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1 Basic Principles of Language Teaching

The document outlines essential principles for teaching language, emphasizing that learning is more important than teaching and that teachers should focus on student involvement and motivation. It advocates for adapting lessons to meet student needs, minimizing teacher talk, and fostering a positive learning environment. Additionally, it highlights the importance of making learning enjoyable and using varied activities to enhance student engagement.

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Elsakr
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3 views34 pages

1 Basic Principles of Language Teaching

The document outlines essential principles for teaching language, emphasizing that learning is more important than teaching and that teachers should focus on student involvement and motivation. It advocates for adapting lessons to meet student needs, minimizing teacher talk, and fostering a positive learning environment. Additionally, it highlights the importance of making learning enjoyable and using varied activities to enhance student engagement.

Uploaded by

Elsakr
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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SOME BASIC

PRINCIPLES OF
TEACHING LANGUAGE
 1. Learning is more important
than teaching.
TEACHING is NOT the terminal
objective of what happens in the
classroom, but THE CHANGES
IN THE STUDENTS’ BEHAVIOUR
upon which success and failure
depend.
 Teachers should not always
focus on their own role in the
classroom.
 Students and their learning are
more important than the
syllabus, the book and the
teacher.
 2. Teach the students , not the
book.
 The teacher the textbook

the syllabus
[Finishing the book in a certain time]
 It may be necessary ;
1. To prepare additional practices
on particolar points.
2. To go back and study again a
unit which has caused particular
difficulties.
3. To abandon the day’s lesson
plan becausesome problems
occur, which neither the teacher
nor the book has foreseen.
 3. Involve the students in
the learning process.
 If the students are involved in
what happens or will happen
in the classroom, they are
more likely to enjoy the
subject.
 Questionaries will work.
 Motivation
 When the purpose of an activity
is clear to the students, they are
more motivated. They should
know why some particular
things are happening.
 4. Do not tell students what
they can tell you .
• When it is neccessary to remind
of the previous lesson, it should
not be the teacher who does this ;
the students could be questioned.
• Students should be given
opportunity to give alternative
language of their own.
 After studying a text, instead
of expaining words, students
should be asked first, using
concept questions.
 When students are shown
some pictures, let them talk
about the picture.
 5. Show your reactions to what
students say.
 Your reactions to what students
say must be natural.
 T : So, have you seen the film ‘life
is beautiful’ ?
 Ali: Yes, but only on television.
 T : And what about you, Can?
 Can: No, I don’t like dramas.
 T : Oh, don’t you? Have you seen
it, Ayşe ?
 Ayşe : Yes, I have. – 18 times.
 T : Yes, and what about you,… ?

 6. Students need practice, not
you.
 Teachers should avoid doing
the following:
 1. Explaining when it is not
necessary
 2. Repeating themselves
unnecessarily.
 3. Answering for students,
without waiting for long
 4 Correcting too much and too
quickly.
 5. Talking unnecessarily about the
process of the lesson

Teacher talk should be minimazed in


most cases.
 7. Don’t emphasize difficulties .
Teachers should avoid making the
subject seem more difficult.
English is a very difficult language.
English is full of many irregularities
There are no real rules.
Preposition are completely illogical
Phrasal verbs are difficult to
memorize.
 8. Vary what you do, and how you
do it.
 Teachers should avoid doing the
things in a monotonous manner. (
always in the same way and order
, with the same material, ..etc)
 9. Select what you do and how
you do it.
There may be no opportunity to
choose the course material and to
determine the syllabus.
However, there are things that the
teacher could decide on.
 10. Activities and relationships
in the classroom change.
Forms of intearaction in the
class change
 1. Informal use – T
 2. The teacher sets a pattern and
replies. T – T
 3. The teacher questions the class
and invites them to respond. T – C
 4. The teacher questions the
individual students. T – S
 5. Students work in pairs. S – S
 6. Group work
 The lesson deveops ;
 * from controlled to free production
* from teacher dominated to student
dominated activity.
 11. Students need to learn how
to learn.
The more students understand
about the process of learning the
foreign language, the more they
will be able to take responsibility
for their own learning.
 12. Useful and fun are better
than either alone.
Students are UNLIKELY to be
very successful at learning
anything UNLESS they enjoy
the process.
 13. Language is a natural
activity.
 A: Is Peter shorter or taller than
 Jack ?
 B: Jack is shorter than Peter.
 A: Ah, so Jack is not as tall as
 Peter.
This is an example of language-like
behaviour .
 13. Language is a means of
communication.
Thus, sometimes, focus on only
communication and interaction.
 T: Good morning everybody. Please
sit down.
 C : Good morning.
 T : Well, did you watch the game last
 night?
 S1: I didn’t go, but I seed it on TV.
 T : You did whattt? X
 S1: I seed it on TV.
 T : ...
 T: Seed? Is that right? .... remember, it’s
irregular... We say watch, watched, but we
don’t say see, seed. What do we say ... ?
 S2: saw
 T: That’s right. Saw. So what did you do S1?
 S1: I saw it on TV.
 T: Good. Everybody say that please.
 C: I saw it on TV.
 14. Language is what, how, and
why.
 Consider the phrase,
milk and sugar
as an utterance.
 A: Is there anything else we need?
 B: Milk and sugar

 A: Milk and sugar?


 B: Please.
 Think of cases in which the
phrase milk and sugar with a
falling and rising tone could be
used.
 15. Use types of activities that can
increase motivation
 16. Focus on what students do
correctly.
 17. Language learning is cyclical.

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