November 2012

ENGLISH Issue 83
November
2012
Tprofessional
EACHING
The Leading Practical Magazine For English Language Teachers Worldwide
Teacher development online

Nik Peachey
One is a lovely number

Emily Edwards
Less is more
Robert Buckmaster
Challenging our own authority

Cory McMillen and Kara Boyer
• practical methodology
• fresh ideas & innovations
• classroom resources
• new technology
• teacher development
• tips & techniques
• photocopiable materials
• competitions & reviews
w w w . e t p r o f e s s i o n a l . c o m
Contents MAIN FEATURE BUSINESS ENGLISH PROFESSIONAL
TEACHER DEVELOPMENT ONLINE 4 IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW ... 34

Nik Peachey is convinced that technology Phil Wade knows that the more you know, the better
is the way forward
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS? 36
Louis Rogers sees how blended learning affects
the business sphere
FEATURES
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT 8

Leo Boylan celebrates the joy of journals TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
ONE IS A LOVELY NUMBER 12 WHAT DOES A CELTA TUTOR DO? 52

Emily Edwards looks forward to her one-to-one classes Chia Suan Chong sheds light on those who teach
the teachers
‘HEAVEN DOES NOT TALK’ 16
Phillip Brown promotes the personality of the teacher
TECHNOLOGY
LESS IS MORE 19
Robert Buckmaster believes in brevity
GET ’APPY 56
Francesca McClure Smith delights in downloads
OVER THE WALL 25
Alan Maley acknowledges accounts of teaching
FIVE THINGS YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO 57
experiences
KNOW ABOUT: TAGGING
Nicky Hockly looks at labelling
OUTCOMES-BASED LANGUAGE EDUCATION 27
Peter Zoeftig reflects on language coaching
WEBWATCHER 59
Russell Stannard extols Edmodo
CHALLENGING OUR OWN AUTHORITY 43
Cory McMillen and Kara Boyer hand over some
responsibilities to their students
REGULAR FEATURES
RAIDING THE STATIONERY CUPBOARD 46
Amy Lightfoot finds inspiration amongst the paper clips IT WORKS IN PRACTICE 32
FEEDBACK AND CORRECTION 49 LANGUAGE LOG 39

Elspeth Pollock varies her techniques to keep her John Potts
students involved
SCRAPBOOK 46
CHAT SHOW GAME SHOW 51
Richard Hillman proposes a winning activity REVIEWS 41
COMPETITIONS 40, 60
TEACHING YOUNG LEARNERS
READING NIGHT 22 INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION FORM 30

Constanze Schkölziger describes a school initiative
Includes materials designed to photocopy
• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 1

Editorial
n this issue, Alan Maley recommends some references of any kind, most of us would agree that some
I inspirational books in which teachers recount their

experiences, often of educational contexts which
might seem overwhelmingly adverse but where they
form of training is a good idea before teachers are set
loose in the classroom. Nowadays, teacher training and
professional development take many forms. In our main
managed to overcome the difficulties and make a real feature, Nik Peachey describes some of the options
difference to the lives and achievements of their students, already available for online teacher development and,
often by sheer force of personality. continuing our series on what people actually do on a
daily basis in some of the jobs in our profession, Chia
And it is the personality of the teacher that occupies
Suan Chong outlines the life of a CELTA tutor. I am
Phillip Brown. He argues that personality is the key to
grateful to Phil Wade for suggesting that we continue this
classroom success and that the teacher’s ability to talk to
series after the first article by Sasha Wajnryb on the life of
the students, get things across and inspire them is far
the DOS in Issue 80 and for assembling some volunteer
more important than the formal requirements and
contributors. Phil’s own article in this issue is on the
expectations laid down by teaching authorities.
importance of getting to know the students and finding
At a purely linguistic level, John Potts asserts that the out what they really want and need from their lessons.
teachers’ own idiolects, the language choices they make
which mark them out as individuals, plays an important part
in the development of their students’ language ability. He
makes a conscious effort to vary his own idiolect to give his
students exposure to as large a ‘language bath’ as possible,
and notices which of his favourite expressions his
students adopt and start to use themselves. Helena Gomm
Editor
Whilst one of the successful head teachers described
helena.gomm@pavpub.com
by Phillip Brown had little time for qualifications and
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2 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

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M A I N F E AT U R E
Teacher
development
online
Nik Peachey sees the future for teacher training.
have been involved in teacher observation is most often quality nourish their teaching experience. Many
I training for almost 15 years now,

and those 15 years have seen an
enormous shift in our profession,
as in most others. The catalyst for this
shift has, of course, been digital
control rather than development. Many
teachers work in staffrooms where there
is little support or exchange of ideas
and where colleagues either teach other
subjects or prefer to spend as little time
teachers have been encouraged to grow
in ways that would just not have been
possible ten, or even five, years ago.
Conferences
technology – and more specifically, the as possible actually in the building. For
communication possibilities offered by new or aspiring teachers, this malaise For decades now, the prime and
the internet. At its best, the application can soon become infectious, with preferred method of professional
of new technologies has enabled teachers teachers choosing to take the easy development has been the conference.
from around the globe to connect, ground and repeat the same tried and For many teachers, this is a chance to
communicate and exchange ideas and tested lessons over again. regenerate, renew old acquaintances and
materials at a rate that has never been The arrival of the internet – and make new friends. The continuing
possible before and, in my role as a especially Web 2.0-type applications which growth and popularity of conferences
teacher trainer and course developer, I support user-created content and social like IATEFL and TESOL can bear
am becoming increasingly convinced networking – has enabled enthusiastic witness to this. As part of the team that
that not only has the considered teachers to bridge that isolation and reach works on delivering the IATEFL online
application of new technologies made out to a myriad of individuals with diverse experience, I know that there were some
the delivery of online training courses experiences and opinions, drawing on the initial misgivings that the online offer
cheaper and more accessible for teachers, creativity and generosity of their peers to could potentially undermine the physical
but I genuinely believe we have now event. However, on the contrary, it seems
reached a point where online teacher to have had the opposite effect: making
development has become a more We have now reached so much of the conference available
effective means of developing teachers online has only fuelled teachers’ desire
than face-to-face training.
a point where online to attend the event in person. Recent
research I carried out into the preferred
teacher development methods of professional development of
Overcoming isolation has become a more over 125 teachers supported this
In our ‘traditional’ context as teachers, assumption, with conferences still
we lead a very isolated existence, despite effective means of coming out at the top of the list. Not
the fact that we spend most of our developing teachers than surprisingly, though, the next three
working lives surrounded by students. places were all taken by web-supported
Many teachers are rarely, if ever, face-to-face training methods of development, these being
observed, and the purpose of this webinars, Twitter and online courses.

Webinars world. At its worst, though, Twitter is Twitter. I don’t want to hear what
like millions of people standing in a huge someone had for lunch or which airport
Web-based seminars, or webinars as room all shouting at once! The secret of they are in – people who share this kind
they are known, have become getting the best from it is knowing how of information rarely use hashtags –
increasingly popular over the last few to listen and who to listen to. what I look for are the links to blogs,
years. Improvements in connection The best way to ‘listen’ or to find new online teaching tools, interesting
speeds, coupled with better PC sound useful information is to search Twitter videos, video tutorials or journal articles.
quality and the availability of a number using hashtags. A hashtag is a short key This is where the real development is,
of free or low-cost platforms, have word or acronym preceded by a hash and where I learn the most.
made these a genuinely viable symbol: #. A number of these are Following the right people can also
alternative to attending a face-to-face commonly used by English language help. When you follow someone, you
conference. In fact, some cash-strapped teachers, for example #elt, #esl, #efl or receive into your Twitter page all the
teachers’ associations have organised – for those interested in educational information they share. If you follow a
complete two- and three-day events technology – #edtech. A search using lot of people, this could mean a
using virtual platforms rather than #edchat or #eltchat will locate constant flow of information. My
going to the huge expense of hiring a information being shared during some advice is not to try to read everything:
physical venue, arranging hotels and of the many synchronous live weekly just take a little time out of each day to
flying in speakers. discussions organised by ad-hoc groups browse the information stream which
of teachers from around the world. You Twitter provides and find a couple of
Webinars don’t have to ‘follow’ anyone to search interesting things to read.
Twitter using hashtags, but doing this
If you want to try to present your
own webinar, try one of these free or
will probably help you to locate the Online courses
useful people to follow.
low-cost platforms: According to my research, online courses
Actually reading a tweet, once you
● www.bigmarker.com/ find one, can be a little confusing for seem to be becoming increasingly
● www.wiziq.com/ the uninitiated. Tweets often look a popular and, as I said at the beginning
little like sms text messages, with lots of of this article, I believe that these can
● http://bigbluebutton.com/
abbreviations and strange symbols like @ now not only be much cheaper, but also
You can also find a collection of
followed by a name, which usually refers be more effective, than their face-to-face
recorded webinars at
to the person who is the source of the classroom equivalents, especially for in-
www.cambridgeenglishteacher.org/
information. The best thing to look for in service and continuing development.
webinar-resources.
these tweets is a link. Links in Twitter are Unlike most of the face-to-face
often shortened (to save on those valuable courses I have worked on (which most
Among the advantages of webinars, often had, by necessity, to be delivered
140 characters) and start with bit.ly or
cited by the subjects of my research, is out of context and intensively), online
vsb.li instead of the usual http. These
the convenience. You can attend a courses can be delivered over a longer
links are where the real information lies,
webinar without even leaving home, let period of time, and teachers can study a
and it is this exchange of information
alone having to pay the cost of travel and little each week and try out the ideas
that I have found most valuable in
hotels. As most webinar presentations they are learning in their own classroom
are recorded and archived, you can even context with their own students.
watch them when you want to and with Real change and development in the
whom you want to. Many teachers way we teach takes time and needs to be
arrange to meet and watch webinar a continuous process. Short bursts of
recordings together so that they can intensive learning usually have big
discuss them afterwards. short-term effects, but those effects tend
Twitter to be more superficial and, away from
Twitter the rarified and supportive air of the
Some of the people you might like to intensive classroom, many good
Twitter, the online micro-blogging
start by following are: intentions become lost; momentum for
platform that has taken the world by
● http://twitter.com/ozge change can soon wind down. Well-
storm, is now almost as ubiquitous in
designed online courses can help
our lives as the omnipresent Facebook. ● http://twitter.com/SeanBanville
teachers to build on and develop their
However, can you really learn anything
● http://twitter.com/esolcourses motivation, and can support them while
about teaching from a message of only
● http://twitter.com/russell1955 they explore new ideas within the real
140 characters (the maximum permitted
● http://twitter.com/harmerj context in which they work.
in a ‘tweet’)? Well, it seems that many
Of course, many online teacher
teachers believe that you can – and they ● http://twitter.com/NikPeachey development courses are not well
do. Twitter can, however, do much more
● https://twitter.com/brad5patterson designed. In the past, exaggerated
than allow teachers to share experiences
● https://twitter.com/barbsaka claims and undeserved hype have led to
in short messages. It also enables them to
● https://twitter.com/missnoor28
a lot of disillusionment over online
exchange links to online materials such
learning, and drop-out rates on online
as blog articles, journals, videos and ● https://twitter.com/Larryferlazzo courses have been notoriously high.
teaching materials from all around the

Teacher
able to exchange ideas within groups 2,000 gigabytes of new information was
and build lasting contacts and networks being created. This staggering figure
among the people they study with. has, I’m sure, grown since then, and it
development Time spent online needs to be

limited, so learning needs to be concise
leaves us with a problem: how within
that vast quantity of information being
online and ‘bite-sized’ so that the participants

can fit short bursts of study into the
busy regular schedule of their lives.
generated do we locate, digest and
assimilate that minuscule portion which
is relevant to us?
When developing the Bell Blended I believe that, increasingly, course Twitter goes some way towards
Learning in ELT course, I carried out developers are waking up to these needs answering that question, because it puts
detailed research into almost 800 and many providers such as The us in touch with people who can help us
teachers’ experiences of online learning. Consultants-E, Bell and International to mediate the torrent of information,
What emerged from that research was House, as well as publishers and filter out some of the vast irrelevancies
that teachers were looking for a number assessment bodies like CUP and and reduce it to something that we can
of things. Primary among these was the Cambridge ESOL, are starting to attempt to consume. This still leaves us
desire to learn in an online environment provide good-quality courses at with the question of how we make sense
that was geared towards socialisation reasonable prices. There is clearly a of the still quite considerable and
and sharing. growing and wider acceptance among valuable amount of information that is
Teachers want to interact with each teachers that online courses offer a being generated about our profession.
other, not with a computer. The viable, good-quality and good-value Content curation, in the form of a
learning environment should exist to alternative to face-to-face courses. In number of web-based tools, can help
support communication between the fact, the newly-launched Cambridge with this problem and assist us in the
teachers, and the materials and tasks English Teacher online courses had process of making sense of that
that courses are based around need to attracted more than 12,000 guest users information and converting it into
be practical and applicable to their by July 2012, after starting with only knowledge.
teaching context. just over 2,000 back in March.
Teachers don’t want to be assessed,
evaluated and tested by a computer; they
want to be able to make mistakes, share Content curation
I believe the process of organising and
ideas and experiment, with the support Any article dealing with online teacher arranging web content and developing
of a real person who understands that development would, I believe, be through online resources can help us to
the learning process is about more than incomplete without mention of a new work more effectively, learn more
just having the correct answers. and growing internet trend among efficiently and, perhaps more
Rather than working through teachers: ‘content curation’. In 2009, importantly, take us a little closer to the
materials in isolation, they want to be Michael Wesch stated that, each second, kinds of practices needed by the digital
generation that we teach. I recently
Content curation found a wonderful video clip at
http://youtube/XwM4ieFOotA (it’s now
These are some of the most useful free ● I use Pinterest to capture useful saved in my Pinterest account). This clip
content curation tools around at present: videos and images from around the describes the digitally networked
● Scoop.it web that I can then use in classroom student – just the kind of student we
and online materials development. teach and the kind of teacher we need
● Pinterest.com
Pinterest was designed for sharing to aspire to be in order to do credit to
● Meaki.com
web-based images (without violating the students we teach. If you have a
These tools can help us save, organise, copyright) and has a simple-to-use moment, watch it and think about how
use and eventually share the useful interface that works well to make the you can be more like this. ETp
resources we find online, and this images easy to locate. You can see
process is what curation is all about. my video collection at Wesch, M ‘Knowledgable to
It is a process of understanding and http://pinterest.com/nikpeachey/ knowledge-able: learning in new media
organising web-based content to make video/. environments’ Academic Commons 2009
it useable.
● I use Meaki to collect and organise
My own approach to using these Nik Peachey is a
web-based learning tools. Meaki is a freelance consultant,
services works like this: visual bookmarking tool, a bit like trainer, writer, conference
speaker and course
● Scoop.it has a very reader-friendly ‘favourites’ on your web browser, designer, specialising in
magazine-like format and, like Twitter, except that the links are stored educational technology
and ELT. He has been
you can also follow other users to find online. You browse them by looking involved in ELT since
out what they are reading. I use it to through images of the website with 1992 and has worked all
over the world as a
save and share interesting articles short summaries rather than just a teacher and ICT
from around the web. You can see my title. You can see my collection of specialist.
collection at video-related tools at
www.scoop.it/t/learning-technology. http://tinyurl.com/d6t4c27.
nikpeachey@mac.com

W R I T I N G I became a journal writer myself
when I was a junior in high school, and
I have continued the practice on and off
Practice
for the last 40 years. When I began
teaching, I decided to experiment with
journal use in my writing classes and,
based on my students’ enthusiasm for
journal writing and their success in
improving their writing skills, I expanded
the use of journals into all my courses.
Achieving goals through journals
makes
depends on numerous factors, but I
believe we can start with a basic human
premise: people want to gain a better
understanding of themselves, their
experiences and the world around them.
Their curiosity leads them to seek
knowledge and, by recording daily
occurrences in a journal, they reflect on
perfect
their world and communicate their
thoughts and ideas in a safe environment.
A good habit
Students on remedial writing courses
can improve their organisation and
development strategies naturally through
anecdotes and storytelling and by
responding to literature and teacher
prompts. Journal entries lead to a better
Leo Boylan uses ‘Excuse me, sir, but how do I get to
understanding of paragraph and essay
Carnegie Hall?’ ‘Practise.’
development as students explain incidents
student journals to promote in chronological order or summarise
hat old joke still rings true for
good writing habits.
T many pursuits, but none so
much as writing. The actual
process of gathering one’s
thoughts and getting them down on
paper is by far the best method to
They offer students
the chance to write for
improve writing skills at any level of themselves, as well
education. as for an audience,
It is particularly challenging to teach
courses such as Basic Writing, Critical in a supportive,
Writing and Composition and Literature
to new students who enter college with
non-judgemental
varied abilities. I believe the best way to environment
improve their writing from the very first
day of class, and throughout the
semester, is to use journals. Writing daily readings. By listening to entries read
entries in a journal offers the students aloud by classmates, they hear how other
the opportunity to get the practice they writers use description, examples and
need in order to develop critical thinking comparisons. Teachers may also decide to
skills which will lead to self-discovery, model aspects of writing by using their
improved communication skills, learning own journal entries as examples. As the
and creativity. Journals can also provide teacher explains how to develop an essay,
the foundation for class discussions, with an introduction, a body and a
written responses to literature and conclusion, the students experience the
material for formal essays. They may be process in their journals. It is my hope
shared with partners, groups or the that my students will enjoy the
whole class. They offer students the opportunity for self-expression and
chance to write for themselves, as well communication as it becomes integrated
as for an audience, in a supportive, non- into their daily activities, and will it
judgemental environment. inspire them to become reflective, critical

assignments. I also point out that their class where the students may not know
As students read journals will be an outlet for self-discovery each other. A class discussion of the
and creativity, and that when they are poem follows, and the students see how
their journals aloud, asked to write about an assigned reading their writing is integrated into the class
text, the task and prompts will help them and how it is used as a tool for their
the others hear focus on the meaning of the literature. (I understanding of literature.
them communicating make sure that the assigned prompts for
their ideas, arguing

writing tasks based on literature always Sharing the journals
promote thought, require critical thinking
Sharing journal entries in class is an
their principles and – perhaps through identification with
effective catalyst for class discussion, as
characters or situations – and don’t
expressing their the students agree or disagree with the
allow the students merely to summarise
opinions of their peers, and it helps them
the plot.) Lastly, I tell them that their
opinions journals should be written in their own
to focus on literature and meaning. Some
students look forward to reading their
voice, with an audience of fellow
stories and essays aloud. Others dread it.
students and the teacher in mind.
thinkers who are open to new ideas. To alleviate this dilemma, I usually put
After answering my students’
Keeping a journal makes writing a way their names in a hat and pick the day’s
questions during this introductory
of life, along with speaking, listening, readers by lottery. I believe that it is
period, I ask them to write a practice
reading, and thinking – it may even lead important that every student should
entry in class. I use a short poem or essay
to a life-long habit of creative writing. have the opportunity to share their
for this purpose. For example, I hand out
Other benefits of journal writing work, not just those who volunteer. By
copies of the poem Stopping by Woods
include improved reading comprehension using the lottery system, I ensure that
on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost,
and expansion of vocabulary. I use every student has the chance to have
together with worksheets with prompts
journals regularly in literature classes, their work critiqued by me and the
for responding to the poem. First, I read
and when the students have to answer class. It is imperative that constructive
it aloud and then ask the students to
questions about assigned readings in their criticism is a class effort, not just the
read it. Then I ask them to respond to
journals, they are forced to read more domain of the teacher. This will, in
at least one of the following prompts:
closely for meaning. In-class journal effect, promote full class participation
reading increases their self-confidence and ● What are the implications of the poem? and enhance critical thinking.
listening skills. As students read their ● What would the narrator do if he did I schedule journal presentation at
journal entries aloud, the others hear them not keep his promises? regular intervals and encourage the
expressing their ideas, communicating students to share their best work during
their thoughts, arguing their principles and ● What do you believe is happening in
these readings. The class soon becomes
expressing their opinions. They are also the poem?
engaged with the readers as they share
exposed to new words and terminology. ● Discuss Frost’s use of imagery. their deepest secrets, hopes, dreams and
As in formal essay writing, I encourage realities. It is helpful to make this a
I then ask that every student write an
dictionary and thesaurus use for building festive time for the class. Each student is
entry in response to the poem.
vocabulary and style. encouraged to stand behind the lectern
The students share their responses in
pairs first; this allows them to practise and read in a clear, distinct voice, using
Getting into the habit reading their work and to become appropriate inflections. This builds self-
acquainted with another person in the confidence and fosters composure.
I introduce the concept of journals at the
class. Then they are asked individually Those in the audience are encouraged to
very beginning of the semester because it
to stand at the lectern at the front of the give their undivided attention and to
is important that everyone gets into the
classroom to read their entries. The show respect for the individual who is
habit of composing on a daily basis. I
public reading stage emphasises the reading – I make sure that any criticism
suggest that my students buy a spiral
importance of their ideas and their role is constructive. Applause is welcomed at
notebook for the sole purpose of journal
as part of a community of writers. It the end of each reading: a testimony to
writing. I find that it is important to
demonstrates the value of an audience the students’ emerging voices and
articulate specific expectations – for
and also serves as an icebreaker in a growth as writers.
example, I stipulate a certain size for their
notebooks and suggest that all entries
should be at least one page in length. Topics
Often students are unsure of what is I believe that it is Topics for journal entries may be
expected and the task may be unfamiliar assigned or the students may be given a
or uncomfortable, so I try to offer as many
important that every
free choice. Freedom of expression can
specific instructions as possible to alleviate student should have the be encouraged by stressing that no topic
their fears. First, I explain that the is off-limits and that privacy will be
purpose is to improve their overall writing opportunity to share respected when the students deem their
skills. I tell them that writing journal their work, not just entries to be too personal to share with
entries and sharing them with the class the class. In this case, writers may fold,
will provide material for class discussions those who volunteer tape or staple the pages before the
and ideas for formal essays and research journals are collected.

Practice
Reading their journals at prearranged write about, including women’s roles in
intervals allows me to monitor their society, civil disobedience and the power
progress and identify any students who of the individual to change society
are having difficulty with their writing, through action.
makes
as well as those who have problems with When we read Martin Luther King’s
reading comprehension. It is important ‘I Have a Dream’ speech for a
to praise those who are doing well and Composition and Literature class, the
to encourage and guide those who are students were asked to consider whether
perfect having difficulties. Sometimes it is

necessary to meet with students
individually to explain what is lacking
and help them to overcome the problem.
or not King’s dream had come true.
While many felt that it had been
realised, one student strongly disagreed,
and his response became the basis for a
research paper in which he argued that
Journal entries may range from
descriptive paragraphs about people and Progress and the dream had not come to fruition for
many people in both urban and rural
places to subjects of a very personal development areas of the United States.
nature. Some students use their journals
As my students become accustomed to Journals may be tailored to all
as confessionals or places for healing.
writing on a daily basis, I witness English courses, as well as to classes in
One student of mine wrote about his
individual progress in critical thinking, most other disciplines because they
twelve-year-old sister, his ‘angel’, who
organisation, paragraph development serve as a place to respond to ideas,
had died of a blood disease. Another
and vocabulary. As they wrestle with readings and discussions.
described the experience of being raped
problems and face conflicts, describe the
as a girl by one of her relatives, and the
rage she still feels. One young woman
joys and tribulations of daily life and
reflect on what they are reading, many
wrote about her numerous suicide
begin to develop creative abilities as Journals are as individual as our thumb
attempts. One young man discussed his
poets, playwrights, fiction writers and prints. They provide a window into our
father’s incarceration for murder and his
essayists, especially when they feel their thoughts, ideas, feelings and emotions, at
own resolve to become a police officer.
So expect to read about family a particular time and place in our lives.
conflicts, relationships, friendships and They are our own history. I encourage
sexual encounters as well as personal
Journals provide my students to continue writing in their
tragedies, including different kinds of a window into our journals after the semester is over. Some
abuse, illness and death. On the other day, when they look back at their entries,
hand, some students will write about thoughts, ideas, they may recall special moments. They
may see how much they have changed
situations with friends and families that feelings and emotions, and grown. When I look at a photograph
make the whole class laugh out loud.
It is important to encourage the at a particular time from 20 years ago and see myself, a
students to use detail, description, smiling husband and father with my wife
and place in and two young daughters, I see how my
imagery and other tools as they develop
their topics. Although I don’t our lives family appeared all those years ago. Then
recommend grading journals for I can pick up a journal from the same
punctuation and usage, I do ask that the time period, open to a certain date and
students try to use correct grammar. work is appreciated. They also exhibit read about what we did as a family that
more confidence in their writing and day, what was important at that time
presentation skills through regular in- and what observations I made in that
Assessment class reading of their journal entries. moment. I experience again what I was
The question of assessment will arise, Journals cannot replace formal feeling at that time and in that place.
and I believe that grading on a holistic essays, which require more thought, Memories of hopes and dreams long
basis is crucial. I explain that journal planning and organisation, and greater forgotten come to life again. It is a gift to
grades depend on the quality of accuracy with punctuation and relive these memories in such vivid detail,
thoughts, ideas and writing, as well as grammar. However, they can support the and it is a gift you can give to your
development, creativity and willingness process of learning the art of essay students and to all young writers. ETp
to share. I stress that everyone who writing. Students often find it difficult
Leo Boylan is an
works at their journal will succeed. I to decide what to write about in formal Adjunct Associate
offer my students the option of using essays, and journal entries and Professor of English
at Pace University,
their journals to write short stories, subsequent class discussion may act as Pleasantville, NY, USA,
poetry, plays or essays. The important springboards for topics. Teachers should and an Adjunct
Instructor of English
thing is that they are writing. I tell them encourage their students to develop their at Westchester
that the journals will account for 10 to own topics, based on their personal Community College,
20 percent of a semester grade. The preferences and interests. Many topics Valhalla, NY. He is
faculty advisor for the
students need to understand that their develop from literature read in class. For Pace Drama Alliance.
journals will be read and assessed, so instance, the Greek tragedy Antigone by
their writing should be meaningful. Sophocles, offers a variety of subjects to leoboylan1@aol.com

IN THE CLASSROOM Syllabus plan
Some teachers may argue that a syllabus
One is
is not required – the student and teacher
can negotiate the content of the next
lesson briefly at the end of each class,
and this can sometimes work well,
especially when the course of lessons is
quite short. However, I feel that a
flexible syllabus plan can support the
teacher (assisting with preparation) and
a lovely
the learner (it gives them a visible record
of progress and also shows them what
they have paid for!). This is especially
true when a coursebook is not being
used. It is, of course, possible (and
advisable) to continually re-negotiate
the plan according to the student’s
developing needs, but having an outline
number
to start with can be extremely helpful.
Needs analysis
So the next question is: how does the
teacher find out what the student needs
in order to make a syllabus plan? At
language schools, students are normally
tested when they start a course in order
Emily Edwards ne-to-one lessons are a
begins a three-part series

on one-to-one teaching
O popular option for many
students of English around
the world today. Such lessons
have a range of focuses, such as general
English, business, IELTS exams, EAP
to determine their correct level – this is
known as a diagnostic test and may
include an assessment of grammar,
vocabulary, reading, writing, listening
and speaking. It is possible to test a
with a look at planning. (English for Academic Purposes) or ESP one-to-one student in the same way, but
(English for Specific Purposes). Teachers I’ve found that the best method is
may be working in a company that offers simply to concentrate on determining
one-to-one classes, or students may the learner’s strengths and weaknesses –
approach a teacher for private lessons, and what they want or need to focus on
especially in preparation for IELTS or in the short term. This can involve one
further study. The benefits of this kind or more of the following methods:
of learning situation can be: ● A brief interview or questionnaire
● The students are often highly about the student’s learning
motivated and working towards a goal. background and why they want to
take one-to-one English lessons.
● The teacher can focus entirely on one
student’s needs. ● Discussion of the importance of
● The syllabus can often be tailored to different skills and topic areas using
fit these needs. cards (for example, using the blocks
of Kathleen Graves’ syllabus grid –
However, despite being aware of these see page 13): the student can put
advantages, I have often found it really these in order of difficulty, ease or
difficult to design a well-structured and desire to learn more about.
actually useful syllabus for the one-to-
one students I have taught. This is what ● Negotiation of a list of key objectives
led me to choose one-to-one teaching as (see page 13 for an example).
the specialism for my DELTA extended ● The student can prepare (beforehand)
assignment, which involved planning a and give a short presentation in the
course for an upper-intermediate ESP first lesson about themselves and their
student in preparation for a vocational goals – particularly useful for business
college course. I will expand on my or EAP students who would also need
findings in this article, and explain how feedback anyway on how to give good
this approach can be useful for any type presentations.
of one-to-one course.

● The teacher can also collect brochures, A detailed plan lectures and presentations, take
prospectuses or general information notes and answer comprehension
about the student’s company or The following plan shows one of the questions based on the listening.
planned university course or exam weeks of an eight-week course. The
student wanted to prepare for starting a 5 I will continuously practise and
(such as IELTS), in order to help
Diploma in Aromatherapy, so she improve my speaking skills and
prepare the syllabus plan.
wanted a course which developed this fluency, especially when participating
specific vocabulary, as well as preparing in discussions about aromatherapy.
A general framework her for life at a vocational college in 6 I will build on my ability to use
One of the most important steps in needs Australia. Her objectives, which we grammar accurately when speaking
analysis, and which is of most help in drafted together, were as follows: and writing.
designing the syllabus, is drafting a list 1 I will develop my range of specific 7 I will develop study habits that will
of key objectives. With these to hand, a
vocabulary related to the study of help me to continue the learning
syllabus can then be sketched out which
aromatherapy. process in the future.
is based on these goals. In designing the
course for my DELTA project, I used 2 I will improve my reading skills,
All of these objectives could be slightly
Kathleen Graves’ suggestion of the key especially reading long articles on adapted to make them relevant to any
syllabus components, or ‘syllabus grid’, to the topic of aromatherapy. other learner and their needs.
help me know what should be included: 3 I will build on my academic writing I then used the specific objectives
skills so that I can write assignments above to design a detailed weekly plan,
Participatory Learning Content and reports. ensuring that most of the student’s
processes strategies objectives were at least partially covered
4 I will develop my ability to listen to
Culture Tasks and Competencies each week:
activities
Day Lesson outline Matrix: divided into six ‘options’
Listening Speaking Reading Writing
skills skills skills skills Monday ● Use learner’s A B
Functions Notions and Communicative material to generate Input: Reading Input: Listening
topics situations discussion. Reading an Listening to a lecture
● Option(s) chosen aromatherapy text to about health issues
Grammar Pronunciation Vocabulary from matrix: develop skimming and (YouTube video) to
eg A and C. ** scanning skills, using improve listening for
● Homework a time limit to improve gist and detail, and to
The elements contained in the grid Make vocabulary speed. develop note-taking
above show what can be included in an cards (after Identifying vocabulary strategies.
all-encompassing course, and the various option C). in context: phrases,
components can be selected according to chunks and
the needs of the learner. collocations.
The easiest way I have found to plan
a one-to-one course is by using a matrix, Wednesday ● Option(s) chosen C D
with a box for each lesson, for which from matrix: Learning Strategies: Output: Speaking
specific options can then be chosen. The eg B and F. Dictionaries and Discussing a variety
following plan shows one week of a ● Homework Vocabulary of topics (linked to
course, where the student wants two Write short Discussing use of material used in
hours of tuition per day, so the letters A responses to a dictionary and ways of options A and B, or
to F each represent one hour: set of questions recording vocabulary material brought in
(after option F). to match learning style. by learner).
Day and Matrix – option(s) Record and recycle Feedback on linguistic
time to be chosen daily vocabulary learnt so mistakes (error
far. correction) and
Monday A B pronunciation.
10 am–12 pm
Friday ● Option(s) chosen E F
Wednesday C D from matrix: Focus on Vocabulary Output: Writing
10 am–12 pm eg D and E. High-meaning content Identifying the key
● Remedial work and words. words and task set in
Friday E F Related to this week’s typical academic
formative test/quiz
10 am–12 pm
with feedback. topic, especially writing questions in
● Homework anatomy, and/or the order to provide a full
Depending on the type of course, Case studies to read input used in options answer.
student and/or context, either a detailed and analyse. A and B.
or a simpler plan of what A to F
actually involve would work well, and I ** Suggestions of which options to choose are provided here, but selection would depend on both
will now give an example of each. the learner and the context.

● Balance input (reading and listening)
One is
Five steps to planning a
with output (speaking and writing).
one-to-one course
● Focus on developing vocabulary, as
In conclusion, these five steps can be
well as reviewing and recycling new
a lovely
followed to plan, design and implement
words in subsequent lessons.
a specialised one-to-one syllabus for any
● Give specialised feedback and error English language learner:
correction (on pronunciation,
number
1 Start with a needs analysis (either
vocabulary or grammar) each lesson.
This should be relatively easy because pre-course or during the first lesson).
of the focus on just one student, and 2 Draft a syllabus plan and check it
this will be really useful to them. with your student.
A simpler plan ● Keep the syllabus varied to challenge 3 Each lesson, choose a topic or ‘block’
and motivate the student. for the next lesson (so you know
In many cases, it may not be appropriate
or practical to make a plan as detailed ● Use a variety of assessment tasks (eg what to plan for).
as the one shown above; a simpler one vocabulary tests, roleplays, recording 4 Plan carefully for each lesson, but
is quick to write and easy to use. The and grading a presentation), which
also be prepared to adapt to what
following grid of six squares could be can be very informal, to give the
the student has brought along that
used for a six-week or six ‘block’ course, student a sense of progress.
day in terms of materials or ideas.
in which each block represents one hour. ● Include space in the syllabus for the 5 Continuously re-negotiate with the
In lessons, the student can negotiate with student to bring in their own material
the teacher which block to focus on for student as their needs (and priorities)
to work on (eg an assignment they
the following class. change.
have to complete, an email they need
to write).
Plan – Week 2 Graves, K ‘A framework of course
development processes’ In Hall, D R and
A B C Continuous negotiation Hewings, A (Eds) Innovation in English
Focus on Focus on Focus on
reading listening learning
with the learner Language Teaching Routledge 2001
Osborne, P Teaching English One-to-one
(aromatherapy (lecture about strategies A key feature of one-to-one programmes Modern English Publishing 2005
text) health) (dictionaries is that, according to Priscilla Osborne, Wilberg, P One to One: A Teacher’s
and they cannot be ‘fixed in stone’ because Handbook Language Teaching
vocabulary) what happens in each lesson will Publications 1987
determine what happens next, and I
D E F
think this is certainly one of the benefits Emily Edwards works as
Focus on Focus on Focus on a senior teacher at
speaking vocabulary writing
of this type of teaching. So, as both English Language
(about health development (addressing Osborne and Peter Wilberg note, it is Company, a language
important to keep in mind that one-to- school in Australia. She
issues) and the task) has recently completed
pronunciation one courses demand continuous re- the Cambridge Delta as
evaluation to ensure that the course well as an MA in Applied
Linguistics, and her
content continues to meet with what the particular interests are
syllabus design,
Key things to include student actually wants and needs. Just
motivation, EAP and
ask your student at the end of each set teacher training.
In designing any syllabus for one-to-one of lessons (eg every five or ten hours) e.c.edwards@hotmail.co.uk
learners, it is important to keep the how they are finding the course, and
following points in mind: what they might want to change.
● Include a range of skills (reading, Another option is to conduct a new
listening, writing, speaking), varied needs analysis every so often, using one
according to the student’s strengths of the methods suggested in the ‘needs
and weaknesses. analysis’ section above.
ENGLISH IT WORKS IN PRACTICE

Do you have ideas you’d like to share
Tprofessional
EACHING with colleagues around the world?
Tips, techniques and activities; simple or Writing for ETp
sophisticated; well-tried or innovative; Would you like to write for ETp? We are
Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd, something that has worked well for you? always interested in new writers and
Rayford House, School Road, All published contributions receive a prize! fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice,
Hove BN3 5HX, UK Write to us or email: write to us or email:
Fax: +44 (0)1273 227308 helena.gomm@pavpub.com helena.gomm@pavpub.com

IN THE CLASSROOM
‘Heaven does
not talk’
Phillip Brown has some
iStockphoto.com / © Gautier Willaume

ome very valid observations are
down-to-earth observations
about teachers and silence.
S made about Student Talking
Time (STT) in Marianne
Raynaud’s article in Issue 75 of
ETp. Strategies should be adopted and
opportunities should be created to give
maximum scope for STT in the
language classroom, based on a proper
appreciation of the fact that students
need to know how to take advantage of
such strategies and opportunities in L2.
Unless the difficulties facing the
students themselves are properly
understood, it is easy to understand
how teachers, themselves faced with a
sea of silence, can be afflicted with the
‘disease to please’ and still make no real
progress towards the goal of getting
their students to speak.
However, in the effort, quite right
and proper, to give maximum scope to
the students, teachers may find Silence
themselves troubled by an alternative There are many anecdotes about the
disease, namely a phobia about talking Chinese philosopher Confucius, and
too much. It looks as though some kind one concerning his pedagogical methods
of balance should be struck between is worth considering here. It is based on
STT and TTT (Teacher Talking Time), what he considered to be an essential
one which gives sufficient opportunity prerequisite of teaching, namely the
for the students to do what they should silent, pervasive personality and character
be doing and at the same time allows of the teacher. On one occasion he is
teachers to teach, and to teach in such a supposed to have said ‘I would much
way that they don’t end up sacrificing rather not have to talk’, to which his
their personalities to the extent that disciple Tzu-kung responded, ‘If our
they become no more than facilitating master did not talk, what should we
automata. Facilitating automata may be disciples have to pass on?’ Confucius then
the stuff of the future, when human replied, ‘Heaven does not speak; yet the
beings are totally replaced by machines four seasons run their course thereby.
and holograms, but it is not a future I Heaven does not talk.’ (Perhaps it was one
would ever want to be part of. It is of the great man’s bad days; he had
teachers as people that would, in such a probably exhausted himself and, finding
future, be eliminated. And it is this himself in front of a sea of bewilderment,
question of personality that I would like wondered whether he was really in the
to pursue in this article. right job. Does that sound familiar?)

It might appear that what worried element or over questions of degree, but
Confucius should worry us also, and patience, at least a smattering of humour, The requirements
that he would be quick to advocate consideration and respect for others, and
what has been called the Silent Way. commitment to the task of teaching, all of good teaching
One way of pruning TTT is to cut it these would no doubt be accepted by should be tempered
right back to the roots and dispense the majority of us as fundamental
with it altogether. This might seem requirements of good teaching. You by wisdom to avoid
absurd, yet it is astonishing to what might find personality which is
absurdities we may sometimes be uninspiring, but you can’t have inspiration
misunderstandings
reduced. But the so-called Silent Way without personality. Perhaps Confucius about what ‘good
cannot be what Confucius would have was right to give personality primacy.
endorsed, since central to his idea of teaching’ is
what teaching is, or should be, is the Excellence
power and educating influence of the her inspirational personality, and it was
personality and character of the teacher So, how should we rate silence? I should
like to say that silence is ‘thin’. Think, because of this, not despite it, that her
– and it is hard to see how primacy students learnt Italian. She was an
could be given to this by shutting for example, of fashion models on the
catwalk. They are dangerously and inspiration: no doubt because she was
teachers up altogether. Tzu-kung was inspired herself!
right to protest that what is unexpressed lamentably thin, and would not, I think,
cannot be passed on! And, surely, have suited Confucius, Yet they are
teaching is all about passing things on. revered as models of excellence. Oh dear! Good teaching
As a crucial means of verbal We really must take care, lest what is What may be listed as the requirements
communication, a language must be dangerous and lamentable should become of good teaching are there to guide and
expressible; its rules must be explicable a model of excellence in the teaching of to help, not to hinder; they should,
and explicated, both by example and by English, or for that matter of any indeed, be abstractions from what is
analysis; and explication and analysis language – or indeed of anything at all. already done, rather as the rules of
cannot be rendered by an appeal to grammar are abstractions from language
‘Heaven’. That a language teacher What may be listed in use. But they must not be allowed to
should talk is, therefore, a platitude so get in the way of good teaching.
obvious that calling it a platitude is as the requirements The idea that TTT imposes
itself platitudinous. of good teaching are limitations is now almost canonical, and
those mindful of the requirements of
Personality there to guide and to good teaching laid down by such august
bodies as the British Council Inspectorate
There can be little doubt that Confucius’s help, not to hinder may be fearful of opening their mouths
pupils loved to hear him speak. He was lest they trespass on hallowed ground. Of
a model of wisdom and, no doubt, his I remember a model of excellence. She course, it will not do to argue, in defence
language was a model of how it should be was a teacher of Italian. If, during one of this notion, that Confucius himself
spoken. They must have learnt a lot from of her lessons, you asked her a question would have endorsed it. On the contrary,
that. What, of course, enthralled them which even remotely impinged upon the anecdote must be taken together with
was the personality of their teacher, and it Italian politics, culture or history, she the reply of his disciple: that unless the
was certainly not the personality of the would fly off on a tangent and talk and teacher speaks, nothing will be said at all!
teacher that was central to the philosophy talk and talk. No matter, we loved to hear Confucius may appeal to Heaven, but we
of the Silent Way. Why don’t we speak her speak. It was an exercise in listening look to Heaven in vain for an analysis of
of having the ‘right personality’ to be a comprehension, without the necessity of verb tenses and the intricacies of lexis,
teacher? Isn’t this the most important being tested and graded and stressed for the explication of pronunciation
requirement of all? Of course, personality out. In any case, it was a different kind rules and discourse markers.
is a complex concept, a kind of catch-all, of listening comprehension: we were Licence should be tempered by the
and we may disagree over this or that listening to how Italian should be spoken, requirements of good teaching to avoid
to how the natives do it when they do it chaos and confusion; likewise, the
Central to well. We weren’t slow to comment or ask requirements of good teaching should
questions. We were content with any kind be tempered by wisdom to avoid
Confucius’s idea of of response, simple or complex, because misunderstandings about what ‘good
the subject was difficult and we felt that teaching’ is. For it is fallacy to suppose
what teaching should we, too, were making a contribution to that strict adherence to a set of
be, is the power and a serious matter. Without having planned depersonalised criteria can constitute
it, without having engineered it, she got good teaching. Good teaching will pay
educating influence of her students engaged – and all at their attention to such criteria, but only if
the personality and own pace and competence. We all felt and when such criteria can be tempered
privileged to hear someone speaking in by the personality of both the teacher
character of the teacher the language we were learning. She gave and of the class. Granted the need for
us a model of excellence that was due to requirements, teaching can be

‘Heaven does
life, in much the same way as the rules of lines of a play without appropriate
grammar may wrongly be divorced from feeling – reciting Shakespeare like a
that which gives birth to them. Models railway timetable!
not talk’ of teaching should never be permitted

to underestimate, let alone ignore, the
personality of the teacher nor yet the
William James, the nineteenth-
century American psychologist, advised
teachers to prepare their lessons
mechanical, lifeless and forgettable, and
personality of the class. To bend the meticulously – and then to dump all
such epithets remind me of the kind of
words of St Augustine, one might be their notes into the trash-can on the
‘lesson plans’ that win applause from
tempted to say ‘Love teaching and do way to the classroom. Heaven forbid!
many of those who seriously believe that
what you will’: a dictum that contains its But then, Heaven is not charged with
they can teach teachers a thing or two!
own corrective to the chaos of wild the task of teaching and really has
Goodness knows how the progressive
licence. If it is, indeed, teaching you nothing to say on the matter.
educationalist A S Neill would have
love, you will be mindful of such things James recognised the importance of
coped with that – no doubt hopelessly.
as TTT; you will be mindful of the lesson preparation, lesson planning,
requirements of good teaching, as a timing, pace, TTT and all the rest. But
Criteria matter of course. Quite simply, love of he also saw that all this was useless
I recall an elderly woman who teaching imposes its own requirements. unless teachers feel comfortable with
established her own school, which themselves; and they can’t feel
specialised in mathematics. She would comfortable with themselves unless they
employ people to teach with her. What
In real life, the ability are themselves; just as actors feel
about trained teachers and teacher to ad-lib, to make it up comfortable with the parts they play.
training? ‘Teacher training?’ she would (The actor Thora Hird said that for her,
exclaim. ‘Well, first I see whether a
as you go along, seems this depended on her shoes: she had to
person can teach! If I see that they can indispensable and have the right shoes, and then everything
teach, then and only then do I start to else fell into place. She worried about
think about training them. And more quite the norm the lines after that, not before.)
often than not, it isn’t necessary, and it James knew what a mess we make of
might even get in the way.’ She was things. Even when we attempt to bring
It is not that the requirements will be
unimpressed with dossiers, references order out of chaos, we devise
imposed upon you from outside, for that
and qualifications or any kind of requirements, or essentials and criteria,
makes it sound as though there is no
institutionalised gimmickry. She would which we then seek to impose with an
more to teaching than following the
see for herself, and what she looked for iron fist, forgetting that hands of iron
requirements. It is like saying that all you
was personality and with it the ability to are not the hands we need when
need to be a good actor is to learn your
inspire, to get things across, to pass stuff handling fine porcelain.
lines. In fact, some of the best lines are
on. And if that meant on occasion never learnt at all. In real life, the ability
talking their heads off, well so be it. Did to ad-lib, to make it up as you go along,
her teachers really succeed in teaching seems indispensable and quite the norm.
the subject, though? Of course they did. I hear a protest from those who believe
they can teach teachers a thing or two:
Essentials ‘Oh, but we don’t seek to impose
Models of Temper requirement with wisdom. anything with a fist of iron.’ Well,
teaching should never Mencius tells us that Confucius perhaps not, but they should take care
abstained from extremes. To go too far that they are not perceived to be doing
be permitted to is as bad as not going far enough. All so, lest they spoil many a good teacher
the so-called requirements of good and many a good lesson. ETp
underestimate, let alone
teaching should be approached with a
ignore, the personality generous degree of circumspection, for James, W Talks to Teachers Harvard
when they are strict and strictly applied, University Press 1984
of the teacher nor they are dangerous, and when they are Smith, D H Confucius Paladin 1974
yet the personality not dangerous, they are ludicrous. What Waley, A The Analects of Confucius
can be said about TTT can also be Vintage 1989
of the class applied to, for example, the pace of a
lesson. Just how long should the various Dr Phillip Brown teaches
English at Studio
And she considered them superior to stages of a lesson be? Well, how long is School, Cambridge, UK.
traditionally trained teachers. You a piece of string? How long do you want He has a PhD in
Philosophy from St
wouldn’t dare talk to her about the it to be? And can you really say in John’s College,
limitations imposed by TTT! advance how long it ought to be. What Cambridge, and has a
continuing interest in his
Are we wrong to talk about the right do you have to introduce ‘ought’ area of specialisation.
requirements of good teaching, then? into the discussion at all? And this with He plays classical guitar
as a hobby.
Not at all. But the danger is that such no consideration of personality, as
requirements may be seen as a total though we are applying a rule quite
phillip.brown7@ntlworld.com
abstraction from that which gives them mechanically, like an actor saying the

IN THE CLASSROOM A text with a PURPose
What follows is an example of a short
Less is
text lesson with a commentary. Note
that the text is a specially written
version of a news item about an armed
robber who made his getaway by
floating downriver on an inner tube.
The information was drawn from
more
several sources on the internet and was
written to challenge students of
intermediate level and above. The text is
in the box below.
Escape by tube
Seattle police are looking for an
armed bank robber who used an inner
tube to get away from the scene of
the crime.
Robert Buckmaster any writers, including
M
exploits minimal texts for
maximum benefit.
Scott Thornbury, Martin
Parrott and Alan Maley,
have argued for the use of
short texts in language teaching. This
article shows a way of exploiting such a
The man stole a money bag from a
security guard outside a bank and
then raced across the car park to a
nearby creek and floated away on the
inner tube.
text in a lesson. The robbery happened near a
branch of the Bank of America on US
But first, why should texts be short? Route 2 in Monroe, Seattle.
● They should be short so learners According to police spokeswoman
don’t get bored with them. Debbie Willis, the robber, wearing a
● They should be short so that the surgical mask, walked up to the
whole text and all its parts can be guard, who was carrying two canvas
dealt with completely. money bags, at about 11 am on
● They should be short so that not a lot Tuesday as he walked from the bank
of time is spent on reading, but a lot to an armoured car parked outside.
of time is spent on learning. He sprayed the guard with pepper
Texts should be many and various, of spray then grabbed a bag of the
different genres, woven in connected money and ran to the creek. Some
strands throughout the course and of witnesses say that he got into an
intrinsic interest to learners. They inner tube or an inflatable boat and
should be dealt with intensively so that floated downstream towards the
at the end of the lesson, as Scott Skykomish River.
Thornbury has suggested, the learners Investigators have no leads so far,
are in a ‘state of grace’ vis à vis the text: but believe that accomplices could
that is, they understand it completely – have been waiting for him near the
all the grammar, all the lexis and all the river. An inner tube was later found
collocations and colligations. 200 yards downstream of the car
park.
PURPoseful texts
Not all texts need to be dealt with in the
same way, with the same sequence of
Analysing the text
activities: different texts will lend It is good to know your text intimately
themselves to different types of before you use it. The vocabulary
activities. The key is to deal with all the profiler at The Compleat Lexical Tutor
salient aspects of a particular text in the (www.lextutor.ca/vp/eng) can help you
best and most appropriate way. analyse your chosen text. You paste the
There is, however, a basic four-stage text into the profiler and submit it. It
process that can be used with all them: compares the words in the text with lists
PURP. of the most common words of English
Prepare for the text. (1–1,000; 1,001–2,000) and an
Understand the text. Academic Word List (AWL). You can
Respond to the text. then see the text with the words colour-
Process the text. coded according to the list they occur

Less is
more
in. This gives you a really good visual
idea of which words are in which list
and their distribution in the text. You
can then judge the level of difficulty of
the text and decide which words, if any,
you will need to pre-teach, and also
which words you might sensibly ask the through some text vocabulary. One way grammar and vocabulary, the structure
learners to guess from the context. to do this is to use a word cloud. Above of the text, the choices the writer made,
When I entered my text, I found that is a word cloud for this text (created at the subjects of the sentences, etc in
almost 73% of the words occur in the www.wordle.net). detail. You will have to be completely
list of the most common 1,000 words, This word cloud could also be used familiar with the text itself and know
about 13% of the words are in the in a later lesson as a prompt for a text what you want to focus on in this stage.
second most common list (1,001–2,000) reconstruction task: give the learners the
and under 2% are in the AWL. This Commentary
cloud and ask them to rewrite the text. This task focuses on the structure and
leaves just under 13% which do not
appear in any of these lists. the language of the text. During the
Task 2: Listening
checking of the task, problems with
Read the text aloud to the class (this is grammar and vocabulary can be cleared
analogous to someone reading an up. Grammatical choices are analysed,
interesting newspaper article aloud to a eg Why is ‘the’ used here? Vocabulary
friend). The learners listen to see if their meaning and collocation and colligation
predictions were correct and to answer are focused on. The learners will notice
the questions which a newspaper article points of the language with which they
should answer: who, what, where, when, are already familiar, and may be
why and how. exposed to structures they are not
Check whose predictions were familiar with.
closest and the answers to the what,
why, etc questions. Task 5: Reconstruction 2
Commentary Collect the slips of paper with the cut-up
This first encounter with the text is text so that the learners no longer have
Exploiting the text based on meaning. The learners use a record of it. Then give them a copy of
Task 1: Prediction their current knowledge of English to the text with gaps (see below) and ask
Write the text title (Escape by tube) on complete the task as best they can, them to complete it. This gap-fill
the board and ask the learners what guided by their predictions and the focuses on single items, eg verb forms or
they think the text will be about. Elicit tasks of seeing if their predictions were prepositions, etc. Monitor and help the
ideas from the learners and write them correct and answering questions. learners to complete the task. Check
on the board. answers with the class.
Task 3: Reaction
Commentary
Ask the learners for their reaction to the Escape by tube
This task prepares the learners for their
text: Was it interesting? Were you
first encounter with the text. By making Seattle police are looking for an
surprised? What do you think about the
predictions, their schemata are activated (1) ____________ bank robber who used
thief and his plan? Do you think he will
and they have an investment in reading an inner tube to (2) ____________ from
be caught?
the text to find out if their predictions the scene of the crime.
were correct. They have taken the first Commentary The man stole a (3) ____________ bag
step towards bridging the information These questions allow the learners to from a security guard outside a bank
gap which exists between their current respond to the text and express their and then raced across the car
state of knowledge prior to reading the feelings and ideas about it. (4) ____________ to a nearby creek and
text and their knowledge after reading it. (5) ____________ away on the inner tube.
You might want to pre-teach some Task 4: Reconstruction 1 The robbery (6) ____________ near a
vocabulary at this stage, though pre- Give pairs or small groups of learners the (7) ____________ of the Bank of America
teaching vocabulary is an implicit text cut up into sentences or paragraphs on US Route 2 in Monroe, Seattle.
admission that your learners don’t have and ask them to reconstruct it. According to police spokeswoman
enough vocabulary for the text. Monitor, prompt as necessary and Debbie Willis, the robber, (8) ___________
Alternatively, you might want to check as a class. Ask the learners to a surgical mask, walked up to the guard,
activate the learners’ schemata further justify their choices, and check who was (9) ____________ two canvas

money bags, at about 11 am on Tuesday bank bags, at walked money 11 am on 6 What punishment should the thief
as he walked from the bank to an guard as he from canvas the to an get if he is caught and convicted?
(10) ____________ car parked outside. armoured car parked outside. Why?
He (11) ____________ the guard with He sprayed spray money with bag 7 Do you know any similar crime
pepper spray then grabbed a bag of the the then grabbed guard a pepper of stories? Tell the class.
money and ran to the creek. Some the and ran to the creek. Some
8 Imagine you are the thief – tell
(12) ____________ say that he got witnesses say that he got into an inner
your friend how you committed the
(13) ____________ an inner tube or an tube or towards River floated and boat
robbery. Include as many details as
inflatable boat and (14) ____________ downstream the an Skykomish
you can: How did you prepare?
downstream towards the Skykomish inflatable.
What exactly did you do? How did
River. Investigators have no leads so far but
you feel?
Investigators have no believe that waiting near could for river
9 What do you think the guard said
(15) ____________ so far but believe that him been the have accomplices. An
(16) ____________ could have been inner tube was later found 200 yards to the police? Roleplay the
waiting for him near the river. An inner downstream of the car park. conversation.
tube was later found 200 yards 10 Imagine you are a police investigator:
(17) ____________ of the car park. Commentary write a report about the robbery.
This task focuses on longer stretches of 11 Prepare a Wanted poster.
Commentary language than are normal. This means 12 Search the internet for more
This task focuses on the language of the that word order, collocation, noun information about this crime and
text while giving most of it as support. modification and colligation can all be report to the class on your findings.
The learners have to complete the text dealt with. Such exercises have an
using their knowledge of English, what extremely valuable part to play in Commentary
they noticed in the previous text language learning. Learners again have These activities extend beyond the text
reconstruction task, any notes they to activate their knowledge of the into speaking activities. The text is now
made and their memory. (If your language and their memory of the text being used as a springboard for other
learners are anything like my teenage to complete the task. This is in-depth language work.
learners, then they will not want to processing of the language in the text.
make notes, but if you do this task
sequence several times, they will come Task 7: Summary
round to the idea and realise that Ask the learners to summarise the key This very intensive way of dealing with
reading and understanding are not information in the text in one sentence. a short text focuses the learners’
enough for learning: they have to For example: attention on all aspects of the text – its
process the text.) A man robbed a bank guard in a car meaning and grammar and vocabulary.
park in Monroe and escaped by floating The learners have to use their memories
Task 6: Reconstruction 3 down a creek in an inner tube. and focus on connected text to complete
Collect the completed gapped text and the tasks. All classroom texts should be
Commentary dealt with in a similar way: if you read
give the learners another version of it This task focuses the learners’ attention
which has some phrases highlighted in texts in a superficial manner with your
on the essential information of the text students, then they are missing out on a
bold, but with the words in those and how this is presented. They have to
phrases mixed up (see below). Tell them great deal of language learning and
deal with the text on a word-by-word practice. It is not enough just to ask
to reorder the words so that they make basis and make decisions on what to
sense in the sentences and that these some comprehension questions and
include in their summary and how focus on a language point or two. Too
reconstituted sentences make sense in present this in coherent English. This is
the wider text. much reading in class is undertaken with
a very powerful exercise. a minimal-success approach. We need a
‘complete text’ approach to language
Escape by tube Task 8: Speaking learning, and the PURP sequence and
Seattle police are looking for an armed Ask the learners to discuss some of the the kind of activities outlined here are
bank robber who used an inner tube scene questions and do some of the activities one way of providing it. ETp
get away from to the crime of the. described below.
The man bag a bank stole guard a a 1 Robert Buckmaster is
Is this a serious crime? Why? the Director of Studies
security money from outside and then Why not? at International House,
raced across the car park to a nearby Riga, Latvia. He has
2 Why do criminals commit crimes? been teaching and
creek and floated away on the inner tube. training in eastern
3 Was it a good plan? Why? What Europe and central
The robbery happened a of Monroe
were the risks? Asia for over 20 years
America near the Bank in of on US and is working on a
Route 2, Seattle branch. 4 What do you think the guard felt as new pedagogical
grammar of English.
According to police spokeswoman he was approached by a man in the
Debbie Willis, the robber, wearing a car park?
surgical mask, who up to the, was 5 Do you think the police will catch
carrying Tuesday walked about two the thief ? robert@rbuckmaster.com

Reading night
R
Constanze Schkölziger eading is a key skill for primary reading circus. Even the youngest
school pupils, so it makes sense children (in year one) had a lot of fun
tells of exciting times after to look for ways of making it a reading and listening to stories.
wonderful, relaxing and even
hours. exciting part of their school lives.
Planning the event
The Kant Primary School in Berlin
does this by putting on special events Before this big event, we made
called ‘Reading nights’. In the past, preparations to cater for all the different
individual class teachers have organised levels of reading and all the different
these events by themselves for their interest groups in order to make it an
own classes, but our ‘Reading night’ in unforgettable festival of reading.
May this year was a huge event, during Although much of the reading was
which all 358 of our students were going to be done in German – the first
read to by the entire teaching staff, with language of the vast majority of our pupils
the help of guest readers: school – as an English teacher, I thought it would
alumni, pupils’ parents and grandparents be a great idea to include the reading
– and even actors and film producers. of English literature as well, giving the
Everyone was involved – from the older students with some English ability
headmaster to the caretaker and even and those native speakers of English
the kitchen ladies. For one day and one who attend the school the opportunity
night, the school turned into a big to listen to books read in English. This

was the first time that we had included

an English reading element in the event.
Finding readers
The guest readers were found by asking
every pupil’s family several months in
Choosing books advance whether any of them would
First of all, we conducted a survey in all like to come and read. They were also
our classes to find out what sort of asked if they knew anyone else outside
books the children like to read, and we the family who would be interested in
then took the results back to teacher taking part as a guest reader.
planning groups and looked for We were amazed by how many
appropriate books. We researched people were happy to read for the
different types of literature in order to children in our school, and by asking for
identify a range of books which the readers from outside we got many
children would find enjoyable. We also interesting people from different parts
lined up a number of guest readers and of society to participate in our event.
some of them made their own These included several well-known
suggestions for books. actors, film producers and even
Just the thought of conducting part of politicians who were former students
the event in English got me excited, and I or friends of the school. The English readers and, in the end, we had to
soon had many ideas for possible books book was read by a native speaker. All make a shortlist because there were
to be read. As the main English teacher in the guest readers were each given a more people available to read than we
the school, I made the final choice of the small present at the end, sponsored by could take. However, we promised any
book which was to be read in English. I the Kant Primary Support Association. ‘rejected’ readers that they would be
decided on a crime thriller as the We were delighted with the included in the team the next time
children like to read exciting literature. overwhelming response to our call for round.

Reading night
Between six and eight in the
evening we all had dinner in the dining Tips
room, where our caretaker and the Here are some tips in case
kitchen ladies had prepared a barbecue. you would like to hold a
Later in the evening, a special guest
Running the event read to the older children in the
‘Reading night’ in your school:
The reading festival started at two assembly room. Make sure you have permission
o’clock on the first day and went on to stay overnight in the school
until eleven the following morning. It with the children (you will need
was organised in a rotation system.
Reading at night the agreement of the parents and
Groups of between five and ten pupils From nine to eleven, the children could the school authority).
were read to for around 40 to 45 finally read by themselves with books
Check out the rules and
minutes and, at the end of this period, they had brought from home or those
regulations that govern staying
they could move to another group and provided by us from our reading circles.
Some of the pupils chose to read overnight with children in a
listen to a different book.
English magazines and short stories in school.
It was important to find out in
advance how many children would be English, which were provided by the Get as many people involved as
in each group, so the pupils had to sign school. All the children had their own possible (neighbours, former
up to lists. By doing this, we could see little ‘nest’, equipped with a mattress pupils, parents, grandparents, etc).
how many were expected in each and a sleeping bag where they could
read. They could bring small lamps or Build a team of teachers who will
group and each pupil had their own
even torches. They were surprisingly take responsibility for organising
schedule to follow. Between the
calm and focused. We teachers stayed different areas of the event –
readings, there was always a ten-minute
with the children from our classes and issuing invitations to different
break to give everyone the chance to
also read books by ourselves. people, organising the catering,
change groups in time for the next
searching for books, etc.
reading session.
Several pupils chose to attend the The morning after Plan your event several months
English reading. We didn’t do any pre- in advance.
teaching of vocabulary, but the children the night before
Make sure you have the
were given the title of the book in It had been a long night! The morning
necessary finances to run the
advance and had the opportunity to ask started with a good breakfast in the
event.
questions. The reader was careful to dining room and then we started to
make sure that the children were all talk in our classes about our
following the story during the reading. experiences of the ‘Reading night’. The pupils went home tired but happy at
11 am. Everyone thought it was a great
success and it gave us the inspiration to
hold more similar events. The whole
ethos of reading got a boost – even
with the parents; it is particularly
important to get them on board as
they have such a strong influence on
their children. Most importantly, the
children loved it so much, that we have
now decided to make it a fixed date in
our yearly school calendar. ETp
Constanze Schkölziger
has worked as a primary
school teacher in
Germany for 25 years.
She specialises in
German, maths, PE and
English. As an English
teacher, she won a
foreign language
competition in Saxony
Anhalt in 2006 for her
work with children who
presented a play called
The Three Little Pigs.
conny@schkoelziger.co.uk

Over
the
wall ... Alan Maley
ponders what it means
to be a teacher.
n this article I shall be looking at some
I
exuberance of the kids and the passion in a Maori School, she draws on her diary
books which attempt to convey the of the teacher who took the trouble to let to give an even more personal account of
essence of what it is to be a teacher. them learn. Part 1, Creative Teaching, the life of the school, including some
Not a language teacher, but a teacher recounts how she discovered what she wonderful extracts of verbal exchanges
focused on the bond between teacher and calls ‘organic learning’ – starting from what and written work. There are some striking
taught – that magical relationship that the is real and important to the child. ‘… these black and white photographs throughout
best teachers manage somehow, in the first books ... must be made out of the the book, too, which help convey the
face of every kind of obstacle, to create. stuff of the child itself. I reach a hand into flavour of her teaching. A final quote: ‘But
These are all highly personal accounts of the mind of the child, bring out a handful there are two kinds of order, and which is
how an individual found a key to opening of the stuff I find there, and use that as the one we wish for? Is it the conscious
up his or her learners. I will not be dealing our first working material. Whether it’s order that ends up as respectability? Or
with the highly influential contributions of good or bad stuff, violent or placid stuff, is it the unconscious order that looks like
people like Maria Montessori, Rudolf coloured or dun … within the security of chaos …?’
Steiner, John Dewey, etc. What I want to it, the Maori finds that words have intense
focus on is not educational theory with a meaning for him, from which cannot help
big T. Rather, I wish to revisit accounts of but arise a love of reading.’ The key
lived experience in sometimes difficult vocabulary she works with comes from
circumstances. the words the children find significant:
cried, hit, fight, kiss, ghost and the like.
An Experiment in
The readers they use are a far cry from
the anodyne offerings in the ‘Janet and
Education
John’ series with which many UK readers Sybil Marshall’s An Experiment in
of a certain age will be familiar. She Education describes her 17 years in a
engages the children in writing, stories, rural primary school in deepest Essex,
Teacher movement (dance and sport), nature UK, in the 1940s and 1950s. There are
One of the best examples is Sylvia Ashton- walks and art. It looks chaotic but, as she many resonances with Teacher – the
Warner’s Teacher. This book documents says: ‘I like unpredictability and I like mixed ages, backgrounds and levels of
the author’s experiences working with gaiety; I like peace in the world and I like the children, the small but close rural
underprivileged, mainly Maori, children in a interesting people, and all this means that community, and the teacher’s search for a
small primary school in rural New Zealand I like life in its organic shape, and that’s way of opening the children to the world
in the 1950s. It is an unruly, loosely- just what you get in an infant room where and the world to the children. Marshall
organised book, yet it overflows with the the creative vent widens.’ In Part 2, Life starts off with art, and gradually comes to

Over fanatic who sees sin everywhere, the
brooding one who sits in the back staring
ourselves and make us forget all the
others.’ His saviour teachers never gave
the at the desk, the happy one, the saint who up on him, and they had ‘style’. Along the
wall ... finds good in all creatures …’ His own

role is no less varied: ‘I was more than a
way, he treats us to some of the ways he
managed to interest demotivated students
teacher. And less. In the high school – ranging from memorisation of texts (yes,
classroom you are a drill sergeant, a rabbi, memorisation!) and questioning taken-
a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a for-granted bits of language to introduce
singer, a low-level scholar, a clerk, a grammar. He is scathing in his criticism
incorporate poetry, music, dance, referee, a clown, a counsellor, a dress- of ‘Granny Marketing’, which reduces
puppetry and all the expressive arts into code enforcer, a conductor, an apologist, a students ‘to the same childish state of
what she terms ‘a symphonic’ approach. philosopher …’ He concludes: ‘You have perpetual craving’. The essence of his
She roots the whole of her curriculum in to find yourself. You have to develop your message is: ‘You spend your time hiding
the reality of the village community, own style, your own techniques. You have behind methods when deep down you
weaving the subjects – history, geography, to tell the truth or you’ll be found out … it know perfectly well that no method is
maths, biology, English, and so on – into a isn’t a matter of virtue or high morality.’ He sufficient. No, what’s missing is something
seamless cloth. She, like Ashton-Warner, survives by sheer tenacity and native wit, else.’ And that something else is love:
has to find her own way, ‘not having had and by finding ways of turning happenings caring enough about what you are doing.
one single minute’s training to uphold me to his advantage. There is the hilarious After reading this fabulous book, I wished
in facing a class of thirty-odd children …’. opening scene where he takes the wind that I had had Pennac as my teacher!
She rails against those ‘who worship at out of the sails of a boy who has thrown
the shrine of the fixed and dependable, of a baloney sandwich – by the simple

the scheme, the record, the timetable’. expedient of eating it himself! ‘I ate the All these books offer reflection and
The book is full of radical insights, and is sandwich. It was my first act of classroom revelation, and provide both inspiration
generously illustrated with samples of the management.’ He turns the plethora of and consolation. They are an
children’s writing and artwork. Most forged excuse notes into a new genre of indispensable complement to the more
striking is her own openness to learning: creative writing. While his students technical aspects of teaching. ETp
‘I was being educated all over again by resisted any kind of writing in class, they
the children I was supposed to be were geniuses when it came to writing Ashton-Warner, S Teacher Penguin 1966
teaching.’ Would that we were all so open! excuse notes. ‘Here was American high McCourt, F Teacher Man Scribners 2005
school writing at its best – raw, real, Marshall, S An Experiment in Education
urgent, lucid, brief, lying.’ He opens up CUP 1970
poetry by having his students perform Pennac, D School Blues Maclehose
recipes as raps and songs. He takes risks. Press 2010
He knows that what he is doing is
important – yet will soon be forgotten. Alan Maley has worked in
Teacher Man the area of ELT for over
40 years in Yugoslavia,
Ghana, Italy, France,
Anyone who has read Frank McCourt’s China, India, the UK,
Angela’s Ashes will be prepared for the Singapore and Thailand.
Since 2003 he has been
iconoclastic, unconventional and a freelance writer and
humorous way he tells of his life as a consultant. He has
published over 30 books
teacher in New York in Teacher Man. The
book is a mixture of autobiographical
School Blues and numerous articles,
and was, until recently,
Series Editor of the
incidents relating to both his life as a School Blues, brilliantly translated from Oxford Resource Books
teacher and his marriage, and some highly French by Sarah Ardizzone, is about for Teachers.
insightful and hard-headed observations educational failure and how to transform yelamoo@yahoo.co.uk
about what it is to be a teacher. In Part 1, failures into success stories. Daniel
It’s a Long Road to Pedagogy, he Pennac, whose book The Rights of the
describes his fight to survive in the rough
environment of a series of deadbeat New
Reader has also been reviewed here, was
himself a ‘cancre’ – a dunce, an
TALKBACK!
Do you have something to say about
York schools, where ‘All the ingredients educational failure – so he comes at the an article in the current issue of ETp?
of difficulty were wrapped up in this one problem of failure from the inside. He This is your magazine and we would
group: gender clash, generation clash, takes us through his own experience of really like to hear from you.
racial clash’. He is faced by a variety of hopelessness to becoming a teacher Write to us or email:
different characters in every class: ‘the himself, dedicated to rescuing other ENGLISH TEACHING professional
complainer, the clown, the goody-goody, potential dropouts. The story is full of Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd,
Rayford House, School Road,
the beauty queen, the volunteer for anecdotes with the sometimes bitter ring
Hove BN3 5HX, UK
everything, the jock, the intellectual, the of truth. He shows how vital the actions Fax: +44 (0)1273 227308
momma’s boy, the mystic, the sissy, the of a teacher can be. ‘All it takes is one Email: helena.gomm@pavpub.com
lover, the critic, the jerk, the religious teacher – just one – to save us from

IN THE CLASSROOM
Outcomes-based
language education
Peter Zoeftig concludes his series, makes recommendations
and raises points for reflection.
utcomes-based education exactly ‘unlearnt’, but repositioned in incrementally. A limited amount of pre-
O (OBE) is known for

measuring outcomes against
definite standards and a
concept of mastery, and places more
emphasis on learning by doing things,
order to be more resourceful.
Emphasis must be placed on these areas
and not merely on ‘performing’.
Re-programming
prepared resource material is required,
provided by and negotiated with the
learners (who can select from notices,
articles, dialogues, emails, reports,
meetings expressions, as the case may
rather than on attendance in a classroom be, to bring out suitable goals and
setting with input provided by a teacher Following the fundamental insights of outcomes). This conscious modelling
or trainer. In other words, coaching helps NLP – that it is impossible not to phase is followed by a more unconscious,
the coachees to do what they need to do communicate and that our unconscious practice, experimental or ‘gathering’
whereas, in teaching, the teacher tells the contains limitless possibilities – a phase, during which the learners visualise
students what to do. I take this further to gradual ‘re-programming’ of the the task that they are about to perform.
say that instead of being instructed by a unconscious reservoir needs to be This finally leads to a more conscious
teacher on how to climb a ‘mountain of undertaken. This can be achieved mechanical delivery phase with essential
knowledge’, coachees need to develop through better understanding and
their own map, which they can use to listening, painstaking re-focusing and
make progress and clarify with re-iterating, switching from Instead of being
confidence their own needs and aims. unconscious, natural delivery to instructed by a teacher
production of language that is done in a
The coaching more dissociated state of mind and with on how to climb a
a deliberate focus on what is going
environment wrong in the coachees’ processing of the
‘mountain of knowledge’,
Several ingredients are needed to ensure language. This is done by allowing the coachees need to
achieved successful outcomes. learners’ minds to wander away from the
● First, there should be minimum stress specific goals which have been set and develop their own map
in the environment. Stress can be agreed, only to bring them back to the
caused by externally-imposed areas to be practised with an increased performance aspects. Thus we have
expectations of student performance, awareness of problems that hitherto inverted the usual model that starts with
and it introduces affective filters which have been filtered from their conscious mechanical practice and is meant to
hinder successful language acquisition. awareness. Thus, in gradual shifting lead to a rapid ‘jump’ into performance.
patterns and improved reflexes, adding In this approach, we adopt a wholly
● It is reasonable and proper to have clear to the detail and refinement of their
personal targets and to involve the different stance, allowing the coachees
inner map of the language, the learners to listen to themselves more carefully.
students in task-oriented preparation will edge nearer to the desired outcomes
of information within their experience, in clear steps and with an awareness of
such as a story, a presentation or their improved performance.
Perception
participation in a discussion. Outcomes can be defined and Metaphorically speaking, I invite my
● Acquisition will be restricted unless presented through any sort of students to join me at the top of the
there is a conscious focus on language ‘modelling’ exercise, using all kinds of mountain. Their terrain is their own;
processing and production so that model texts, listening and sentence- or other peaks are distinct only in giving a
some of the unconscious native- utterance-based models. The learner has personal or cultural difference. By
language reserve of resources is to read and repeat them, adapt and having a clear eagle-eye view of the
systematically re-programmed – not develop them, systematically and terrain below, the various problems that

Outcomes-based ‘terrain’. Language items should not
simply be supplied by the teacher in a
keep referring the coachees back to how
they are developing inwardly, as well as
language education random way but should be matched to

goals; these language items can be
to observable and more objective
changes in behaviour.
constantly upgraded and added to,
they perceive can be navigated to the reformulated and redesigned. They Acquisition
chosen point on the terrain with should be plentiful, or at least be as
support from the coach. An important realisation is that coaching
many as the learner can handle.
The essential thing is that this means making positive associations,
While students can read, do exercises
creates a cycle of success, clear viewing, termed ‘anchors’, for the deep insights that
and watch TV with subtitles, etc in their
positive rapport and student-led come from the re-working of language
own time, the time spent with the coach
outcomes. The coach does not choose from different notional and perceptual
should be of a different order. However,
or determine the goals or outcomes, but positions, and that these anchors are the
reflective study, reading and watching of
carefully and purposefully matches and acquisitions that remain – long after
good models, helping recycling, is very
paces the learner during the navigation short-term memorisation has faded.
beneficial when guided and matched
by providing challenges. It must be carefully to the coachee’s developing
emphasised that such an approach is insights; naturally, only deep listening Reflection
not merely in the domain of the by the coach can make this possible. Finally, here are some questions for
classroom, though much of the Grammar exercises, texts and a variety reflection:
metaphorical reframing can be done of other materials can occasionally serve ● Generally, would you say that your
there – much can also be achieved by the purpose of training a discrete point, expectations of what your students can
continuing the authentic immersion if they are geared to an outcome, and achieve are higher or lower than their
experience in all other aspects of the are not simply an easily-found input to own?
study and coaching programme. The fill time.
school or training centre will benefit the ● In general, how achievable do you feel
clients by extending communicative that the weekly goals set for the
Generative learning students are?
practice outside the classroom or formal
teaching environment to authentic In NLP, the term transderivational search ● How often do you ‘take over’ the
social interchange, insisting perhaps on refers to the means by which a person conversation with your students in class
adherence to the target language. accesses layers of memory and opens up and in breaks?
parts of the mind to the technique of ● In a conversation with a student, whose
modelling. In this case, the coachee is
Implementation developing the inner insight to begin to
focus of interest are you concentrating
on?
These other aspects must be non- compose language. The coach is a
stressful, supportive, guiding, listening ● How does it feel when you only
catalyst here, empowering the coachee
and challenging. An atmosphere of concentrate on listening to what the
and engendering the right approach.
heavy stress and rigorously imposed or student is saying, without reacting?
In larger groups, students are co-opted
inflexible timetabling is not really into shared tasks, such as meetings, by ● How do you feel when simply echoing
appropriate for such an approach. virtue of their emerging skills. This the student’s words, in your own head
Planning, yes, but above all, encourages mutual support, yet allows a or aloud?
involvement and support, great certain objective distance and clearer ● How much noise is there in your
flexibility and total commitment. awareness. classroom and how conducive is this to
I feel that it is usually very In each session we build on the achieving alpha-levels of experience
important that every single timetabled coaching points from a previous and concentration?
class should culminate in a clear and session. This leads to the coachees using ● How can you judge your student’s
measurable outcome that is consciously different perspectives to enable them to inner dialogue?
understood, or has involved a shift of start to think in the new language. ● How can you encourage more
personal awareness, finishing the session dissociative learning?
with a summary of what has been Calibration
achieved. These outcomes can of course ● What key presuppositions would it help
be recorded for further consolidation The coach should use a wide range of to have about the student?
and can also be used to lead into new interesting conversational, textual,
Peter Zoeftig has over
and further outcomes on a related topic performance-based or listening-based 25 years’ experience of
or higher goal. Resourcefulness is key. resources that fit with the coachees’ teaching, and is involved
in both personal and
needs, and should give clear feedback, business executive
including references to the subjective coaching. He has
Recycling shifts experienced by the coachees. At qualifications in NLP
and coaching and has
Recycled language is valuable also in the same time, the coach should take worked in Italy, France,
generating more language that can be care not to overload the coachees with Saudi Arabia, the United
Kingdom (in York,
constantly re-framed and redeveloped more and more input but, instead, allow Bromsgrove, London,
during the course of study. It is the the natural development of clear Birmingham and Warwick)
and Belgium (Spa).
proud possession of the learner and insights into their own growth in the
contributes to their map of their info@tostig.co.uk
target language. The coach needs to

Language Learner Literature
Awards 2012
Congratulations to the winners of the
2012 Language Learner Literature Awards. Congratulations from
The LLL Awards are given by the Extensive Reading Foundation ENGLISH
(ERF), a not-for-profit organisation that supports and promotes
extensive reading in language education. The winning book in each Tprofessional
EACHING
of five categories is chosen by an international jury, taking into
account the internet votes and comments of students and teachers to all the winners and finalists.
around the world.
Young learners Adolescent and Adult: Intermediate
Winner Uncle Jack and the Meeerkats Winner A Christmas Carol

by Jane Cadwallader, illustrated by Gustavo Mazali by Charles Dickens, retold by Sean Michael
Published by ELI Publishing Wilson, illustrated by Mike Collins
ISBN: 978-88-536-0627-3 Published by National Geographic Learning
Judges’ comment: A nice mixture of adventure, ISBN: 978-1-4240-4287-6
fantasy and reality, with an animal conservation Judges’ comments: This version of
angle. It also has a cool family theme and A Christmas Carol is a graphic novel which
intelligent child characters. Well-written, nice has the rare combination of excellent artwork
design and fun to read. and skillful retelling that can engage readers
Finalists from start to finish.
Hooray for the Holidays! by Dominique Guillemant Finalists
(ELI Publishing); Mansour and the Donkey by Call of the Wild retold by Rachel Bladon
Sue Arengo (OUP) (Macmillan); Noughts and Crosses retold by
Karen Holmes (Pearson)
Adolescent and Adult: Beginner
Adolescent and Adult: Upper-intermediate and Advanced
Winner Arman’s Journey
by Philip Prowse, illustrated by Paul Dickinson Winner Joe Faust
Published by Cambridge University Press by Frank Brennan, illustrated by Redbean
ISBN: 978-0-521-18496-0 Design
Judges’ comment: This original story is filled with Published by National Geographic Learning
adventure that compels the reader through to the ISBN: 978-1-4240-1796-6
end. The content is especially relevant for adult Judges’ comments: This is a gripping story,
learners – touching on conflict, economics, and a moral tale for our times that speaks
prejudice and romance. across different cultures and societies.
Finalists Finalists
A Little Trouble in California by Richard MacAndrew The Great Gatsby retold by Richard Larkham
(CUP); Roommates by Sue Leather and Julian (ELI Publishing); Solo Saxophone by Jeremy
Thomlinson (National Geographic Learning) Harmer (CUP)
Adolescent and Adult: Elementary
Winner Harry’s Holiday

by Antoinette Moses, illustrated by Mikela Prevost
Published by Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 978-84-8323-858-5 2013 Awards
Judges’ comments: This is an intriguing book,
with an excellent plot. The reader is kept on edge, Have you enjoyed a reader that was
wondering what will happen to Harry. Will he get to
published in 2012? The nomination and
go on a holiday?
Finalists
voting procedures for the 2013 Language
Ask Alice by Margaret Johnson (CUP); Running Learner Literature Award will be posted on
Free by Sue Leather and Julian Thomlinson the ERF website (www.erfoundation.org).
(National Geographic Learning)
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IT WORKS IN PRACTICE
More tested lessons, suggestions, tips and she and her colleagues at Lanser Language
techniques which have all worked for ETp Services in Bilbao, Spain, have tried and
readers. Try them out for yourself – and tested. Alison will receive copies of Skillful
then send us your own contribution. Don’t Reading and Writing and Skillful Listening
forget to include your postal address. and Speaking, published by Macmillan in
All the contributions to It Works in their Academic Skills series. Macmillan
Practice in this issue of ETp come from have kindly agreed to be sponsors of It
Alison Elflett, and they are activities that Works in Practice for this year.
Interview time
Students often have difficulty forming questions correctly. Here are three activities for the one-to-one classroom which practise
question-forming in ways which students find interesting and engaging. Although the activities probably work best with one-to-
one students, they could be adapted for groups.
1 Formal interview grammar and vocabulary). Select some of these to go over
(over two lessons) with your student, encouraging self-correction in the case of
1 Tell your student to imagine they are leaving their present basic errors. For very advanced students who make few errors,
job and moving to a new department in the company. The boss focus on any language used which, although it would be
has asked them to help interview candidates for the position understood by native speakers, could be expressed more
they are leaving. For homework, ask the student to reflect on precisely or in a more natural way. Help the student to
what qualities and abilities (apart from academic qualifications) reformulate it.
a person would need to do their present job successfully, and 6 Give your student a copy of the recording so that they can
to write ten questions that they would ask interviewees. listen to the whole interview if they wish, and ask them to go
2 In the next class, go through your student’s questions, over the corrections discussed in that class. In the following
correcting errors in grammar and vocabulary or helping them lesson, interview the student a second time (using the same
to self-correct. questions), asking them to focus on correcting the errors you
3 Go through the questions again, this time asking the pointed out previously.
student to explain a) exactly why they chose each question 3 Interview the teacher
(what would the answer tell them about the candidate’s
1 Tell your student that they are going to interview you about
suitability?) and b) what would be a good/poor answer.
your career to date, or a hobby, an interest, a holiday, etc.
2 Informal interview For homework, ask them to write ten questions about the
(over three to four lessons) topic you have chosen.
1 Tell your student that you are going to interview them about 2 Make sure you have the necessary equipment to record the
one of their hobbies or interests, but that they are going to interview, preferably as an MP3 file.
write the questions for the interview. For homework, ask them 3 In the next class, go through the student’s questions,
to write ten questions on the topic chosen. correcting errors in grammar and vocabulary or assisting with
2 Make sure you have the necessary equipment to record the self-correction. When the questions are correct, proceed with
interview, preferably as an MP3 file. the interview, answering your student’s ten questions and any
3 In the next class, go through the student’s questions, follow-up questions they may ask you. Keep your answers
correcting errors in grammar and vocabulary or assisting with reasonably short! Record the complete interview.
self-correction. When the questions are correct, proceed with 4 Before the next lesson, listen to the recording and analyse
the interview, asking your student the ten questions. You may the student’s performance with respect to pronunciation,
also want to ask unscripted follow-up questions in addition to especially intonation in question forms. Also pay attention to
the planned ones. how your student reacts to your answers – is backchannelling
4 Don’t correct the student while they are speaking, but used to show that they are following what you are saying and
record the interview for later analysis and correction. to encourage you to continue? Go over these points with your
student in class and choose suitable follow-up activities to
5 Before the next lesson, listen to the recording and note provide further practice or consolidation.
down both good points and errors (in aspects of pronunciation,

Dialogues from news stories
Adult students who use English in their board, on your laptop or on a piece the one-to-one classroom allows the
jobs can find it challenging when they of paper). Insist on a less formal teacher to work very closely with the
have to socialise in English with register (your student may try to student to produce a natural dialogue.
colleagues or clients. This activity use vocabulary from the article In the case of a large group, it may be
started out as a way of ‘activating’ a which is too formal), correcting and better for the teacher to collect the
news article (which has a grammar and re-formulating as you go along. dialogues after Stage 3 and correct
vocabulary focus) with a one-to-one 4 If this is the first time you have
them. Stage 5 could then be done in a
student, but it actually allows you to second lesson, with the teacher putting
focused on discourse markers,
help your student create an informal just one of the dialogues produced on
introduce them once you have the
dialogue of the type they may have the board for the whole class to work
completed dialogue on the board.
when socialising with foreign with.
If your student is familiar with
colleagues. This is a good way to
them, elicit as you go along. Here’s an example of a dialogue from
introduce or encourage backchannelling
one class:
and discourse markers (eg well, so, 5 When the dialogue is complete,
join your student in reading it A: Have you read the paper today?
anyway, etc) which ‘oil’ a conversation
and help it to flow, as well as exit aloud, helping with pronunciation B: No, not yet. Any interesting news?
strategies (eg Anyway, I need to make and intonation where necessary. A: Well, I read an article this morning
a call before we start, so I’ll see you in Read it a few times, then gradually about people and their pets. You’ve
a minute). start to rub parts of it out, so that got a dog, haven’t you?
eventually both you and your
1 You will need a short news article B: Yes, a German Shepherd. So what
student memorise the dialogue
(text or audio) from a coursebook, was the article about?
(approximately – it doesn’t have to
the internet or a magazine. The A: Well, it was about the similarities
be word for word). This can help
Week magazine is an excellent between pets and their owners.
your student to memorise useful
source. Apparently, they get more and more
chunks of language, eg (from the
2 After working on vocabulary, alike over time.
dialogue below) What was …
grammar, etc and discussing the about? They get more and more … B: Oh, I’ve heard that before, but it
student’s reactions to the article, It sounds a bit … . sounds a bit far-fetched if you ask
ask them to imagine they are me. Or are you saying I’m like my
6 If you get into the habit of doing
having a coffee with some foreign dog?
this regularly with reading and
colleagues while waiting for a A: Not exactly! But it did sound like a
listening texts, your student may
meeting to start. Elicit how they serious study. It was done by a
start to feel more confident about
could start a conversation about British university.
socialising in English.
the article, eg Have you seen the B: Really? Don’t they have anything
news today? or Have you read more important to study?
Note: This activity could be adapted
today’s paper?
for a class by asking the students to A: I suppose not. Anyway, the
3 Now proceed to prompt and elicit create the dialogue in pairs or groups. meeting’s starting in a minute. Have
language from your student to Monitor the students, correcting, you got the agenda with you? I
create a short dialogue (on the helping and encouraging. Obviously, haven’t printed it off ...
Do you have an idea which you would like to contribute to All the contributors to It Works in Practice get a prize! We
our It Works in Practice section? It might be anything from especially welcome joint entries from teachers working at
an activity which you use in class to a teaching technique the same institution. Why not get together with your
that has worked for you. Send us your contribution, by colleagues to provide a whole It Works in Practice section
post or by email to helena.gomm@pavpub.com. of your ideas? We will publish a photo of you all.

B USINESS E NGLISH professional
If you don’t
know me
by now...
Phil Wade analyses the t the beginning of my ELT Changing the standards
information he really needs
about his students.
A career, I had limited
experience of needs analysies
(NAs) and diagnostic tests
(DTs). Then, while studying for my
DELTA, I produced highly detailed
The more I teach business English and
corporate students, the more I find that
the amount of information I require to
develop personalised courses which will
ones, which enabled me to create a full maximise learning becomes greater and
university business English course. This greater. Don’t get me wrong: my bosses
was the first time I’d really got my hands or I do conduct standard DTs and NAs,
so dirty – if you work for a school or but I find these are not enough. My
other teaching organisation, as I often courses never seem to start off feeling
do, they generally take care of this and right and constantly have to be adapted
create a syllabus for you to deliver. If
you are lucky (or unlucky, depending on The greater the time
your perspective), you are also given
complete lesson materials to follow. spent getting to know
On the other hand, if you are the students at the
freelance and teach students in a variety
of companies, then this task is certainly very beginning, the
down to you. We are probably all familiar easier it is to hit the
with a run-of-the-mill DT, consisting of
questions, writing, listening and maybe ground running
some speaking of incremental difficulty,
which uncovers weaknesses in the through trial and error. Only by midway
student’s language and enables levelling. or three quarters of the way through the
An NA, however, unmasks why a student course do I have the optimum formula.
needs English, what they hope to do To remedy this, I’ve begun to realise
with it and, by cross referencing both, that the greater the time spent getting to
we can build a course which blends know the students at the very beginning,
what they need and what they want. Of the easier it is to hit the ground running
course, we’re all probably familiar with in the first or second lesson – as
the great difficulty presented by opposed to racking my brains constantly
students who really require something, for ideas, or learning something
such as pronunciation work, but who important about the students later on
either don’t want it or who believe they and then having to change everything.
are far better than they actually are. For this reason, I am convinced that the

first lesson should be devoted, partially it, that our cherished communicative- courses and it involves lesson-by-lesson
or entirely, to an in-depth needs analysis based methodology frequently involves tinkering, but it will increase student
in one shape or another. little authentic communication, participation, motivation and dedication.
A major problem I see with particularly if judged by a lesson plan. In the corporate world, this sets your
standard NAs is that they are often Taking all these factors into courses apart from the average ‘teach with
limited to pre-set questions, whether consideration, there are certain questions this book’ courses. Then, if you can add
these are from a book or ones that you I consider necessary for the initial NA: your own purpose-written materials –
have created, keeping in mind what you 1 What do the students actually want possibly via an online virtual learning
believe the answers will be. A related to learn? platform, then your courses are certainly
issue is that teachers in a school, worth more money than the average.
2 How would they like to learn it?
university or any other teaching If we take this idea to the logical
organisation will also have less leeway 3 How much out-of-class work are next step, how about a combined NA
to adapt courses to reflect NA they willing to put in? and DT? One of my previous bosses
feedback. For instance, there may be a 4 How much do they want to learn in used to bring new enrolees to my office,
set coursebook or handouts that can’t one class? ostensibly to ask me to talk to them
be changed, even if the students request about the course and to see if they were
5 How will their progress be assessed?
it. Thus, certain elements of how the suitable but, unofficially, to check their
course works are non-negotiable. This 6 What materials do they want to use? level. This sort of encounter can result
creates a difficult situation: we ask the 7 What technology do they have in a real meaningful conversation about
students what they want, they make a needs which incorporates listening,
access to, and what could they use
request, but we then have to say it’s not reading of course literature or sample
in and out of class?
possible. Because of this, I have materials, a discussion about levels and
8 What blend of skills/activities
sometimes been discouraged from doing degree of challenge and, frequently, some
any NA in lesson one when working in would they like in each lesson? follow-up email correspondence. After
formal organisations where I have 9 Do they want recycling and revision? five minutes you can quite successfully
essentially been hired just to deliver a 10 How would they like to be taught? assess the level of the student and you
pre-planned pre-organised course with have enough factual information to
daily and weekly objectives. 11 How fast do they want to progress build a suitable course foundation.
and how much pressure would they
Changing the teaching like?
method These questions will provide you with
in-depth knowledge of your student(s) In this article, I have outlined some of
Another factor we generally choose not the reasons why I think we need to
and help you craft a real course to meet
to alter is the teaching method. We rethink the typical needs analysis and I
their actual needs and wants.
almost automatically use the same one have also given some possible
with every level, course, age, etc. You adaptations. In no way do I mean this
know the one: it has various objectives, a
Changing the format
to be followed to the letter, but I hope it
warmer, a language point, lots of practice To get to the truth about the requirements will give you an idea of what I feel I
and it ends with speaking – all quite fun of the students, perhaps a more open need to know about my own students,
and fast tempo. Yet, a class of teens and speaking format is necessary for the NA, and how I believe that information could
a business executive are rather different as opposed to just a written questionnaire benefit my own courses. Each of us is
challenges and demand different or a spoken ‘question and answer’ session. unique, as is our teaching situation, so
approaches. I believe we overuse this We might consider a discussion or even a there is no perfect formula. However, as
particular method as we have been raised student presentation, or both. Carrying our students are the reason why we teach
to believe in its superiority. We may throw this out in the first lesson establishes the and usually the ones giving feedback on
in a bit of task-based work, perhaps, but course from the very beginning as being us, shouldn’t we be finding out and
we still tend to lean too much on that student- and needs/desires-centred, and giving them what they really want? ETp
traditional approach – and why not? It you can keep this momentum going in
works so well most of the time. But if we subsequent lessons, making it an integral Phil Wade has a Business
are supposed to be giving tailored lessons, part of the course. For example, at the degree, a PGCE, the
CELTA, MA TESOL and
shouldn’t we also be moulding a method end of each class you can review what you DELTA Module 3. He is
to suit the client? It’s not uncommon to did, how it went, if the students are happy a qualified Cambridge
examiner and online
hear businesspeople ask for a whole with the tempo, the amount of work, teacher. He has 14 years’
course on just one skill or requirement, activities, etc. You can then adapt the teaching and course
management experience
some even ask for it in their L1 or, even formula for the next class. The kind of in schools, universities
worse still, a grammar translation style trainer who does this really wants to make and companies. He
currently teaches
lesson. Numerous ELT courses are the class all about their students, and it business English, trains
supposed to be communicative-based but is what I have always believed ‘tailored’ teachers and writes
refers to. Yes, it’s not easy and doesn’t materials.
is it real communication or just added-on
allow for rehashing of set syllabi and philawade@gmail.com
extended speaking practice? Strange, isn’t

The best of
both worlds?
Louis Rogers puts business English in the blender.
ack in the 1960s, there was a understood description in use today. Technology, though, is still something
B BBC television programme

called Tomorrow’s World. The
concept of the show, for those
that have never seen it, was to forecast
the future of technology and how it
However, early definitions were much
different. In fact, early references to
blended learning often did not mention
technology at all; they simply described
courses with a variety of pedagogical
that divides teachers – there are those who
actively and excitedly embrace it, but
there are many who find it disorienting
or frightening. Obviously, this could all
change as the Net Generation (or
would change our lives. Looking back, approaches, for example a course Generation Y) – people born between
some of the predictions were shockingly mixing face-to-face teaching with 1982 and 1996 who have grown up with
inaccurate – I’m still waiting for the distance learning, but with no mention technology – start to enter the classroom
domestic robot to come along and take of technology. By 2003, Charles as teachers rather than students.
over all the cooking, cleaning and Graham of the American Society for
tidying! However, for every one that was Training and Development was
wide of the mark, there were many others describing blended learning as a top-ten Without frequent
that were incredibly accurate. From trend in the educational sector. It is now
laser eye surgery in 1965 to touch-screen arguably the dominant term used for
and active coercing,
computers in 1982, the programme the combination of a content subject many students don’t
accurately forecast many things widely and technology both inside and outside
available today, a whole host of which the classroom. make full use of the
have changed the very way we live. technology and
How is this relevant to blended Engaging with blended materials available
learning and business English? Well, for
me it relates to how I first encountered
learning
In the different contexts I have worked in,
to them
the concepts of Computer Assisted
Language Learning (CALL) back in the I have found that blended learning can
mid-90s as a module of my first degree. vary in its usefulness. In particular, I have Depending on the country they are from,
Had some of the predictions made in found that the more face-to-face contact nearly half this generation are already of
those classes been true, I probably you have with students on, say, short an age to be teachers – not that age means
wouldn’t be writing this article and you intensive courses of 20+ hours per week, you cannot engage with technology, but in
wouldn’t be reading it. The best we the less keen the students seem to be to all likelihood it would be unusual not to
could hope for would be working as engage with technology such as a virtual engage with it when you come from that
classroom assistants to a robot who was learning platform (VLP) outside the particular generation.
a much more capable teacher than we classroom. Without frequent and active
could ever be. By the time I returned to coercing, many students don’t make full Business English and
study my Masters a decade later, the use of the technology and materials
term CALL was less in use, and much available to them, and perhaps because of blended learning
more prominent was the concept of the number of contact hours with the Whilst all language instruction in all
blended learning. Technology was no teacher, they don’t see the need to engage contexts can arguably be blended, it is
longer going to control the language with a VLP or other learning platform perhaps business English which could
classroom; it would, rather, enhance outside lesons. Of course, they could benefit the most from this approach. In
learning and the classroom environment. still benefit from a blended approach if this context, I am referring to in-work
Blended learning has actually been the necessary facilities were available learners rather than pre-work learners.
around much longer than the commonly within their institution. Pre-work learners studying in a university,

for example, have the same time and of pictures, animation and sounds. commute to work or for use in a short
technology available to them as do Results showed positive reactions from break.
students in many other ELT contexts, the students and better results in Starting wikis or blogs with your
such as primary, secondary and evening vocabulary learning. students can be a great way to engage
classes. I differentiate in-work learners So if technology is valuable in them in writing practice – to a certain
from pre-work learners because of the enhancing vocabulary development, why extent, writing is perhaps best done
number of pressures placed on the not exploit this? outside of class time. Shenggao Wang
former. Business English trainers will be Vocabulary learning can be divided and Camilla Vasquez reported on the
familiar with the fact that their students largely into incidental and intentional positive response students have to an
regularly cancel classes, a small group of learning. The range of opportunities for e-learning environment, so learners may
eight never has the same members from incidental learning online is high as be more likely to engage in writing if it
one week to the next and students rarely students can select any text that interests is presented as an online activity.
have time for homework or any form of them. In terms of intentional learning, Whilst there is clearly a vast array of
independent study. Many are trying to the range of apps and websites available materials online for students to read for
balance their workload and family life for studying English is also high – personal interest, most of it is not graded
already and can just about squeeze in perhaps highest of all the language areas. for level. A number of publishers have
an English class during the week. When started to produce graded readers on
dealing with students with busy lives, we business-oriented subjects, for example
need to provide bite-sized amounts of
We need to provide looking at famous people in business,
input which they can access anywhere at bite-sized amounts leading companies and business theories.
any time. In other words, business English So far, these haven’t made their way into
needs to be conducted on the move. of input which students the e-book market. However, once they
If homework is set from a with busy lives can do, this will be a valuable addition to
coursebook, the students will most likely the online skills development resources.
have to carry the book everywhere with access anywhere In terms of business skills –
them in order to try to grab a moment telephoning, meetings, negotiations,
when they can do it. In most cases, I
at any time presentations and emails, there are now
would say, this is quite unlikely to be done. e-books available for students. These
However, many business English students could be particularly useful when it
will carry around with them one or more
Grammar comes to emailing, giving the students
of the following: a mobile phone, a tablet, There are many websites which offer models and phrases that can be cut and
a laptop and an e-reader. As these gadgets controlled grammar practice for business pasted into their own emails and used
are part of their everyday lives, if we set English students. In addition, there are whilst on the move.
homework involving one or other of a number of apps, including the free
them, we are not asking the students to Grammar Up, produced by Eknath Exploiting the internet
carry anything extra around with them, Kadam (downloadable from the Apple
but simply to use what they already have store). Also available is Grammar & There are many ways in which the
in a different way – for catching up, Practice for Business: Intermediate, internet can be exploited for learning a
reviewing or improving their knowledge. published by HarperCollins. This is a foreign language, many of which have
So how can we use technology to much more comprehensive business already been discussed. A wealth of ideas
create a blended learning approach that grammar app for students to use, with can be found in books such as 50 Ways
can be used on the move? What are the over 2,600 exercises. Whilst there is no to Improve Your Business English Using
benefits of using technology as opposed research suggesting that this method is the Internet by Eric Baber and Digital
to other traditional media of learning? any better than the traditional grammar Play: Computer Games and Language
And what resources are available? book approach, it is clearly much more Aims by Kyle Mawer and Graham
convenient just to turn on your phone, Stanley. The latter was a recent ELTons
rather than to open a chunky book on prizewinner and contains many ways to
Vocabulary incorporate digital games into language
the train to work.
The majority of studies into vocabulary teaching, although it is not aimed
learning are concerned with approaches specifically at business English teachers.
that don’t involve the use of technology.
Skills One activity which is easy for teachers
However, a number of studies, including When it comes to the four skills of reading, to devise, and which requires little
those by Wenli Tsoua, Weichung Wang writing, speaking and listening, the digital technological knowledge other than how
and Hung-yi Li, by Nadire Cavus and environment opens up many more to use a word processor and the internet,
Dogan Ibrahim and by Linda Jones, resources than the traditional approach. is a webquest. Essentially, webquests are
have shown that the use of computers in The BBC, at www.bbc.co.uk/ task-based-learning activities. There is
vocabulary learning can have extremely worldservice/learningenglish, has some an example of one on page 38 which
positive results. The resources used in excellent activities for both general and you might like to photocopy and use.
these studies included SMS, websites business English, including six-minute Bernie Dodge and Tom March invented
and listening tasks and involved the use video clips which are ideal for the webquests back in 1995 and their

The best of Webquest: polite emails

both worlds? In this activity you are going to learn more about
polite emails and making requests.
website (www.webquest.org) enables you
An order you placed with Aggo Ltd is late
to search for webquests that have already
been created – there are many available for and you would like to confirm when it will arrive.
free on the web. This website also has a Ideally, you want it to be delivered in the next two weeks.
number of scholarly articles investigating
the impact of the use of such activities. Task 1
You can quite easily create your own as an Revising how to write an email
extension of work you have been doing
in class. Webquests typically have five Enter this url into your browser:
main stages: Task, Process, Resource, http://learningenglish.voanews.com/
Evaluation and Conclusion. ETp
Click on ‘The Classroom’ and then ‘Activities’. Scroll down to Business English
and click on ‘Using Email in Business’.
Notes on the worksheet
The worksheet opposite is a Watch the video and do the activities as you watch.
webquest which can be given to
students as a follow-up to work on Task 2
writing emails, making requests or
Making requests and structuring your email
direct and indirect language. It is
suitable for pre-intermediate students. Enter this url into your browser:
www.businessenglishpod.com
Baber, E 50 Ways to Improve Your Search for ‘Email Tune-up’ and scroll down to ‘ET03 Business Writing:
Business English Using the Internet
Cengage Learning 2007 An External Request’. These videos are also available on YouTube, but the
Cavus, C and Ibrahim, D ‘M-learning: an website has a number of other resources you might like to use in future.
experiment in using SMS to support Play the video:
learning new English language words’
British Journal of Educational Technology 1 What are the four parts to a request email?
40 (1) 2009
2 Pause the video at Step 2 and try to correct the mistakes.
Jones, L C ‘Effects of collaboration and
multimedia annotations on vocabulary Continue playing the video and check your corrections.
learning and listening comprehension’
3 Pause the video at Step 3 and check the structure of the email.
British Journal of Educational Technology
40 (1) 2006 Use your notes from Question 1 to help you.
Mawer, K and Stanley, G Digital Play: 4 In ‘Step 4: Tone’, make a note of any polite phrases that are used.
Computer Games And Language Aims
DELTA Publishing 2011
Tsoua, W, Wang, W and Li, H ‘How Task 3
computers facilitate English foreign The language of polite requests
language learners acquire English abstract
words’ Computers & Education 39 (4) 2002 1 Add any phrases you know for polite requests to your list from Task 2.
Wang, S and Vasquez, C ‘Web 2.0 and 2 Enter this url into your browser:
second language learning: what does the
research tell us?’ Calico Journal 29 (3) www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/
2012
learnitv239.shtml
Louis Rogers is a Course Add any further phrases to your list.

Tutor at the University of
Reading, UK. He is the
author of Reading Skills Task 4
and Writing Skills, in the
DELTA Academic Writing your email
Objectives series, and
the Intermediate and Write your email to Aggo Ltd. Try to use what you have learnt from Tasks 1–3
Upper-intermediate
levels of the Business to help you write and structure your email.
Result Skills for Business
Studies workbooks,
published by OUP. Take your email to your next class or email it to your teacher for feedback.
l.j.rogers@reading.ac.uk

LANGUAGE LOG
Idiolect
John Potts charts the intricacies and idiosyncrasies,
the contradictions and complications that make the English language
so fascinating for teachers and teaching. In this issue, he looks at
the language that marks us out as individuals.
and subtle idiolects for her main characters which enable
I
n my article on indirectness in ETp Issue 82, I mentioned
the term idiolect in the context of a commuter on a train us to identify who is speaking (or, more often, thinking)
who said to another: ‘Excuse me, but my foot seems to without our being told. At a rather less complex level,
have become accidentally trapped beneath yours.’ Here, Charles Dickens gives many of his characters distinctive
in part, is what I wrote there: ‘Other people would have speech patterns and catchphrases that serve to identify
reacted very differently, using far more direct language, so and define them.
this raises the issue of the speaker’s personal language
choices and consequently of his idiolect. I feel fairly
confident that he would also say (or have said) things like However, it isn’t only in legal and literary contexts that
the following: “Did you need anything else?” / “I had been idiolect is important. Since everyone has one, it follows that
hoping that I could leave at ...” In contrast, other speakers idiolect is present and plays a role in our (classroom)
would say none of the above things – these utterances language as teachers, and in our learners’ language as it
would not be part of their repertoire. They might perhaps develops. I try to be very aware of my idiolect in that I seek
say: “Do you need anything else?” / “Can I leave at ...” ... consciously to vary it. Most people, perhaps, don’t do this,
As society changes, then influences will change, too, and but then again, most people aren’t language teachers.
there will be corresponding shifts in people’s repertoires This is part of an enriched ‘language bath’ for my learners,
and idiolects.’ appropriate to their level: I encourage them to pick out
those items that appeal to them and that they would like to
So, what is idiolect, and can we make use of it in our
add to their own repertoire. Sometimes, these are fixed
teaching? Wikipedia defines it as ‘a variety of language that
expressions that I may use (apparently) casually during the
is unique to a person, as manifested by the patterns of
course of a lesson – having said that, on balance, so to
vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation that he or she
speak, with hindsight, and so on and so forth.
uses’. (Its etymology is from Greek idios, meaning own,
personal, private, distinct. Other words from the same root Sometimes I introduce binomials and other fixed pairs (and
are idiom and idiosyncratic. Lect is formed after dialect.) triplets) into my language – trial and error, ups and downs,
We all have our own idiolect, a sort of linguistic profile that dos and don’ts, by and large, body and soul, to and fro,
will identify us like a fingerprint. Indeed, a branch of back and forth, left, right and centre. It’s interesting to see
linguistics called forensic linguistics is concerned with the which ones are appealing and subsequently start to appear
analysis of language, based on idiolect, in a wide range of in a particular learner’s repertoire. Doom and gloom seems
legal contexts, such as wills, criminal confessions, hoax a favourite with one exam class at the moment, while game,
calls, ransom demands, plagiarism, and so on. (See the set and match was topical during Wimbledon fortnight.
Wikipedia article at forensic linguistics for much greater
It’s also the case that I sometimes set out to teach
detail and references.)
binomials as part of a vocabulary focus in a lesson, but I’ve
We can also see examples of idiolect in novels. For found that it’s the items that I used ‘casually’ that often
example, in Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf creates complex provoke the greater interest and that tend to be adopted by


LANGUAGE LOG Idiolect
my learners. It’s perhaps an example of that well-known Dialect and regional variety add to the mix, as does the use
paradox that learners seem to learn the very things that of non-standard forms. And then there’s the deliberate
we’re not trying (overtly) to teach them. incorporation of other people’s catchphrases – Monty Python
must be responsible for a significant chunk of the idiolects
of many of my generation, just as The Goon Show was for
As we saw in the Wikipedia definition above, idiolect is also my parents’. These days, other comedies rule – but am I
revealed through grammar and pronunciation. Some of the bovvered? (You may need to google this catchphrase.)
grammatical patterns expressing indirectness were the
focus of my article in Issue 82, and there are many other
examples of grammatical choices and preferences within a To conclude, here is another personal example: my father
speaker’s repertoire that contribute to their idiolect. For was very fond of qualifying statements with the expression
instance, some speakers may use more passives, or may as it were. It was a trademark component of his idiolect – if I
tend towards second conditionals for the future rather than had ever received a note saying ‘John, I’ve been kidnapped
first conditionals: If we hurried, we’d make the train rather and am being held to ransom, as it were’, I’d have paid up
than If we hurry, we’ll make it! In my own case, I often use immediately in the safe knowledge that the demand was
subjunctive forms: in restaurants I frequently come out with genuine.
I should have had what you’re having, or I wish I’d chosen
John Potts is a teacher and teacher trainer
that instead. based in Zürich, Switzerland. He has written
and co-written several adult coursebooks, and
Pronunciation is perhaps more difficult to analyse, though is a CELTA assessor. He is also a presenter for
Cambridge ESOL Examinations.
some features are easy to recognise – a tendency towards
employing rising intonation at the end of statements, for
johnpotts@swissonline.ch
example, or the use of glottal stops.
COMPETITION RESULTS
20 13 11 22 3 8 2 12 3 23 13 26 10 Congratulations to all Gemma Alcaraz i Teixidó, Martorell, Spain
M U L T I F A R I O U S G
23 3 18 16 18 26 17 15 11 11 those readers who Mike Futcher, Edinburgh, UK
O I N B N S W E L L successfully completed
12 3 10 5 22 15 23 13 26 15 2 Lorenzo Gallego Pindado, Ullastrell, Spain
R I G H T E O U S E A our Prize Crossword 53.
18 5 23 21 4 23 11 15 6 The winners, who will Sabine Liberto, Seuzach, Switzerland
N H O V P O L E C
3 22 23 11 15 21 15 12 22 12 3 4 each receive a copy of Hazel McAllister, Wembley, UK
I T O L E V E R T R I P
18 9 3 6 10 11 15 15
the Macmillan English Pietro Pacini, Lucca, Italy
N Z I C G L E E Dictionary for Advanced Teresa Puig, Dunstable, UK
10 23 23 19 13 23 22 15 24 2 12 1
G O O Q U O T E Y A R D Learners, are:
12 18 13 11 4 6 12
Azo Salim, Buckfastleigh, UK
R N U L P C R Chai Whatt Tan, Melaka, Malaysia
14 2 1 15 3 8 11 2 22 5 15
J A D E I F L A T H E Paulina Zak-Grzybowska, Luton, UK
6 3 1 15 2 11 2 3 2
C I D E A L A I A
6 11 15 2 18 6 13 18 22 23 11 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
C L E A N C U N T O L D D A I P H C K F Z G L R U
5 15 1 1 15 2 22 5 2 18 8 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
H E D E A T H A N F J E B W N Q M V T O Y X S
3 4 3 15 12 23 3 18 13
I P I E R O I N U 2 11 23 21 3 18 10 5 15 2 12 22 3 26
11 3 25 22 12 3 6 7 2 11 11 A L O V I N G H E A R T I S
L I X T R I C K A L L 22 5 15 22 12 12 15 26 22 17 3 26 1 23 20
1 15 15 1 16 2 24 15 23 8 23 T H E T R U E S T W I S D O M
D E E D B A Y E O F O Charles Dickens

Reviews
addresses a number of topics,
Second Language Acquisition
including learning styles and
Myths
strategies, personality differences
by Steven Brown
and motivation.
and Jenifer Larson-Hall
The final myth, Language
Michigan University Press 2012
acquisition is the individual
978-0-47203-498-7
acquisition of grammar, covers
Second language acquisition (SLA) is a the thorny issue of what role
broad field, with research that investigates grammar should play in language
language learning in many contexts learning.
including instructed learning as well as Overall, I enjoyed this book
naturalistic learning (learning outside the a great deal. Some of the
classroom). With numerous books, material was familiar, but a few
journals and academic papers on the topics, such as bilingualism and
subject appearing every year, teachers social approaches, were new to
can feel overwhelmed by the task of me, and I greatly appreciated
keeping up with current research. This learning about them.
book is a bold attempt to create a The authors do a most
readable introduction to SLA that commendable job of
summarises a few major issues. summarising the studies they
However, as the authors point out, ‘it is cite, describing them without
not the goal of this book to address every too much detail. They also
SLA theory’. Even so, they do an include tables which provide
admirable job of tackling eight myths. quick reference for the
Following the structure of other titles studies they review.
in the Myths series by Michigan Another winning feature
University Press, each chapter contains of the book is the boxes that
three parts: In the Real World (an explain aspects of research that teachers
introductory anecdote), What the Myth 4, Practice makes perfect, is an may not fully understand, such as
Research Says (a description of relevant overview of research about the role of ‘correlation’ and ‘effect sizes’. These
research) and What We Can Do practice in language learning. The provide assistance to teachers who want
(classroom applications). authors emphasise that students need to to read second language acquisition
Myth 1, Children learn languages do more than practise a language, papers, or even do their own research.
quickly and easily while adults are indicating the need for noticing new I should emphasise here that this is a
ineffective in comparison, takes a closer language. book on second language acquisition,
look at commonly-held beliefs about Myth 5, Language students learn (and not language teaching, so parts of the
children and adult language learning. It retain) what they are taught, points out book go beyond language learning in the
points out some of the major differences the perceptible gap between what classroom setting. With that said, the
between the two, and gives a positive teachers present in class and what authors make a concerted effort to make
spin on the notion that adults are not students actually retain. This chapter has suggestions for teachers (through
good at learning foreign languages. several practical suggestions for effective activities or policy) based on the
Myth 2, A true bilingual is someone grammar teaching, such as repeating research, quite often including practical
who speaks two languages perfectly, information on problematic grammar activities for the classroom.
zeroes in on this flawed definition of a points and teaching chunks instead of Second language acquisition
bilingual. It summarises research about single words. researchers will find plenty to explore
bilingualism, listing some of the benefits Myth 6, Language learners always here (and even more in the references).
that bilingualism provides. benefit from correction, is my favourite Teachers at the beginning of their careers
Myth 3, You can acquire a language section of the book. It summarises will find this an accessible introduction.
simply through listening or reading, several intriguing studies on error More experienced teachers will enjoy the
debunks the notion that input alone can correction, and offers a helpful opportunity to review some main ideas of
result in language learning. This section discussion about several types of oral second language acquisition, and
of the book contains a robust discussion correction, such as recasts and prompts. possibly learn something new.
of input, output and interaction in Myth 7, Individual differences are a Hall Houston
language learning. major, perhaps the major, factor in SLA, Luzhu, Taiwan

Reviews
This is the reason why this
International Negotiations
book will be of use with
by Mark Powell
both students at
CUP 2012
intermediate level or those
978-05211-4992-1
who are more advanced.
Mark Powell continues to expand the Whether it is used for a short
world of quality business English course, a couple of sessions
materials with his latest publication, of a more general business
International Negotiations. This, like English programme or as a
his previous book Presenting In full-blown classroom course,
English, is part of the Cambridge International Negotiations has
Professional English series, which something up its sleeve for
combines real business content, everyone. I have even enjoyed
speaking skills and functional several one-to-one negotiation
language. sessions with my corporate
International Negotiations is, learners using the roleplays in
perhaps surprisingly, aimed at the book. As these are quite
students from B1 right up to the C2 easy to set up and run, they
level on the Common European provide an ideal opportunity to
Framework scale. Intermediate focus on your one-to-one
students will find the materials students and how they handle
comfortably challenging, but negotiating with a native
advanced and even proficiency- speaker. But be careful – they
level students will get a lot out of are often better negotiators than
the business side of the book: the we teachers are.
negotiation skills training and the Phil Wade
functional language. Having tried the La Réunion, France
book with all these levels, I would say quite light and easy to carry round and,
that those of my students who were like the others in the series, only devotes
studying for the Cambridge Proficiency in about a third of its length to typical Reviewing for ETp
English exam, in particular, really textbook pages. Why? Because the rest
Would you like to review books
benefited from the negotiation skills offers enough materials for any teacher
or other teaching materials for ETp?
development side and the varied nature to create an optimal course for their own
We are always looking for people
of the speaking activities, which one individual teaching situation. These
who are interested in writing reviews
manager amongst my students called include an initial needs analysis, which
for us. Please email
‘extremely realistic’. pinpoints which parts of the book need
helena.gomm@pavpub.com
Mark Powell has certainly been busy working through, exercise keys and a
for advice and a copy of our guidelines
since his last book came out. He has commentary for every unit, very for reviewers. You will need to give your
sourced a myriad of top business experts professional additional speaking postal address and say what areas of
and leaders whose ideas appear in texts, materials, audio scripts for the two teaching you are most interested in.
quotes and listenings. This turns accompanying CDs and a preview of the
International Negotiations into as much a online feedback forms (one for each unit)
book for learning successful negotiation which can be used for student
skills as a vehicle for learning business assessment. You will also find a final
English. You can tell a good book when downloadable in-depth negotiation and Do you have ideas you’d like to share
even the teacher learns something in an impressive teacher’s pack with many with colleagues around the world?
every lesson, and that has been my more teaching ideas. Tips, techniques and activities;
experience with this book on countless Mark Powell has shown yet again simple or sophisticated; well-tried
occasions. that business can and should be or innovative; something that has
International Negotiations is interesting for both students and worked well for you? All published
organised into ten units and spans all the teachers. He has successfully integrated contributions receive a prize!
essentials of business negotiations, from teaching authentic knowledge of the Write to us or email:
the preparation (the topic of Unit 1) to methods and techniques of negotiation helena.gomm@pavpub.com
closing the final deal. The book itself is with the study of the English language.

IN THE CLASSROOM
Challenging
our own
authority
Cory McMillen and eer tutoring, for all its untapped because we have a sense of unanswered
Kara Boyer recommend

student-run help desks.
P possibilities, remains one of the
most variable and difficult to
implement classroom practices.
It has great potential for producing
learning on the part of all participants,
questions: Shouldn’t a classroom packed
full of individuals with varying strengths
and ideas be a resource unto itself ? And
shouldn’t the growing student numbers
in our biggest classes be as much the
as Rod Roscoe and Michelene Chi point answer as they are the problem?
out, but often seems to produce very
little aside from increased noise level. A student-run help desk
And it asks a lot of the students: it
depends on their ability as a group to We think the answer may lie in the
process, comprehend and ultimately creation of a student-run help desk.
present with a minimum of guidance; it Over the course of the last seven years,
seeks the pinnacle of both curricular we have used just such a system to
knowledge and positive social skills. incorporate peer tutoring into our
And in a regular classroom setting, peer everyday reading and writing routines.
tutoring can be very difficult to oversee By isolating a space in the classroom
effectively. and staffing it with brave volunteers, and
As a result, it can be tempting to by giving that space a title (the Experts’
avoid or minimise use of this technique. Corner), prestige and a few essential
Or, even if you do soldier on, you may materials, we have created a functioning
find yourself lamenting the results you student help desk programme that
see produced. Instinctively, teachers allows us to challenge our own authority
want to make peer tutoring work by giving some of it away.
Here in Omaha, we are working in
an ESL context, but we hope that this
We have created a account of our experiences will be of
benefit to language teachers in a variety
functioning student help of other situations.
desk programme that
Benefits
allows us to challenge Initially a simple set-up with limited
our own authority by goals and duties, the Experts’ Corner
has grown to become a central
giving some of it away component of our classroom, and
something that we maintain all year,

Challenging
success. We’ve chosen students work area, suggesting several innovations
ourselves, created application forms for that we still incorporate today.
interested individuals to fill out, and
our own had the current Experts recommend

their own replacements. And although
Two at a time
authority all of these systems had their benefits But even Tristan couldn’t do it alone.
(the application process remains the We typically make a point of having
method of choice), none of them taught two Experts at any given time. One is
us as much about what makes the help generally a student whom we see as a
every year. Through a combination of
desk work as a student named Tristan. strong reader and writer, someone who
procedure, structure and evidenced
is a little above their peers in terms of
value, it now accomplishes the following:
both ability and effort. The other we let
● It provides a platform with which Tristan be a wild card. It might be someone
positive student leaders can be Tristan, in his way, proved to us that we who is bilingual, or a Special Education
created and promoted, and by which cannot disqualify students simply student who is highly verbal, or it might
student ownership of the classroom because we consider them to be ‘difficult’ just be another Tristan. Using ‘common
can be strengthened. or because they don’t always make the sense’ methods such as putting the two
● It creates unique challenges for right choices in class. A stereotypical best writers in together often undercuts
readers and writers at every level by classroom disruptor, Tristan happened to the Corner’s ability to function, for a
placing members of a peer group in a have great verbal skills. Unfortunately, number of reasons. Great writers don’t
position of teaching the skills they he was insistent in his desire to show always have a lot of patience with those
possess to others, and encouraging them off. He simply would not stop who are struggling and, of course, being
the rest of the class to identify their talking. Or do his homework. Or stop good at writing isn’t the same as being
own strengths and weaknesses. blurting out comments. Did we mention good at teaching writing. Teaching is a
the constant talking? verbal communication task as much as
● It encourages the pre-teaching, re- anything, although you may find that
teaching and reinforcement of there are other qualities that you prefer
positive social skills. A student help to look for in a help desk student.
● It creates an invaluable resource for desk maximises the Regardless, by differentiating the skill
ESL students by allowing them to sets and encouraging the help desk
work with bilingual peers. availability of help while students to collaborate when answering
questions, you will always find that a
● It provides the students with simultaneously freeing great deal more is accomplished.
established, permanent routines for
seeking assistance or guidance. up time that can be
● It maximises the availability of help used for other things The importance of
while simultaneously freeing up time procedures
that can be used for other things. A help desk’s ability to run requires
He also begged (for six of the
● It maintains and oversees classroom longest months on record) to be an consistency and design. Today, we invest
supplies, allowing limited materials to Expert. In truth, although we did finally two full class periods in teaching the
have maximum use. For example, with relent, it was only because there were procedures to our students, including
just two classroom computers available, only six weeks of school left. We didn’t several practice runs that emphasise the
we count on the Experts to recognise think he could do too much damage in desired behaviour. We re-teach and review
when someone might benefit from the that short amount of time! these procedures halfway through the year.
use of one of them. This might be In fact, he didn’t do any damage at Absolutely every aspect of the help
because they need to do some research, all. Tristan remains, to this day, the most desk has, by necessity, a procedure: how
are falling behind, are working out effective and remarkable Expert we’ve to ask a question, how to answer it, how
some spelling issues in a paper – or ever had. Being on the help desk fed his to turn in work or hand it back. Even
for any number of other reasons. need for attention, giving him an avenue how to wait your turn. When the Experts
for his need to talk. It eliminated his are first chosen, they are given an
As we’ve developed our help desk, we’ve
need to interrupt. His use of humour additional day away from the classroom
made a lot of discoveries regarding those
and his ‘gift of the gab’ made it easy for to review these procedures and show
factors that have allowed it to be as
the students he helped to listen, and to their understanding of the expectations.
successful as it is – and also the mistakes
understand his suggestions. And like They are also given codes that they can
which render it completely useless.
many rule-breaking students, he loved use to let us know if somebody is being
to help enforce those same rules that he impolite or rude, or just not following
The selection process struggled to follow himself. For six the established procedures.
Identifying students who would make weeks, this child who never turned in Some of our procedures come in the
successful Experts can be trickier than any homework showed insights into the form of carefully-phrased instructions.
you’d think. Over the years, we’ve tried writing process that we would never A help desk requires a large amount of
many approaches to choosing who will otherwise have known that he had. He preparation work, most of it done by
staff the help desk, with varying also initiated a redesign of the Expert us. For every assignment or project that

and giving it a name wasn’t enough. It classroom, there are always exceptions.
When student leaders had to stand out, to look special. It had Inevitably, there are going to be students
to be important. And we had to prove who (for a variety of legitimate reasons)
are a visible presence, that we trusted the Experts by giving feel uncomfortable about asking their
with a share of the them privileges and authority belying peers for assistance. It has been our
their actual status. experience that such cases are rare. But
classroom authority, Placing visible value in the help desk it is still worth noting that no teacher
and the people who earn the chance to should create a help desk with the goal
the number of incidents work there also acts as a motivator for of producing a classroom that does not
of misbehaviour many students. Call it the ‘career effect’. require them to participate in some
Few people are motivated to do their substantial way. The presence of the
is reduced best in a job without any hope of Experts can be seen as maintaining the
advancement, and one of the road bumps overall structure of the class, while
the Experts help with, we create a series in education is that academic learning is freeing the teacher (or teachers) to focus
of flowcharts. They can use these to a long-term-goal scenario. Arguably, it their attention on one or two individuals.
help identify problems, look for hints or is the first true long-term goal that Modified curriculum, alternate
instructions, or even find the right people face in their lives. Encouraging assignments, individual tutoring and
phrasing for a suggestion they want to the development of authentic intrinsic assessment of IEP (Individualized
make. The charts don’t do their job for motivators in those circumstances can be Education Program) goals and objectives
them, but they do give them a guide. incredibly difficult. Maybe it’s our social are just some of the many uses we’ve
The charts also help them see what our genetics at work, but the mere existence found for our time when the Experts are
exact expectations are both for them of advancement potential seems to act running the show.
and for the given assignment. Usually, as a motivator for further effort.
by the third project they’ve assisted
with, the Experts typically understand Placing visible value in
the job well enough not to need these The number of potential benefits
charts anymore. the help desk and the created by incorporating a student-run
Creating clearly-defined procedures help desk into a reading or writing
makes it much easier for us to delegate
people who earn the course is virtually unlimited. It’s not
hard to imagine that ten different
some of our authority to the help desk, chance to work there teachers, each running their own version
as well, and this can be one of the most
enlightening steps of the help desk acts as a motivator for of the Experts’ Corner, might come up
design. Few individuals are truly happy with ten new innovations. They just
many students have to take the leap, challenge their
having authority exercised over them, but
people are especially sensitive to having own authority a little bit, and then wait
someone in charge of them who is not After a few years, we even put the to see what happens. ETp
like them. This is why a multinational Experts in charge of the restroom pass.
They have a clear idea as to who is on Roscoe, R and Chi, M ‘Understanding
corporation based in Europe, for tutor learning: knowledge-building and
example, is still careful to create local task and who isn’t, and putting the pass
knowledge-telling in peer tutors’
management opportunities in each of at their desk creates a constant flow of explanations and questions’ Review of
its branches throughout the world. traffic. Other students take that as an Educational Research 77 (4) 2007
When student leaders are a visible indication that it’s OK to visit the help
presence, with a share of the classroom desk, and they are more likely to seek Cory McMillen teaches
authority, the number of incidents of out assistance. This, in turn, creates a Language Arts at Bryan
Middle School, in
misbehaviour is reduced because the need spike in the number of students utilising Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
for misbehaviour is diminished. The the desk. He has an MA in
Secondary Education,
difference between having the teacher Making the Experts ‘important’ has and is a member of the
check planners, hand back work, assist had other benefits, too. They perceive editorial review board
of the Journal of the
students, keep track of the restroom pass, themselves, and are perceived by others, American Association
present the lesson, pick up completed as student leaders and people of of Special Education
authority. They react to that. They take Professionals.
work and correct behaviour, and having
the initiative in assisting one of us when Cory.McMillen@bellevue.edu
a help desk that handles just two of
those things, is substantial. Turning the other is away; they are involved in Kara Boyer is a Special
management during fire and severe Education teacher for
three or more of those tasks over to the Omaha public
your Experts changes the game entirely. weather drills; and they actively pursue schools. She has an
ways to help maintain the classroom. MA in Curriculum and
Instruction, and has
They have also been known (this is
Giving it value particularly helpful) to tell us why they
co-published several
articles with Cory
McMillen.
The last, and possibly most important, think a particular lesson failed and what
step towards making the help desk we ought to do differently.
effective is to sell it well. We quickly One final note: it probably isn’t
learnt that putting a table in the corner kara.boyer@ops.org
necessary to point out that, in a

SCRAPBOOK Gems, titbits, puzzles, foibles, quirks, bits & pieces,
quotations, snippets, odds & ends,
what you will
Where do you think you’re going, you idiom?

A mark of achievement in any language is a feeling of being at home in a very rarely use this particular idiom,
is fluency, the ability to express oneself society; used inappropriately, they and that it is one that can quickly label
readily and effortlessly. There is, frequently expose the hapless user as you as an outsider rather than an
however, a step further that can be an outsider and source of hilarity. insider.
achieved: being in command of Many students love idioms because So be careful if you decide to teach
idiomatic English, French, Italian or they are colourful and fun – they like any of the idioms on these pages to
whatever is the mark of a true grasp of the idea that British weather consists your students: just because native
communication in that language. largely of cats and dogs falling from the speakers know these expressions
But beginner idiomists tread a tricky sky. However, disappointment sets in doesn’t necessarily mean they ever use
path: when idioms are used well, there when they discover that British people them – or certainly not in their entirety!
Idiom anatomy sh.

Building
mical idioms in Engli
There are many anato
How many of these do
you know? idioms
1 Pulling someone’s leg (or
having yours pulled) When seeking to improve
t
2 Having a frog in your throa relationships between
down your throat
3 Having something shoved different people or groups,
building bridges is a good
4 Keep your hair on!
ins thing to do. And if it all
5 Picking someone’s bra
stomach goes horribly wrong, you
6 Having butterflies in your
may find that mending
7 Paying through the nose
fences can effect a
8 Making your blood boil
blood
reconciliation. However,
9 Doing something in cold
refusing to acknowledge
10 Give someone the cold
shoulder
the problems and simply
11 Have a chip on your sho
ulder
papering over the cracks
12 Having your head in the
clouds
definitely isn’t the answer.
© iStockphoto.com / Brian Jackson
d
13 Bury your head in the san If nothing works, you may
7 Paying too much for
very well what is going 6 Feeling nervous
something
find yourself beating your
on around you 5 Getting someone else
13 Avoid acknowledgin
12 Being unaware of
g a situation, when you
know 4 Keep calm; don’t los
’s opinion on something
e your temper
head against a brick wall
what is going on around 3 Having an idea or an
11 Have a feeling of res you
10 Snub or ignore som
entment about someth
ing throat blockage
opinion forced on you in frustration.
eone 2 Having trouble speakin
calculatingly g because of a tempor
9 Doing something (us 1 Misleading someon ary
ually bad) deliberately e, usually as a joke
8 Making you very ang and Answers:
ry

Idiom safari Finding the meaning , but
Another splendid source of idioms idiom when you are tracking in the wild
Occasionally the meaning of an ne
is the animal world – see if you can
eye s having your nose to the grindsto
fill in the blanks: will be fairly obvious: having ther
rly when busy surely risks ano
bigger than your stomach clea is!
1 make a .............. of yourself n help ing strange and illogical medical cris
suggests over-ambition whe arise from a
(eat too much) e Obscurity can also
yourself to food or ordering a larg of a
2 a ..............’s dinner (a mess) ression alwa ys misunderstanding of the origins
meal. (For me, this exp n
never particular phrase. I have often see
3 a dark .............. (someone who brings to mind the sage advice: th
of the expression with baited brea
hides their true abilities) eat more than you can lift – one think
h, I used in writing; this makes me
4 the .............. of the family my favourite expressions whic th wed ged
idiom of a large tom cat, its mou
(a disreputable family member) hasten to add, is not a genuine r,
open with a large slice of chedda
5 but more of a leg-pull.) ide a mou se
a .............. in a china shop waiting hopefully outs
Some phrases, however, are just be
(a really clumsy person) h hole. In fact, the phrase should
too obscure to work out. Althoug d bein g
6 a .............. at a gate (a really with bated breath – bate
you can easily understand that you
impatient person) short for abated, or held. When
looking like the cat that got the of
know this, the true meaning – that
7 a .............. in sheep’s clothing cream suggests a degree of ome s clea r.
cat waiting in suspense – bec
(a dangerous person who seems smugness, being asked Has the d
superficially harmless) una ble to Another expression, rather date
got your tongue? when nks ’ pon y.
now, is travelling by sha
8 the .............. in the room answer someone borders on the
This means travelling on foot, as
(a subject that everyone is bizarre. Similarly, being so se
as shank is another word for leg. The
avoiding talking about) disappointed that you are as sick ives
and days the word shank mainly surv
9 smell a .............. (suspect that a parrot conjures up a strange
Hav ing in the butcher’s shop, usually with
something is wrong) unlikely medical emergency.
sense reference to lamb!
your ear to the ground makes
6 bull, 7 wolf, 8 elephant, 9 rat
1 pig, 2 dog, 3 horse, 4 black sheep, 5 bull,
Answers:
We also turn to the animal

Idiom nationalities
Some historical expre
kingdom to express attributes. You ssions sound somewh
at disdainful (even tho
reasons for them se ugh the
might like to ask your students em, well, reasonable
). Dutch courage ca
whether these particular attributes kind of bravery to be lls to mind the
found in a measure or
two of alcohol, and co
would be ascribed to the same the early use of Dutch mes from
gin by soldiers in ba
ttle. Sometimes the
animals in their own culture: A Dutch uncle is so disdain is real.
meone who gives un
welcome advice. An
As strong as an ox something that does d Scotch mist is
n’t exist. French lea
ve, meaning being ab
As weak as a kitten (which permission, also soun sent without
ds derogatory; howe
ver, the French have
presumably couldn’t pull the skin off as their equivalent is their revenge,
English leave.
a rice pudding)
As blind as a bat
As crazy as a coot So hold your horses1
and don’t get my go 2
at just because it’s
different kettle of fis 3 a completely
As poor as a church mouse h . And whatever yo
u do, don’t put the ca
horse , because up
4 rt before the
As stubborn as a mule until now, we’ve got
on like a house on
think you’re beyond fire 5. Actually, I
As busy as a beaver the pale 6 and it will
be a piece of cake 7
piece of my mind 8 to give you a
As sick as a dog – so pull your socks
up 9 !
As hungry as a horse 1 restrain yourself 2
upset me 3 differen
4 get things round the t thing altogether
As sly as a fox wrong way 5 very we
7 very easy 8 a telling ll indeed 6 unaccepta
off 9 sort yourself ou ble
As quiet as a mouse t
As dead as a dodo
Scrapbook compiled by Ian Waring Green

R E S O U R C E S
Raiding the
stationery
cupboard
Amy Lightfoot offers don’t know why, but every time I and they don’t move. The students then
ten classroom activities for

stationery-philes.
I find myself professing my own
love of all things stationery, I
always get an enthusiastic
response: ‘Oh me too … I LOVE it.’
I haven’t yet managed to figure out
number them and take turns to throw
dice, move their counters and then
answer the questions that they land on,
or define a word or make a sentence
with it, or whatever task you choose
exactly why so many people have such that will practise the particular language
an affection for pens, staplers, you are working on. This idea was
highlighters and their many relatives, suggested to me by Françoise Votocek
but for the English language teacher at Bell’s Homerton Teacher Campus
there is certainly a lot more to those last summer, and I love the fact that you
everyday bits and pieces than meets the can adapt the basic principle in so many
eye. There are tons of possibilities for ways: making a board game suddenly
activities based around the various becomes considerably less labour
items we can find lying around the intensive. A similar activity also appears
teacher’s room … or at the bottom of in Mario Rinvolucri’s excellent
our bags. From the lowly paper clip to Grammar Games book.
the sophisticated neon Post-it® note, as
a collection of low-cost aids to language 2 Review and reading games
learning they are unrivalled. In this These activities need large Post-it®
article, we will look at ten of my notes to work best. Take nine notes and
favourite classroom activities using write the numbers 1–9 in large figures
Post-it® notes, paper clips, string and on the front of each (one number per
other items. note). On the sticky side of the notes,
write a question to review something
Post-it® notes that the students have been learning in
class. This could be a sentence with a
1 Board games gap to fill, a definition of or question
Mini Post-it® notes make excellent about a word they have been learning, a
squares for board games. The jumbled sentence for them to order –
beauty of it is that you can ask whatever. Stick the notes on the board.
each student in a group to take The students get into groups and each
several Post-it® notes, write a group nominates a runner and a
question or word on each one secretary. The runners come up to the
and then stick them onto a board, take a Post-it® note, return to
shared table in a grid format – their group and they all work together

to find the answer, which the secretary not let go of it. When everyone has one, the sentence on the piece of paper. It’s
writes down. When they have finished you let go and they will find the other important that the piece of string is
writing, the runner returns the note to members of their group: those students quite a bit longer than the piece of
the board and takes another. You can who are holding pieces of string paper they are using. You say the
make the game faster and more attached to theirs. This is a great way of dictated sentence again, modelling the
competitive by telling them that the putting students into groups and they intonation pattern that you want the
group to finish first gets an extra point, always seem to love it, even if they have students to work on. They listen and
and then assign points to each group for done it many times before. move the string to represent the way
correct answers as you go through them your intonation (or the sentence stress)
at the end. You can also use the same 2 Group discussion patterns changes as you say it. They can then
format to set up a reading race, where I discovered this activity many years check this physical representation of the
the students are given a text and the ago while browsing a new, but now very intonation with another group before
comprehension (or other) questions are well-loved, copy of Friederike Klippel’s practising producing the same
given only on the notes on the board. Keep Talking, and I have used it intonation pattern themselves, using the
Making it a race encourages the regularly ever since with great results. string as a guide. Students seem to like
students to develop their skimming and It’s particularly good with groups of this kinaesthetic and visual approach to
scanning skills. students who seem to have problems learning about intonation patterns.
listening to other people and constantly
3 Class gap-fill talk over one another. Basically it works
As much as some people might yawn at like this: you put the students into
the idea of another gap-fill activity, this groups of about four or five and give
one does work very well. Choose up to each group a ball of string. Tell them
ten sentences that contain some that they can only speak when they are Paper clips
vocabulary or grammatical items that holding the ball. Give the students a
the students have been studying. topic or question to discuss. Explain 1 Contributing to discussions
Rewrite the sentences with gaps for that when they want to speak, they need In most classes there are students who
these words on separate large pieces of to gesture for the ball of string to be love to speak and take part in
paper. Stick these up around the passed. When they pass it on, they hold discussions and those who are very
classroom. Put the students into groups on to the string, so that eventually a reluctant. One way to encourage more
of four or five. Dictate (in random web of string forms between the equal participation is to give the
order) the missing words to the groups members of the group. (You will need students ten paper clips each before
so that they each have one full set of to demonstrate this the first time you do they begin a discussion in groups. Tell
words. They write these on a set of it.) Once they get the hang of it, it’s an them that they need to try to get rid of
Post-it® notes. Ask the groups to stick excellent way to show clearly who in a as many paper clips as possible. Every
their words in the correct gaps on the group is dominating, or not time they make a point or verbally
sentences around the room. If you have contributing to, the discussion. The acknowledge something that someone
different coloured notes for each group, resulting web shows whether there has else has said, they can place one of their
you will be able to see easily which been a lot of discussion between two paper clips in the middle of the table.
groups have got the correct answers and people in a group or whether there have When the discussion time is over, they
which have not. been equal amounts of input from all can compare the number of paper clips
the members. As a training activity to they have left. This can also be a useful
String raise awareness of the need to tool for students who tend to dominate
encourage everyone to share and discuss discussions: if they see that they have
1 Grouping their ideas, it is fantastic. used up all their paper clips but no one
I learnt this idea else in their group has, it should send
on a training 3 Showing intonation patterns the message that they might need to
course while I don’t know where this idea came from, focus on allowing and encouraging
working for the British Council. but it’s a good way of helping more others to speak. (Thanks to my colleague
Basically, you count the number of advanced learners to develop their Chetna Bhatt at the British Council in
people in the class and cut one understanding of different intonation New Delhi for sharing this idea.)
longish piece of string for each one. You patterns. You need large pieces of paper
then decide how many groups you want, for this – A3 or bigger – which the 2 Prediction and probability
take one piece of string for each students can write sentences on in large This is a good activity for practising the
member of the group and tie one end of letters. The students work in pairs or language of prediction and probability
the pieces of string together. For each small groups and you dictate several – will, might, may, probably won’t, could,
group, you have one knot at the top and sentences to them which you can use to I doubt they will, it’s pretty unlikely, etc.
all the ends dangling down below. In the demonstrate the intonation patterns The students work in groups and are
classroom, hold the knots of all the that you are practising. (You could also given a pile of paper clips and a cup or
groups in your fist. Each student then dictate just one sentence if you wanted other small receptacle. They place the
comes up and takes the end of a piece to practise contrastive stress, and then cup at an agreed distance away from
of string – it’s very important to say it in several different ways.) The them. They then write some sentences
emphasise at this stage that they must students put a piece of string just above using the language they have been

Raiding the
wacky. I’ve taken this one step further
to make it into a bigger project. As
described above, small groups of ENGLISH
stationery students get one item from the
stationery cupboard and think of Tprofessional
EACHING
cupboard several different and unusual uses for it.
They choose their most interesting new
use, and then design an advertising This is your magazine.
studying about how many paper clips campaign to bring it to the attention of We want to hear from you!
they think they can successfully throw the public (or the rest of the class).
into the cup (eg I probably won’t be able They can do this either by making a
to get more than three in the cup. I doubt poster with a slogan or, if you have
anyone in the group will get them all in). time, scripting a short TV or radio
They take turns to throw a set number advertisement. They can also be IT WORKS IN PRACTICE
of paper clips into the cup and check encouraged to re-name the item. You Do you have ideas you’d like to share
their predictions. Be warned: students can ask the groups either to act out or with colleagues around the world?
can get incredibly competitive while describe their advertisement to the rest Tips, techniques and activities;
doing this activity! of the class, or record it outside class on simple or sophisticated; well-tried
a smartphone or camera to show the or innovative; something that has
3 Word stress rest of the class in a final presentation.
worked well for you? All published
This activity requires different coloured
contributions receive a prize!
paper clips or paper clips of different
Write to us or email:
sizes. The students can do it in pairs.
They each have several paper clips of helena.gomm@pavpub.com
either two different sizes or two
different colours. They use them to
represent the syllable and stress patterns
of different vocabulary items that you
These are just a handful of activities
using ordinary stationery items – there
TALKBACK!
are countless more possibilities. In fact, Do you have something to say about
have been learning. Each paper clip
represents one syllable, with a different there’s an entire website devoted to uses an article in the current issue of ETp?
coloured or larger paper clip standing for Post-it® notes in the classroom. I This is your magazine and we would
for the stressed syllable. The students hope that while some of the activities really like to hear from you.
can either listen to you modelling the above may be familiar, there are others Write to us or email:
words and then put the paper clips into that are new for you to try. More helena.gomm@pavpub.com
the correct pattern on their desk or, for importantly, I hope that I’ve inspired you
higher-level students, work from a to look a bit harder in the cupboard and
written list, figuring out the stress/paper given you a genuine reason to browse in Writing for ETp
clip pattern for each one before your favourite stationery shop. ETp Would you like to write for ETp? We are
checking it with either an answer key or
always interested in new writers and
another student. If the students have a A quick note about the sources of fresh ideas. For guidelines and advice,
supply of these paper clips available to these ideas: I’ve tried hard to attribute write to us or email:
them all the time, you can ask them to all of the above activities to the
get them out and use them to show the helena.gomm@pavpub.com
people or books I learnt them from,
stress pattern every time you come but I apologise if I haven’t mentioned
across a problematic word. Seeing the
stress pattern represented visually like
the first person to think of or publish
any of these ideas.
It really worked
this can be a big help for some students for me!
who have difficulty hearing it.
Did you get inspired by something
Klippel, F Keep Talking CUP 1985
you read in ETp? Did you do
And finally … Rinvolucri, M Grammar Games CUP 1985
something similiar with your students?
A longer project Amy Lightfoot has a Did it really work in practice?
DELTA and an MA (ELT). Do share it with us ...
There’s an age-old, popular activity that She has worked as a
has done the rounds using various items writer, teacher and helena.gomm@pavpub.com
trainer for International
from the stationery cupboard. Basically, House, the BBC and the
it goes like this: the students are given British Council in the UK,
Portugal and across ENGLISH TEACHING professional
an item such as a rubber band, a paper South Asia. She is now Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd,
clip or a drawing pin and asked to think working as a freelance
ELT writer and trainer in Rayford House, School Road,
of as many different alternative uses for Somerset, UK. Hove BN3 5HX, UK
it as they can. They are encouraged to Fax: +44 (0)1273 227308
be creative and sometimes get extra Email: admin@pavpub.com
points if their ideas are particularly mail@amylightfoot.co.uk

CLASSROOM PRACTICE
Feedback
and correction
Elspeth Pollock has some techniques for keeping her students wide awake.
ow often do we just walk into pronunciation feedback, to correct ● Get the students to confess their
H class, get the students to open

their workbooks, and correct
the homework – to a sea of inattentive, ●
word order or to distinguish between
first and third person verbs.
To help the students make corrections
mistakes to each other (Paul Seligson
suggested this).
● Go back to compositions to revisit
unmotivated faces? to word order or to find extra words mistakes and encourage the students
We would probably all agree that or missing words in their writing, try to do the same after exams.
written and oral correction, whether of www.triptico.net. This gives easy visual ● Ask the students to record themselves,
homework or during class, is a correction which can now be saved on then use a list of questions to analyse
necessary and expected part of our your computer for future use. their spoken performance – concentrate
lessons; it helps both teachers and ● Use booing and cheering sound on intonation and sounding
students to notice the gaps in learning. effects on your computer for comfortable, rather than grammar
But maybe we should question the competition feedback (not so useful mistakes which may be difficult to spot.
usefulness of correcting in the same old for sensitive students or individual ● Put mistakes on the IWB after speaking
way, time after time. feedback). practice and pass round the keyboard
Try some of these practical ideas for ● Get your students to redraft their for the students to make corrections.
making spoken and written correction work by writing the same task for a Do the same with grammar exercises.
both motivating and memorable, using different target reader – concentrate ● Allow the students to give each other
some of the many tools at our disposal on correcting register and style. feedback on their written or spoken
– from mini-whiteboards to video, MP3 ● Hide the answers under the chairs for performance by means of an opinion
and the interactive whiteboard (IWB). the students to find. sheet – use boxes they can tick for
lower levels. Or ask the students to
Teacher-produced Student-produced write pertinent questions on each
other’s work (Why are there only two
techniques techniques paragraphs? or Who are you writing
● Make a poster of common class ● Give out the Teacher’s Book and allow to?). With younger learners, ask them
mistakes for the classroom wall to early finishers to be the teacher and to draw (even in graffiti style) positive
provide a constant reminder. know all the answers! Alternatively, feedback for each other.
● Use a free recording program such as photocopy the answers to be passed
Audacity or your mobile phone to round the class. Or divide the
make an MP3 mini-listening photocopy into A and B, and let the I hope that these ideas will help you
(podcast) of correction of written students correct each other in pairs. provide your students with effective
work to email to each student or, if ● Get the students to build up a list of correction which they will assimilate,
you have too many, for use as a class their own common mistakes and remember and learn from. ETp
listening and correction activity. corrections to refer to before writing
● Go one step further and use Camstudio each new composition. Elspeth Pollock is based
in Seville, Spain, and
or Jing to make a video recording of ● Use mini-whiteboards for the students has been teaching and
your correction of student writing to write their answers and hold them up training for over 20
years. She has the Delta,
(especially useful for students who have for comparison, correcting word order an MA in Linguistics and
to produce portfolios of written work). and identifying extra or missing words. most recently the Trinity
ICT Certificate, which
Note: an ‘avi’ file uses more memory ● Use coloured rods to represent A, B, kick-started her current
than an ‘swf’, but is of better quality. C, D multiple-choice options for the interest in studying how
to integrate technology
● Make a word cloud (www.wordle.net) students to hold up – that way, you into EFL lessons.
so the students can put /t / or /d/ past can see if they’ve got the correct
tense verbs into groups to help with answers! els@eli.es

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
What does
a CELTA
tutor do?
Chia Suan Chong
reviews the responsibilities
So you’ve done the DELTA, attended
all sorts of teacher development
best equip new teachers to face the
world of ELT.
This article will explore the role of
sessions, and maybe conducted a
the CELTA tutor from the perspective
few yourself. The next step in your
of a teacher trainer. of an International House London
career progression seems to be
tutor. However, that role will, of course,
‘CELTA tutor’. Here are some things
differ depending on the institution, the
you need to know …
individual tutor and the trainees
involved. The table on page 54 illustrates
he very first ELT teacher what a typical day may look like.
T training course, which became

the basis for what is now
known as the CELTA
(Certificate in English Language
Teaching to Adults) course, was started
CELTA tutors are
externally assessed
at International House in London 50 on every course they
years ago, with the intention of keeping deliver to ensure
up the standards of English language
teaching throughout the world. Today, that the standards of
the CELTA is one of the most recognised
ELT qualifications and the passport to
the qualification are
getting a job in teaching English maintained
practically anywhere around the globe.
There are some basic criteria that
every CELTA centre has to fulfill, and
CELTA tutors are externally assessed Roles and requirements
on every CELTA course they deliver to The CELTA course is divided into two
ensure that the standards of the parts: Input sessions and Teaching
qualification are maintained, and that Practice (TP).
the core tenets of the communicative In the first part, the trainees are
approach are practised. However, there given input concerning various teaching
is sufficient scope to accommodate the methodologies and approaches, ways of
different beliefs and approaches to exploring, clarifying and offering
teacher training and teaching, and practice of language (the four systems
sufficient flexibility to enable each tutor of Lexis, Grammar, Discourse and
to run the course that they believe will Phonology), developing the language

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
skills of speaking, listening, reading and Recommendations react emotionally. Being critical of
writing, lesson planning, providing someone’s teaching style can
language feedback, etc. At International Here are some suggestions for anyone who sometimes be seen as a judgement
House in London, we have a main would like to become a CELTA tutor: of their personality, so try to
course tutor and a second tutor giving 1 Shadow a teacher trainer you provide feedback in a way that is as
input on each course, and input may admire or about whom you have objective and as supportive and
take the form of demonstration lessons, heard good things. Observe this helpful as possible – and allow time
workshops or discussions. person every chance you get. and space for the trainees to be
In the second part, the trainees are Engage in discussions with the emotional, if necessary.
given the opportunity to put what they trainer about what you saw. Don’t 6 Anticipate what the assessor might
have learnt in the input sessions into be afraid to ask if you can ‘steal’ ask to see. If you are not sure,
practice. They are required to teach an idea or activity. speak to more experienced
eight observed lessons (six 40-minute 2 Think back to when you did your colleagues about the assessor.
lessons and two 60-minute lessons). As first teaching qualification. What Over-prepare and make sure all
TP begins very soon after the start of were some of the emotions you your admin is in order when the
the course, it is important, when felt? What were the issues you assessor comes.
drawing up the course timetable, to faced? How did you overcome 7 Attend teacher development
consider what basics will be needed to them? Remember that intense
enable the trainees to plan and teach a sessions or conference presentations
stress can make people react in about teacher training.
lesson. For their first six lessons, the strange ways.
trainees are given ‘Supervised Lesson 8 Read blogs like
3 Don’t expect the trainees to copy
Planning’ time, during which the tutors TeacherTrainingUnplugged.
are available to give support and answer what you do or to believe in the wordpress.com.
same things you do. You are there
9 Use discussion platforms like
to guide them into honing their
A good dose of own style of teaching, not to churn #ELTchat on Twitter to help reflect
out clones of yourself. Instead, try on what you believe and what you do.
daily liaison with fellow employing a coaching style in TP 10 Remember that the CELTA is only
tutors is needed to feedback and utilising questions a month long. It is not a course to
that will guide the trainees towards teach trainees everything they need
track the progress of being better able to help their to know about ELT. It is a course
all the trainees learners. Teach your trainees to to show them how to find out what
reflect on what they do, and they they need to know about ELT.
will be able to continue developing
questions. This is particularly important beyond the CELTA.
for any trainees who find themselves in
4 Don’t just watch the trainees
a panic about their impending lesson. Being a CELTA tutor is a responsibility
At the end of TP, the trainees are teaching when doing your TP
observations. Observe the students, that is not to be taken lightly. However,
required to provide a self-evaluation of the privilege of being able to play a part
the lesson they have taught before the too, and notice how they are
reacting to what is happening in in the journey of another teacher is not
group is gathered for TP feedback with only intensely rewarding, it also forces
their tutor. A good dose of daily liaison class. Also take note of how the
trainees are responding to the you as a tutor to re-examine your own
with fellow tutors is needed to track the beliefs and attitudes towards language
progress of all the trainees in their students. How sensitive are they to
the students’ needs and wants? Did learning and how this is reflected in
individual TP groups, to ensure that your teaching practice. In the end, it
they are given the necessary guidance they notice a student who was
feeling left out? Did they realise might be your own teaching that
and help during the input sessions and benefits the most from the course! ETp
the Supervised Lesson Planning. that they have just misunderstood a
Over the period of the course, the student who didn’t have the
trainees also have to submit four written vocabulary to express himself ? Are Chia Suan Chong
they able to think on their feet and currently runs general
assignments of about 1,000 words each, English classes, business
which the tutors have to mark. In react accordingly? How can you English classes and
addition, the tutors have other help them to do these things? teacher training courses
at International House
administrative tasks, such as writing 5 You are going to have to deliver London, London, UK.
She is also an active
progress reports, timetables and bad news at some point. Whether it participant at
candidate profiles, as well as pastoral is a ‘Below Standard’ mark for a conferences. She loves a
good debate and blogs
care duties, such as providing tutorials TP lesson, a ‘Resubmit’ on an regularly for ETp’s website
for individual trainees. These are all assignment, or an overall ‘Fail’ on eltKnowledge, and also
at chiasuanchong.com.
things the tutors need to find time for the course, the trainee concerned is
not going to be overjoyed and might chiasuan@live.co.uk
within their busy schedules.

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

A day in the life of a CELTA tutor
Time Activity Notes
8.30 am Preparation check I ensure I have everything I need for the input session that day. I also check
that I know what my fellow tutors will be covering in their 11 am input session.
9–10 am Input session I might do a workshop or a demonstration lesson, but I try to leave plenty of
time for discussion. What might seem obvious to an experienced teacher
might not be obvious to a new teacher.
10–11 am Admin and language This is the time for me to set assignments, arrange for observations of
awareness experienced teachers and get the trainees to keep their portfolios up-to-date.
My trainees also use this hour to discuss the language they have heard their
learners produce and to practise ways of dealing with emergent language, eg
understanding how language works, clarifying meaning, form and
pronunciation, and correcting and reformulating.
11 am–12 pm Break Not really a break. While the other tutor does her input session, I use the time
to prepare the following day’s input session.
12 pm–12.30 pm Lunch meeting The lunch hour is often used to exchange notes with fellow TP tutors
regarding the progress of the trainees and the best ways to go about
developing them.
1.30–3.30 pm Teaching Practice (TP) While the trainees teach, I sit at the back and observe both the trainees and
the students. I make notes on their lesson plans and on feedback sheets, in
the hope that written feedback will help them reflect. After two hours of non-
stop frantic scribbling, my hand starts to hurt.
3.30–4 pm TP feedback The TP group gathers together for feedback. Although some trainees see this
as a moment of ‘judgement’, it is a good time to build rapport amongst the
group. I encourage group members to bring up any positive points on the
lessons taught. I find ways to encourage reflection. Mistakes are good, as
long as you realise what went wrong and work on ways to improve on it.
Don’t focus too much on the grade. It is the development that counts.
4–4.30 pm Tutors’ meeting The tutors exchange notes on what happened at TP that day.
4.30–5.30 pm Tying up loose ends Certain individuals may need counselling or extra help with their lesson
planning.
I might need to check that the relevant pages of their CELTA folders are
organised and kept up-to-date.
Folders might need to be brought down to tutors if reports have to be written.
I might need to revise the following week’s timetable in light of the progress
of the group this week.
5.30–6.30 pm Report writing Three reports need to be written for each candidate through the period of the
CELTA course.
6.30 pm Go home I head home, but the day often does not end here. I tend to prefer to mark
assignments in the comfort of my own home.

T E C H N O L O G Y Teaching aids
Remember the days when teachers had
to haul around aids like realia, dice and
Get ’appy
recording devices from class to class?
Now one small mobile device can hold
it all.
Learners love rolling the dice by
literally shaking the tablet when using
the Diceshaker 3d app, which comes in
very handy for classroom board games.
The One Stop English app has an
Francesca McClure Smith explores the teaching applications
activity timer, giving students a visible
you can download onto your phone or tablet computer. countdown that adds excitement to
routine activities. There is also a voice
aving finally acquired your you are teaching one-to-one. It is also recorder, which comes in handy to
H consumer dream mobile device,

your next question is: Which
apps are out there for English teachers?
possible to show app material from a
mobile device on a computer screen by
attaching the mobile device to the
record students’ dialogues for later
analysis and correction, as well as for
activities simulating exams like TOEFL,
Faced with a sea of options, where to computer using an adaptor cable. which include recorded samples of
begin in this digital Disneyland? In this Quizlet is an online tool designed to speech. Finally, this free app has fun
article, I will list a number of apps make personalised flashcards very sound effects such as applause for
which have proved to be really effective easily. Images can be found and added correct answers and a police siren for
in my classes, and explain how to find quickly, using the ‘Search images’ when students make mistakes.
them and how to use them. These apps button, and there is also an audio
can be downloaded for free or at very feature. Alternatively, you can download The mother of invention
low cost from the App Store, if you ready-made shared card sets. Quizlet There are thousands of apps already on
have an Apple device, or from Google has an iPhone app, facilitating quick the market. Nevertheless, I admit to
Play, if your tablet or mobile phone uses revision on the move for busy students. being a little disappointed the first time
Android technology. I searched for apps to use in the
Lower levels classroom. It is still early days and, at
Reference books When searching for apps in the App the moment, there are relatively few
Invaluable to all language teachers are a Store or Google Play, take a look at games or activities made specifically for
good dictionary and, in a monolingual related categories, such as Games and English language teachers to use with
EFL context, a translating app. Digital Education as well as English Language students in class. Necessity is the
reference books are lighter to carry than Learning, to expand your options. mother of invention and, in response, I
their paper counterparts and far quicker made a partnership with a couple of
to use, enabling you to check things you Speaking skills students of mine in the software
are unsure about in seconds. They are Storywheel is another app originally business and we had our own app made.
also updated regularly, which means designed for a non-ELT setting. Its aim It is called GetAcross and is a game to
that there is no need to buy new is to develop children’s cognitive practise prepositions and phrasal verbs.
editions. Word Web and Dictionary are abilities through storytelling, but it also It is available for free, so why not give it
both apps that work offline and also act works really well to improve English a try?
as a thesaurus; they include audio and students’ speaking skills and to practise
‘favourite word’ features. narrative tenses.
From the numerous translator apps Players take turns to make a
available, I recommend iTranslate, which collective story, spinning a wheel which It is teachers, working hand-in-hand
is free and available in 50 different stops on a picture and then recording with developers and designers, who will
languages. The downside is that it only themselves telling that part of the story make the ELT apps of the future. So if
works when you have an internet for up to 30 seconds. Each contribution you have a good idea, why not go for it?
connection. However, as wireless should incorporate the picture which has After all, it’s one more excuse to buy
environments become increasingly appeared on the wheel into the storyline. your consumer dream. ETp
common, this may not be a problem. The whole class can be involved in
Reference apps such as these are deciding the plot, and individual learners Francesca Smith has
been teaching English
well worth recommending to students can rehearse their part before recording for 22 years. She has
for their own mobile devices. it, thus focusing on accuracy as well as worked in Portugal,
England and Brazil,
fluency. Once the story is finished, it is where she trained
Flashcards played back for the students to hear as teachers. She has a
Masters in TESOL and is
Tablet computers are ideal for the screen shows the corresponding interested in computer
displaying flashcards to revise and animated images. This type of activity is assisted and mobile
language learning.
practise vocabulary. Learners working a great follow-up for work on narrative
in small groups can share a tablet – and tenses. It works best with one mobile
francesc@portoweb.com.br
you can share one with your student if device per group of four to six students.

T E C H N O L O G Y
In this series, Nicky Hockly
explains aspects of technology which
Five things you always wanted to know about some people may be embarrassed to
tagging (but were afraid to ask)

confess that they don’t really
understand. In this article, she
explains tags and tagging.
1 Tag? Isn’t that a game? tagged. You can tag blog posts, videos,
images, software programs, online
Flickr (see above), if your photos of birds
are from a lake in Spain, you may want to
Although tag is a children’s game, when
we talk about technology we use it in the events, articles ... add a few tags in Spanish. Then anyone
sense of ‘label’. So just as a clothes tag searching in Spanish (for a Spanish
will give you information about the price
and size of a piece of clothing, a tag is a 3 I’ve heard of ‘tag clouds’.
What are they?
nature magazine, perhaps) will be more
likely to find your photos.
You will often find the word
virtual label that gives information about Let’s look again at the blog example
an ‘object’ on the internet. Adding tags is above. You wrote a blog post about your folksonomies used in conjunction with
known as tagging. students’ project and tagged it with words tagging. Whereas a taxonomy is a fairly rigid
like slideshow, project, ELT, etc so that hierarchy of terms applied to something,
a folksonomy is created and modified by
2 Can you give me specific
examples?
other teachers could find it. In fact, you’ve
already carried out several slideshow
projects with different classes on various
users. Knowing how to tag and contribute to
folksonomies is part of a set of increasingly
Imagine you are an amateur nature
topics and have several blog posts about essential digital literacies, skills needed to
photographer who wants to share your
how to carry each of these out. On your navigate our digital world. Tagging literacy
work with the world – by doing so you
blog you’ve added a tag cloud ‘widget’ includes not just knowing what words to tag
might sell your photos or get some
(or program) that collects the tags that with, and what language(s) to tag in, but
commissions. You upload a selection of
you’ve used in the posts in your blog, when not to tag. Tagging photos of friends
your best photos to the photo-sharing
and displays them as hyperlinks in the on Facebook, for example, may be
site Flickr (www.flickr.com) to make them
form of a cloud. Teachers visiting your inappropriate at times, and it may be ethical
widely available. But amongst all the
blog will see the tag cloud and can click to get their permission before doing so.
millions of Flickr photos, how will people
actually find yours? Tagging can help. For on any of the items in it to see a list of
each of your photos you add tags –
labels or keywords – which reflect the
the posts tagged with that specific word.
If they’d like to read more about your 5 How do I get started with
tagging?
content, such as nature, bird, flight, lake, various slideshow projects, they can click You and your students could start adding
etc. A picture researcher looking through on the word slideshow in your blog’s tag digital photos with tags to Flickr. You could
Flickr for a specific type of nature photo, cloud and they will see all your other set up a class blog and tag each post
and using some of these keywords, is posts about slideshows. depending on the topic. You and your
then more likely to find your work. Here’s an example students could start saving and tagging
Let’s take this idea into the of a tag cloud from my webpages in a social bookmarking tool
classroom. Imagine your students have own blog (in this case such as Delicious (www.delicious.com) or
produced slideshows related to a the posts are mainly Diigo (www.diigo.com). If you tag all of
classroom research project, and have concerned with ICT, these online resources with a specially-
uploaded these to the internet. How can m-learning, etc). The chosen class tag, such as ‘eng101’ or
you share their work with the world? larger the word in the ‘fce2012’, then you can easily retrieve them
Tagging each slideshow with relevant cloud, the more frequently that tag is used – for a specific group of students. The
keywords will help other teachers or this means there are more posts on that students themselves can add and tag
students find it. And imagine that you particular topic in the blog. By looking at a their own resources out of class, and
have a blog and have written a post tag cloud, you can quickly and easily see these, too, will be easy to retrieve. ETp
about this specific slideshow project and what topics are covered in a blog. By
Nicky Hockly has been involved in EFL
how you carried it out with your students. clicking on the tag, you can go straight to teaching and teacher training since
How can other teachers find your blog the posts carrying that tag. A blog tag cloud 1987. She is Director of Pedagogy of
The Consultants-E, an online teacher
post and try out your lesson idea with will keep evolving, reflecting the tags you training and development consultancy.
their own students? Again, adding tags add to (or remove from) your blog posts. She is co-author of How to Teach
English with Technology, Learning
to your post will make it much more likely English as a Foreign Language for
to appear in internet searches.
So, tags provide ‘metadata’ about 4 How do I know what tags to
use?
Dummies, Teaching Online and
Digital Literacies. She has published
an e-book, Webinars: A Cookbook
for Educators (the-round.com), and
online information. This helps categorise The beauty of tagging is that you choose
she maintains a blog at
or organise the information, and so the tags you think are most relevant. You www.emoderationskills.com.
makes it easier to classify or find. Any may even want to add tags in more than Contact Nicky at nicky.hockly@theconsultants-e.com and let her
piece of virtual information can be one language. For your nature photos on know of any ICT areas you’d like her to explore in this series.

Webwatcher
Web dmodo is a sharing and collaboration site which offers
Russell Stannard shares
a tool that promotes sharing.
● In class, tell the students to go onto the internet and find an
E so many interesting features that it could almost be

called a virtual learning environment. I find it hard to
believe that it is free. If you want to create a quick space
where your students can share content and upload files, links,
videos, etc, then this is the site for you. It has a similar look and
interesting news story in English. Tell them to read it, take
notes and then post a quick summary of, say, 100 words on
the wall. This way you will create a news feed.
What I like about Edmodo is that nearly all the main benefits
come from the central wall and once the students are clear
feel to Facebook, so your students will be familiar with the
about loading files and videos, leaving comments, etc (all these
format and, in most cases, will immediately take to it without
are done in a similar way), they will be up and running.
you having to provide any guidance. So what can you do with
Edmodo and what are the special features it offers?
Multiple uses
Multiple features Edmodo is a tool that you can make use of both in class and
also for homework. If my students are working in groups and
● You can create an account and separate groups for each
discussing something, I can get one person in each group to
class you teach in seconds. Your students can sign up to
share the group’s ideas on the wall. I can then see the key
these groups very easily and don’t even have to provide an
points that each group is discussing.
email address.
I have also found it very useful for teacher training sessions
● Each class group can share interesting links, files, videos, when I wanted a central location where the participants could
articles, etc on a central wall – you can upload content and so have easy access to all the content I wanted to share with them,
can your students. but where they could share useful content that they found, too.
● You can use it for discussions. It is great for project work as well. Let’s say you want your
students to discuss the world’s energy problems. Tell them to
● You can upload any files that you want your students to work in groups, go online, find interesting material related to the
access, putting them in a special folder. subject and put it onto the wall. You might provide them with a
● You have a calendar where you can input important dates on list of topics (eg carbon emissions, solar power, pollution, etc) to
your course. get them started and tell each group to choose one. The
students can even tag everything they upload so that you can
● You can create quick polls and quizzes. quickly find content linked to each topic. Just tell them to click
● You can send alerts. on ‘tag’ each time they load something and then choose ‘new
tag’. You can then use the wall in all sorts of ways. The students
● You can give students special award badges.
could use the content to create a five-minute PowerPoint
● You can set up assignments. presentation on their chosen topic or they could write a short
article around the main issues, etc. Again, you could get them to
Don’t be put off by the range of things you can do with Edmodo.
upload their articles onto the wall.
It is quite simple to use and, once you become familiar with it,
There is much more to Edmodo. For example, you can
you will be able to create groups and get content up for each
create special folders in the library where you can upload larger
group at the touch of button. Each time you create a group, you
files for the students to access. You can also create quizzes,
will be given a ‘group code’ which you share with the class. The
perhaps asking the students to watch a video and then do a
students then join by simply typing in the group code.
quiz based on it afterwards. The tool is extremely flexible and, as
Here are a few simple ideas to start you off: your confidence grows, you will be able to use more and more
● Set an essay for the students to write and get them to upload of its features. ETp
comments, links, videos and pictures onto the wall as a way
of brainstorming ideas on the topic. They can then use all the I have created some help videos to get you started and
material to write their individual essays. also to explain the more detailed features:
www.teachertrainingvideos.com/edmodo1/index.html
● Set a weekly discussion topic: the students post their
comments on the wall. www.teachertrainingvideos.com/edmodo2/index.html
● Share a video on the wall. Tell the students to watch it and Russell Stannard is a Principal Lecturer in ICT at the
share their comments on it. University of Warwick, UK, where he teaches on the
MA in ELT. He won the Times Higher Education
● Upload an interesting article that you want your students to Award for Outstanding Initiatives in Information and
Communications Technology in 2008, TEFLnet Site of
read onto the wall. Tell them to post comments when they the Year in 2009 and a 2010 British Council ELTon
have read it. award, all for his popular website
www.teachertrainingvideos.com.
● Use the wall to create a quick poll. For example, you might
offer the students several options for the topic of their next Keep sending your favourite sites to Russell:
russellstannard@btinternet.com
essay and get them to vote on which one they would prefer.

Prize crossword 56
ETp presents the fifty-sixth in our VERY FREQUENT WORDS ** A feeling of great happiness
series of prize crosswords. Send your *** The thing measured by a clock FAIRLY FREQUENT WORDS
entry (completed crossword grid and *** A neutral pronoun * Words from a book or play used by
quotation), not forgetting to include *** A way that buses or trains travel regularly another writer
your full name, postal address and telephone number, *** A conjunction used to indicate that * An insect or animal that damages plants
to Prize crossword 56, ENGLISH TEACHING professional, something happened during the same time or food supplies
Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd, Rayford House, that something else happened * A container for cut flowers
School Road, Hove, BN3 5JR, UK. Ten correct entries *** Something that is necessary * Open and honest even if it causes offence
will be drawn from a hat on 10 February 2013 and the *** The planet we live on LESS FREQUENT WORDS
senders will each receive a copy of the second edition *** An alcoholic drink made from grapes – To sleep for a short time, especially
*** __ the Road (book by Jack Kerouac) during the day
of the Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced
*** To touch something forcefully – So beautiful that it cannot be described
Learners, applauded for its unique red star system
*** An informal word for a party – To twist your face into an angry
showing the frequency of the 7,500 most common
*** __, Myself, I (song by Joan Armatrading) expression
words in English (www.macmillandictionary.com).
*** Giving out or reflecting a lot of light – A simple home-made bomb
*** An informal greeting – Used to describe something that is not
9 2 11 23 23 15 5 25 11 7 12 14 25 1 *** A word that offers a choice between two active now but may become so in future
2 25 14 14 17 9 2 12
or more things – Used in writing to indicate you are giving
*** A round object with a shell produced by more information about something
13 4 12 26 15 26 9 12 2 2 16 9 19 a female bird previously mentioned
4 2 2 3 14 15 20 11 15 11 *** A pronoun used to refer to a man, boy – An attitude indicative of the belief that
or male animal men and women should be treated
9 3 21 18 8 4 17 11
*** To employ something for a specific differently
17 21 15 17 26 11 11 8 11 purpose – A thin smooth cloth made from artificial
*** To make a knot with two ends of a piece fibres
9 26 9 22 11 16 11 6 15 17
of string – To grow or spread in an untidy way
26 9 11 11 24 26 11 2 17 9 12 2 11 *** Used to describe a number divisible by – To care for and attend to a young child,
two animal or plant
9 17 9 2 4 26 10 3
N *** A group of people who play a sport or – To make something increase in length
16 9 17 20 12 17 11 14 26 11 14 game against another group – Asking a lot of questions about things,
*** The star at the centre of our solar system especially things people don’t want to talk
11 12 26 17 26 14 15 3 3 25 11
*** An extra room or rooms added to a about
2 11 7 26 4 9 3 3 building – Someone who makes clothes to fit
FREQUENT WORDS individual customers
18 11 25 11 9 17 4 14 11 25 10 18 15
** Used to describe a slope that rises quickly – A type of music that developed in
9 11 1 15 4 11 12 9 26 ** An exclamation of pleasure or discovery Jamaica in the 1950s
** A fruit that grows inside a hard shell on – A small aquatic animal similar to a lizard
1 12 14 22 15 2 26 14 12 4 26 11
some types of tree – Slow and relaxed
** The ability to move smoothly and – The back of the neck
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
N
beautifully – To separate groups of people by race,
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 ** An action that transgresses religious laws sex or religion
25 9 23 11 9 17 7 18 15 26 18 15 8 8 11 2 17
To solve the puzzle, find which letter each number represents.
You can keep a record in the boxes above. The definitions of the 7 18 9 25 11 10 12 4 15 14 11 5 4 17 10
John
words in the puzzle are given, but not in the right order. When 22 15 21 9 2 3 12 26 18 11 14 8 25 15 2 17 Lennon
you have finished, you will be able to read the quotation.

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ENGLISH Issue 83

Teacher development online

One is a lovely number

Challenging our own authority

• fresh ideas & innovations

• tips & techniques

• competitions & reviews

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT ONLINE 4 IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW ... 34

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT 8

ONE IS A LOVELY NUMBER 12 WHAT DOES A CELTA TUTOR DO? 52

FEEDBACK AND CORRECTION 49 LANGUAGE LOG 39

READING NIGHT 22 INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION FORM 30

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 1

I inspirational books in which teachers recount their

ENGLISH Rayford House, School Road, Hove BN3 5HX, UK

Designer: Christine Cox ISSN 1362-5276

Advertising Sales Manager: Subscriptions: Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd,

2 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

I training for almost 15 years now,

4 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 5

development Time spent online needs to be

online and ‘bite-sized’ so that the participants

6 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

8 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

their ideas, arguing

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 9

perfect having difficulties. Sometimes it is

10 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

begins a three-part series

12 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 13

ENGLISH IT WORKS IN PRACTICE

14 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

iStockphoto.com / © Gautier Willaume

16 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 17

not talk’ of teaching should never be permitted

18 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 19

20 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 21

22 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

was the first time that we had included

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 23

24 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

n this article I shall be looking at some

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 83 November 2012 • 25

wall ... finds good in all creatures …’ His own

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O (OBE) is known for

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language education random way but should be matched to

28 • Issue 83 November 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

Young learners Adolescent and Adult: Intermediate

Winner Uncle Jack and the Meeerkats Winner A Christmas Carol

Adolescent and Adult: Elementary

Winner Harry’s Holiday

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