Modelling Unplugged – Lines & Paths
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Reflective Questions:
1. What are the benefits of following a linear syllabus?
2. What are the drawbacks?
3. How closely do you typically follow a linear syllabus in your current teaching?1.-I would say the input is planned beforehand from beginning to end and the teacher has sole control of what is being learnt in the classroom.
2.-I believe that there is less flexibility and no room for spontaneous learning transgression.
3.- It depends.Generally, all lessons are planned carefully but, quite often, and depending on the type of students and the dynamics of the group, I am happy to change paths.Thanks for this comment and sorry not to reply sooner! The idea of the teacher being in ‘sole control’ is interesting, isn’t it. I think it’s important to train teachers to be ready to ‘change paths’, as you put it, from the start of their careers. It took me a long time to learn how to do it, that’s for sure 🙂
Before our next session, please note down examples of students ‘slipping back’ as they struggle with language they ‘should’ know; and ‘reaching forward’ as they try and use language or constructions they may not have been taught yet. What does this tell you about their needs?
Please share some examples on the workshop forum so we can discuss them in the next live session.
Recently, one of my teenage B1 students said ‘ If you *will buy it now, you will get a free leather wallet’. In the same lesson, the same student said’ I should have given you my homework earlier but I forgot’. It is interesting how the same student who successfully attempted a rather complex structure she had not yet been taught, is, at the same time, not able to produce a comparatively ‘easier’ 1st conditional sentence without making a classic mistake. It obviously means that the student needs more practice with future clauses, but it does not mean that she is not ready for a much complex language.
I am looking forward to the live session tomorrow!
Thanks Joey! A great pair of examples. I like your summary that ‘the student needs more practice with future clauses, but it does not mean that she is not ready for [more] complex language’. Conditionals are an interesting part of the syllabus, and quite variable in terms of how they are used outside the classroom by fluent speakers!
About 2 weeks ago, I had a one-to-one lesson with an intermediate level student. In a task where she was asked to talk about environmetal issues in her country, she said sentences like ’This is fantastic thing. / Air pollution is big problem. / We can clean river.’
She had already learnt about articles, however, she had not been sensitised to the natural use of them in coversation enough. As the context of the conversation practice was different from the one where the student had learnt about articles, she was not yet able to transfer her knowledge into practice. I think she needs to be given the opportunity to express herself more both in speaking and writing in context that allows the natural use of articles so that she can notice when they re used outside the teaching context that had been used in the grammar lesson.
Lovely examples, thanks Emily! This analysis is spot-on: ‘As the context of the conversation practice was different from the one where the student had learnt about articles, she was not yet able to transfer her knowledge into practice.’ And totally agree about expression allowing for free use and noticing. This is why I feel extensive classroom interaction (as per extensive reading) should be seen as essential, not a sort of bonus.
What a interesting webinar! Here is my homework =)
Examples of ’slipping back’ and ’reaching forward’ from a lesson with a group of pre-intermediate students. (The task was a discussion about a city the students know well.)
I noted down the following examples of language students ’should’ already know: There has a lot of restaurants.; There has a famous lake.; There are lot of tree.; There a lof of students..… New York, I never go there. (instead ’I’ve never been there.’)
Examples of reaching forward from the same lesson: If everybody can patient.; I’m very satisfying this job.;
Students need some accuracy work on the use of there is/are, however they attempted to use the conditional with a modal verb and –ed/-ing adjective pairs they haven’t learnt yet.
A student attempted to use the present perfect as well and not limit his language to present or past simple.
Great examples Maria, thanks for these! I wonder if there is any L1 interference in the ‘there has …’ constructions? I guess this is an important factor when it comes to students making persistent mistakes with forms they have been taught – the L1 is stronger than the instruction! Maybe the process is remind, teach, remind, teach.. should we in fact be called reminders? Just kidding but it’s an interesting thought.
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