of the language, from clusters and vague language during the fluent but also focusses on accuracy. She often asks
Catalan and analysing to using it. diagnostic. When Basilio asked what and stuff teachers very specific questions and is not easily
Spanish means, she gave him a synonym phrase, e.g. satisfied by answers. Some problems with word
female and things like that. She tried to infer meaning stress, e.g. /ˈkɔːrekt/. Good pronunciation of
Early 50’s of unknown phrases she heard. complex words, e.g. neighbourhood. She interacts
well with strong learners, like Violeta and J.C. but
Weaknesses: she was challenged by clusters tends to ignore weaker ones, e.g. Eric, when in the
with multiple catenation, e.g. standing on my same group. Often asks questions without operators,
own two feet. She could decode feet, but not e.g. they play a song? She often asks for Spanish
the rest. equivalents to understand new concepts.

Drilon He is a motivated Strengths: His listening skills are strong. He Average learner
Albanian language learner. He contributed a lot of information during the Drilon was quiet the first time I observed him. He

4
 Male seems to enjoy using reconstruction phase of dictogloss. He listens monitored himself a lot and produced hesitant
Early thirties English to communicate without looking at the worksheet and speech. During the diagnostic, he always
Also speaks with others. He studies concentrates without difficulty. Good memory. participated and sounded more fluent, while always
Greek and psychology and wants to focusing on accuracy. He prefers individual feedback
Spanish. live in Barcelona. Weaknesses: He said he finds rapid speech from the teacher when preparing for tasks. He also
He’s an athlete. challenging, as most students. Chunks , such as enjoyed the open class feedback slot where teachers
it’s kind of hard to decide were difficult for him elicit correction. He was able to identify many
at first. grammatical errors. He avoids or misuses irregular
past forms, e.g. he wear a costume instead of wore.
He uses metalanguage to ask question, e.g. is agree
an adjective or a verb?
Basilio Retired physical therapist Strengths: He can identify familiar words and Weak learner
Spanish and BE teacher He likes phrases when pronounced in their dictionary Basilio has a positive attitude, although he is the
male reading song lyrics in form. He can ask for clarification when he does oldest member of the group and perhaps the
Early 60’s English. He tries to not understand, mainly with “eh?” weakest learner. He mentioned he does not like
Speaks practice English outside crowded and loud places and that he is a quiet and
Catalan, the classroom. Weaknesses: he had trouble decoding most of introverted persona. During a private chat, he told
Spanish and the text. He was able to identify key words to me he often feels demotivated and tempted to stop,
French understand the main idea of the topic. When I as his level is lower than that of his peers. Needs
gave instructions, he could not understand and careful correction and private feedback, to sustain
always needed me to repeat them to him more his motivation and avoid hurting his ego. He says:
slowly, in private. one moment, when he wants to plan his thoughts.
Frequent syntactic and lexical errors but he makes a
real effort to communicate, using any linguistic
resources available.
Ana Ana studies hotel Strengths: Ana was able to identify familiar Weak learner

5
 20’s management and would words and phrases and certain connected Ana is the only returner from the July course. She
Domenican like to work in hospitality. speech features, like catenation in what am I was quiet at first but when the teacher asked
Republic She now works in a going to do. grammar questions, she answered them accurately.
female restaurant where she Speech is slow and hesitant, as Ana focuses on
interacts with foreigners Weaknesses: Anna was confused and could not accuracy. Better receptive competence than
in informal contexts. tell the difference between I can let them and I productive. She uses metalanguage, e.g. adjective,
She often comes late for can’t let them in the bingo activity. verb, preposition to identify words and knew
class. She is very irregular verb forms when the teacher elicited them.
motivated, often uses a She identifies writing, spelling, speaking and
dictionary in class. pronunciation as very difficult. She prefers the
teacher to guide her to self-correct.
Elizabeth Will not be able to attend Strengths: Eli was very keen on dictogloss and Strong learner
Spanish week 3 and 4 contributed a lot of information during group She was moved down from the upper intermediate
female reconstruction. She always understood group. She is a strong learner and a fast finisher. She
Late 30’s instructions and responded to questions when focuses on accuracy and enjoys grammar activities.
nominated. Quite fluent and confident when speaking.
Weakness: She found the jungle version of
sentences difficult to decode.

Ishmael I have no records of his Strengths: Ishmael was able to process the Weak learner
Male motivation for learning recording for gist and talk about it with Drillon. Ishmael’s level is a bit lower than that of most levels.
Speaks French English He takes notes in French and appreciated translation
Weaknesses: from L2 to L1. He looks rather introverted and
Ishmael could not always understand my speaks rather quietly in pairs, perhaps due to lack of
instructions. When I asked him to make some confidence.
examples, he sometimes repeated what I said,
as he thought I was drilling language.

6
 Sandra She has missed a few Strengths: Sandra could interact very well when Average learner
Early twenties classes. She is injured and paired with strong learners, e.g. J.C. She could Sandra works well with stronger learners but was
Spanish currently unemployed. understand and respond appropriately. She also very supportive when paired with Eric. She gets
Female Looking for a job as an showed an interest in connected speech easily frustrated and needs everything to be clearly
Knows some artistic portrait features and decoding rapid speech. She was explained. When I used Cauldwell’s technique, she
Japanese photographer. She uses able to decode most of the details from the questioned the value of the jungle version. After a
email for job applications. recordings. week, when I reused it without the jungle, she asked
me why I did not include the jungle. I believe this is a
Weaknesses: Sara did not always understand way of seeking extra attention.
my instructions and asked me to repeat
privately.

7
2.0 The lesson

2.1 Aims
Overall communicative aim: By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to
understand a recording about asking and giving directions.

Main aims: Phonology

1) By the end of the lesson, learners will improve their ability to understand (2)
features of pronunciation: gemination and elision. They will demonstrate that
understanding by:

 noticing where the features occur in dictated sentences.

 predicting where they are likely to occur in a different set of sentences.

2) By the end of the lesson, learners will become more aware of the unstressed sound
shape of can and could in questions such as the selected ones:

 Could you tell me how to get to the bus station?

 Can I just check?

This will occur by playing these sentences and asking learners where the stress of the
sentence is. Additionally, by asking learners to notice whether could/can are stressed
within the sentence.

Secondary:

Systems: Lexis

1) By the end of the lesson, learners will have the opportunity to develop some topic-
related vocabulary.

Teaching aim

2) To differentiate materials and suit different levels by:

 providing weaker learners a less demanding gapped script and more

challenging sheet to stronger learners.
 underlining the pairs of words where gemination and elision occurs, to
help weaker learners faster notice them.
 Providing a written record of the dictated sentences in ex 4 for weaker
learners only.

8
2.2 Analysis

Listening processes:

As mentioned in my BE, we listen and understand information by combining two

processes: top-down and bottom-up. Top-down is moving from the whole to its parts,
i.e. using knowledge we already have about a topic to understand and predict
information. Bottom-up is the opposite, we move from the parts to the whole, i.e. use
the text itself to understand information by decoding sounds, words, chunks, etc
(Nation, 1995).

Bottom-up processing:

Bottom-up processing, or decoding, is the focus of this lesson. It is considered a

difficult area for the learners of this group, particularly those whose L1 is not as
rhythmic as English and does not include the same sound reductions and changes, e.g.
Spanish and Albanian.

As I mentioned in my BE, Field (2010) states that decoding is matching the acoustic
signal to information. Expert listeners decode the stream of speech by automatically
performing some processes, not necessarily in a linear way; some may be combined.

1. Decoding sounds
2. Decoding syllables
3. Decoding words
4. Decoding chunks
5. Decoding sentences
6. Decoding prosodic features
7. Decoding meaning

When decoding at chunk or sentence level, certain features of connected speech

occur. The ones I will focus in this lesson are gemination and elision.

Gemination

Definition: two identical consonant sounds (the final consonant of a word and the
initial one of the following word) merge into one slightly longer sound.

E.g.: I want twelve of those, /aɪwɒntwelv/ (Swift, 2013)

9
Examples of gemination in the text:

get to /ˈgetuː/
bus station /ˈbʌsˌteɪʃən/
about two /əbˌaʊˈtuː/
big gallery: /ˌbɪˈgælərɪ/
next to /ˈnekstʊ/
past Tesco /ˌpɑːsˈteskəʊ/

Elision

Definition: omission of a sound. According to Field (2010), elision is a frequent feature,

particularly with /t/ and /d/ at the end of words, e.g ..and he said.. /ənhiːsed/

However, it is also common with other sounds such as /l/, /v/, /n/, /k/ /r/. Field (2010)
adds that the negative particle not, when contracted, i.e. ‘t, is often elided even before
words that begin with a vowel, e.g. he hasn’t asked. /hi:ˌhæzənˈæskt/

Examples of elision in the text:

Should take /ʃʊˈteɪk/ d

Saint Paul’s /senˈpɔːls/ t
just check /ʤʌsˈʧek/ t
and the /ənðə/ d

Unstressed sound shape of modal auxiliaries can and could.

Can and could are secondary auxiliaries, or modal verbs. They precede a main verb and
do not co-occur with an operator but act as an operator in the interrogative or
negative form (Parrot, 2007).

Examples

Negative form Interrogative form

I can’t go. can I go?
I couldn’t show him the photo Could you show me the way?

As Cauldwell mentions (2018), all words have many potential sound shapes, i.e. they
do not always sound the same and are not always prominent. In my BE, I mentioned
the example of function or grammar words. For instance, I explained how for is
prominent at the end of a sentence but weak when preceding a noun phrase.

10
In this text, I wish to explain that can and could also have flexible sound shapes. In the
examples provided, the modal verbs in the interrogative form are not prominent, as
the main verb carries important information.

1) Could you tell me..? /kʊʤʊˈtelmɪ/

tell is the main verb and therefore prominent.

2) Can I just check? /kənˌaɪʤʌsˈʧek/

Check is the main verb and therefore prominent
possible vowel reduction: /kæn/ to /kən/

2.3 Timetable Fit

In previous lessons: I have taught that group twice. During the first class, I conducted a
dictogloss activity, to diagnose learners’ weaknesses. I asked learners to underline the
parts of the text that were difficult to decode. Many examples included gemination
and elision, e.g.:
It’s kind of hard to decide
Serious stuff, good decision
Additionally, there was a tendency to equally stress can or could and the main verb in
the affirmative form.
e.g. you can park there /ˈkɑːnˈpɑːrk/
During the second class, I taught language to ask for and give directions, therefore
learners are prepared lexically for this lesson.
I have also noticed that connected speech in general is something that troubles these
learners, so this recording offers examples of catenation and vowel reductions;
perhaps stronger learners will be intrigued to ask more questions about these features
as well.
In subsequent lessons:
I have found a youtube video which I can use in my next lesson. It is a woman talking
about being a lost in a foreign country, see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=v2OYJxM2Mfc . There are many examples of elision, e.g. needed to /ˈniːdɪtʊ/and
gemination, first time /fɜːstaɪm/. The topic also ties in with the context of being lost
and asking for directions. I can create a gapped transcript to draw learners’ attention
to similar examples and provide further receptive exposure to gemination and elision.
For further consolidation, I have also read about a new website,
http://www.tubequizard.com/ , which I would like to use in future classes. There is a
wide range of videos about different topics, and one can filter by task type, e.g.
pronunciation for listeners. There is a big number of gapped activities that focus on

11
elision and gemination, which I can use, but also encourage learners to practice at
home. https://playphrase.me/ is also another good tool that can be used in the same
way, both in class and at home.

2.4 Assumptions (based on learners)

Skills: Stronger learners, as identified in 1.3, will be able to decode most parts of the
text and fill in all the gaps. Weaker learners will have more difficulty, and this is why
the tasks have been differentiated as mentioned in 2.1. I also noticed that connected
speech in general is something that troubles these learners, so I expect them to ask
questions about more features of connected speech in this lesson, e.g. catenation in
straight on /ˈstreɪtˌɒn/

Topic: Learners were given a choice of transactional situations to choose from . Most
of the learners voted for this topic, so I know it appeals to them. See appendix 5.1.
Language:
I expect stronger learners to be familiar I expect weaker learners to be familiar
with everything weaker learners with:
understand plus:

Vague use of about in about fifteen The places mentioned, bridge, post
minutes office, gallery, church, bus station.
Meaning of past in past the post office: Next to, as we encountered it in our
further from previous class.
The meaning of straight: continue
without stopping. Basic expressions for asking and giving
the chunk straight ahead. directions that occur in the recording.
the meaning of reach
They probably remember go over the
bridge but not use it productively.

Tasks: During the diagnostic lesson, I used several techniques and gave learners a
questionnaire. I asked which techniques were useful for them and according to their
responses (see appendix 5.2). I used Cauldwell’s analogy of sounds to plants, gardens
or the jungle. The students seemed to understand the concept and appreciate the
drilling part of the greenhouse and garden model. Some appeared skeptical about the
usefulness of producing the jungle model; Sandra said “but we don’t have to use that”,
and Eli asked “maybe that is a very informal style”. Nevertheless, in our last class,
when I avoided drilling the jungle, Sandra asked why I did not include it. Therefore, in

12
this lesson, I will move from the greenhouse to the garden and if learners request, I
will dictate the sentences faster.
The dictogloss activity was interesting for most of them, however, it was challenging
for weaker learners, such as Basilio and Ishmael. Therefore, this time, I will use a
gapfill, as I want learners to focus on specific features of connected speech which
seemed to challenge them in our previous lesson, e.g. hard to decide, let me think and
good decision.
Abilities: Most learners are transitioning from A2 to B1. There are some weaker
learners like Eric, Basilio, Anna and Ismael and some strong B1 learners, J.C and Diana.
The weaker learners are often quiet in open-class stages, but they make an effort to
participate in pairs or groups. The strong ones tend to dominate groups, as they are
enthusiastic about learning and enjoy practising and improving their English skills.
Tasks have been differentiated to cater for both stronger and weaker levels.
2.5 Anticipated Problems & Solutions

problems solutions
1. Some of the learners 1. I will play recording one or more
may not get all the time. If they have specific
answers during the first uncertainties, to save time, I will
listening. read specific parts of the
transcript.
2. Listening may still be
Tasks too challenging. 2. I will allow learners control over
input, e.g. pause and replay.
3. Some learners might
find it hard to trace 3. I will monitor closely and provide
phrases where the some help, e.g. point to a part of
features of connected the text.
speech occur.
4. I will explain that it is important to
repeat exactly as I say it, to
4. I have not used back-
maintain the correct intonation
chaining before. Some
and sentence stress.
learners may change
the intonation and not
repeat exactly as I
model.
5. I will highlight the sound changes
on the whiteboard if learners do
5. the focus-on-
not notice the changes. If learners
gemination&elision
cannot find more examples, I will
tasks may take too
provide the examples and ask for
long.

13
 the sound changes that occur.
Alternatively, I will assign 2b to one
group and 3b to another, i.e. one
group will focus on finding
examples of elision and one on
gemination.

problems solutions
1. Some learners may 1. I will briefly inform them of the
arrive in class late. context of the lesson.

2. I will explain that they can

2. Some learners mumble the phrases and
might not want to manipulate them internally.
affect repeat the garden
mode.

Topic I do not anticipate problems with the topic as it was chosen by the learners,
see appendix 5.1.

problems solutions
1. Spanish learners might 1. I will indicate how the two -s
apply epenthesis to geminate and how seeing it as
words that start with -s bus tation may help them
clusters, e.g. /e better pronounce them.
ˈsteɪʃən/.
2. I will correct this error
2. Some weak learners immediately.
pronounce the silent /l/
in walking 3. I will write on the whiteboard
str8; it may serve as a
3. Straight might be mnemonic to remember the
Language difficult to pronounce spoken form.
because of the silent -
gh. Some learners may 4. I will ask a strong learner to
produce a sound like model the word and learners
the /h/ to repeat.

4. Some learners may

mispronounce church.
5. I will explain that no word is

14
 5. Some learners, e.g. always stressed or unstressed.
Diana may ask if could It always depends on what we
and can are always want to say, what carries
unstressed. important information.

6. Some learners may ask 6. I will explain gemination

if gemination occurs occurs between consonants
between go and over. but if learners ask, I will briefly
mention the intrusion with the
approximant /w/.

15
 Equipment 1. Technical problems
with the audio
player. 1. I will read the script.

2. I will read them myself.

Materials 2. The quality of the
and recording is poor. 3. I will highlight the parts on
Resources 3. The students are not the whiteboard and ask
able to notice questions to guide them to
features of the answer, e.g. is it one /t/
connected speech in or two? Can you hear
the recorded the /d/ ?
sentences.

16
3.0 Procedure

Abbreviations
T Teacher
Ss students
Wb Whiteboard
OP Open class
GW Group work
PW Pair work
PC Peer check
IND Individual
FB feedback

17
 Stage Time Interaction Procedure Aim
Lead in 1’ T-ss T greets ss. 1. To create a link with today’s
lesson
T asks ss what they talked about in previous class. Elicits
topic.
Pre-listening 3' GW T asks ss to remember some of the language they learned in 1. To activate linguistic schema
OC that class. Then they share in open class. FB. connected to today’s lesson.
flexistage 2 T-ss Uncertainties with lexis or phonology may occur 1. To upgrade learner output
First 4’ PW T tells ss they are going to listen to two people. One of them 1. To set the context
listening GW is asking and the other is giving directions. T tells ss to listen 2. To allow ss to process text for
OP once and then in groups, talk about what they understood meaning
from the text. (Appendix 3, file 1whole). T elicits answers in
open class. Does not confirm or correct.
Second 3’ PW T tells ss they are going to listen again. They must listen and 1. To differentiate tasks in order
listening GW fill in the gaps. T distributes differentiated handouts. to support weaker learners
OP (appendix 3) T tells ss to read the text first and then plays and challenge stronger
the recording. learners.
2. To listen for specific
information.
3. To provide further exposure of
some vocabulary from
previous lesson.
4. To provide initial exposure to
unstressed sound shape of
can/could, gemination and
elision of /t/ and /d/.

18
 flexistage 2’ t-ss If learners are uncertain about any lexis, T records, elicits 1. To help learners develop new
meaning and drills. lexis
flexistage 2’ ind If necessary, T plays recording one more time 1. To provide more opportunities
for learners to get their
answers.
2. To reduce weaker learners’
anxiety by providing a safety
net (Wilson, 2008)
Feedback on 2’ PC T tells learners they can check with each other. Then, she 1. To allow learners to check their
task gives them the transcript. (Appendix 4) Learners check their answers without causing anxiety
answers. or disappointment.
flexistage 2’ ss-T Ss may have questions about words they do not remember, 1. To respond to learners’
e.g. reach, or unknown lexis, e.g. carry on, keep going. questions
Micro- 5-6’ T-ss T writes could you tell me how to get to the main bus 1. To draw attention to
listening task GW station and can I just check on the wb. unstressed sound shapes of
1 She draws a plant and a garden, she points to the plant and can and could in the example
reminds ss this is how words sound one by one. She elicits questions.
the plant version of the sentences from students. 2. To allow learners to
She asks learners to say the examples aloud in groups. Then manipulate the oral form.
she plays the audio. (appendix 3, files 1acan and 1bcould)).

She asks learners where the stress is in each example. She

asks if can and could are stressed. She drills using the back-
chaining technique.

19
 Micro- 10-12’ T-ss T tells learners to turn to page 2, exercise 2. She points to 1. To draw attention to connected
listening task the example sentences, one by one. She elicits the plant speech and elicit any prior
2 version of the sentences from students. knowledge of gemination from
learners.
Then, T points to the garden. She tells ss to practice the 2. To draw attention to
GW garden version in groups, which means words gently gemination.
touching each other. What changes happen? T elicits 3. To clarify and create records of
sentences. these sound changes on the
T-ss
T then plays recordings (Appendix 2, files 2 and 3). She asks wb.
ss what they notice. 4. To allow stronger learners to
T explains 2 identical consonant sounds (one at the end of produce examples of
one word and one at the beginning of the other) often gemination
become one longer one. She highlights it on the wb. (2-1)
Ind T tells ss to go to 2b. She asks them to find more examples 1. To check learners
PC of 2 to 1 in the text. They can check in pairs. T monitors. understand where
gemination may occur.
T elicits examples. FB. She highlights the changes on the wb. 2. To give feedback on task.
3. To provide more written
records of gemination.
Micro- 8-10’ T-ss T asks ss to go to exercise 3a. She points to the plant and 1. To continue drawing attention
listening task GW elicits the greenhouse version. Then points to the garden to connected speech and elicit
3 and asks them to say the sentences aloud in groups faster any prior knowledge of elision
T-ss and notice what happens. from learners.
2. To draw attention to elision
T then plays recording (appendix 2, files 4 and 5)
of /t/ and /d/
T asks ss to notice what changes happen. T elicits answers.
3. To clarify and create records of
T then highlights the changes on the wb.
these sound changes on the

20
 wb.
4. To allow stronger learners to
produce examples of elision
of /t/ and /d/.

Ind T tells ss to go to 3b. She tells ss to find more examples of 2. To check learners understand
PC elision in the text, specifically in the gaps. Ss can check in where elision of /t/ and /d/ may
pairs. Then T elicits. Then she highlights changes on the wb. occur in these sentences.
3. To create more records of elision
on the wb.
Application 8’ T-ss T tells ss she will play new sentences in the garden version 1. To provide further receptive
stage and learners must say the “plant” form. (appendix 2,4th set) practice of gemination and
elision.
2. To allow learners who feel
comfortable to produce the
features of connected speech.

flexistage 3’ T answers any questions ss may have

Answer key 1’ T-ss T gives learners the answer key (appendix 4) where the 1. To provide reasons for these
answers are given in the phonemic script. sound changes and appeal to
learners with analytic preferences.
2. To provide record of phonemic
transcriptions for learners who
appreciate and benefit from the
use of script.

21
 Flexistage/ 3-4’ ss-ss If there is extra time, T tells ss to stand up. She places a post- 1. To check if learners can predict
back up it note, with a phrase written on it, to their backs. Students where the target features
activity have to read each other’s phrases fast in the garden form occur.
and the others have to repeat in the ideal/plant form. 2. To check if learners can decode
Appendix 6 or produce the features,
depending on their abilities.

22
4.0 Materials & Resources
Designed by the teacher.

Text: see appendix 1

Recordings: see appendix 2

Handouts for stronger learners: see appendix 3.1

For average/ weak learners: see appendix 3.2

Answer key: see appendix 4

5.0 Commentary (736 words)

I have chosen listening, as these learners consider it more difficult than reading. The
reason for this, is that listening is online; there are no visual records for learners
(Wilson, 2008).

I have recorded a dialogue between two people; one is asking for directions and the
other is giving them. Students were given a list of transactional situations (appendix
5.1) and voted this situation as the most useful. I created my own material to include
features that confused learners during the diagnostic lesson (see 4.0).

As mentioned in my BE, I will focus on bottom-up listening processes since I agree with
Cauldwell’s view (2018) that decoding skills need to be trained in the classroom; they
will not automatically be acquired. Although not trained to use this approach to
teaching listening, I wish to practice it so that I can incorporate it in my future listening
classes.

Students will be grouped by level, to facilitate monitoring, as they will have

differentiated handouts and tasks.

The pre-listening stage activates linguistic schema, i.e., enables learners to retrieve the
language from our previous lesson which is related to the topic. Listening needs a
purpose as Wilson (2008) indicates; nevertheless, the first listening need not be a
comprehension test. Learners need to process text for meaning before they focus on
language (Benati, 2017).

In my BE, I suggested dictogloss for mixed-level classes. However, during the

diagnostic, I found that Basilio and Ishmael were challenged by the task and were not
able to contribute more than a few words. Sandra did not make a positive comment
about it either. Therefore, I have decided to use a differentiated partial dictation
(Nation ,1995). Stronger learners have a sheet with seven gaps, five of which are two-
word answers. Weaker learners have seven gaps, only one of which is a two-word

23
answer. The gaps include examples of gemination and elision, as well as language that I
would like to remind the learners from our previous lesson, e.g. reach.

Focussing on the unstressed sound shape of can and could, will benefit the learners, as
in our previous class, they equally stressed can/could and the main verb. This can
confuse native speakers, as they might perceive it as the negative form, where the
modal auxiliary is stressed, e.g.: Can’t I just check? /ˈkɑːnaɪ ʤʌsˈʧek/

Focussing on gemination first and elision next, will be, in my opinion, clearer than
combining them in one activity. The activities follow a sequence rehearse-notice-
listen-notice-practice. I believe that noticing will help learners make sound to form
connections. According to Field (2010), it is also a strategy they can transfer out-of-
class. My explicit presentation that follows, will confirm and reinforce what was
noticed.

The follow-up dictation was also suggested in my BE. It is another decoding activity
that aims to expose learners further to the garden form (Cauldwell, 2018) and train
them to identify the ideal form (Ur, 1984).

Students will be given the answer key to check their answers as this:

 Encourages autonomy- teachers are not always there to provide feedback

 Respects learners’ language ego (Brown, 2000), i.e. reduces potential anxiety.
For instance, Basilio was disappointed when he could not contribute right
answers
 Is an effective way to check answers in mixed-level classes in my experience.

Additionally, the key includes explicit analysis with the use of phonemic script, which I
believe learners with analytic learning preferences, such as Drilon, Daniela and Diana
will appreciate. It will also serve as a record for further study. I will monitor Ishmael,
Eric, Basilio and Ana closely, who do not contribute many answers in open class,
therefore might appreciate individual attention.

I have planned for stages where I can focus on emergent language, since as Anderson
(2015) suggests, a good teacher provides opportunities for more learning within a
lesson, not just the pre-determined goals. More places in the city may be elicited, e.g.
tunnel, underpass, petrol station, launderette, etc. Moreover, it is part of my
professional development, since I tend to over-plan and underestimate the need for
flexistages.

I will vary my role, from facilitator, e.g. drawing learners’ attention to notice connected
speech, to controller, e.g. explicitly clarifying why this happens and underlining the
form. I feel adult learners need both the freedom to discover learning but also expect
clear and explicit explanation from the teacher (Harmer, 2015). Moreover, I assumed

24
both these roles in previous classes and learners appreciated this combined teaching
style, according to after-class feedback.

25
Bibliography
Anderson, J. (2015). Affordance, learning opportunities, and the lesson plan pro forma.
ELT Journal, 69(3), pp.228-238.

Benati, A. (2017). The role of input and output tasks in grammar instruction:
Theoretical, empirical and pedagogical considerations. 
Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 7(3), pp.377-396.

Brown, H. (2000). Teaching by principles. San Fransisco: Pearson.

Cauldwell, R. (2018). A syllabus for listening. Birmingham: speechinaction.

Dörnyei, Z. and Ushioda, E. (2011). Teaching and researching motivation. Harlow:

Pearson.

Harmer, J. (2015). The practice of English language teaching. Harlow:

Pearson/Longman.

Field, J. (2010). Listening in the language classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ.

Press.

Kerr, P. (2017). Giving feedback on speaking. Part of the Cambridge Papers in ELT
series. [pdf] Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Nation, I. (1995). Teaching listening and speaking. [Wellington] N.Z.: English Language
Institute, Victoria University of Wellington.

Wilson, J. (2008). How to teach listening. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.

Parrot, M. (2007). Grammar for English language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

26
Swift, S. (2013). An ELT Glossary: Connected Speech - Sandhi Variations. [online]
Eltnotebook.blogspot.com. Available at:
https://eltnotebook.blogspot.com/2012/01/an-elt-glossary-connected-speech-
sandhi.html [Accessed 17 Jul. 2019].

Ur, P. (1984). Teaching listening comprehension. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

27
Appendices
Appendix 1: text

A: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the main bus station?

B: Sure..

A: How far is it?

B: It’s not that far. Are you walking or driving?

A: Walking.

B: It should take you about fifteen minutes. Take this road.. continue straight ahead
for about two hundred metres…you'll pass a supermarket on your left.

A: Ok. Which one?

B: Uhm.. Tesco.

A: Right..

B: Go along until you reach a bridge. Go over the bridge and follow the road until you
reach a big church. That’s Saint Paul’s church. Turn right at the church and keep going
for another 200 metres. Go past the post office.. and you’ll see a big gallery on your
left, an art gallery. The bus station is right next to it.

A: Can I just check..I go straight, past Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the church,

B: Not left, right!

A: Right , ok.. then straight on, past the post office then look left and the station is next
to the gallery.

B: That’s it!

A: Thank you.

Gemination Elision of /t/ and /d/

28
Appendix 2: recordings

1st set

2nd set

3rd set

4th set

29
Appendix 3: handouts

Appendix 3.1 handout for stronger learners

1. Listen and complete the gaps with the word(s) missing.

A: Excuse me, could you tell me how to ______ _____ (1) the main bus station?

B: Sure..

A: How far is it?

B: It’s not that far. Are you walking or driving?

A: Walking.

B: It __________ __________ (2) you about fifteen minutes. Take this road.. continue

straight ahead for _________ _____ (3) hundred metres…you'll pass a supermarket on your
left.

A: Ok. Which one?

B: Uhm.. Tesco.

A: Right..

B: Go along until you reach a bridge. Go ______ (4) the bridge and follow the road until you
_________ (5) a big church. That’s Saint Paul’s church. Turn right at the church and keep
going for another 200 metres. Go past the post office.. and you’ll see a ______ _______ (6)
on your left, an art gallery. The bus station is right next to it.

A: Can I _____ ______ 7)..I go straight, past Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the church,
B: Not left, right!
A: Right, ok.. then straight on, ___ 8) the post office, then look left and the station is next to
the gallery.
B: That’s it!

30
 A: Thank you.

2 a) Practice saying these sentences in the “garden” form. What sound

changes do you notice? Discuss in groups. Then listen and check.

Continue straight ahead for about two minutes.

.. the bus station is right next to it.

b) Can you find more examples of this sound change here?

Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the main bus station?

Can I just check..I go straight, past Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the church..

Go past the post office.. and you’ll see a big gallery on your left, an art gallery.

3 a) Practice saying these sentences in the “garden” form. Do you notice any
sound changes? Discuss in groups. Then listen and check.

It should take you about fifteen minutes

That’s Saint Paul’s church.

b) Can you find more examples of this sound change here?

The bus station is right next to it.

Can I just check..I go straight, past Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the church..

Not left, right!

Right , ok.. then straight on, past the post office, then look left and the station is next to the
gallery.

31
Appendix 3.2 handout for average/ weak learners

1. Listen and complete the gaps with the word(s) missing.

A: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the main ________ _____________(1)?

B: Sure..

A: How far is it?

B: It’s not that far. Are you walking or driving?

A: Walking.

B It should take you _________ (2) fifteen minutes. Take this road.. continue straight
ahead for about _____ (3) hundred metres…you'll pass a supermarket on your left.

A: Ok. Which one?

B: Uhm.. Tesco.

A: Right..

B: Go along until you reach a bridge. Go over the bridge and follow the road until
you reach a big church. That’s ___________ (4) Paul’s church. Turn right at the
church and keep going for another two hundred metres. Go past the post office..
and you’ll see a big ____________ (5) on your left, an art gallery. The bus station is
right next to it.

A: Can I just check..I go straight, _______ (6) Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the
church,
B: Not left, right!
A: Right , ok.. then straight on, past the post office, then look left and the station is
________ (7) to the gallery.
B: That’s it!

32
 A: Thank you!

2 a) Practice saying these sentences in the “garden” form. Do you notice any
sound changes in the underlined parts? Discuss in groups. Then listen and
check.

Continue straight ahead for about two minutes.

.. the bus station is right next to it.

b) Can you find more examples of this sound change here?

and you’ll see a big gallery on your left, an art gallery..

Can I just check..I go straight, past Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the church..

Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the main bus station?

3 a) Practice saying these sentences in the “garden” form. Do you notice

any sound changes in the underlined parts? Discuss in groups. Then
listen and check.

It should take you about fifteen minutes

That’s Saint Paul’s church.

b) Can you find 2 more examples of this sound change here?

A: Can I just check..I go straight, past Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the church,

B: Not left, right!

A: Right , ok.. then straight on, past the post office then look left and the station is next to the
gallery.

4 Listen to the recording. What sound changes do you hear in the sentences
below? Discuss in pairs.

Where is the nearest toilet?

It could take a long time.
Next to that small library.

33
 Can you show me on the map?
It’s a popular restaurant.
.

Appendix 4: answer key

Answer key

A: Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the main bus station?

B: Sure..

A: How far is it?

B: It’s not that far. Are you walking or driving?

A: Walking.

B: It should take you about fifteen minutes. Take this road.. continue straight ahead for
about two hundred metres…you'll pass a supermarket on your left.

A: Ok. Which one?

B: Uhm.. Tesco.

A: Right..

B: Go along until you reach a bridge. Go over the bridge and follow the road until you reach
a big church. That’s Saint Paul’s church. Turn right at the church and keep going for another
200 metres. Go past the post office.. and you’ll see a big gallery on your left, an art gallery.
The bus station is right next to it.

A: Can I just check..I go straight, past Tesco, over the bridge, turn left at the church,
B: Not left, right!
A: Right , ok.. then straight on, past the post office, then look left and the station is next to
the gallery.
B: That’s it!
A: Thank you!

34
2.

When two identical consonant sounds are next to each other, e.g. about two, they will often
become one louder sound.

About two: /əbˌaʊˈtuː/

Next to it: /ˈnekstʊˌɪt/

3.

Sometimes sounds between words are lost, especially /t/ and /d/ at the end of the word, if
the next word starts with a consonant.

Should take: /ʃʊˈteɪk/ d

Saint Paul’s: /senˈpɔːls/ t

4.

Where is the nearest /ˌniːresˈtɔɪlət/ 2 /t/ become 1long /t/

toilet?

It could take a long time. /kʊˈteɪk/ /d/

Next to that small /ˈnekstuː/ /t/

library. /smɔːˈlaɪbrərɪ/ 2 /l/ become 1long /l/

Can you show me on the /kənjʊˈʃəʊmɪjɒnðəˈmæp/ Can is not stressed

map?

It’s a popular restaurant /ˈpɒpjʊləˌrestərɒnt/ 2 /r/ become 1 long /r/

35
Appendix 5: Needs analysis

Appendix 5.1: choice of topic

36
Appendix 5.2: evaluation of activities

37
38
Emergent language Plant garden various

Could you tell me..?

Can I just check?

Continue straight ahead for about two minutes. Big gallery

Past Tesco
.. the bus station is right next to it. 2-1
Get to
It should take you about fifteen minutes Just check

And the station

That’s Saint Paul’s church. Lose /t/ or /d/

Appendix 5.3: Possible whiteboard layout

39
Appendix 6: back up activity

Write these examples on post-it notes

Greek coffee is good.

A tired dog.

Nice shoes!

What a terrible life!

A night club.

That’s a good team!

Great job!

I love vegetables!

I hate trains!

I like apples and bananas.

Don’t do it!

You can’t go home!

You should try this!

40