TEYL Suggested tasks 2nd year/ S4 ISAMT 22/23

● Focus: How beliefs affect teaching?

The way teachers plan and organize their lessons and activities reflects their beliefs about
teaching and learning. It gives some idea about what the teacher thinks is the most
appropriate way to help pupils to learn (teaching philosophy).

▪ Task 1: the following are outlines of two lessons on prepositions for 8 to 9 year-old
children. Study them carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1- How does teacher (A) think pupils learn language?

● Pupils need to understand the meaning of new language (focus on the meaning)
through demonstration (use of concrete examples).
● Pupils need plenty of practice and repetition in order to learn (frequent/ repetitive
drill).
 ● Pupils’ language needs to be controlled to reduce mistakes (teacher’s support
through correcting mistakes).
● Pupils should not be exposed to language that they have not been formally taught.

● Pupils may not have enough language to work together in pairs or groups
independently of the teacher (teacher supporting language learning)

2- How does teacher (B) think pupils learn language?

● Pupils need to understand the meaning of new language.

● Pupils need a variety of activities.

● Pupils need activities which are enjoyable and stimulating (young learners want to
have fun while learning new language).
● Pupils learn through using the language more freely for a communicative purpose.

● Pupils benefit from being actively involved (motivated; engaged in pair or group work)

● Pupils benefit from practicing together in dependently of the teacher.

3- Which lesson provides most opportunities for pupils to make use of the natural
abilities and characteristics which they bring to language learning? Justify with
examples from the outlines above.

Although both lessons provide opportunities for language learning, Teacher B’s lesson seems
to provide more opportunities for pupils to make use of the different abilities ( and
characteristics) which they bring with them to the language classroom (young learners do
not come to the classroom empty-handed). For instance (example), the games will appeal to
their sense of fun and arouse their interest. The communication game gives them a real
purpose for using language and provides opportunities for them to use the language more
freely (de-emphasizing rules, grammar, mistakes…) and experiment. Also, pupils desire to
talk (express what they want to express freely) is catered for in the dialogue activity and the
communication game.

Mechanical repetition (to listen and repeat) as provided in Teacher A’s lesson (whole class
repetition practice) has limited value for language learning because in this practice, children
do not fell that they need to pay attention to the meaning.

🡺It is important to mention that the teacher’s relationship with his / her pupils is more
important in the end than the particular teaching methods used (children need to feel
 secure, safe, loved to be motivated in the classroom). Our beliefs about learning and
teaching will affect the kind of relationships teachers build with their pupils.

▪ Task 2: Read this excerpt where Mr. Ali Raddaoui reacted to the question about his
philosophy of teaching. Answer the questions that follow (Previous exams’ question):

HZ: Describe your teaching experience. What is your teaching philosophy?

AHR: My teaching is guided by several principles and theories that I continually strive to
put in practice, observe, analyze and critique to continue to improve my teaching and to
make sure it is never boxed in a limited, fixed, formula-type recipe. I often refer to myself as
a facilitator, educator, and coach, an intercultural speaker, rather than as a teacher or
instructor. Instead of telling learners about things to remember and reproduce, as is often
done in the transmission model, I aim to create a comfortable and encouraging atmosphere
of interaction and communication with no place for any type of threat. In all of this, I hope
to stand as an example of someone whose questions are answered through negotiation
rather than through decree and dictation (Raddaoui & Zriba, 2020, p. 100).

International Journal of Multiculturalism

Volume 1, № 2, 2020, 97-106
DOI: 10.30546/2708-3136.2020.1.2.97

a. How does Mr. AHR see himself with respect to teaching?

He sees himself “as a facilitator, educator, and coach, an intellectual speaker, (rather than a teacher
or instructor)

b. How does he make sure that there is a safe learning environment?

By creating “a comfortable and encouraging atmosphere of interaction and communication with no
place for any type of threat.”

c. Where in the text does Mr. AHR show that he opts for a learner-centered teaching
approach?
He opts for a learner-centered approach when he chooses that his “questions are answered through
negotiation rather than through decree and dictation.”

● Focus: Managing behaviours+ reinforcing classroom rules:

▪ Task 3: Study these two cases and answer the questions that follow (last year’s exam
question)
CONTEXT: Mr. Jones and Mrs. Simmons are both in their final year of their training and are
on their final teaching placement in parallel classes. They are teaching numeracy to their
respective classes of 36 children per class, aged 5. Mr. Jones is half way through his main
teaching exposition linked to handling data. A graph is shown on the interactive whiteboard.

Case A: Mr. Jones Case B: Mrs. Simmons

Mr. Jones: What does this data tell us about
our original question? Are the results as you
expected?
Will: Sir, I know!
Mr. Jones: Perhaps you do, Will, but we do
not have shouting out in this class. Who else
knows the answer? Thank you, Michael.
Will: But sir, I know the answer! Please ask
me!
Mr. Jones: No, Will. No shouting out. How
many times do I have to say it? Go on Michael
...
Will: Oh come on! I know the answer! The
graph shows that the most popular hobby in
the class is playing computer games!
[Mrs. Simmons is at the same stage in her
lesson]
Mrs. Simmons: So, what does the data tell us
about our original question? Are the results
as you expected? Take a moment to think
about what I have asked. (Pause) I am
looking for someone sitting beautifully with
their hand in the air. Thank you, Suzy! What
do you think?
Suzy: The graph shows that the most popular
hobby in our class is cycling.
Mrs. Simmons: Well done Suzy! Now who
can tell me how she knew that? John, your
hand is up and you are sitting well in your
seat what do you think?

Mr. Jones: That's it! I told you once! I told you

twice! Take the merits you earned this
morning off your chart now. Go on, no
arguments.

Will: Fine, what's the point anyway?

1. What is the main classroom management aspect that the two cases focus on?
Both cases focus on classroom behavior management

2. What does Mr. Jones expect from his pupils in terms of behavior?
Mr. Jones was consistent in his expectations that children will not shout out; thus he expects
his pupils would respect the rules and would not speak unless he would ask them to so .

3. What does Mrs. Simmons expect from her pupils in terms of behavior?
Mrs. Simmons expects her pupils to listen carefully to her instructions and wait until she asks
someone to answer the question. Thus, she makes her expectations explicit (direct and
clear) before asking for the children’s responses through the use of positive language that
stimulates them to behave properly. For example, “ I am looking for someone sitting
beautifully with their hand in the air. Thank you, Suzy! What do you think?”

4. Does Mr. Jones allow his pupil, Will, to regulate his behavior? Justify.
Mr. Jones doesn’t enable Will to regulate his behavior. The teacher negatively responds to
Will’s answer, first, by asking him to remove his hard-earned merit points and second, by
asking another pupil for the answer. This will create a negative attitude in Will and alienate
the relationship between the child and the teacher. If the teacher allowed Will the
opportunity to regulate his behavior, Will would learn that responding positively Mr. Jones’
expectations would result in a more positive outcome.

● Focus: Children L1/L2 acquisition:

▪ Task 4: Study the two cases and complete the table that follows (last year’s exam
question)
Case 1: Case 2:

Context: A mother talking to her little child at Context: Thinking about the Easter Bunny and
home. eliciting the phrase chocolate eggs

Age of the child: 16 months Age of learners: Eight to nine year olds.

Target language: English as a First Language Target Language: English as a Second

Language

MOTHER: Now we’re nearly ready… OK now TEACH E R: And it's a holiday, isn't it?
over
CHILDREN: Yeah.
your head… good boy…
TEACHER: Yes. And on Easter Sunday he brings
put in your other hand…now shoes. us
Where
what? Em?
are your shoes?
CHILDREN: Chocolate.
CHILD: Sus…
TEACHER: Chocolate? Uh uh chocolate. Eh,
MOTHER: Yes. Your shoes. Where are they?
chocolate... ice-cream?
[Both look around for the shoes]
CHILDREN: No.
MOTHER: Oh there. Look …your shoes…on the
chair. TEACHER: No, no it's not chocolate ice-cream.
Eh ...
CHILD: Sus. Sus.
chocolate ... eggs? Chocolate eggs.
MOTHER: Yes shoes. Yes?

CHILDREN: Yes.

TEACHER: Do you like chocolate eggs?

CHILDREN: Yes, yes.

TEACH ER: Mm ... Yum yum yum,yes?

CHILDREN: Yes, yes.

TEACHER: Chocolate eggs. OK.

[Later in the class]

TEACHER: And he brings? He brings? Yes?

CHILD: Chocolate eggs.

Easter Bunny/ Chocolate Eggs TEACHER: Do you like chocolate eggs? Do you
1. Complete the table below by finding examples of similarities between the two cases.

What the parent/teacher does Mother-child examples Teacher-child examples

M: Now shoes T: he brings … And he brings

1. Repeats phrases said earlier. Yes your shoes T: chocolate... ice-cream? ….

Look …your shoes no it's not chocolate ice-cream.

T: And he bring us what?

2. Keeps children attention by
He brings? He brings?
asking questions.

3. Reacts positively to what T: Mm ... Yum yum yum,yes?

children say even if words are
not complete CH: Sus -Sus Ch: Yes, yes.

Or perfectly pronounced. M: Yes, shoes T: Chocolate eggs. OK.

CH: : Sus…

4. Adds to or improves what M: Yes. Your shoes. Where are CH: Chocolate eggs
children say. they? T: Do you like chocolate eggs?

2- In both cases, the amount of talk of the parent and teacher is much more than that of the
children. What is the effect of that on the process of acquiring or learning a particular
language?

The caretaker talk ( this kind of talk is called caretaker talk; the mother and teacher are both carers)
helps the development of the children’s language (case 1 in which the little child can develop his first
language and case 2 in which pupils can develop their second language): children listen to the parent
/ teacher and try out to make sense ; they also sound like the people they listen to (listen and
repeat). By hearing the language around them, children will naturally acquire new languag (either L1,
or L2 / FL).

3- Focus on the two cases and:

a. Decide whether the learning environment in both cases is supportive or threatening.
In both cases, the learning environment is supportive: both the mother and the teacher create
positive / secure learning environments in which the little child at home and the pupils in the
classroom feel comfortable and confident to try out language.

b. Pick one detail from each case and explain how it is as such.

Case 1: “MOTHER: Oh there. Look …your shoes…on the chair.” The mother provides frequent support
for her child to understand the meaning through showing (concrete).

Case 2: “chocolate ... eggs? Chocolate eggs. Yes? /CHILDREN: Yes. ? TEACHER: Do you like chocolate
eggs? /CHILDREN: Yes, yes.”: the teacher tries to keep the pupils focused and interested by engaging
them in the activity: he stimulates them to guess and actively participate in the activity.

● Focus: Classroom Management: Group teaching:

▪ Task 4: Read the classroom procedure below and answer the questions that follow.

Prepare items of vocabulary written on one slip of paper and their definitions written on
another piece of paper. Essentially, students holding key vocabulary in their hand have to
find a partner who is holding a corresponding definition. To make it slightly more
complicated, you could get students to keep their vocabulary or definitions secret and those
with the key vocabulary must describe it in their own words or the person with the definition
must guess the vocabulary and say it. Once each student finds his/her partner, then they sit
together and continue with the lesson.

a. What is the type of organization of the activity? Circle the right option
(Individual work /pairwork / groupwork / whole class)

b. Does it involve much noise? Why yes/why not?

It does not involve much noise as both students would be busy doing the activity together.

c. Is it easy to control the pupils? Why yes/why not?

Yes it is easy to control the pupils in the whole class since, as soon as each student finds his/her
partner, they would sit down at their desks doing the assigned activity.

▪ Task 6: Look at the table below and answer the questions:

Context:
1- What would teacher and pupils need to do in order for the group teaching strategy
above to wok successfully?

The teacher will need: Pupils will need:

*to be well organized and plan the lesson *To learn how to work independently and
carefully (teacher needs to know what to feel confident doing this (do not need
each group will do during the lesson and much support from the teacher)
what materials are requested)
*To collaborate with and help each other
*To develop a proper system for
*To learn to follow instructions
monitoring and checking work done by
pupils on their own (teacher’s control and *to learn quietly so as not to disturb others
intervention) (to respect classroom rules/ discipline)
*To train pupils to be able to work
independently for a large part of the
lesson, eg, get the pupils to check each
others’ answers, help each other…
2- State some advantages and disadvantages of using this strategy.