Approaches to Classroom Discourse

In this video lecture, MA students present their tasks where they talk about approaches to classroom discourse.

Classroom Discourse for ELT: Part 2

This is the second part of my lecture on Classroom Discourse for ELT.

Classroom Discourse for ELT: Part 1

This lecture introduces classroom discourse and shows its importance for ELT.

Teaching Practice Observation Guidelines: Part 2

This lecture presents further very crucial observation guidelines for teaching practice.

Teaching Practice Observation Guidelines: Part 1

This lecture introduces some useful observation guidelines for teaching practice.

Initiation to Training

This lecture describes tips for doing observation and reflective portfolios for teacher-trainees.

Classroom Management: Whole Class, Individual, Pair & Group Work

In this video tutorial, I talk about classroom Seating Arrangements and tips for pair and group work.

Novice Teachers' Classroom English: Part 2

For an introduction on this very much needed aspect of ELT, namely classroom English, please, you are invited to check my previous blog post here.

Below are a few key expressions that novice teachers can use. They are classified according to headings regarding various language functions related to ELT classroom interaction. In this post, I suggest sample expressions that have to do with aspects of Organisation namely Giving Instruction, Sequencing, and Supervision. In coming blog posts, I present example phrases concerned with Interrogation, namely Asking Questions and Replying to Questions, Explanation, namely Metalanguage and Reference, and finally Interaction, namely Affective Attitudes and Social Ritual.

A- Organization:

• Giving instructions: The teacher gives appropriate instructions related to recurrent classroom activities, e.g. using textbooks, blackboard work, group work.
• Sample Expressions:

                                  - Open your books at page 52.
                                  - Come out and write it on the board.
                                  - Listen to the tape, please.
                                  - Get into groups of four.
                                  - Finish this off at home.
                                  - Let's sing a song.

Novice Teachers' Classroom English: Part 1

One of the main goals of an ELT teacher to achieve in his daily routines is to use as much as possible the target language which is in our case English. This routine language that is used by ELT teachers on a regular basis during their teaching process is referred to in the relevant literature as classroom language. It is mainly related to giving instructions such as "Stand up", "take out your books / pencils", "sit down, please", etc. Teachers can exploit this opportunity of these daily routines to minimise the students' use of their mother tongue and to maximise the use of the target language and increase its use by students. This makes the ELT classroom setting more authentic. 

It is novice ELT teachers that usually are not well prepared and trained to handle and deal with this quite sensitive area of English teaching and learning when they start teaching. This post and others to follow describe how classroom language can be used and suggest some tips for novice ELT teachers for employing classroom language. This first blog post presents the appropriate classroom language for starting a lesson.

Teacher: Good morning, Good afternoon, Hello, Hi

Students: Good morning, Good afternoon, (teacher's name), Hello, Hi (teacher's name)

SFL and Pedagogical Implications Part 2

Part 2 of my lecture on Systemic Functional Linguistics and its pedagogical implications

SFL and Pedagogical Implications Part 1

Part 1 of my lecture on Systemic Functional Linguistics and its pedagogical implications