Abstract During this workshop teachers will have the opportunity to discuss and consider the issues surrounding establishing students’ language level s and teaching towards these. The workshop will also offer practical examples of using Cambridge ESOL assessment to help establish students’ language level and to teach towards desired language levels.

Student language levels and teaching practices 29 April 2009 Duncan Rayner

Aims To discuss establishing students’ levels establishing appropriate goals teaching practices for classes with students of similar level for classes with students of mixed level To share experiences ideas best practice

To discuss

establishing students’ levels

establishing appropriate goals

teaching practices

for classes with students of similar level

for classes with students of mixed level

To share

experiences

ideas

best practice

ESTABLISHING LEVEL

What is the significance of level ? How are students’ language levels linked to the expectations of……..? schools parents students

How are students’ language levels linked to the expectations of……..?

schools

parents

students

How do you establish level ? How much importance should you place on these sources of information? FORMAL Previous teacher’s reports Previous coursework Test results INFORMAL Chats with previous teachers Chats with students Observation OTHER ?

How much importance should you place on these sources of information?

FORMAL

Previous teacher’s

reports

Previous coursework

Test results

INFORMAL

Chats with previous teachers

Chats with students

Observation

ESTABLISHING GOALS

Setting Goals At the end of this course/term/year, what do I want students to be able to do? LANGUAGE SKILLS speaking listening reading writing grammar vocabulary STUDY SKILLS complete work within a given time period etc COGNITIVE SKILLS deduce question etc

At the end of this course/term/year, what do I want students to be able to do?

LANGUAGE SKILLS

speaking

listening

reading

writing

grammar

vocabulary

STUDY

SKILLS

complete

work within a

given time

period

etc

COGNITIVE SKILLS

deduce

question

etc

Support Where do you get support to help you establish your goals? National curriculum School syllabus Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) Course books Other?

Where do you get support to help you establish your goals?

National curriculum

School syllabus

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Course books

Other?

Setting Goals Imagine you are establishing goals for a new class. What goals would you set? Activity The students are approximately the same language level There are _________ student in the class They study English _________ hours per week They are aged _______ to ________.

Imagine you are establishing goals for a new class. What goals would you set?

The students are approximately the same language level

There are _________ student in the class

They study English _________ hours per week

They are aged _______ to ________.

Can read simple texts Can deal with personal messages and gain some information from in formation texts Can understand basic facts given in announcements e.g. at railway station Can convey basic meaning in very familiar or highly predictable situations Can produce only limited discourse Sample Goals: A2

Can read simple texts

Can deal with personal messages and gain some information from in formation texts

Can understand basic facts given in announcements e.g. at railway station

Can convey basic meaning in very familiar or highly predictable situations

Can produce only limited discourse

Sample Goals: B1 Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure etc.

Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.

Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Achieving Goals How will you achieve your goals? What teaching practices work best with your pupils? Which skills do you focus on and why?

How will you achieve your goals?

What teaching practices work best with your pupils?

Which skills do you focus on and why?

Teaching practices What do we teach? How do we teach? COGNITIVE SKILLS STUDY SKILLS LANGUAGE SKILLS

Teaching practices What do we teach? How do we teach? WRITING READING LISTENING SPEAKING

TEACHING PRACTICES for classes with students of similar level

Interaction patterns In a typical English lesson what percent of the time… How we teach does the teacher talk to the whole class? does the teacher talk to only one child? do children talk/work together in pairs? do children talk/work together in small group? do children talk as a class to the teacher?

In a typical English lesson what percent of the time…

does the teacher talk to the whole class?

does the teacher talk to only one child?

do children talk/work together in pairs?

do children talk/work together in small group?

do children talk as a class to the teacher?

Speaking activities: interaction Communication and meaning Confidence building Whole class, teams, groups or pairs What we teach

Communication and meaning

Confidence building

Whole class, teams, groups or pairs

Speaking activities: interaction Games and quizzes: e.g. Definitions, Memory games, Hot Seats, Reading races, Noughts and crosses, Word Association Class surveys / information exchanges Mind maps and brainstorming Reading aloud Storytelling What we teach

Games and quizzes:

e.g. Definitions, Memory games, Hot Seats, Reading races, Noughts and crosses, Word Association

Class surveys / information exchanges

Mind maps and brainstorming

Reading aloud

Storytelling

Examples…

Examples…

TEACHING PRACTICES for classes with students of mixed level

Interaction patterns In a typical English lesson what percent of the time… How we teach does the teacher talk to the whole class? does the teacher talk to only one child? do children talk/work together in pairs? do children talk/work together in small group? do children talk as a class to the teacher?

In a typical English lesson what percent of the time…

does the teacher talk to the whole class?

does the teacher talk to only one child?

do children talk/work together in pairs?

do children talk/work together in small group?

do children talk as a class to the teacher?

Speaking activities: repetition Sounds and rhythm of English Confidence building Whole class, groups or pairs What we teach

Sounds and rhythm of English

Confidence building

Whole class, groups or pairs

Speaking activities: repetition Chain games Sequences Letter chants Chants and songs What we teach

Chain games

Sequences

Letter chants

Chants and songs

Speaking activities: support practicing pronunciation of key vocabulary using rhymes reading out loud memorising short sentences What we teach

practicing pronunciation of key vocabulary using rhymes

reading out loud

memorising short sentences

Speaking activities: challenge What we teach Doing mini role-plays Creating new sentences from a model sentences Providing model language/answers for the class

Doing mini role-plays

Creating new sentences from a model sentences

Providing model language/answers for the class

Speaking activities: extension What we teach Interviewing other students Practicing new vocabulary Using a model to answer questions based on personal experiences or familiar situations

Interviewing other students

Practicing new vocabulary

Using a model to answer questions based on personal experiences or familiar situations

Examples

Examples

Summary establishing students’ levels establishing appropriate goals teaching practices for classes with students of similar level for classes with students of mixed level

establishing students’ levels

establishing appropriate goals

teaching practices

for classes with students of similar level

for classes with students of mixed level

Cambridge ESOL Support establishing students’ levels pretesting, testing, sample tests establishing appropriate goals ALTE, CEFR, Exam Syllabus teaching practices TKT Teachers resource site

establishing students’ levels

pretesting, testing, sample tests

establishing appropriate goals

ALTE, CEFR, Exam Syllabus

teaching practices

TKT

Teachers resource site

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