The document discusses the concept of "Demand High" teaching, which argues that students are often under-challenged and capable of more than teachers demand of them. It provides assumptions about how most teaching settles for "good enough" and avoids challenging students, and suggests ways for teachers to increase demands on students through techniques like checking answers more rigorously and focusing on pronunciation. The goal of Demand High teaching is to transform the focus onto facilitating deeper learning by pushing students to their potential.

1. Demand High:
helping students learn more by demanding higher
Higor Cavalcante
Martins Fontes Auditorium
July 26, 2014

2. ‘If students aren’t learning in my class, then I’m not doing my job
properly.’
– Penny Ur

4. A large undemand

5. “…all this notwithstanding, I’ve been struck by one constant feature, so
it seems to me, that the students are under-challenged, that they could
be doing more than they are doing. The level might be right, but the
demand, compared to what humans are capable of, is low. I can’t help
feeling that. The teacher is somehow rather satisfied with less, and I
believe students subtly notice this. Everyone means well, but there’s a
large undemand and this ultimately catastrophic blind spot means that
students are doing less than they could be and get used to doing less
than they can be.”
– Adrian Underhill

6. Highlights
Students are under-challenged;
They could be doing more than they’re doing;
The teacher is somehow rather satisfied with less;
There’s a large undemand;
Students are doing less than they could be;
They’re getting used to doing less than they can be.

7. Some assumptions (Scrivener, Glasgow 2012)
Most contemporary teaching is “good enough”…but not better;
The Communicative Approach has settled down into a safe, peaceful
dead-end;
Most teaching is demand-low, challenge-low (fear of intervention);
We’re more worried about being nice to students than teaching them;
There’s a taint of guilt to doing any demanding hands-on language
work;
We teach at a distance from learning;
We encourage, validate, reward unadventurous, low-awareness
teaching and learning.

9. So what is Demand High?
Have the tasks and techniques I use in class become rituals and ends in
themselves?
Am I under-challenging my students?
Are my learners capable of much more?
Would my students learn more if I demanded more of them? How could I do
that?
How can I stop “covering material” and start focusing on the potential for
deep learning?
What small shifts in attitude and tweaks and adjustments to techniques can I
make to transform the whole focus of my teaching towards getting more
learning happening?

11. The way I see it
Drilling is not repeating something once. And it rocks;
Pre-while-after reading and listening work don’t necessarily teach
anything;
Students don’t necessarily speak better the more they speak;
Pronunciation work must be pervasive;
International English is not bad English;
Communication and inaccuracy are not synonymous;
Most of what students do is NOT ‘very good’.

12. Some ways of demanding high
(Scrivener – 2013)
Checking answers in ways that avoid rubberstamping
(silence…creative thinking)
Are there any other answers?
Do you agree with her answer? Why (not)?
Pronunciation
Mumble it!
Hum the tune of the sentence, don’t say any words
Say it faster, more fluently
Where are the stress syllables? Which is the stronger? Why?
Say only the stresses. Now put back the little words taking just as long.

13. A (short) real class
From the Learning Teaching DVD companion – Macmillan

14. E-references
• http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/oct/16/demand-high-
teaching-challenge-students
• http://pt.slideshare.net/jimscrivener/demand-high-elt-11869524
• http://pt.scribd.com/doc/227500393/Some-Ways-of-Demanding-
High-Jim-Scrivener-Handout

15. A song to send us off…

16. "The art of teaching is the art of assisting
discovery.“
– Mark Van Doren (American poet and professor)

17. Contact info
higor@higorcavalcante.com.br
www.facebook.com/higorcavalcante
teacherhigor