PON I ciclo Educazione Linguistica – Inglese
Titolo percorso – Title
For a User-Friendly Methodology
Learning Path no. 1
Autore – Author Anna Fochi
Unità teorica di riferimento – Reference unit
Nucleo di riferimento – Core topic
The EFL language teacher profile
Descrizione del percorso (finalità generali, obiettivi di apprendimento e competenze in uscita)
fino a 2500 caratteri
Learning path description (aims, learning objectives and final competences)
WHY THIS PATH?
“No, please! Enough with teaching methodology and language teaching methods and
approaches! Theory is theory, but actual schooling is something else...”.
Probably this complaint is what most of us teachers would say (or at least think) if
invited to embark on a training path on one's own methodology. The implied basic
assumption is deep scepticism, which unfortunately turns into a perfect alibi for
maintaining the so-called status-quo. If we intimately share the view that language
teaching theory, however beautiful, is more or less useless for actual practice, then it
is very difficult for us to develop an enquiring and open-minded approach. “There are
laws for thermodynamics, and there is cooking” (adapted from Weinberger 1992: 60):
if such a schematic approach were applied to language teaching, it would mean that
language teaching is like cooking in that both can be done without theory. Yet, this
premise is actually based on a misunderstanding of the nature and function of
language teaching theory as well as of... cooking.
Cooking requires ingredients, recipes, and techniques which are chosen, followed
and implemented on the basis of usually unstated assumptions of what constitutes
a good meal. These assumptions may be personal preferences, matters of taste
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acquired over a lifetime of many meals with family and friends; they may be
grounded on a broader and more comprehensive concept of physical health; they
may encompass ideas about food cultures which are fashionable or politically
inflected, connected to representations of different ethnic and national groups. I
would describe these assumptions as constituting a theory insofar as they guide
the choices and practices involved in cooking (quoted and adapted from Venuti
2008: 274).
Now, what is true for cooking is true for teaching as well. After all, how many
“assumptions” do actually influence and forge our experience in class! Therefore, the
main (hopefully not too ambitious) AIM of this learning path is to contribute to
change this, more or less latent, sceptical attitude, helping us language teachers to
perceive and develop a more fruitful connection between our theoretical background
and our every day experience in class.
It is important that:
 “teachers view teaching and learning as continually evolving processes
 they are keen to experiment with different methodologies and resources after
their initial teacher education
 their attitude to teaching is open-minded and experimental” (European Profile
2004: 47)
 teachers share the opinion that “effectiveness is contingent on the motivations
and characteristics of the learners as well as the nature of the human and
material resources which can be brought into play” (CEFRL 2002: 142).
Thus the LEARNING OBJECTIVES of this learning path are:
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to foster awareness of our personal teaching styles and methodologies;
to favour identification of strong and weak points in our habitual teaching practice;
to increase our ability to detect and perceive the direct implications of different;
theories, methods, techniques, etc. in the development of resource materials and
their practical outcomes and impact in the classroom;
to favour insight into a number of practical examples of methodological approaches
to teaching and learning from peer-training and group work, since trainees are
invited to share the results of their self-observation within the PON class.
Therefore the learning path is structured so as to lead us to develop increased
COMPETENCES in:
 employing different teaching methodologies, approaches and techniques in
order to deliver lessons in interesting and varied ways which meet learners'
needs;
 using different resources, tools and up to date teaching supports to make
teaching more appropriate to our students' learning styles;
 capitalising on learning about different methodologies and new classroom
techniques from peer and group sharing and comparing.
ATTIVITÀ 1- ACTIVITY 1
Metodologia
circa 1000 caratteri
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Methodology
In order to increase and strengthen awareness with regard to personal teaching styles
and experiences, the learning path moves from the “de-construction” and “reconstruction” of key-concepts and notions in language teaching and techniques, so as
to reaffirm and share a common basis among trainees for the whole core topic. I
However, it then immediately shifts to practice and on-the-spot experience, focusing
on routine teaching and learning, followed by peer-discussion and analysis of habitual
teaching styles.
In this phase, and with the aim of prompting the “problematization” of critical issues,
both the CEFRL 2001 and EPOSTL 2007 are often used as fundamental resources,
together with less “institutional” materials mostly produced by teachers for teachers
which are easily available from the internet. The intention is to provide a stimulating
basis for both individual and group self-observation and insight understanding.
Finally, the learning path widens the perspective focussing also on such a fundamental
teaching resource such as textbooks, in order to see the direct influence of “theory”
and “methodology” in what is perhaps often taken as granted, that is to say, without
criticism.
Strategie didattiche prescelte
Teaching strategies
The implementation of the learning path is based on the constant rotation and
integration of phases of individual analysis and personal self-observation with peer
training and group work. In fact, group discussion and sharing of experiences play a
vital role in this learning path, in perfect line with that co-operative learning approach
which is so often advocated in class teaching, and which all of us should promote and
favour in our every day experience. It seems particularly appropriate, then, that we
have the opportunity of practising and developing a more open attitude, or, at
minimum, increase our willingness to overcome individualism.
Another deliberate feature is the above mentioned use of varied resources, from
authoritative European documentation to more varied and less standard materials on
the internet, which, while, being mostly contributions from teachers addressing their
colleagues appears to be particularly appropriate in a learning path that hopes to help
bridge the still existing gap between theory and practice.
Descrizione (da declinare eventualmente per step)
caratteri
Description (step1, step2…)
circa 5000/10.000
Step 1: “de-construction” / “reconstruction”
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As language teachers we are certainly acquainted with the recurring terminology used
in foreign language teaching. We encounter this terminology almost every day in our
teaching experience, at least in textbooks, and implicitly refer to them when
structuring and organizing our lessons.
However, certain terms (if not the notions behind them) may sometimes risk to be
confused and confusing, as proved by the need for recent European documents to
provide glossaries (see, for example, European Frame 2004 and EPOSTL 2007). The
fact is, as often is the case with other fields of study, language teaching vocabulary is
continually evolving and moreover, there might be slightly different national/cultural
interpretations, etc.
“The word "methodology" is itself often misinterpreted or ill-understood. It is
usually given lip-service as an explanation for the way a given teacher goes about
his/her teaching, a sort of umbrella-term to describe the job of teaching another
language. Most often, methodology is understood to mean methods in a general
sense, and in some cases it is even equated to specific teaching techniques. It does
(or should) in fact mean and involve much more than that” (Jason D. Renshaw,
*English Raven site* http://www.englishraven.com/method_overview.html )
TASK 1.1: (pair-work or group-work) focus on and check your knowledge of the
terminology frequently used in language teaching theory and in your practice.
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Identify the terms and notions which, according to your everyday experience,
are really fundamental and useful in language teaching: add to/modify the
following list up to no more than 10/12 items.
1. method
2. approach
3. methodology
4. technique
5. communicative language teaching
6. task-oriented learning
7. the PPP approach / the ESA approach
8. content-oriented learning /CLIL
9. ....
10.....
11....
12....
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Now (together with your group) provide a definition (shared by everybody) for
each term, with at least one clarifying quick example per term, derived, if
possible, from your everyday practice.
TASK 1.2 : (pair-work and/or group work) now focus on methods, approaches,
techniques, types of learning and teaching ... Make a list (if possible, using a visual
representation/map) of the main ones (once again, be selective! Choose only the
ones that you think might be relevant for teaching in a Scuola Media, in your Scuola
media) and then compare it with that/those of your group and together negotiate and
define a shared list/map.
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Step 2: “de-constructing routine”
Routine is almost a synonym for repetitive and mechanical behaviour. The best way to
become aware of your personal teaching style, as it is at present (because of course
your teaching has been developing over time, and hopefully has never stopped
evolving), is to think it over. How? Through observation and analysis, a first step
towards self-monitoring. Certainly, it would be useful to also have external inpresence observation, for example by a colleague of your school. However, if
individual observation is the only feasible solution, it can always be followed by
peer/group sharing and discussion of the outcomes of the analysis.
TASK 2.1: (warm-up: group work) reflect on your overall teaching experience and
attitude to teaching. To facilitate this task:
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Read the following *advices and opinions*
(http://www.englishraven.com/trmethodology.html) by an experienced teacher to
his fellow-teachers and discuss. See * attachment 1* (attachment 1. doc)
1. Do you agree with his views?
2. Which main steps does he identify for the development of an
adventurous attitude to teaching?
3. Would you modify/add to them?
4. Do you find his advice feasible and realistic? Why/why not?
 (individual work) Answer the following questions (adapted from CEFRL 2001:
144; EPOSTL 2007: 10-11).
a) What aspects of teaching are you most looking forward to?
b) What aspects of teaching are you least looking forward to?
c) How important do you consider the following for a language teacher? Add
your own ideas.
How important?
not important - very important (1 to 4)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Co-operating with others
Good organisational skills
Classroom management skills
Teaching skills
Being able to explain grammar
Being able to vary and balance activities to include a variety of skills
Understanding of and ability to teach socio-cultural background
information
8. Inter-cultural attitudes and skills
9. Ability to deal with individualisation within classes containing diverse
learner types and abilities
10.Understanding and ability to handle testing, assessment and evaluation
11.......
12.......
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 Now compare and discuss your answers with your group and put the items in a
decreasing list of importance (bottom-down).
TASK 2.2: (first, individual work: in the class with students; then, pair work) you and
your partner choose a routine lesson each: a lesson which is habitual and almost
automatic, one which you could teach with your “eyes shut”. Base your choice on the
following list. A typical lesson of yours on one of the following:
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Speaking/Spoken interaction
Writing/written interaction
Listening
Reading
Grammar
Vocabulary
Culture
Of course, the choice is up to you, but what about focussing on the teaching of either:
 listening - It is undoubtedly a weak point for most Italian students, because
of the peculiarities of oral English, the huge variety in pronunciation and
rhythm of world English, the lack of opportunities for learners to be exposed
to authentic materials when watching films or TV programmes, etc. etc., and
finally for the often scarce and sometimes inadequate attention of
appropriate strategies to teaching this skill in our classes.
The image is taken from *“Teaching Listening better. Is listening being taught
as
well as it could be?” * http://www.abax.co.jp/listen/index.html a wellpointed
contribution which rightly points out how the prevailing idea in EFL classes is that
when teaching listening the only important thing is to provide students with lots of
listening practice. However practice is definitely not enough.
Listening needs proper teaching based on a careful choice of:
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realistic and clear learning objectives (it would be a good idea to
break the macro-skill in *micro-skills components*
http://www.abax.co.jp/listen/index.html ),
varied materials and appropriate *listening strategies*
http://www.nclrc.org/essentials/listening/
stratlisten.htm ,
adequate planning of activities, tailored assessment, evaluation and
integration with other skills;

or a specific Grammar item - Why grammar? Although
grammar is an important element in language teaching,
and sometimes even overemphasised by
teachers and syllabuses, it does not necessarily
imply that it is being properly taught. Maybe
because grammar has often been associated to
traditional language learning methods and
consequently the risk is either not to develop it
effectively enough, as a distorted reaction to
outdated approaches, or conversely, it is
common with grammar teaching to rely on
hardened habits and routine resources and
techniques, finding it difficult to teach grammar
through meaningful contexts and appropriate
texts that contribute to encourage oral and
written
communication.
In
this
sense,
therefore, grammar may be an appropriate
“litmus test” for your teaching.
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Take notes on your lesson, a schematic story-board or a teacher journal. The
issue of observing and self-analysing a lesson is actually the focus of the *third
learning path* in this core topic, where rationale, strategies and detailed tools
for observation are provided. At a minimum, you could organize your notes
filling in a basic template immediately after conducting your lesson. You can
design a tailored one to suit your needs or you can make use of * attachment
2* (attachment 2. doc)
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Now, together with your partner, compare your notes, point out strengths,
but also discuss critical issues (weaknesses).
I. You could exchange the storyboards and provide comments on your
partner’s experience.
II. Together try to identify and reflect on the characterising features of your
teaching styles, so as to become aware of the methodological implications in
them.
Are they consistent with your conscious methodological choices?
Are they consistent with your students' needs?
What are the teaching approaches, strategies and techniques that you have
(consciously or not) applied?
 Could you have adopted other strategies, techniques, etc. for the
implementation of your lesson or of parts (single activities) of your lesson? If
yes, where, and with what results…
 ....
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Moreover, for more specific indicators and prompts for analysis, check:
 about listening, CEFRL 2001: 145-6, 153; EPOSTL 2007: 25;
 about grammar, CEFRL 2001: 151-2; EPOSTL 2007: 12, 27.
Step 3: looking for alternatives
Talking to your partner and comparing your teaching styles and experiences you will
probably have already widened your perspective. However, nowadays we, EFL
teachers, are particularly lucky because it is so easy to find plenty of stimulating
materials such as free on-line resources. So, why not look for alternative solutions to
the lesson practised in step 2?
TASK 3.1: (in class with students) together with your partner, browse the net and
find free on-line lesson plans focused on the same learning areas (listening, grammar,
speaking interaction, etc.) as the routine lessons observed above. Choose one
proposed lesson plan which you find intriguing and feel like experimenting with. Then
individually you and your partner should test the lesson plans chosen with your
students. Once again write story-boards (you should use the same template used for
observing your own lessons) of the experiences and compare results.
Be courageous: the objective of this task is to encourage you “to experiment with
different teaching styles in order to develop a critical ability to distinguish what is best
for the learning context” ( European Frame: 64) For example, why don't you base a
listening lesson on the combination of listening to music (maybe, choosing a
favourite song among students or a seasonal song) and a class game, a *puzzle
song* (http://iteslj.org/games/9927.html ) then varying the skill by using the same
song also as a basis for karaoke, and thus shifting to oral production. You Tube is a
gold mine for finding resources of course, but, for example, there is also a whole site
devoted to the teaching of English through songs and karaoke like *Tune into English*
(http://www.tuneintoenglish.com/ ). Obviously these are just hints for a more enjoyable
listening class, and obviously need integration with proper listening teaching
methodology (see above).
For grammar, it is even easier to find ideas and ready made materials. Once again,
browse the internet. Perhaps you could start by looking at this interesting proposal:
Communicative Grammar – *It's time to talk *
(http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Nishiguchi-Communicative.html),
which
turns
grammar
learning into a more interactive experience. Or another possibility, although the
language level is too high and therefore should be adapted to suit your learners'
needs is http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/lesson-plans/a-quiz-christmas. These are
just some examples, and you can certainly find many more, either based on a PPT or
a task-based approach.
Step 4: “de-constructing” textbooks
Almost every year new textbooks for English language teaching appear on the market
and if you we have not thrown away the “old” ones, it would be amazing to trace the
evolution of methodology that these texts would show. However, we may often
consider them only as the most obvious and easily available ready-made resource. In
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that case, are we sure that we are using the textbook properly that we have adopted
so as to get the most out of it? Are we sure we have understood and agree with its
supporting methodology and language approach?
TASK 4.1: (peer-work or group work) focus on text-books.
Start from the textbooks adopted in your classes, but examine at least other two
textbooks (maybe, including also an “old” one, a textbook which was widely
appreciated 5/10 years ago, so as to identify, if possible, the underpinning teaching
philosophy and methodology.
The issue of observing and analysing textbooks is in fact the focus of the *third
learning path* of core topic 2, module 2, where rationale, strategies and detailed tools
for observation are provided. However, in this case your observation should be more
specifically targeted to the identification of textbook methodology and
teaching/learning approach rather than on a proper evaluation, which necessarily
implies a more systematic and in-depth analysis.
Therefore, when observing and discussing a textbook with partners, focus on points
that are relevant to this. You can make use of * attachment 3* (attachment 3. doc)
Risorse da utilizzare
Resources
L’autore potrà fornire la documentazione del percorso didattico e i materiali a supporto
che ritenga funzionali al contesto presentato, ad esempio video (formato avi),
immagini (formato gif o jpeg), audio (formato mp3), link, presentazioni, glossario,
software, ecc.
Si suggerisce di fornire al corsista anche alcuni materiali che siano funzionali nella
realizzazione dell’attività (ad es. griglie, tabelle di progettazione, questionari…).
Il suddetto materiale dovrà essere fornito in allegato al file dell’attività in un apposita
cartella.
 Attachment 1 “Experimenting with methodology” (reading text from the
Internet)
 Attachment 2 Template for a routine class
 Attachment 3 Textbooks and methodology (discussion points).
Strumenti di verifica / valutazione (da allegare in un apposita cartella)
Testing and evaluation
Si tratta di strumenti specifici dell’attività in questione, per strumenti di tipo generale
si rimanda ad un’area apposita di documenti che sarà presente nell’ambiente.
Self-assessment
Read the following indicators and assess your progress, using a scale progressing
from 1 to 5:
1 = very poor
2 = poor
3 = satisfactory
4 = good
5 = very good.
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I am aware of a number of different teaching methodologies, approaches and
techniques in order to deliver lessons in interesting and varied ways which meet
learners' needs.
I can use a variety of different resources and teaching approaches to make my
lessons more appropriate to my students' needs.
I can try out different methodologies and approaches with my students and
evaluate the effectiveness.
I am aware that every aspect of teaching and learning can and must be
questioned and “challenged”.
I can be an active element in a co-operative learning context, promoting and/or
supporting the establishment of networks of colleagues.
I can use teaching resources in a critical way.
Bibliografia
Bibliography
Cited works
Council for Cultural Co-operation Education Committee, Modern Language Division,
Strasbourg (2001). Common European Framework of References for Languages:
Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFRL). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Council of Europe, European Centre for Modern Languages (2007). European Portfolio
for Student Teachers of Languages – A reflection Tool for language teacher education
(EPOSTL)
Kelly, M. et al. (2004). European Profile for Language Teacher Education – A Frame of
Reference.
Venuti, L. (2008). The Translator's Invisibility. A History of Translation. Second
edition. Routledge, London and New York.
Weinberger, E. (1992). Outside Stories, 1987-1991. New Directions, New York, NY.
Useful Bibliography
Richards, J. A., Renandya, W. A. (2002). Methodology in Language Teaching: An
Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. An overview of
current approaches, issues, and practices in the teaching of EFL.
Larsen-Freeman (2000). D. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, Oxford
University Press – Useful introduction to language teaching methodology that provides
practical, step-by-step guidance for new teachers and introduces more experienced teachers to
new approaches and teaching ideas.
Richards, J., Rodgers, T. (2001). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge - The book seeks not only to clarify the
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assumptions behind methods and their similarities and differences, but also to help teachers
explore their own beliefs and practices in language teaching.
Sitografia
Sitography
http://www.englishraven.com/main.html site built by a teacher (Jason D. Ranshow)
for teachers, with lots of materials and resources.
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/ Teaching English is produced by the British Council
with content and editorial support from the British Broadcasting Corporation. It provides a
theoretical and historical archive about teaching methodology, current practice and issues in
ELT; it is a very useful resource for stimulating materials and ideas.
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