Open books open minds
Teacher as manager
controlling
the group
dynamic
motivating
learners
praising
learners
encouraging
learners
developing
rapport
deciding on
interaction
patterns
demonstrating
tasks and
activities
giving
instructions
maintaining
discipline
responding to
classroom
problems as they
happen
• Write down your age (37).
• Write down an important year in your life
(1995 entered university).
• Write down the number of years that have
passed since that important year (19).
• Write down your year of birth (1977).
• Add the four numbers up. 4020
Guidelines on giving effective
explanations and instructions
• Prepare
• Make sure you have the class's full attention
• Present the information more than once
• Be brief
• Illustrate with examples
• Get feedback
Compare
In what ways did they follow or differ from the
guidelines?
Were they effective?
How could they be improved?
Classroom groupings
1
ssssss
2
↓↓↓↓↓↓
s↔s
s↔s
s↔s
s↔s
s↔s╥s↔s
ssssss
↓↓↓↓↓↓
↑
s↔s
s↔s
s↔s
s↔s
╥
3
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s ╥ s
s
s
s
4
╥ s⇆s
⇅⇅
s⇆s
⇅⇅
s
s⇆s
s⇆s
s
s⇆s
⇅⇅
s⇆s
⇅⇅
s⇆s
s⇆s
A. Students working in closed pairs: students work with a partner doing pairwork (not in front of the class).
B. Students work with the teacher in open class or whole class: the teacher leads the class and all of the
students are focusing on the teacher, rather than working alone or in groups.
C. Students working individually: students work alone.
D. Students working in groups: students work in small groups talking together (not in front of the class).
Classroom groupings
1
ssssss
↓↓↓↓↓↓
ssssss
↓↓↓↓↓↓
↑
╥
B. Students work with the teacher in open class
or whole class: the teacher leads the class and all
of the students are focusing on the teacher, rather
than working alone or in groups.
Classroom groupings
2 s↔s s↔s
s↔s s↔s
s↔s╥s↔s
s↔s s↔s
s↔s
s↔s
A. Students working in closed pairs:
students work with a partner doing pairwork
(not in front of the class).
Classroom groupings
3
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s ╥ s
s
s
s
s
s
s
C. Students working individually: students
work alone.
Classroom groupings
4
╥ s⇆s
⇅⇅
s⇆s
s⇆s
⇅⇅
s⇆s
s⇆s
⇅⇅
s⇆s
s⇆s
⇅⇅
s⇆s
D. Students working in groups: students
work in small groups talking together (not in
front of the class).
Classroom groupings
Classroom groupings
Student
grouping
Wholeclass
Individual
Pairwork
Groupwork
Advantages
Disadvantages
Classroom
activity/situation
Classroom groupings
Student
Advantages
Disadvantages
grouping
Whole- • sense of belonging
• everyone is forced to
class
• cost-efficient
work at same pace
• allows Ts to 'gauge the • not much chance to
mood' and get a general speak
understanding of S
• transmission of
progress
knowledge
• not communicative
Classroom
activity/situation
• taking the roll
• making
announcements
• organising drills
• giving explanations and
instructions
Classroom groupings
Student
Advantages
Disadvantages
grouping
Individual • allows individuals to
• does not help promote
progress at own pace
sense of belonging or
• less stressful for Ss
cooperation
• can develop learner
• giving different tasks
autonomy
involves a lot more
• can restore peace and preparation
tranquility
Classroom
activity/situation
• brainstorming
• written activities
• listening tasks
• reading tasks
Classroom groupings
Student
Advantages
grouping
Pairwork • dramatically increases
Ss' speaking time
• promotes learner
independence
• allows Ts to focus on
1,2 pairs
• promotes cooperation
• Ss share responsibility
• quick, easy to organise
Disadvantages
Classroom
activity/situation
• noisy class
• speaking activities
• Ss can veer away from • compare answers
task or speak in L1
• almost all kinds of tasks
• greater chances of
misbehaviour
• not always popular with
Ss
• choice of partner can
be problematic
Classroom groupings
Student
Advantages
grouping
Groupwork • dramatically increases
• Ss' speaking time
• greater chance of
different opinions
• promotes cooperation
• promotes learner
autonomy
• Ss can choose level of
participation
Disadvantages
• noisy
• not all Ss enjoy it
• some Ss may
dominate
• can be time-consuming
Classroom
activity/situation
• speaking activities
• games
Classroom groupings
Student
grouping
Whole-class
Individual
Pairwork
Groupwork
Advantages
Disadvantages
Classroom activity/situation
- sense of belonging
- cost-efficient
- allows Ts to 'gauge the mood'
and get a general understanding
of S progress
- everyone is forced to work at
same pace
- not much chance to speak
- transmission of knowledge
- not communicative
- taking the roll
- making announcements
- organising drills
- giving explanations and
instructions
- allows individuals to progress at
own pace
- less stressful for Ss
- can develop learner autonomy
- can restore peace and
tranquility
- dramatically increases Ss'
speaking time
- promotes learner independence
- allows Ts to focus on 1,2 pairs
- promotes cooperation
- Ss share responsibility
- quick, easy to organise
- does not help promote sense of
belonging or cooperation
- giving different tasks involves a
lot more preparation
- brainstorming
- written activities
- listening tasks
- reading tasks
- noisy class
- Ss can veer away from task or
speak in L1
- greater chances of
misbehaviour
- not always popular with Ss
- choice of partner can be
problematic
- noisy
- not all Ss enjoy it
- some Ss may dominate
- can be time-consuming
- speaking activities
- compare answers
- almost all kinds of tasks
- dramatically increases Ss'
speaking time
- greater chance of different
opinions
- promotes cooperation
- promotes learner autonomy
- Ss can choose level of
participation
- speaking activities
- games
Procedures for pairwork and
groupwork
Before
While
After
Motivate Ss (Ss need to feel enthusiastic about what they are
going to do)
Teach useful language (If Ss don't know the language, they'll
feel frustrated)
Give instructions (Check understanding)
Demonstrate (Model with a good S, elicit more examples)
Set time limit (Ss often work better with time limits, be flexible,
but don't let it drag for too long)
Divide Ss into pairs/groups (Vary techniques)
Monitor and intervene when appropriate (to help Ss, to make
sure Ss are using English, to ask early finishers to do sth else, to
stop the activity)
Get feedback (use variety of techniques, Ss demonstrate
language used or work, open up discussion – give feedback)
Classroom discipline
Classroom discipline video
Practical hints regarding
classroom discipline
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Start by being firm with students: you can relax later.
Get silence before you start speaking to the class.
Know and use the students’ names.
Prepare lessons thoroughly and structure them firmly.
Be mobile: walk around the class.
Start the lesson with a ‘bang’ and sustain interest and curiosity.
Speak clearly.
Make sure your instructions are clear.
Have extra material prepared (e.g. to cope with slower/faster-working students.)
Look at the class when speaking and learn how to ‘scan’.
Make work appropriate (to pupils’ age, ability, cultural background).
Develop an effective questioning technique.
Develop the art of timing your lesson to fit the available period.
Vary your teaching techniques.
Anticipate discipline problems and act quickly.
Avoid confrontations
Clarify fixed rules and standards, and be consistent in applying them.
Show yourself as supporter and helper to the students.
Don’t patronize students, treat them with respect.
Use humour constructively.
Choose topics and tasks that will activate students.
Be warm and friendly to the students.
How to torture your teacher
Thank you