IT WORKS

IN PRACTICE
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COLLABORATIVE INTRODUCTIONS classmates. Each student in the group is introduced to the

class in this way. Tell the other students to listen carefully.
Jeff Au Pak Man, Suzuka, Japan When each group has finished their introductions, choose
The start of a new term brings with it an emotional dichotomy a few students at random, and ask them questions to see
of anxiety and excitement for many students. This is if they were listening. If they can answer your questions
especially true for freshmen university students in Japan, correctly, award a point to their group.
where the break between the final term of high school and the
4 M
 ove on to the next group and get them to do their
first term of university is very short, compared to that in other
introductions.
countries. The thought of having to speak English in front of
other people in a new class can be daunting. 5 T
 he group with the most points at the end of the activity
wins. Bringing in a competitive element makes the
Self-introduction is a common first-day activity. However,
students more attentive to each other’s introductions.
many students do not enjoy being the centre of attention and
are afraid of making mistakes, especially in larger classes. 6 R
 eview the activity, and ask individual students some of
With the activity described below, in which two students have your prepared questions to check their comprehension.
to introduce one of their classmates to the others, I have Variations
noticed that the students are calmer and able to have more
If time allows, change the make-up of the groups, so that the
fun. It reduces the pressure imposed by having to make a
students can introduce different people.
solo speech, and involves greater collaboration between the
students. Using this activity on the first day of class can also This activity is a useful way for your students to become
set a great foundation for future pairwork and groupwork. acquainted with one another and practise listening at the same
time. I have noticed greater engagement from the students
Preparation than when they are asked to do solo self-introductions, and the
Prepare a list of questions for the students to ask each other. need for early collaboration sets a great tone for the rest of the
Use questions common in self-introductions. For example: term. Variations of this activity could be used for smaller or
larger classes, but I have found that groups of three work well
What is your name?
with medium-to-large classes. This activity is especially
Where are you from? / What is your hometown?
beneficial for those students who are anxious about speaking:
What is famous about your hometown?
having others beside them while they give their introductions
What is your favourite food?
gives them support and dispels anxiety. n
What is your favourite type of music?
What are your hobbies?
What is your favourite colour? RAISING AWARENESS OF COURSE
OBJECTIVES
Procedure
Zuzana Motešická, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
1 R
 ead the list of questions and have the students repeat Teachers generally have a clear idea about the objectives of
them after you. their courses, and this is particularly true of those who contribute
2 P
 ut the students into groups of three. One person in the to the design of the syllabus. However, it is not always the
group asks questions to the other group members and case that the students are clear about the objectives. In order
writes down their answers in their notepad. When the to promote conscious involvement with their very individual
first person has finished, the other two group members learning processes, it is necessary to discuss the course
take their turn and ask questions. objectives with the students at the very beginning.
3 C
 hoose two students from one group and get them to use I teach special English for Specific Purposes courses to
the information they have gained about the third student non-language students at a technical university. The main aim
to introduce him or her to the class. Encourage them to of these courses is to provide them – within the rather limited
use pronouns (eg he and she) when introducing their time of two terms – with basic terminology and communicative

32 Issue 118 • September 2018 www.etprofessional.com

 IT WORKS IN PRACTICE

competences, adjusted to the specific needs of the subjects ■■ to learn how to present the results of professional projects;
they are majoring in. Feedback from the students at the end of ■■ to learn how to write a report on a project.
a course occasionally reveals disappointment, generally 2 T
 he students are then put into small groups to discuss their priorities.
resulting from their unrealistic expectations. This can be Each group is asked to name their top priority and explain their
frustrating for both them and their teachers, so I have choice. Two more rounds follow, until all the groups have presented
introduced an activity for the first lesson, which involves raising their top three priorities. Rather than just simply naming them, there
the students’ awareness of the course objectives. should be discussion among the groups, with the active participation
1 T
 he students are given flashcards with the communicative of the teacher. Finally, the very last priority of their list needs to be
competences and soft skills which will be taught during discussed. With students in technical fields, this is usually the writing
the course, phrased as objectives. They are asked to work skill. The teacher’s role in this discussion is to ask additional, slightly
in pairs, put them in order according to their personal provocative questions in order to motivate the students to think
priorities, and think about the reasons for their decision. about real-life communicative situations in which they could apply
Here is a list of those I use for my ESP courses: each skill (even the writing skill!). The teacher should also indicate
how these aspects will be incorporated into the lessons.
■■ to enrich vocabulary;
■■ to improve grammar in context; 3 T
 he process of raising the students’ awareness of the course
■■ to learn new professional vocabulary; objectives should not be limited to the first lesson, but should
■■ to learn strategies for reading and understanding become an integral part of the course. During the term, when
professional texts; certain skills are being taught, the teacher can make a link to this
■■ to learn how to write summaries and how to take notes; first discussion on course objectives. This develops awareness of
■■ to learn how to express professional opinions; the learning process and its meaningfulness, resulting in greater
■■ to improve oral presentations of opinions and arguments; progress in language learning. n

CROSS-AGE TUTORING consisting of five younger students and three older students. One of
the older students in each group read the story in English, using
Sonja Pavlenič, Maribor, Slovenia intonation and gestures to make it interesting. After that, they chose
I normally teach students aged 11 to 14, but last September I different activities from the resources I had prepared, and they
had to add a class of 25 six year olds to my timetable. Twice a helped the younger students to complete these. The activities
week, the younger students had to ‘commute’ from their included sequencing, colouring, cut-outs, matching, pencil control
classroom to mine and, on the way, they had to pass several exercises, etc. Each group pasted the activities they had done onto
older students in the corridor. The six year olds looked up to big posters, for display in the school hall.
the older students, but what bothered me was the disrepectful
At the end of the lesson, we checked if the objectives had
attitude of the older ones towards the little ones, and the way
been achieved. One of these was for the younger students to learn
they treated them. I came to the conclusion that cross-age
three new English words from the story. The older students were
tutoring – getting the older students to teach the younger ones
really proud when some of the younger ones were able to name
– might be a solution.
more than three words.
This required a great deal of preparation and organisation.
The thing that surprised me most was that there were no
The four main things to think about were the topic, the material,
discipline problems. Even though there were 40 students in the
the objectives and the scheduling. First, I focused on an
same classroom, the noise level was not too loud. Every single
appropriate topic. There were two classes involved – the older
student was motivated. The younger ones looked at the older ones
ones had been learning English for eight years and the younger
with admiration and wanted to impress them, so they worked hard
ones were beginners. After careful consideration, I chose the
to memorise the new words. The older students took their
story ‘Little Red Riding Hood’: both groups were familiar with
responsibilities very seriously, even those who were generally
this story, which was especially important for the six year olds.
troublemakers. They patiently helped the younger students and
I found many interesting activities which we could use on the
repeated the words several times. They did the job of teacher
internet. It took time to schedule the lesson and find an
confidently and with great responsibility.
appropriate classroom for 40 students, but I managed it.
This lesson was the beginning of a new relationship between the
Before the cross-age lesson, I had two separate sessions
younger and the older students in our school. Now, the older ones
with the two classes. I gave detailed instructions to the older
greet the younger ones in the hall, even playing and chatting with
ones, showed them the material we would be using, explained
them. From time to time, I have noticed them looking at the posters
that they would be teaching it to the younger students and
together, pointing at the different activities and laughing. This has
recommended a few methods. I made the objectives of the
been observed by other students in the school, who, as a result,
lesson clear, and helped the students prepare lesson plans,
now also display understanding towards the younger students.
explaining that they could only use English and gestures to
communicate with the six year olds. With the younger A well-planned cross-age tutoring lesson can improve student
students, I simply revised the story in their mother tongue, to achievement and has a positive impact on social behaviour and
make sure they all knew it. classroom discipline. It also improves self-esteem and contributes
to a better overall school atmosphere, with empathy between
In the lesson, I divided the students into five groups, each
students of different ages. n

www.etprofessional.com Issue 118 • September 2018 33