Students are intentionally challenging the instructor’s authority

In some instances, students act rudely to test the instructor, to flex their own intellectual muscle, or
to show off to classmates. This is most likely to happen if the instructor’s authority is in question, for
example, if s/he is timid or does not seem in command. It may also happen in contexts where the
student body is particularly aggressive or demanding, for example in some professional programs
where students have considerable work-world experience and insist that courses have immediate
practical utility. Some students may also seek to challenge the authority of (or outright bully)
particular categories of instructors, for example young, female, foreign, or minority faculty. This
problem can be especially pronounced in some professional and graduate programs where the
students may be older than the professor and have considerable experience and expertise themselves.
Consider the image you are projecting.
Offer a well-designed course.
Model desired behavior.
Set expectations realistically.
Don’t expect to be perfect.
Don’t react defensively.
Respond immediately.
Seek help.
Consider the image you are projecting.
Think about how you can dress, move, and speak so as to present yourself with professionalism and
authority. The best way to dress and behave will depend on the culture of your department (business
schools, for example, tend to be more formal than art departments) and on your personal style. The
key is to find a mode of self-presentation that works for you in the context of your own course.
Offer a well-designed course.
Far more important than how you present yourself physically is for the course itself to be well
designed and meaningful. Students will be considerably less likely to challenge your authority if they
see how the pieces of the course fit together and feel that the education they are receiving is valuable.
Also, if the majority of students perceive the course as useful to them, they are more likely to exert
pressure on rude classmates to stop engaging in distracting, disruptive, or discourteous behavior.
Model desired behavior.
If you do not want students to be aggressive and argumentative, be sure not to model these
behaviors yourself. In addition to avoiding behaviors you do not want students to emulate, model the
behaviors you do want to see, for example, by voicing disagreement respectfully.
Set expectations realistically.
In your syllabus and again on the first day of class, clearly outline the scope and objectives of the
course, so that students approach it with realistic expectations. Students will be less likely to
challenge you about what the course does or does not include if they are given fair warning.
Additionally, make it clear where your expertise lies and invite students to share their own expertise if
it falls outside your area of specialization. (For example: “My expertise is in cultural anthropology, so I
can speak to how cultural anthropologists would analyze this question, but not to all the intricacies of
physical anthropology. If any of you come from a biology background, please feel free to bring your
own knowledge to bear on these issues.”)
Don’t expect to be perfect.
To be an effective instructor, you need to have a solid grasp of the subject matter, but you need not
be perfect. There may be times when a student knows more about a particular subject area than you
do and challenges your expertise. If so, rather than get flustered, admit the limitations of your
knowledge, or cheerfully tell the class that you will look into the issue further and get back to them
(“This is an interesting issue and you raise some excellent questions. Let me do a little research and
let you know what I find out”). It’s important for students to know that instructors, like their students,
are learners.
Don’t react defensively.
It can be disconcerting to have a student challenge your authority in class, but try not to overreact.
Hear the student out; be respectful of her opinion and acknowledge good points, but also ask her to
explain her rationale and provide evidence to support her views. If you approach the interaction as a
 teaching opportunity, rather than react defensively, you may be able to both defuse the particular
situation and strengthen your credibility with the class as a whole. For example, if a student
challenges you publicly, it can sometimes be helpful to ask the rest of the class: “How do the rest of
you feel about this?” Often, aggressive or posturing students will back down if they know they do not
have the support of their classmates.
Respond immediately.
While it is important not to react defensively to rude student behavior (if at all possible), it is
important to respond immediately. Letting unacceptable behavior slide will only erode your authority
in the classroom more. How you choose to address the problem will depend on the nature of the
behavior as well as your individual style. Upon encountering rude behavior, you might choose to
address the class as a whole, delineating what is and is not acceptable for your class (e.g., “My T.A.
has drawn my attention to some inappropriate laptop use in class. Here is my policy concerning
laptops…”). If the problem stems from one or two individuals, you might respond in a number of ways,
beginning with a gentle admonition (e.g., “Manish, would you mind putting away your drink until after
class?”) and then, if the behavior continues, addressing the problem more forcefully. Some instructors
might choose to take the problem student(s) aside after class to discuss the issue. Others might opt to
address the behavior publicly by stopping what they’re doing and directing a hard look or pointed
comment at the problematic student (e.g., “Wendy, I’d appreciate it if you confined your comments to
the material being discussed”). While it is important to respond immediately and consistently, how you
handle the matter will depend very much on the nature of the problem, the student(s) in question,
and what feels most comfortable to you.
Seek help.
If you have a student or group of students who is belligerent or chronically disruptive, and other
strategies do not work, consult your department head or Student Affairs for advice

Lesson Plan and Aplication of Communicative Language Teaching

Penulis : citra priski on Wednesday, July 10, 2013 | 7:33 PM

1. Lesson plan (with teaching material)

Target Audience Senior High School Students

Subject Speaking

To foster students’ speaking skills and in the primary EFL

Objective (Aim) classroom by creating

a ‘real-life’ communicative setting

Topic Lost in London: Asking and Giving Directions

 Teacher Citra Priski Abadi

Class IX SMA

Method Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)

Durations / Meetings 45 Minutes / 2 Meetings

Objectives Students will be able to;

1. Develop student’s speaking skills

2. Encourage asking and giving directions in English

3. Develop student’s speaking micro skills

4. Raise students communicative skills

5. Achieve skills integration

6. Enhance students collaboration

a central London map, You-tube videos, a lap-top,

Materials
worksheets

Fist Meeting: ‘Lost in London: Asking and Giving

Directions’

Procedure
Objectives Time
A. Pre-speaking stage
Step 1:  This warm-up task aims to 1 Min

a. The teacher introduces the topic by 1. activate prior world

showing the Students a map of knowledge and relevant
central London and asking questions content schemata (related
e.g. to target culture
awareness) and
What’ this? 2. motivate Ls by creating
expectations
Have you ever needed or used a map?

Why do we usually need a map?

b. Predicting/Guessing:
Students are asked to make guesses about
the purpose of the lesson, e.g. What are we
going to talk about today?

Step 2:  To provide Students with the 2 Min

necessary language input
Students are invited to listen to a
 To make Ls active listeners
‘real-life’ dialogue derived from a You-tube
video[1] in which two interlocutors are  To integrate listening with writing
talking about directions: the man asking for
directions is a foreigner / tourist lost in the
capital of Britain and his interlocutor is
British able to give the directions needed
based on a map.

Step 3:  To motivate them through You- 2 Min

tube technology
Students are asked to watch the
 To create a ‘real-life’ context
You-tube video with the subtitles in order to
 To encourage self-correction
check their answers on their own first; then
the teacher gives feedback.

Step 4:  To practice language related to 5 Min

asking and giving directions
Students are also provided with
pictures to help them understand the  To practice imperatives
meaning and use of key imperatives for
giving directions.

B) While-speaking stage
Step 5:  To make Ls act out a dialogue 8 min
 Students work in pairs and are  To motivate Ls by visual aids
provided with two maps. The idea of this
 Skills integration
task is information gap. Each learner gets a
different handout with different buildings  To check comprehension
marked on the map. The student’s job is to
exchange information in order to complete  To encourage communication
their maps. They should ask Excuse me, how To engage Ls in a speaking game
can I get to…? Questions. Some buildings
(e.g. Railway Station) are marked on both  To encourage peer correction
maps to give students some point of
reference. The teacher has to mark X on all
the handouts by hand and make sure it’s in
the same place on both copies(Student A
and

Student B) as the activity won’t work

otherwise.

Step 6:  To consolidate vocabulary for

asking & giving directions
The teacher sets the scene: Students
imagine they are a group of friends visiting  To encourage Students act out a
London as tourists but they feel lost and ‘real-life’ dialogue
need somebody’s help to continue their  To enhance group work
sightseeing. Fortunately, they’ve got three
maps of central London. To save time, they  To create a ‘real-life’
decide to be divided into 3 groups to ask communicative setting

directions for three different places of  To promote Students’ interaction

interest;
 To develop student speaking skills

a. The Houses of Parliament,  To make Ls realize how to use a

b. The Buckingham Palace and map
c. The Tower of London.
The 3 groups manage to find  Skills integration (listening &
somebody to ask directions. Two members speaking)
of the group act out the dialogue to the
whole class. To facilitate Ls to carry out the
speaking task, the teacher can provide them
with a list of helpful expressions and
vocabulary for asking and giving directions.
 C) Post-speaking stage
Step 7:  To develop Ls writing skill using the 5 Min
appropriate linking expressions
Each one of the above groups writes a
paragraph summarizing the directions for  Skills integration (writing &
the specific place of interest they were listening)
assigned to find. They are asked to use
appropriate linking expressions.

Step 8:  To make students active listeners 5 Min

 To engage students in a speaking

A representative of each group reports
game
the paragraph back to the whole class. While
reporting back, the other groups listen  To check comprehension
carefully to trace the way on their maps and
circle the destination.

Step 9:  To provide and receive feedback 1 Min

Students are given a self-assessment

questionnaire to fill in by Ticking√ what’s
true for them in order to get a lesson
feedback as well.

Step 10:  To listen & sing 1 Min

Students view a video clip with a  To practice pronunciation

relevant song, entitled ‘Follow Directions[2];
 To listen, sing and dance for fun
they sing following the lyrics in the subtitles
and dance all

SPEAKING MATERIALS AND WORKSHEETS

Lost in London: Asking and Giving Directions’

Pre-speaking stage:
 Listen carefully to the dialogue and fill in the following gaps. Then watch the relevant video and
pay attention to the English subtitles to check your answers on your own.

“Asking and giving directions” – Transcript

-Excuse me!

-Yes, __________can I help?

-_____________,ehm, can you tell me the to Waterloo Station? I think I’m lost…

-I think you might be, yeah… You’re actually here right in the middle of Hyde Park.

- Oh dear…

- It’s _____________at all! All you need to do is continue___________ on through St James’ Park…

-Yes…

- And then, when you get to the Houses of Parliament, _______________left…

- Hhmmm…

- Then go _______________ the bridge…

- Ok…

- And then it’s first _________________ and you’re there, that’s Waterloo Station.

- Great, ok, so…ehm… Through Hyde Park, and then ___________ at the Houses of Parliament…

- No, no, no, LEFT at the Houses of Parliament!

- Right! (=Ok). ____________ at the Houses of Parliament. Ehm… Cross the bridge…

- That’s it!

- And then… to the _______________?

- First on the right!

- First on the right!

- And that’s Waterloo Station!

- Fantastic! Thank you very much.

- No problem, you’re _____________

- Bye!
B.1. Look at the map below. There are buildings that are not marked on your map, but they are marked on your
friend’s map. You are at “X”. Ask your friend how to get there and mark the ten buildings on your map. What
question will you ask? What phrases will you use to answer the question?

MAP 1/STUDENT A

How can I get to …?

MAP 2/STUDENT B

How can I get to …?

 B2. Simulation Activity: ‘Lost in London: How to get to …?’

1. You are a group of friends visiting London as tourists and you’ve just visited the British Museum.

2. At the moment, you feel lost and need somebody’s help to continue your sightseeing. Fortunately,
you’ve got three maps of central London. To save time, you decide to be divided into 3 groups to ask
directions for three main London sights: a. The Houses of Parliament, b. The Buckingham Palace and c.
The Tower of London.

3. In your groups study the map of central London and prepare a dialogue about asking and giving
directions for one of the three different sights.

4. Two members of your group act out the dialogue to the class.

C.1. Work in your groups again and write a paragraph to summarize the directions for the London sight you
were assigned to ‘find’ using appropriate linking expressions. Then a representative of each group
reports back to the class and the other groups listen carefully to circle the destination ‘tracing’ the way
on your maps.
 C.2. SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Tick √ what’s true for you

Now I can: Tick √

1 Ask directions for a place

2 Give directions to a place

3 Act out a dialogue about directions

4 Take notes while listening to directions

5 Take turns while acting out a dialogue

6 Use a map to get to a place

7 Use imperatives to give directions

8 Use prepositions of place

9 Write a paragraph about directions

10 Work well with my classmates

2. Application of Communicative Language Teaching

2.1. Some preparations before class

2.1.1. Materials

1. Text-based materials

A typical lesson consists of a theme, a task analysis, for thematic development a practice situation
description, a stimulus presentation, comprehension questions and paraphrase exercises.

2. Task-based material

A variety of games, roles plays, simulations, and task-based communication activities have been
prepared to support Communicative Language Teaching classes.

3. Authentic Materials
 Many proponents of Communicative Language Teaching have advocated the use of “authentic” “real-
life” materials in the classroom. These might include language based realia, such as signs, magazines,
advertisements, and newspapers, or graphic and visual sources around which communicative activities
can be built.

2.1.2. Procedures

Fincocchiaro and Brumfit once propose communicative procedures like this:

1) Presentation of a brief dialogue proceeded by a motivation and discussion of the function and
situation—people, roles, setting, topic and informality of language.

2) Oral practice of each utterance of the dialog segment.

3) Questions and answers based on the dialog topics and situation itself.

4) Questions and answers related to the students’ personal experiences but centered on the dialog theme.

5) Study one of the basic communicative expressions in the dialog or one of the structures which exemplify
the function.

6) Learners’ discovery of generalizations or rules underlying the functional expression or structure.

7) Oral recognition, interpretative activities.

8) Oral production activities.

9) Sampling of the written homework assignment, if given.

10) Evaluation of learning (oral only).

How to sequence these things is not the most important. What really effects is the principles to
follow. From the above procedures, we summarize as follows:

In a communicative lesson, the teacher should:

a. Presentation of the topic

b. Motivation of the students to participate in classroom activities

c. Discussion of situations and functions

d. Study, analysis and application of typical structures

e. Activities related to both the topic and students’ experiences

f. Evaluation of tasks
2.2. Using pictures and games in classroom

2.2.1. Using pictures in classroom

1. Why use pictures?

By providing a wide range of contexts, students can meet a range of situations and experience that will
equip them for real life communication. Specifically, pictures contribute to:

a. interest and motivation

b. a sense of the content of the language

2. Five primary principles of using pictures in class

a. Easy to prepare

b. Easy to organize

c. Interesting

d. Meaningful and authentic

e. Sufficient amount of language

3. Some examples for using pictures

Topic from pictures

a. Show pictures from inside the book.

b. Ask the students to tell you as much as they can about the topic of the story.

2.2.2. Using games in classroom

1. Why use games?

Language learning is a hard task that can sometimes be frustrating. Constant effort is required to
understand, produce and manipulate the target language. Well-chosen games are invaluable as they
give students a break and at the same time allow students to practice language skills. Games are highly
motivated since they are amusing and at the same time challenging. Furthermore, they employ
meaningful and useful language in real contexts. They also encourage and increase cooperation.

2. When to Use Games

Nowadays, games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left at the end
of a lesson. Yet, a game should not be regarded as a marginal activity filling in odd moments when the
teacher and class have nothing better to do. Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign
 languages. They can be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and carefully
chosen.

3. How to Choose Games

a. A game must be more than just fun.

b. A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.

c. A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on the language itself.

d. A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific language material

4. Some ways to use games:

a. Picking the apples

b. Competition

c. Climbing the ladder

d. Hunting the match picture

e. Twenty Questions

f. Word Magic

You can create all kinds of appropriate meaningful and flexible games and amusing activities and
educational activities are necessary to keep the class enjoyable and create a sense of fun. However, we
must be careful that the activities do not last too long or the children will become bored.

5. References

Book resources:

Littlewood W. (1981). Communicative Language Teaching. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.

Byram, Michael. 2000. Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning. Taylor & Francis Routledge; New
Yok.

Krashen, Stephen D. 1982. Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition (Language Teaching
Methodology). Pergamon Press Inc.

Harmer, Jeremy. 2001. The Practice of English Language Teaching, 3rd Edition-Longman Press.
Internet Sources:

a. http://www.slideshare.net/BerkayFrtna/disadvantages-of-communicative-learning-teaching-
presentation

b. http://lc.hkbu.edu.hk/book/pdf/v08_07.pdf

Videos resources:

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SU_DYxI8SU

[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atFupd8NxRE