FOCUS ON THE LEARNER

Name: Irina Khayrutdinova Assignment 1: Focus on the Learner

Course: C1/2021 Date submitted: 23/08/2021

The aim of this assignment is for you to:

 Investigate the learning context and assess learner needs with reference to a specific group of
students.
 Identify sources for language development.
 Suggest specific language-focused activities and an explanation / rationale for their use with
the same group of students.

Assessment criteria (from the CELTA Syllabus and Assessment Guidelines)

Successful candidates can demonstrate their learning by:

 Showing awareness of how learners’ backgrounds, previous learning experiences and learning
preferences affect learning.
 Identifying the learners’ language / skills needs.
Correctly using terminology relating to the description of language systems and language
skills.
Selecting appropriate material and/or resources to aid the learners’ language development.
Providing a rationale for using specific activities with a group of learners.
Finding, selecting and referencing information from one or more sources.
Using written language which is clear, accurate and appropriate to task.
+-750/1000 words.

Each assignment may COMMENTS

be submitted twice
PASS
1.
RESUBMIT

PASS on
2. Resubmission

FAIL

FIRST MARKER SECOND MARKER

Part1: Background.
 The student is Russian with Russian native language. The age of the student is 19. As a student
of USFU he is learning computer science. He is interested in programming and watching TV
shows. The student’s current level is pre-intermediate. The previous learning experience is
mainly based on school education since the age of 10. A teaching approach was grammar-
translated, which led to an average result in English language. For the last 6 months the student
has been studying language with a private tutor, using a communicative approach.
The main aims, the student points out are travelling, communication with people from other
countries and a desire to have a better job abroad in the future. He is more a visual learner, as
he reacts well on visuals (pictures or mimic) and performs written tasks well. He has a good
level of intrinsic motivation, risk-averse and in general quite tolerant to ambiguity. Speaking of
his type of personality he has analytic and logical abilities.
Among different classroom activities the preferences are for works in groups and pairs, playing
games due to possibility to speak more, since the student himself considers his speaking skill as
one of the weakest. During the observation the student was involved actively in all such
activities and demonstrated the ability of peer correction despite of being an introvert. During
productive stages the speech was accurate and fluent enough for his level with the awareness
to possible mistakes.

Part2: Skills and Communication.

The student’s receptive skills correspond to the current level. Doing the tasks given he didn’t
produce a lot of misunderstandings. While reading the student was able to give the right
answers and justify them with the information from the text. At the same time listening for
specific information might have confused the student when the seeking word or chunks were
not familiar to him.
Productive skills are as expected for a pre-intermediate student. The phrases are simple but
accurate with minor mistakes, typical for the level. He can produce logical monologs, explain his
opinion on the point, have normal conversation during free practice. Writing demonstrates the
ability of creating full answers corresponded to the situation with some additional details, with
minor mistakes in structure and quite correct pronunciation.

Part 3: Strengths and Weaknesses

Grammar: Successful language use during free speaking practice: ‘I like watching TV series in
English.

What is the weakness: Third person of the present simple.

Example: ‘She give me exercises.’ (oral)

‘She don’t have a pet.’ (written)

What is wrong?
What is the correct version?
Wrong form of the main verb, it should be he / she / it giveS.
In the third person in the present simple the verb has to
agree with the subject of the sentence. The same mistake is
with the negative form. The third form auxiliary should be
he/she/it does not (doesn’t). In these examples the subject
is the third person singular and therefore gives and does are
correct.
‘She gives me exercises.’

Why did the students make the Since only the third person is formed with ‘-s’, the student
mistake?
What is the weakness:
Example:
What is wrong?
What is the correct version?
Why did the students make the
mistake?
Pronunciation: Successful language use: ‘I visited Belgium ['belʤəm] last year.
What is the weakness:
Example:
What is wrong?
What is the correct version?
Why did the students make the
mistake?
Vocabulary: Successful language use: ‘I want to pass exams and move to another country.’
What is the weakness:
‘She doesn’t have a pet.’
has forgotten to apply this part of the rule. There is no
similar tense in the student’s L1 so there is no positive
transfer between languages.
Forming comparative adjectives.
‘I want more big salary. It will be more faster’ (oral)
‘Writing is more easy for me.’ (written)
Wrong form of the comparative. For one-syllable adjectives
(big) and two-syllables adjectives ending with ‘-y’ it should
be ‘-er’ or ‘-ier’ in the end to form a comparative form, while
we use more only for adjectives which are two-syllables or
longer In these examples forms ‘bigger’ and ‘easier’ are
correct.
‘bigger’, ‘faster’, ‘easier’
Since there are two variants for comparative forms, the
student overapplied the rule for all types of adjectives, since
in his L1 the rules are not similar and cannot be transferred
between languages.
Pronunciation ‘i’ in open and closed syllables ‘tiny’ ['tɪnɪ]
‘They lived in a tiny ['tɪnɪ] house.’ (oral)
Wrong choice of the sound. The word is from higher level,
but the principles of pronunciation here are typical: opened
letter
‘They lived in a tiny ['taɪnɪ] house.’
Students often have some confusion with reading letter ‘i’ in
different words. In L1 the letters usually do not vary so
crucial with the pronunciation, so for the student it creates
some difficulties.
Using words for countries and nationalities ‘French’
Example: ‘I went to French.’ (oral)

What is wrong? Wrong choice of the word. French -

the language that people speak in France, parts of Belgium
and Canada, and other countries.

What is the correct version? ‘I went to France.’

Why did the students make the Students often have some confusion with these two words.
mistake? Since they refer to the same country, bun mean different
things: the country itself and the language in this country.
Students sometimes misuse them.

Part 4: Helping the Learner

Grammar: the present simple

1. To provide practice using the structure.

2. To clarify rules, pay attention to the 3 rd person singular form. After that we provide the
student with a set of grammar exercises. We anticipate that the student is familiar with
the rule but has a lack of practice. For the first activity the usual gap filling tasks may be
boring for this level, so making the sentences out of patterns given and follow the rule
might be more challenging. Working individually students remember the rule better as
they have written text and a chance to analyze it. As an introvert the student will
definitely benefit from such approach. For further activities to establish the confidence
with the structure we provide controlled oral practice, followed (ideally) by free practice
in pairs or in a group. [Materials 1. Grammar]

Vocabulary: word families with countries and nationalities

1. To provide clarification between lexical sets countries and nationalities. Let the student
learn principles of word-formation in the context of countries. Provide with exceptions.
Bearing in mind the student has good analytic abilities, such approach seems
reasonable.
2. Make a set of the most popular countries, pay attention to using it in a context of a
place, people, or languages, since there can be differences. Choose exercises that allow
students to remember the right form for making sentences. Working in groups will allow
free practice of using the right vocabulary in particular situations. [Materials 2.
Vocabulary]

Word count: 1126

Materials:
Part 1. Grammar:
1. Write sentences about what your friend does or doesn’t do. Use the ideas below.
Example: She goes to the cinema.

2. Make the questions out of the prompts.

Example: Does she go to the cinema?
3. Work with a partner, ask and answer questions about your partners’ friend. Ask for
additional information.
Source: Sarah Cunningham, Peter Moor Cutting Edge pre-intermediate 3 rd edition, Pearson
Education, 2013

Part 2. Vocabulary:
1.
 2.

Ask your partner if he agrees or not.

Source: Michael McCarthy, Felicity O’Dell, English Vocabulary in Use Elementary, CUP, 1999