Cooperative Learning: Assigning Roles to Group Members.

"There are many reason for students to work in small groups in any class, but when the focus is on teaching them a language, the need to do so multiplies."

                                                                                           Gena Rhoades

Using group work in teaching a foreign language is essential, because it gives every student the opportunity to speak more than the teacher does. To organise this work effectively it's good to assign various roles to group members.

 WHY ASSIGN ROLES? 

There are three main reasons for assigning roles to group members.

1. First, this is the best way to solve the 'lack of control' problem, which quite a lot of teachers are afraid of. Giving students such monitoring roles as topic monotor, participation monitor, language monitor etc. makes the teacher sure that students:

- participate equally;
- stay on task and not just idle time away

- speak a foreign language;

- don't make too much noise etc.

2. Second, assigning roles the teacher may help the students organise their work more effectively: ask for help when it is necessary, keep with the time limit and follow the instructions. Here such role as time keeper, errand monitor and leader will be of great use.

3. Third, if students are doing a project that involves several kinds of activities it will be good to distribute the tasks between the group members so that  thier individual differences were met and they would get the desired result together.The roles to be used are those of the recorder, the presenter, the designer etc.

ROLES' TASKS

Here is the description of every role mentioned above and some more.

TOPIC MONITOR - the task of the student with this role is to keep the group on topic. Whenever the students forget the focus of the task and start discussing other things, this is the responsibility of the topic monitor to bring them back to the task at hand.

VOLUME MONITOR - this student is in charge of keeping the volume  of the group low so that they shouldn't interfere with the other groups' work. 

LANGUAGE MONITOR - this role is to remind the students to use the target language and not to switch to their native one. 

PARTICIPATION MONITOR - the student in this role makes sure everyone participates in the discussion and no one dominates it.

TIME KEEPER - the student is given a stop-watch and announces when the time for the whole task or a step is halfway through and when it's nearly up

ERRAND MONITOR - the role is to get supplies and the teacher for help whenever the group members find they don't have the resources to solve the problem.

LEADER - focuses work around the learning task, distributes the tasks between the group members, makes sure every voice is heard.

ASSESSMENT RUBRIC EXPERT - sees that all group member are familiar with the assessment rubrics provided by the teacher and checks if the work being done meets all the requirements.

RECORDER - compiles group members' ideas on a collaborative graphic organiser and writes on the board for the whole class to see during the presentation.

PRESENTER - this role is for presenting the groups' finished work to the whole class.

DESIGNER - the student with this role is responsible for the artistic side of the project.

 
DEVIL'S ADVOCATE - raises counter-arguments and (constructive) objections, introduces alternative explanations and solutions.


HARMONISER - strives to create a harmonious and positive team atmosphere and reach consensus (while allowing a full expression of ideas.)

PRIORITISER - makes sure group focuses on most important issues and does not get caught up in details.

CHECKER - checks to make sure all group members understand the concepts and the group’s conclusions.



WILDCARD - assumes the role of any missing member and fills in wherever needed.



This is not the final list of possible group roles. Depending on your purpose, kind of project, number of studens in a group and individual learner differences you may think of many other ones.

For example, if the task is to make and present a recipe, one of the roles may be that of a cook. This student will be miming the actions while others are presenting the recipe.

Here you can find a sample set of group role cards that tell each student what their role is, what their functions are and what vocabulary can be useful for this role.

Noun-Adjective Collocations Where 'Big' Would Make a Mistake

Here is a kind of infographic that shows noun-adjective collocations. Non-native speakers tend to use the word 'big' with these nouns to denote a large degree or amount. However, this word can't be used with any of them. I not only gave a different colour to each noun but also coloured those adjectives that collocate with several nouns. For example, the adjective 'good' is orange and you can easily see that it agrees with the nouns: variety, range, experience and progress.

Lesson Plan: Future Plans with 'Going to'

Here is a lesson plan that was made as a final project on the teacher training course

 "Paths to Success in English Language Teaching"

 sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the University of Oregon

A. Students and Setting

Students:

Adult students with beginner - elementary level of English proficiency. They have done a beginner course and are taking the elementary one at the moment.

Setting:

A private linguistic school where students study English as a foreign language. There are 12 students in the group. We meet twice a week for 4 periods of 45 minutes in the evenings. Students are also expected to do homework outside the classroom.

B. Lesson Background:

Student are studying the module “Day Off”. They have already learnt some vocabulary on the topic (have a barbecue, have a family meal, relax at home etc.). At this lesson they are going to learn how to speak about plans for the weekend with the structure 'going to'. At the next lesson the structure will be compared with 'want to' and 'would like to' and practised while speaking about travel.

C. Learning Objectives/Expected Results:

As a result of the lesson the student are expected to learn how people speak about their future plans in English.

First, the structure will be presented in meaningful context. Then, students will listen to native speakers talking

about their plans. After that they will speak and write about their own plans for the weekend and find out about other people's plans.

D. Materials and Sources:

Materials

1. A drawing of a young man with thought bubbles over his head (may be drawn on the board or shown with the projector).
2. Video worksheets (1 per student).
3. A table showing an affirmative, negative and interrogative form of 'going to' (may be drawn on the board or shown with the projector). 
   
   
   

Sources

1) A youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K03PIjwN8ls&list=PL1bb9iHusqtTfeqwctdGl0yedY5tq_rSJ&index=2

2) Scrivener, J. (2010),Teaching English grammar. What to teach and how to teach it. (Macmillan Books for Teachers).

Optional materials and sources:
1)   infographic for 'going to'
2) online games for 'going to'

E. Procedures / Timing:

Teacher does/says . . .	Students do/say . . .	Approximate Time
Hi guys! How are are you? How was your weekend? Did anyone have a barbecue, a family meal or a party? Did anyone dance in a club? Did you just relax at home? And what are your plans for the next weekend? This is what we are going to do today – learn to speak about our future plans and find out what our fellow students are planning to do.	Greet the teacher, speak about their last weekend. Probably, have some problems with expressing the ideas. May ask for help.	3min
- Look at the drawing and say why Matt is smiling. Can you say what he is thinking? - Listen to my model and continue: 'I'm going to walk into town. I'm going to buy a present for Marie.' - Repeat all the sentences after me - What structure helps us speak about our future plans?	Look at the drawing, guess he is thinking about his plans for this weekend. Listen to the teacher's model and say what else the young man is thinking. I'm going to have a snack in McDonald's I'm going to go to Marie's birthday party etc. Repeat the sentences chorally. I'm going to	5 min.
In all of these sentences is the action in the past or in the future? Has Matt already decided to do the actions? When did he decide about them? What do you think will change if we speak about plans of a sister, a brother, several friends etc.? Look at the table and say how we make a negative sentence and a question about someone's plans for the future. What do you think short answers will be like?	In the future Yes Sometime in the past The verb 'to be' will agree with the subject. Study the table and answer the teacher's questions	5 min
Let's watch the first two episodes of a video (0- 1.07) in which people speak about their future plans and do tasks 1 on your video worksheets. Marina, could you hand out the worksheets while I'm starting the computer. Let's check and practice the exchanges in chorus: “What are you going to do tonight, Alice? - I'm going to work in the yard”, “What are you going to do tonight, Fred? - I'm going to fix my car” etc. Now row 1 asks the question and row 2 answers. Work in pairs. Ask each other about your real plans for this evening.	One student gives out the worksheets. Watch the video and do task 1. Check with the teacher, then repeat chorally Practice in chorus Work in pairs	7 min.
How do we speak about a plan to go somewhere? Yes, but there is another way. Let's watch the next 2 episodes (1.08-3.14) and do task II on the worksheets. Let's check. Paraphrase my sentences: “I'm going to go out for dinner He's going to go to chemistry class They are going to go to the beach” etc. Are you going to go somewhere in the nearest future. Tell us about your travel plans in two different ways.	I'm going to go Watch the video and do task 2 individually. Check Answer individually I'm going out for dinner He's going to chemistry class They are going to the beach Several students answer the question.	7 min.
For what other periods of time can we make plans besides tonight and tomorrow? Watch the next 3 episodes (3.15-7.34) and do tasks III and IV. Work in pairs: ask general questions about people in the video and give short answers. Ex. “Is Lance going to wash his clothes this week? - No he isn't. He's never going to do this.” Circulates around the room, observes, helps in case of difficulty	Next week, next weekend, holidays etc. Watch the video and do task 3-4 individually. Work in pairs	13
In some cultures people are very organized and may make detailed plans for longer periods of time. At home watch the last episode (7.35-10.08), do task V on the worksheets and write your plans either for each day of next week or for each month of next year	Write down home work.	5 min

F. Alternative Assessment:

The forms of alternative assessment used at this lesson are concept questions (CQ) and observation. The teacher asks CQ after the presentation of the new grammatical structure to check if the students have understood the meaning of the language item. Based on the answers, the teacher decides whether to give some more explanations or pass on to practice. As for observation, it's made while students are practising the language in pairs. When the teacher is circulating she helps students with vocabulary and grammar. Besides, she makes notes of the most common mistakes to draw students attention to later. Thus the observation helps learn and solve the problems that appear when the new structure is used in conversation.

G. Classroom Management:
To motivate students and keep them engaged the teacher has structured the lesson in such a way that

• watching video episodes alternates with speaking exercises;
  
• individual work is followed by choral and pair activities;
  
• simple tasks go before more complicated ones.
  

The teacher gives clear instructions about what students are to do. When students are to work chorally the instructions are supported by gestures that are familiar to students (they have already become part of the classroom routine).
The teacher also asks one of the students to hand out worksheets, which serves to save the time.
H. Reflection - Phase 2

(a) The first lesson plan included only one part of the video clip. This time the whole lesson is based on the video and I have prepared tasks for every episode. In this way I made the lesson plan more interactive, with a better use of integrated skills and a better provision for individual learner differences.
(b) This lesson demonstrates the use of integrated basic and sub-skills: grammar use, listening, speaking, reading and writing. While the main focus of attention is on a single grammar item all other skills are developed and reinforce each other.
Assessment will be formative as the teacher will get a good sense of how well the new structure is understood and if it is used correctly in conversation. On the basis of concept questions answers and observation results the teacher will decide about the necessity of further explanations and / or practice.
As the class is rather small (12 students) and the students are adults the classroom management is less of a problem. A well-structured lesson plan containing a variety of activities, different forms of work and suitable resources as well as earlier established classroom routines should keep the students engaged and head off any problems.
Students can show their individuality by speaking and writing about their own future plans. Doing their home work, they may choose to write either about their plans for the week (which people in Russia often do) or for the next year (which is less natural for a Russian person and may serve as an attempt to make their lives more organised).

Teaching English with Infographics

What are infographics?
They are visual graphic representations of information.  Their aim is to present information (no matter how complicated it may be) in such a way that it could be understood easily and quickly.

Why use infographics in teaching English?

Obviously, because there are so many  complicated things in English that are to be understood, learnt and remembered by students with the teacher's help.
Infographics are really useful  for English teachers as they help visualise any material be it grammar, vocabulary, syntax, spelling etc. thus making it easier to understand and to remember.
The most grateful fans of your infographics are going to be visual learners and those who are just too lazy to  read long texts and study huge volumes of information.

Where do you take infographics to meet your needs?


 One way is to surf the Net. I just can't help sharing one infographics collections with you.  It's from Grammar.net.  Here is their infographic  that deals with the differences between British and American spelling. You can find much more if you go to Grammar.net.

[Infographic provided by Grammar.net]
 The otherway is to creare your infographics yourself.
For this you can use such tools as Infogr.am and Piktochart that are free. You can find a list of other free infographics tools here.

Small Talk (Informal)

We know by now how to greet people and how to introduce yourself and others in informal relaxed situations. But what do people usually say after the initial greetings? How do they keep the conversation going?

Let's have a look at  some useful topics and  handy expressions that you might use in a friendly informal situation after you said hello.

1) Say how long it's been since you last saw the person.

- I haven't seen you for ages!

- It's been a long time!

- I can't believe it's been so long!

2) Ask what the person is doing or has been doing.

- What are you up to?

- What've you been up to?

- What are you doing around here?

Possible answers:

- Oh, this and that.

-  Just the usual!

- Just popping into the shop.

3) Comment on your surroundings.

- This house is gorgeous!

- I really like this pub!

- It's a lovely hotel, isn't it?

4) Ask about the journey to meet you.

- Did you get here by car?

- How was the traffic?

- How was the journey?

5) Talk about the weather.

- It's a lovely day today, isn't it?

- What awful weather we are having!

- Isn't all this sunshine great?

- It's turned very cold suddenly, hasn't it?

6) Say something nice about the person's appearance.

- Your hair looks great!

- I love your dress!

Formal Introductions

All you need to introduce people informally is to give names. 

 Introducing yourself you say: 'I'm...' or 'My name's...' 
When introducing someone else you use phrases like 'This is...' or 'Meet...' 

But things are a little bit different if you are introducing people in a formal situation and trying to be very polite. Before saying 'I'm...' or 'This is...' you have to use some formal expressions. 

Introducing yourself formally you say something like this:
 - I just wanted to introduce myself. My name's...
 - I don't believe we've met before. I'm...
 - I don't think we've actually met formally yet. I'm ... 
 The formal introduction of others requires saying the following: 
- I'd like to introduce you to...
- There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is... 
- Have you met...?

There's a little more in the video below.

Formal Greetings

When you greet someone formally you try to show respect, and be very polite. That's why it's better to use longer sentences and more complicated structures. For example, instead of 'hi' you say 'good morning' and instead of 'thanks' you say 'thank you'. Besides, you can use such words as 'Sir' and 'Madam' that serve to give extra status and importance to the person you are talking to. This video shows the most useful expressions to greet someone formally.

Informal Greetings

In English there are lots and lots of phrases and expressions that can be used to greet a person in an informal, friendly situations. Here is a presentation of the most popular and useful ones as stated by the BBC presenter Jackie Dalton.

Useful videos HW Pre-intermediate

Pictures for Teaching Happiness Idioms

        Quite a lot has already been sad about the importance of images in teaching idioms. The problem is not everyone can create them by themselves and there is not always enough time for doing it. I have recently come across an amazing source of pictures illustrating idioms: Kaplan. There are wonderful collections of pictures for various groups of idioms like music idioms, colour idioms, time idioms and so on.
         The best thing about it is that they permit not only sharing the illustrations but also embedding them to your site. There are also sentences going on with the illustrations if you don't feel like making your own examples.
         Here is a collection of Happiness Idioms Illustrations that I embedded from Kaplan. Nice pictures, aren't they?
Kaplan International English

 And here is my presentation of happiness idioms with pictures from Google! Enjoy!

Mindmapping as an E-Tool for Teaching English

         For the last weeks I've been taking a course in teaching English online and exploring e-learning tools that might be useful for English teachers. There are quite a lot of them but we shall take one thing at a time and look at Mindmapping tools. Mind maps are really good for visualising vocabulary, turning grammar and spelling rules into steps, organising brainstorms. You can either create mind maps yourselves to present the material to your students or you can ask your students to make mind maps as part of practising and share them with the rest of the class.
         One of the mindmapping tools  I've found remarkably useful is Coggle.it
         To begin with, it's completely free. Besides, it's really user-friendly and easy to start with. You log in with your Google account, click the plus signs on either sides to add branches to your mind map and click any item to edit it. You can move the branches by clicking and holding them thus designing the mind map the very way you like. When you are through with the mind map you can download it as PDF or as an image file. You can also share it with those you invite. Even more, you can allow your students edit your mind map if you wish.
        Here is an example mind map I created with Coggle it. It's devoted to green idioms and it shows their meanings and example sentences.

 

      The way to go for me now is to explore other mindmapping tools like Freemind, Mindomo, Vue etc. of which I've heard but haven't tried them so far. 

      Have something to say on the topic? Your comments, ideas and questions will be welcome and appreciated!

Teaching Idioms

      I think,  teaching idioms is a real challenge to teachers' abilities. They say it's rather difficult for native speakers to learn idiomatic expressions. For those who learn English as a second language it may be just an undertaking. So teahers have to to find some really powerful techniques in order to help their students.
     My teaching experience shows that there are two things that count. The first one is how convincingly you present the idiom to your students and the second is how active the students are while practising it.

     Let's begin with the presentation of idioms. If you want your students not only understand the meaning of the idiom but also remember it you have to introduce the idiom in context. And the context has to be very, very, very good. By 'good' here I mean: 1) authentic,  2) emotionaly powerful and 3) appealing to as many senses as possible (at least, hearing and seeing).
     The easiest way to provide such context is search for a good video illustration in the Net. My favorite collection of videos is the one, presented by the Teacher on BBC. This collection contains 6 series: body idioms, animal idioms, food idioms, colour idioms, transport idioms, sport idioms and some specials. All of them are presented with sparkling British humour and are very pleasant to watch.
     If you've made up your mind to illustrate  idioms on your own then you'd better think of authentic sentences or mini-texts, containing the idioms and some pictures showing their literal meaning. As for pictures you can either google them or draw them by yourself. However it may take a little more time to find authentic texts.  One of the methods I use for this is surfing the British National Corpus (BNC). It's a collection of samples of written and spoken English. When you type a word or a phrase you get up to 50 sentences  that have been randomly chosen from authentic sources.
Here is a presentation of happiness idioms with pictures from Google and examples from BNC.

     Providing active practice of idioms is as important as their vivid presentation. Students textbooks usually contain a number of exercises such as matching the beginning and the end of an idiom or the picture and the idiom. The tasks are done in written form and students are not actively involved while doing them. What I often do is ask students to make their own illustrations of idioms. Once being shown a picture or a video they may be asked to create their own ones on the model. It's rather motivating if later on they can see their works in the Net (if there are no other opportunities the teacher may use his google account to publish them). If students are asked to make a story with idioms they can sound it using Voki, a service that allows to make your own avatar and add sound to it.
    So, if you take pains to organise a nice presentation and an active practice of idioms your students are sure to remember them and make their English more fluent and natural.

Diagrammatic Approach to Teaching English

     I've recently watched a number of videos in which Rupert Lezemore, an independent language consultunt to the EFL industry, talks about a so called 'diagrammatic approach' to the teaching of grammar. Here is a link to the original videos.
       Inspite of the seemingly complicated terminology, the idea is rather simple: using chart, tables and flowcharts makes teaching English grammar and vocabulary more effective, especially for visual learners. It is also important to use variuos colours for presenting language items.
        Personally I love using colours in teaching English. Here is the way I colour the numbers' table to help my students remember the numbers' spelling.

0	zero (nought)	10	ten
1	one	11	eleven
2	two	12	twelve	20	twenty
3	three	13	thirteen	30	thirty
4	four	14	fourteen	40	forty (no "u")
5	five	15	fifteen (note "f", not "v")	50	fifty (note "f", not "v")
6	six	16	sixteen	60	sixty
7	seven	17	seventeen	70	seventy
8	eight	18	eighteen (only one "t")	80	eighty (only one "t")
9	nine	19	nineteen	90	ninety

Another example is introduction of a sentence stucture. Whenever we learn a new type of sentence we use the same colours for painting the same parts of a sentence. Subject is always red, main verbs are blue, auxiliary and modal verbs are green. Thus my students know that in every question there has to be something green before the subject, while in positive sentensces green is either follows the subject or is absent from the sentence.
What's your name? My name's Mary. 
Can you swim well? - Yes I can. I swim really well.