CELTA Online Unit 22 Task 15: Teaching Ideas

Now listen to four experienced teachers talking about what they do in class to help their learners with
written and spoken discourse.
As you listen, make notes on whether they talk about written or spoken discourse and what activities
they do in class.

Your Response
Teacher Written or spoken? Ideas/activities
Kristina spoken focus on language to fill silences
Nora written give students a text with errors and then correct
them
Iffy spoken listen to real conversations
Catriona written foucus on lexis around a topic

Suggested Response
Teacher Written or spoken? Ideas/activities
Kristina Spoken  Focus on language to help students fill silences
e.g. mmm, let me think about that
 Give students language to show interest and
respond in conversations
 Work on signposting phrases which help
students understand what information will
follow e.g. stop tape after linking word Mind you
and get students to predict what will come next
Nora Written  Give students a text with errors and students
correct mistakes and rewrite it
 Look at models and get students to write similar
texts
 Focus on linking words
 Cut up paragraphs and students reorder to help
with paragraphing and structure
Iffy Spoken  Listen to real conversations
 Students categorise expressions for showing
interest, interruptions, adding information
 Give students practice using expressions
Catriona Written  Focus on lexis around a topic so learners have
synonyms and avoid repetition
 Focus on linking words/discourse markers e.g.
On the other hand, In fact