Listening
How to prepare SS to the listening task?
Do the pre-listening activity, it can be done in different ways: teacher can give specific words from the listening (not whole sentences); as a class discuss the topic of the listening (lead-in) and etc
What is the purpose of scanning reading?
Doing scan reading you look only for a specific fact or piece of information without reading everything
How to prepare SS to the writing task?
1. Discuss together the topic
2. Brainstorm the possible ideas
3. Come up with useful collocations
4. Get to know the criteria, template and strategy of specific writing task
What’s the difference between lead-in and warm-up?
Warm-up isn't necessarily related to the topic of the lesson and is used to "wake up" SS, lead-in actually introduce the theme of the lesson and is used to activate the student's prior knowledge or experience of the topic.
Can we use a mother tongue for teaching? If yes, in what ways? If no, why not?
It can be used in situations where it doesn't interfere, but rather contributes to the learning process. At the initial stages of learning, the native language cannot be completely excluded because it is necessary to form an understanding of lexical and grammatical skills
What is the definition of connected speech? Where and why is it important?
Connected speech is continuous spoken language like you’d hear in a normal conversation when words bump into each other. Connected speech is important for listening comprehension because learners often don't recognize known words when they occur in speech and tend to think that fluent speech is too fast.
What reading type is about general understanding of the text?
Skimming, reading for gist
Is it OK to let SS assess the writing of their groupmates?
Yes, it's called peer-assessment. SS become well-aware of their own mistakes and pay more attention to what they write about.
What is delayed error correction? What is it used for?
Delayed correction is a technique that teacher uses some time after SS made an error. This is usually done to avoid interrupting fluency practice and in order not to cause a fear of speaking
Is it OK for SS to learn words by heart?
When SS learn words by heart they might not remember them at all. SS's brain doesn't care because it can’t connect the words to context.
How does pronunciation affect listening?
Neglecting pronunciation can lead to problems with listening comprehension. SS may think that a word sounds one way but in reality it sounds different. Consequently, SS don't catch important information from the audio or misunderstand it. It may lead to mistakes during listening tasks.
What's the purpose of pre-reading and post-reading?
Pre-reading: To prepare SS for understanding a text. The reader activates prior knowledge, establishes reading objectives and creates expectations about the content of the text.
Post-reading: activate new lexis from pre-reading in conversation
Should SS know the structure & requirements? Why/Why not?
Yes, they should because it encourages SS to reflect on their own writing, identify areas of improvement and avoid extra mistakes. Teacher can prepare the check-list with necessary points SS need to cover in their writing. It can help them assess themselves before handing in the writing.
What are the teacher's actions while SS are doing speaking task?
During the speaking task it's better not to interrupt SS while they talk so that SS aren't afraid to make mistakes and can gain fluency. Teacher also can show the mistakes SS made in speaking on the board and discuss them through together.
What are the CCQs? (Concept Checking questions?)
These are questions that you use to test your SS's understanding after presenting grammar or new vocabulary
Situation: The SS didn’t catch anything from the listening task. What are possible ways to increase their abilities in listening?
1. Pre-listening
2. Decoding information (open the script)
3. Work on pronunciation
4. Teach the examples of connected speech from the audio
Situation: SS always run out of time doing the reading tasks. What are possible strategies to reduce time of reading?
1. Read the questions avoiding options
2. Underline key words in questions
3. Read the text quickly without focusing on translation of all words in the text
How can teacher motivate SS to put more efforts into writing and help them to be more aware about their weak points?
Teacher can write an individual feedback after the writing task with some words of encouragement and comments that tell SS which parts they need to focus on.
Situation: SS are afraid to say something during speaking because of the fear of mistakes. How can teacher help?
1. Emotional support
2. Give ideas and show possible ways for speaking (talk about clothes, weather and etc)
3. Provide examples with stronger SS
4. Think of a sentence in Russian then help to translate
5. Take the weaker SS for yourself
What teaching methods do you know? What is the most popular nowadays?
- The Grammar-Translation Method
- The Direct Method
- The Audio-Lingual Method
- The PPP Method (Presentation, Practice, and Production) and etc
The most popular one is Communicative Language Teaching.