Conveying meaning

When teaching any language whether it is a word, a phrase or a verb form, at some point it will be essential to convey and check that your students have understood the meaning.

In most classrooms this is most commonly done through translation by the teacher or students, but is this really the best way? In this article I'd like to share some alternative methods which I have used in my teaching.

• Problems with translation

• Moving away from translation

• Possible problems

• Conclusion

Problems with translation
All though it is quick and simple, there are many possible problems with relying on translation.

• The word you want to translate to doesn't always cover the same range of meaning and connotation of the target word.

• Some structures or verb forms that exist in English either don't exist in other languages or the parallel form carries either additional or less meaning.

• Using translation can make students very teacher / dictionary dependent. By relying on translation, students don't develop the 'real world' strategies, which could help them to negotiate meaning and communicate when they need to make themselves understood or to understand someone who doesn't share their language.

Moving away from translation
Here are some methods I have used in attempting to move away from dependence on translation.

Mime. This includes noises or gestures. Some words particularly actions, are easy and quick to mime.

• This can actually make lessons much more enjoyable too, especially if you get the students used to miming words.

Pictures. This includes photos and drawings. These are very useful for when the words you are trying to teach are objects. Doing a quick drawing on the board can very simply convey the meaning of words that come up unexpectedly in class.

• Again, if you get students to do the drawing too, then this can make the class more memorable and can be made a regular revision feature of your lessons. Time lines are also a great way of conveying the meaning of different verb tenses.

Clines. These are graphs showing degree and they can be really useful for sets of words like, love, hate, don't mind, fond of, detest, enjoy or things like adverbs of frequency. They rely on students' existing knowledge and extend that knowledge.

• If you know that your students understand love and hate then you can place these at extremes on the graph and get your students to decide where the other words in the set should be in relation to those.

Realia or the real thing. This relies on the words you are teaching being objects and you being able to bring that object into class, but it can be really effective for students who are tactile learners and who need to touch.

• This can be particularly effective for teaching words like fluffy, rough, smooth, furry, hairy, which have very subtle differences which would be hard to explain.

Dictionary. A monolingual dictionary can be really useful in helping to build up your learners' independence.

• Using a monolingual dictionary well is a skill and one that you may well need to work on in order to help your students get the best out of it.

Explanation. Being able to explain what a word means in the target language can be a really useful skill for students.

• By giving students concise and accurate explanations of words we can help them to develop the ability to explain words that they want to know.

Synonyms / Antonyms. Giving opposite words or similar words can be a very quick way of conveying meaning, but you will need to be careful.

• Using thin as a synonym for skinny can be quite effective, but there is still a difference in connotation and you'll need to consider whether and how you deal with these slight differences in meaning.

Word formation or to be accurate breaking down complex words to their root parts. This method can also help students to understand how some of the suffixes and morphemes of the language work.

• The word 'misunderstanding' can be divided into three parts; the root (understand), its prefix (mis) and the 'ing' at the end. By breaking words down in this way students learn more about the language than the word itself and can start to apply this knowledge to other words they want to use.

Context. This could be within a written text, audio, video or even a play and is by far one of the most useful and powerful ways to convey meaning.

• If students are able to deduce the meaning of a word or phrase through the context in which they see or hear it, then they are well on the road to becoming independent learners.

Possible problems
Of course using the techniques above takes time and planning and there are always likely to be words that 'come up' unexpectedly in class when it will be just more economical to use translation. There is also the fact that you may have to battle against your students' expectations.

• If they are used to having the teacher give them translations of every new word or phrase they learn, then they might not readily take to having to do some of the thinking work for themselves. If this is the case, you might want to start introducing these methods gradually by using them as part of revision games.

• If, as is the case with many learners, they are really uncomfortable with not having a translation to match their new language points against, you could try telling them that you will give them translations for new words at the end of the class which will also act as a good way to revise any new language which has come up in the class.

Conclusion
Although many of these ways of conveying meaning may be more time consuming and require more planning than translating words, I believe by using them we are in the long term making better learners of our students. We are not only teaching them words and phrases, but the ability to convey and understand new meaning within the framework of the language they want to learn. This will make them more independent learners and better able to cope when the time comes for them to actually use the language in the 'real world'.

Article written by Nik Peachey, British Council

Taken from: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/conveying-meaning?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc-teachingenglish

Macmillan Education Online Conference Videos!

Recordings of all the talks from last week's Online Conference are now online! http://ow.ly/EFyrv ‪#‎MEOC2014‬

How to Teach English Tenses

Teaching tenses is one of the main tasks of any English as a foreign language teacher. Here are guides on how to teach tenses including exercise resources, lesson plans and more:

How to Teach the Present Simple

Step by step guide to teaching the present simple including lesson plan and activity suggestions. The guide also points out common difficulties students face when learning the present simple tense.

How to Teach the Past Simple to ESL Students

Use guide discusses how to teach the past simple including multiple examples, exercise and lesson suggestions as well as other related resources.

How to Teach the Present Continuous

This how to focuses on introducing the present continuous to students covering basic usage, as well as more advanced uses of this tense. Examples and suggested activities are included, as well as typical problems that come up in class.

How to Teach the Past Continuous

Guide to teaching the past continuous for English teachers who teach ESL and EFL classes including an emphasis on using the past continued for interrupted action. This guide includes appropriate lesson and activity suggestions.

How to Teach the Future

Guide to teaching future forms with will and going to for English teachers. There are many difficulties for students when choosing between will and going to, this introduction to teaching the future focuses on differences between will for speculation and going to for future plans. This guide includes appropriate lesson and activity suggestions.

How to Teach the Present Perfect

Teaching the present perfect can be quite challenging. Students need to understand the three principal uses of this form including speaking about life experience, expressing past to present and recent events that influence the present moment.

How to Teach Present Perfect Continuous

Teaching the present perfect continuous goes hand in hand with teaching the present perfect tense. This guide points out the important differences between the two tenses and provides tips on helping student understand.

How to Teach the Past Perfect

Teaching the past perfect comes later in the learning process. This guide focuses on the various uses of the past perfect including conditional forms and as a means of providing reasons for past actions.

How to Teach Conditionals

Use this guide to teaching conditionals to teach all four forms of the conditional. This guide provides notes on important differences in the forms, as well as a wealth of teaching resources that you can use in class.

How to Teach the Future Perfect Continuous

The future perfect continuous tense is one of the last tenses students should learn. This guide to teaching the future perfect tense provides tips on introducing the tense and comparing to similar tenses in the present and past.

How to Teach the Future Perfect

The future perfect tense is one of the last tenses that will be taught in class. Use this guide together with the guide to the future perfect continuous to help students understand how to express what will have been completed by a future point in time.

How to Teach the Past Perfect Continuous

The past perfect continuous should only be taught to advanced level students as it is seldom used in everyday conversations. This guide on how to teach the tense provides explanation tips as well as links to resources you can use in class to help teach the past perfect continuous.

How to Teach Future Continuous

The future continuous is used much less frequently than the present or past continuous. However, teaching the future continuous can be challenging because of shades in similar meaning between the future tenses. Use this guide on how to introduce and teach the future continuous to help clear up doubts in class.

How to Teach Reported Speech

Teaching the reported speech can be of great help to students as a means of reviewing tense usage as well as stretching their muscles in terms of conjugation. This how to approach suggests starting off easy with simple changes in tense and work towards more advanced reporting structures and verbs.

How to Teach Pronouns

This guide on how to teach pronouns suggests a manner in which the subject, object, possessive pronouns, as well as possessive adjectives can be introduced in a manner which will help students understand their usage by exploring sentence structure.

Have fun with vocabulary!

A lively and fun resource for teachers, this material provides a varied collection of challenging vocabulary quizzes and games. All activities are fast-paced and designed to stimulate and maintain learners' motivation. Each unit covers useful everyday topics, such as people, sports and games.

• Covers 15 useful everyday topics such as food and drink, shopping, transport, the media, jobs, and health and fitness
• Detailed teacher’s notes provide information on method, the level of the activity, timing and background
• Answer key, scoreboards and suggestions for room plans
• Suitable for Elementary to Advanced level students
• Answer key, scoreboards and suggestions for room plans

File barnes_annette_hines_jean_penguin_english_photo..

Innovations in the Continuous Professional Development for teachers of English

This is the first in a series of articles http://goo.gl/bpKsI4 which presents extracts from this free, downloadable British Council publication.

"Teachers across all professional life phases felt that heavy workload, a lack of time and financial constraints were important inhibitors in their pursuit of professional development".

Extract from 'Innovations in the continuing professional development of English language teachers’, David Hayes, Editor (p 5 - 6).

Click here to download the complete publication.

Inspiring English Teachers

Are inspiring teachers born or are they made?

– What makes an inspiring teacher? When you think about the inspiring teachers that you’ve known, can you spot any common features that they all share?

Inspiring English teachers: a comparative study of learner perceptions of inspirational teaching

Martin Lamb and Martin Wedell

What makes teachers motivating? This paper reviews the literature on motivational teaching and presents findings on the nature of inspiring teaching in two countries, looking at how learners perceive the qualities of teachers who inspire them.

This research project received funding from the British Council’s English Language Teaching Research Award.

This publication is free to download.

Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners, by Adrienne Herrell and Michael Jordan, includes a rich assortment of practical strategies aligned to TESOL standards which have been field-tested in diverse classrooms. Each strategy includes a brief explanation, step-by-step instructions on how to plan and use the strategy, and two classroom scenarios demonstrating how the strategy can be adapted for different grade levels and content areas. Herrell and Jordan have included additional language and literacy development strategies, technology strategies, and assessment strategies to support both pre-service and inservice teachers.

Download your copy here

Active Engagement Strategies

Keeping students actively engaged throughout the day is critical for academic success. However, active engagement involves more than "hands on" instruction. Students need opportunities to work collaboratively with a partner or team in order to gain a deeper understanding of the content they are exploring.

On this page you'll find a two free webinar recordings with lots of practical and easy-to-implement active engagement strategies.

• Part One includes strategies for whole group engagement and partner activities.
• Part Two focuses on cooperative learning team management and strategies for teams.

Options for Active Engagement Strategies for Success Webinar

• Mp4 Video Version - Available on YouTube and embedded in this page above. You will not be able to see the chat panel.
• Full Recording in Blackboard Collaborate - Watching this format will make you feel that you are right there in the room with us! You'll be able to see the chat panel as you watch the webinar.
• Active Engagement Strategies Part One Chat Transcript - Over 250 pages long with lots of great strategies from participants. Just scroll and scan to find what you need or use the Find feature in Word if you are looking for something specific. The times listed in the chat will help you navigate.

Part Two - Taking the Chaos out of Cooperative Learning

Options for Active Engagement Strategies for Success Webinar - Part Two

• Mp4 Video Version - Available on YouTube and embedded in this page above. You will not be able to see the chat panel.
• Full Recording in Blackboard Collaborate - Watching this format will make you feel that you are right there in the room with us! You'll be able to see the chat panel as you watch the webinar.
• Active Engagement Strategies Part Two Chat Transcript - Over 70 pages long with lots of great strategies from participants. Just scroll and scan to find what you need or use the Find feature in Word if you are looking for something specific. The times listed in the chat will help you navigate.

 

Source: http://lauracandler.com/strategies/activeengagement.php

Two awesome visuals on ADHD for Teachers

ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopment disorders. People with ADHD find it hard to concentrate on a single chore at a time, however, though they are strong symptoms of ADHD, lack of inattention or focus alone is not enough to diagnose somebody as having ADHD. Academy of Pediarics categorized ADHD into three major types:

1- Inattentive:

Child exhibits significant inattention across multiple domains with no significant hyperactivity or impulsivity. This is what used to be considered ADD.

2- Hyperactivity:

Child exhibits adequate attentional control, however, presents with significant deficits with activity level/or impulse control.

3- Combined:

The most common form of ADHD in which the child struggles with paying attention as well as regulating behaviour.

To help teachers learn more about ADHD, here are two awesome infographics I want you to have a look at.

source: pinterest.com/adhdcanada

2- What is ADHD

source : http://info.nspt4kids.com/adhd-infographic/

Simple Tenses

Paul goes to work at 9 every morning. 

The simple tenses are used to talk about regular or repeated actions:

The simple tenses are also used to talk about permanent situations:

 

	The past and future simple can be used to talk about single events: but in the present we are in the middle of it, so we have to use the present progressive:
	The present simple simple is used to talk about general truths, such as scientific facts:
	The present simple simple is also used in book and film reviews, because books and films always tell the same story: We also use it for jokes and anecdotes, which always tell the same story, and in dramatic narrative: Finally, we use it in sports and concert commentaries: even though the events are taking place at the moment of speaking (it's a lot easier to comment live using the present simple, too).

10 Things Experienced Teachers Want New Teachers to Know

The first day of school is nerve-wracking for students — but it's even scarier for new teachers.

When you're facing a whole room full of bright-eyed students whose future is in your hands, it's an empowering and totally terrifying feeling. Like any practice, it takes time and experience to learn your way around the classroom. But that doesn't mean you can't benefit from a few words of wisdom from experienced colleagues.

A few seasoned teachers at Math for America provided tips that first-time educators should know. But even seasoned teachers could benefit from these pieces of advice.

• 1. Be yourself.

  

  Be a well organized, fiercely boundaried, teacher-shaped version of you, but be yourself. They can smell a faker a mile away.

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• 2. Keep a teacher journal and write down all the great things that happen in your classroom.

  

  Because some days you are going to feel like the worst teacher on the planet. Some days that kid is going to get to you and you’re going to fly off the handle. Some days you are going to want to walk out the door and not come back into your classroom. Ever.

  You are going to need to look at those moments that made you laugh, made you smile, made you so proud of them you felt like your heart was going to burst, and made you remember why you signed up to do this amazing, exhausting, fantastic job in the first place.

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• 3. Don't yell.

  

  Seriously, don’t. Because that one time the whole year, where you actually need to yell to communicate emphasis, it needs to count.

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• 4. Work it out.

  

  Lesson planning will drain your mental energy. Students will drain your emotional energy. You'll have to channel your physical energy somewhere. Take up running on the weekends or cycling in the afternoons. Yoga also works well, but taking up boxing may be more efficient.

  IMAGE: TUMBLR WHENYOUWORKATAMUSEUM

• 5. Say their names.

  

  One strategy to learn all of your students' names is to use their names often in the first few days of class. The more you use their names, the easier it will be to memorize them all. After class, you can use a seating chart and rehearse which students sit at which tables/desks so that you will associate a desk with a name and a face. Teaching becomes easier when students feel comfortable in your classroom. (Obviously don't make them too comfortable.)

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• 6. Sleep.

  

  Establish good sleep habits. There will always be something left undone at the end of a day. Make a list for the next day and let it go for the night. If you don't sleep well, you will have the same amount of work the next day but it will be a lot more overwhelming.

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• 7. Assemble a think tank.

  

  You will need people to bounce ideas off of and to engage in meaningful discussion about pedagogy and classroom management with like-minded people in your situation. It has a few effects: a. It lets you know you are not alone, b. others can see what you cannot, c. collaboration is stimulating and d. someone else might pay for beer.

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• 8. Stick to routines.

  

  Nervous about the first day? That's normal. First impressions are important, but what's more valuable is how you reinforce your routines during the first few weeks (and months) of school. Choose routines that are short and easy to do. You'll forget how to execute long routines when you are managing a room full of children.

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• 9. Remember how hard it is to learn something new.

  

  Learning isn't instant. Teach students that deep, meaningful learning takes time and effort. Tell them how long it took you to learn something like swimming, skiing, cooking, spear fishing, etc. Students often think that if they don't learn something right away that they're not "smart" enough.

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• 10. Forget about yesterday.

  

  Some students may test your nerves today. Don't hold grudges; tomorrow those same students may be amazing in class. Though they made you angry yesterday, show them your smiles today. Smiling makes us all happier anywhere -- it's scientifically proven.

10 Essential books for Teaching English

1. The one book you absolutely need to get started:

How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer

This is the one: if you do no other reading before embarking, make sure you read this. This book is simply the complete manual of teaching English as a foreign language.

If you’re a native English speaker who’s worried about coming to terms with the grammar of the language this book will be a life saver, as it takes a practical approach, concentrating on examples of teaching and teaching practice rather than on detailed analysis of learning theory. Don’t start without this!

2. The other book you absolutely need to get started: 

Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener

This is the other one! Together with Jeremy Harmer’s book, Learning Teaching is the essential guide for your first years as a language teacher and will remain an invaluable resource for your continuing career.

Again, the really practical approach makes it a perfect introduction to teaching English as a foreign or second language.

3. The book to stop panicking about not knowing English grammar:

Grammar for English Language Teachers by Martin Parrott

Let’s face it… we need to talk about grammar! The beauty of Grammar for English Language Teachers is that it is designed to help trainee teachers develop their knowledge of English grammar systems.

It encourages teachers to appreciate factors that affect grammatical choices, as well as evaluating the kinds of ‘rules of thumb‘ that you’ll see presented to learners in course materials. The consolidation exercises provide an opportunity for you to test these rules against real language use and to evaluate classroom and reference materials. If you’re stressed by the prospect of having to teach grammar, buy this book!

4. The go-to-guide for all things Grammar:

Practical English Usage by Michael Swan

One thing I can guarantee you is that you will be asked questions about grammar that you can’t immediately answer… a state of being that will probably continue for many years! That’s where Practical English Usage comes to the rescue!

This classic reference guide succinctly – and comprehensively – addresses all of the problem points in the English language as encountered by learners and us as teachers. It gives information and advice that is practical, clear, reliable, and easy to find. Don’t leave home without it.

5. The reference guide to teacher training courses;

A Course in English Language Teaching by Penny Ur

What do you need to know about language teaching and what will you encounter? If you want a text that will act as an easy to read and easy going book reference guide discussing the various methods of teaching English, this is the book for you.

While this is ideal for your initial teacher training, it will remain a useful reference for when you become a fully-fledged teacher. The book combines theory and practice, with each unit containing tasks that encourage reflection and discussion, plus action tasks such as classroom observation and practice

6. The orientation:

The CELTA Course Trainee Book by Scott Thornbury and Peter Watkins

While the purpose of this post is primarily to list the books you should be reading before undertaking teaching, I hope the message is also coming through that you should get cracking in advance and not wait until you’ve started!

The course itself may probably represent the most difficult month of your life, so reading this title – which wasn’t available when I did my course, unfortunately – will enable you to orient yourself in advance and know exactly what to expect when you get started. A word of caution: reading this won’t enable you to take the course easily; you’ll still have a huge mountain to climb.

7. The comprehensive introduction to how to teach listening:

Teaching Listening Comprehension by Penny Ur

Listening isn’t something you’ll necessarily have given much thought in your non-language teacher phase of life… so be prepared for a bit of a shock when you have to teach listening in the classroom.

Luckily, the wonderful Penny Ur is here to help us with this fantastic text in which she defines the characteristics of real-life listening, analyses the problems encountered by language learners, and discusses the considerations involved in planning successful classroom listening practice. The book also contains loads of example tasks to give you plenty of ideas about how to deal with listening in class.

8. The comprehensive introduction to how to teach reading:

Developing Reading Skills: A Practical Guide to Reading Comprehension Exercises by Francoise Grellet

Reading isn’t something… aagghh, just see the above paragraph and replace the word ‘listening’ with ‘reading’! Developing Reading Skills is the kind of book that you’ll want to keep close at hand whenever you’re planning a reading lesson.

This is a comprehensive reference handbook offers a wide range of sample reading comprehension exercises which will enable you to incorporate meaningful reading into your lessons. I was using this book years after my certificate course when I did the DELTA and still refer to it on a fairly regular basis.

9. The ‘slow burner’:

Discover English by Rod Bolitho

Get your thinking caps on and be ready to be in this for the long haul. This is one of the first books I bought and it took a while for its usefulness to sink in.

Not the immediate go-to-guide that you’ll get with most of the titles I’ve mentioned here, Discover English operates as a language-awareness workbook which highlights and explores selected areas of grammar and vocabulary. The exercises are designed to confront myths and preconceived ideas, and to explore common areas of difficulty, while commentaries offer support to all users, especially English teachers. Think of this as a course for you to take to learn about the language :trust me, you’ll almost certainly need it!

10. What’s your number 10?

I’ve noticed that these lists tend to work best when I leave the final choice open to you.. so here you go! There have been some great suggestions so far.

10.1 Grammar Practice Activities by Penny Ur

David Harbinson recommends this title:
"I think it is especially good for new teachers who have no real idea about English grammar because it contains a lot of great activities that will help the teacher to discover the grammar along with the students."

10.2 Clear Speech: Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension in North American English by Judy Gilbert

Claudie Graner has this suggestion:
"Understanding the ‘content’ of pronunciation was the most difficult issue I faced as a beginner teacher. Grammar and methodology were familiar (I had learned grammar and been taught by progressive teachers!) but pronunciation was tabula rasa… this gave me somewhere to start."

10.3 Sound Foundations: English Pronunciation (Methodology) by Adrian Underhill

Sinead Laffan has this to say:
"Gimme, gimme, gimme! [Agreed... this would have been my 'natural' number 10 if I hadn't left it open to you all]"

10.4 Vocabulary in Language Teaching by Norbert Schmitt and Vocabulary Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom Teaching by Keith Folse

Gordz O’Doberman explains his choices:
"For me, trainee, novice and experienced teachers all need to be aware of the primacy of lexis in language learning (and teaching)."

Good reads everyone!