TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

What do we teach?

Language Structure/Grammar
Components Vocabulary
/Knowledge

Listening
Language Reading
Skills Speaking
Writing
 STUDYING LANGUAGE
COMPONENTS
a stage in a lesson where students
Studying and teacher are on (the
Language
Components construction of) a specific feature of
the language in order to understand
it better)

to increase knowledge of the

The Goal language system so that the longer-
term aim of improving productive
and receptive skills can be achieved
 FOCUS OF STUDYING LANGUAGE COMPONENTS

• The morphology of forms (e.g. is and am are forms of to be,

but *amn’t is not)
• The syntax of phrases, clause, and sentences (e.g. the rules
of questions formation or the construction of if-sentences).
• Vocabulary, including the meanings of words, their lexical
grammar (e.g. enjoy can be followed by an –ing but not by an
infinitive), and collocation rules (e.g. we say even-handed and
not *even-footed).
• The meaning and functions that phrases and sentences
con convey
• Pronunciation
• Spelling
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES
Techniques of Studying Language
are used to ensure that students
understand :
• the meaning of a language form;
• how it is used on exchanges or
texts;
• its construction.
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES
1. DEMONSTRATION:
• we can demonstrate the language forms
which we want students to study by offering
them a situation which shows the language
in action and then modeling the language
ourselves.
• The language can be used in a text which
clearly shows what it means;
• We can also use pictures or various items of
realia to demonstrate meaning
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES

2. EXPLANATION:
• we can explain the construction of language in
diagrams using the board or overhead projector.
• We can use finger-pointing to show how
constractions are made, e.g:
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES
2. EXPLANATION:
• we can use explanation in English (at higher level),
e.g. We don’t use words or phrases which refer to a
specific time in the past (‘yesterday’ or ‘last week’)
with the present perfect.
• We can explain in Bahasa Indonesia, but this can
detract from the English atmosphere of the class.
• In a traditional model, explanation is frequently
given by isolating and distorting bits of the
language which the teacher is modelling.
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES

3. DISCOVERY:
• Students can be encouraged to understand new
language forms either by discovering them for
themselves in a text, or by looking at grammatical
evidence in order to work out a grammar rule.
• In order for us to have confidence that discovery
leads to real understanding, we need to be available
for students to check with us whether they have
worked things out clearly.
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES
4. ACCURATE REPRODUCTION:
• We ask students to repeat new words, phrases, or
sentences in a controlled way, correcting them
when they get things wrong and showing approval
when they use the form correctly.
• This way not only allow them to try out the new
language, but the teacher’s feedback also serves as
further demonstration and explanation of the new
forms
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES

5. IMMEDIATE CREATIVITY:
• When students show an understanding of
the meaning, use, and construction of the
language form we are focusing on, we can ask
them to create their own sentences using the
language form.
• This will give indication, to both students
and the teacher, of how well the language
form has been understood.
 LANGUAGE STUDY TECHNIQUES

6. CHECK QUESTIONS:
• We can use check questions to see if students have
understood meaning and use.
• Example: If students are learning to use past
continuous sentences such as At eight o’clock she
was watching television we can measure their
comprehension by asking: Did she start watching
television at exactly eight o’clock or before?
• If they are working with as … as comparisons in
sentences such as Amir isn’t as tall as Udin, we can
ask Who’s taller? To check their understanding of
the language
 LANGUAGE STUDY in LESSON SEQUENCE
• The status of language study depends on why and
when it occurs. It may form the main focus of a
lesson, for example: the main focus of the lesson
is the teaching of relative clauses (or the future
continuous, or ways of suggesting) and design
the lesson around this central purpose.
• Language study may not be the main focus of a
lesson sequence, however, but may be only one
element in a bigger design (e.g. listening
practice).
• Teacher needs to decide when should the focus of
any necessary language forms take place: before,
during, or after the performance of a
 EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
1. Introducing new language:

Topic: Light in Space

Language focus: should/shouldn’t have done
Level: intermediate/upper intermediate.

Warming-up questions:
What is science fiction?
Have you ever read science fiction?
What would you expect to find in a science fiction
text?
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
Now read the following text. While you
are doing this you must find out
information such as :
- how many people are in the space
station at the beginning and end of the
text?
 Are they women or men?
 How long have they been there?
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the light?
2. What has happened to the space
station and why?
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
Tasks:
 Write a list of thins that people did that
were ‘bad’ or ‘not sensible’
Example:
Rosie was rude to Cathy
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
Tasks 2:
 Make a sentence about event (1) using
should not
Example:
Rosie was rude to Cathy 
Rosie shouldn’t have been rude to Cathy
 TEFL 2 – 2010 (Class B)
EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE STUDY ACTIVITIES
Tasks 3:
 Tell stories of things in the past which
you should/shouldn’t have DONE.