Everyone who has ever studied a second language knows the challenge involved in trying to increase “word power.”

Acquiring and remembering vocabulary is one of the most important things we can do to help ourselves speed up our ability to communicate in another language. A bi-lingual dictionary can seem to help, but as there are usually a few options for each word, it’s tricky to figure out which option works in which situation. (Think of the word “old” , for example: ancient, elderly, outdated, passé, historic, and you can imagine the potential for error.) I am very familiar with the pitfalls of a bi-lingual dictionary; I have vivid memories of sitting in front of my tutor in Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, as he chuckled quietly at some of my translations from English into Arabic.

Fortunately, there are many strategies that can really help, and most of them need just a little bit of extra effort.

•  Recommend a monolingual dictionary as early as possible from elementary level up.

•  Suggest they keep a vocabulary book, small enough to carry around  and suggest they set themselves a target of five words a day. Better to know five words really well, than try and assimilate a big long list! It’s amazing how many little pockets of time we have during the day: waiting for someone to arrive, sitting in a taxi/ on the metro, sitting in the car at the school gates etc. This is the time to learn those five words!! I still have a box of little vocabulary books in a box from my university days; I always had one with me wherever I went.

• Include vocabulary games as part of your lesson structure on a regular basis. If you’ve covered a lot of vocabulary that week, keep a vocabulary box in the room. Every now and then get a few students to come and take out a flashcard, say the word and test someone in the class. There are plenty of great ways to do quick five minute tests: hangman, synonyms, antonyms, flash cards matching pairs, progressive story where each student has to add the next bit of the story using their vocabulary word. Bring in a realia bag full of items covered over the last week, and give learners a time limit to write labels and attach them to the items. Once learners know that you will be testing vocabulary on an ad hoc basis, they are much more likely to make sure they revise it outside of class.

•  Suggest English vocabulary building websites – with so many ESL and native-speaker sites available on the internet, students should feel confident that 15 to 20 minutes of online word study will prove useful to them in the long run. For example, see a4esl.org/q/h/vocabulary.html.

• Choose key “prefixes” for your students to study – by providing your language students with information about the meaning of a prefix such as “trans-”, (transient, transistor, transit, transition, translate, etc), you provide clues to help them guess the meaning of the word. Pre=before, re=again etc.

•  We know from our Multiple Intelligence work that we all have different learning styles, and therefore your learners will have different ways of building vocabulary themselves. Build in a hot tips sharing session early in a new group as one of your speaking skills tasks.

 These are just a few ideas. I’m sure that you have many more great ideas – share with the group. Email any ideas or tips you have and I’ll include them in the next blog. Word of the week in our family this week is “discombobulate”. I’ll leave you with that brainteaser.

Vocabulary · words

George Bernard Shaw, a favourite writer of mine, was one of the most important early twentieth century writers, writing plays such as Caesar and Cleopatra, and Pygmalion, upon which the famous musical My Fair Lady is based.

 Irish dramatist, literary critic, a socialist spokesman, and a leading figure in the 20th century theatre. Bernard Shaw was a freethinker, defender of women’s rights, and advocate of equality of income.

 If you google “George Bernard Shaw quotes”, you’ll see hundreds of sharp comments regarding society, made by him either personally or through his plays.  Communication is a common topic, as you can see by just a few of his quotes below:

   “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

“ The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.”

 ”She had lost the art of conversation, but not, unfortunately, the power of speech.”

 The first quote in particular always makes me smile, as I’ve had many experiences in other languages where the speaker talks away to me and I nod intelligently, without actually having understood much of what has been said. 

 I look back to evening meals with French families during school exchange weeks, and less would definitely have been more at that stage.  Although my oral French was decent, my lack of comprehension when faced with a group of people interacting in rapid French meant that I could contribute little to the flow.  I’m sure they thought I was a very boring visitor!

 Hence the reason we practise active listening so much in our TESOL course.  Being able to understand and comprehend is just as important a part of the communication process as speaking, and they go hand in hand. Building in task instructions that make the learners show us that they have understood through a physical action allows us to check the task has been done; it also allows learners to practise listening and comprehension skills day in day out.

 Meaningful communication is two- way: telling and being understood.  Not to be confused with a monologue, which is just that.

 For those who like trivia, George Bernard Shaw is the only person to have been awarded both the Nobel Peace Prize (for Literature) and an Oscar. His plays have been translated into 37 different languages. Now that’s what I call a communicator.

communication · George Bernard Shaw; speaking skills

Merhaba for the last time from Turkey. Next week, I’ll be back in sunny Dubai.  It’s my youngest son’s eighth birthday tomorrow; he has the great fortune to have his birthday in the middle of the school holidays, and it usually falls during our annual family holiday away.  However, as birthdays mean parties, friends and cake to most young children, he may argue that this is unfortunate rather than fortunate! 

 I hope he’ll look back in future years and realise the truth.

 His birthday meal this year will be steak, kofta, and sea bass fresh from the Aegean Sea, his favourites from the food that he has tasted here in Kalikavak.

 Last year, he chose pad thai noodles during our stay in the beautiful resort of Hua Hin, in Thailand.  For his sixth birthday in London, he chose a typically English picnic in Hyde Park: Marks and Spencer cheese and tomato sandwiches, sausage rolls and strawberries; dinner was pizza in Convent Garden.

 Not all communication is through language!

  Local food speaks to us in many ways, bringing to life the culture and history of where we are visiting.  We may not know the L2 word for sea bass, but he will remember that he’s seen it on every menu here in this area, and enjoyed seeing it arrive off the boat one morning, caught by a local fisherman. Then when we do learn / ask for the word for sea bass, it will be meaningful and memorable as we met it in context.

 Our most popular topics in Eton’s Communication Labs allow the learners the chance to talk about their own country and culture. 

 Local food is one of the best ways to bring in all of the multiple intelligences in a communicative way, in addition to giving us a rare opportunity to run multi-level sessions.  Learners across all levels find other learners from the same area of the world, and then have time outside of classes to prepare a stand presenting the best of their cuisine.

 This generates a phenomenal amount of communication in the discussion and preparation stages, often continued post class!

 On the day of the presentation, we then learn through pictures, taste, touch, language and smell.  As different teams are set up in different rooms, movement and conversation occur naturally as learners move around the stands, asking and answering questions.

 Communication through cuisine!  Pity the waiter on Monday at Max’s birthday dinner…I hope he’s in a talkative mood.

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Merhaba from Turkey.  I’m writing this week’s blog overlooking the beautiful countryside that is a tiny spot on the Bodrum Peninsula, with stunning views of the Aegean Sea.

 Despite my best intentions to learn a few words in Turkish in the UK, during the week prior to flying to Turkey, time disappeared.  Catching up with friends and family from one’s home country leaves little time left in the day, quite rightly, so I arrived at Bodrum Airport with little more than hello and goodbye.  Not very impressive!

 However, I’d forgotten the sheer exhilaration in arriving in a country where the language is completely new, and you realise that you can’t understand labels in supermarkets or adverts posted on roadside signs.  How exciting!  The wonderful realisation that people don’t speak your language, and if you want to order or buy things, then you need to make the effort to learn a few words in their language.

 Native English speakers know how lucky we are, with English being such a universal way of communicating, and it’s very refreshing to be in a position where it is not enough.  My husband tried to order toast and ended up with a tomato and cheese toasted sandwich, in addition to the breakfast that he had already ordered, thus doubling the cost of his meal.  What better incentive could there be to learn the Turkish word for toast?

 I’m often asked which of the four skills, speaking, writing, listening and reading, is the most important, and my answer is always the same.  It depends what the needs of the learners are, but the most important objective is to be able to communicate.  The phrasebook that I bought while visiting family was barely opened whilst in the UK; now that I’m in Turkey and want to communicate, I find that it is being picked up much more! 

Of course, there are some wonderful folk in shops who do speak English, and obviously if we’d chosen to visit Istanbul etc, then English would be much more commonly spoken.  Out here in the mountains, I’m glad to be put through my paces,  and enjoy trying to do the people of this  country the courtesy of thanking them in their own language.

 Ho?ça kalin until next week.

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Those of you who have taken the TESOL course with us will know all about brain objectives and brain verbs.  As Dubai enters it’s busy summer travelling period, when many of us seek cooler climes or take the opportunity of the school holidays to visit our home countries, keeping up our skills is the last thing on our mind.

 Our brains need to refresh and recharge, after all. However, that doesn’t mean we should switch them off!  It’s very easy for students to become a little rusty through the long summer, or at times when they take time out from learning the L2 language, immersed in the sounds of their own language.  How can we help?

 At this time of the year, even more so than usual, it’s important to make keeping up with language skills enjoyable and accessible in bite size chunks.  None of us feel like studying when we are on holiday, so be creative:

 If it isn’t fun, it won’t get done.

 Suggest a little light reading:  books that are suitable for their level and short and sweet.  War and Peace like epics are probably not the greatest of choices for holiday reading…  Ask them to do a book review, or write down key words about the book, read some of it aloud when they have a few moments to practise pronunciation.  It’s not so important that they finish the book, just that they read a few pages every now and then.

 Keep a journal, and write a few lines every now and then.  It doesn’t have to be like a diary; we know that there are intrapersonal and interpersonal styles amongst us so let them choose how they use it.  Some may like to keep a personalised diary, while some may prefer a more factual travel diary of where they have been and what they have seen. 

 I’m not a diary person, but I love to keep a travelogue of different holidays, with tickets and postcards etc.  This is also useful when people ask my advice on a place I’ve been; all those brain objectives used in putting together a travelogue e.g. categorising, sorting, ordering, labelling, help me remember where I actually went that trip. If that hasn’t helped to move it to my long-term memory, then I always have the journal itself to fall back!

 Keep in touch with English speakers by email or text while they are away. As we all love to communicate, this is one of the best incentives to use the L2 language. 

 There are hundreds of ideas, keep it authentic and in chunks and it should motivate.

 Now I need to take my own advice, and give myself a brain objective for the summer.  It’s easy for instructors to get a little rusty too…. As we are visiting Turkey this summer, I intend to do what I always do when planning to go to a new country; buy myself a guide book and a language CD, and teach myself a few words in the local language before I go.  Having enjoyed a fascinating, fifteen-minute lesson in Turkish by Sibel Yaman, one of our TESOL alumni, I can’t wait!

homework · Howard Gardner

The final whistle is blown at the end of yet another FIFA World Cup!  I could say hurrah, but I must admit, I enjoy watching football at country level, with all the thrills and dramas of different cultures competing.  Or perhaps it’s a case of indoctrination over the years, having grown up with an older brother, and now having two sons…

 Whatever our views on football domination of TV and news during these few weeks every four years, it’s hard to deny that this event generates communication, whether it’s to celebrate, commiserate or complain!

 A good example of this is the sociable month that my family has just enjoyed, with all sorts of people that we haven’t seen for a while dropping in to watch “the match” with us.  Living in Dubai is a great leveller as we have friends from a range of different countries.  This means that, even if your own country is knocked out (mentioning no names), we can adopt a country.  We adopted “Spain” this week, so that we can still join in with our Spanish friends and discuss how “we” are doing.

 I have had many conversations about football with my colleagues at Eton over the last month.  Raef, one of our Arabic instructors, has been a great source of the previous day’s results, and deserves the official title of Eton’s sports journalist.  Sporting events generate conversation!

 Part of being a teacher is having a good knowledge of current affairs and topical events.  Some topics are standard and don’t change e.g. at the café / restaurant, and, of course, this content needs to be and should be covered.  However, supplementing this by bringing in topics/events that are happening right now means we can tap into what people are talking about in their own language, and therefore will be motivated to learn the right words to discuss it / express their views in the L2 language.  (For example, we need polite ways to express our opinion whether referring to a meal or someone else’s football team!)

 Jess O’Mahony, from our June TESOL group, used the Black Eyed Peas song, “I got a feeling” last week. As this has been playing all summer on every popular radio station, this was a wonderfully relevant input/notice to introduce days of the week.

 Sometimes it’s hard to make time to catch up with the latest news or current trends, in between lesson planning, teaching and our own lives, but students are a valuable source of information.  Taking those few minutes to chat to our learners before and after a lesson often provides a very useful insight, and can help inspire you with topics that are on their mind. 

 After all, we are all sociable people, otherwise we wouldn’t be teaching.  So, while you are being sociable, make sure you are listening too and just wait for the ideas to come flooding in.

lesson planning · topics

Bonjour, hola, an-young-ha-se-yo and dia duit.  Not to be mixed up with a current song on the radio at the moment, this week we have had the pleasure of learning a few words in French, Spanish, Korean and Irish in our TESOL course.  As I struggled to produce the beautiful yet unfamiliar sounds of Irish and Korean, once again I was reminded that, as adults, we often know how to do something, and it’s strange not to! 

Last week I talked about classroom management.  For me, one of the biggest challenges in the classroom is frustration in adult groups, whether it’s because of a difficult topic, or because learners are not making the progress they want to.  We expect much from ourselves as adults, and far too often, we link success to achievement  and not effort.

Isn’t it interesting that we are careful to praise children for effort first and foremost, but apply different rules for adults?  Not fair, as our younger colleagues would say! Perhaps it’s because, when we praise a child, they believe the praise, whereas adults find it more difficult or awkward, presumably because:

a)      We tend to hear less praise

b)      We are expected to be able to handle criticism more maturely

Well, sorry, I like praise!  Everyone should be rewarded for effort, and yes, if that is linked to achievement, great, but effort is still effort. The phrase is “As long as you do your best, that’s all you can do.”  Not “As long as you do your best, but if that isn’t good enough, then I’m still not going be happy.”

Praise for learners is crucial, and belongs centre place in our teaching strategy mind map.  Coupled with constructive, SPECIFIC feedback, it’s a key part of developing learners, based on individual progress.

Effective praise: 

a)     Praises desirable behaviours or genuine accomplishment,

ISN’T random without specific attention to genuine accomplishment

b)     Highlights the praiseworthy aspects of the learner’s accomplishments,

             ISN’T general.

c)     Is expressed sincerely, showing spontaneity and variety,

             ISN’T bland, using the same phrases every time.

d)     Is given for genuine effort, progress, or accomplishment specific to the individual,

            ISN’T given based on comparisons with others, doesn’t ignore effort made or the significance of the accomplishment of an   individual.

e)     Provides information to learners about their accomplishments and how to make progress,

             ISN’T general, without action points

f)       Helps learners to better appreciate their thinking, problem-solving and performance,

              ISN’T just a comparison to others, or shows what they can’t do.

g)     Links learner success to effort and ability, that is built upon,

             DOESN’T link learner success to ability alone or to external factors such as luck or easy task.

So, I always remind myself before lessons, we all need praise, however old we are!

praise · Teaching Strategies

My eldest son finishes primary education on Wednesday.  Other than feeling much older this week, I am also aware that all of the skills and tips that I’ve gradually gained as a parent over the last eleven years are suddenly outdated, as my son enters the unfamiliar territory of the teenager. Some of the strategies are still relevant, but I am very aware that I need to brush up on some new ones as well!  (As his response to my techniques demonstrate.)

 Classroom Management is exactly the same process.  We discuss tips for handling situations and workload as part of the TESOL course, but at the end of the day, effective skills are only acquired with practice, feedback, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

 Teachers require “common sense,” consistency, a sense of fairness, and courage. Classroom Management skills also require that teachers understand the psychological and developmental levels of their learners.

 The key approach is to make sure you try and maintain an atmosphere that enhances and encourages learning.  There’s no right or wrong, but  this week, I’ve included a few strategies that I’ve found useful over the years: 

•  While good room arrangement is not a guarantee of focused behaviour, good planning can pre-empt problems.  Look at setting up a room where learners can easily change partners or move to work with other groups.  (Hard work is much more likely to occur if the classroom setting and activities are structured or arranged to enhance cooperative behaviour, but you need to be able change groups that aren’t gelling without being obvious.)

•  Redirect the learner to appropriate behaviour by stating what the student should be doing, or repeating the instruction:

e.g  ”Please, look at the overhead projector and read the first line with me, I need to see everyone’s eyes looking here.”

 e.g  “Circle the action words.  X, tell me what the first action word is.”

•  Move close to the learner or learners, making eye contact and giving a nonverbal signal to encourage them to return to the task / let others have a chance to contribute.  Call a learner by name and ask them to do something, to change the dynamic or situation.

• Effective teacher-led instruction sets up tasks to ensure learners are busy, and is free of:

- Ambiguous and vague terms
- Unclear sequencing
- Interruptions

• Keep the lesson moving along at a good pace by having a mix of tasks that ensure that students are doing different a variety of activities one after the other. If we’re busy, we can’t distract others…..

• Always have stretch tasks for those that finish tasks quickly, to prevent them becoming bored.

• Position yourself so that you can observe all learners at all times, and you are able to monitor work and behaviour. (This is why I spend much of my time standing!)

Lastly, console yourself in the fact that the learning curve may be steep but it’s also fast!  As I’m always saying, we learn through doing, and there is no such thing as a mistake – just a learning opportunity. I will keep saying that to myself as I adjust to having a teenager in the house!

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There’s an old saying that says…

“If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is eat a live frog, then nothing worse can happen for the rest of the day!”

I read this strange saying in  an excerpt online this week about Brian Tracy; he’s is one of America’s leading authorities on the development of human potential.

Brian Tracy says that your “frog” should be the most difficult item on your things to do list, the one you’re most likely to procrastinate over; because, if you eat that first, it’ll give you energy and momentum for the rest of the day. But, if you don’t…and let him sit there on the plate and stare at you while you do a hundred unimportant things, it can drain your energy and you won’t even know it.

The English refer to this as a monkey on the your back.   I chuckled when I read this snippet, having just finished  week 4 of our current TESOL class.  You know, THAT week, when we all have to get down to actually writing the four lesson plans, rather than conceptualising and talking about them! The week when we all have our frog sitting on the plate, watching us with large beady eyes, as we pick the topic we like best first and leave that tricky little lesson until last. 

We are only human, after all. 

 However, I love to see the monkey jump off the back when an instructor completes the lesson that they were struggling with, and everyone realises what a good lesson it is.  You tell me again and again that once you’ve actually started pulling the lesson together, it’s not as difficult as you thought it was going to be.  It’s the same however long we’ve been teaching, but experienced teachers spend less time worrying and more time doing, as we know it’s the only way to figure out what the problems are!

 We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle

So, go on, eat that frog!

lesson

It’s week four of the current TESOL group, and we’ve been looking at learning styles and how to build up tasks across the different levels. 

One of the most rewarding parts of the job is seeing our learners progress.  I’ve taught beginners that work hard to express themselves with their limited vocabulary, and been thrilled to be able to discuss a wide range of varied and interesting topics with them  six months later.  

As you know, the coursebooks and manuals always give a guide for specific content, so, as we teach, we slowly get a feel for what we would teach for each level and what to expect.  It takes time! 

I’ve included this week a quick guide as to how speaking skills develop from beginner to advanced, and then onto fluency.  Don’t expect more than is reasonable for each level, but respect and enjoy the amazing progression that we can achieve when communicating in another language.

Beginner

Learners  talk about matters of immediate interest. They listen to others and usually respond appropriately. They convey simple meanings to a range of listeners, speaking audibly, and begin to extend their ideas or accounts by providing some detail.

Elementary

Learners begin to show confidence in talking and listening, particularly where the topics interest them. On occasions, they show awareness of the needs of the listener by including relevant detail. In developing and explaining their ideas they speak clearly and use a growing vocabulary. They usually listen carefully and respond with increasing appropriateness to what others say. They are beginning to be aware that in some situations a more formal vocabulary and tone of voice are used.

Pre-Intermediate

Learners  talk and listen confidently in different contexts, exploring and communicating ideas. In discussion, they show understanding of the main points. Through relevant comments and questions, they show they have listened carefully. They begin to adapt what they say to the needs of the listener, varying the use of vocabulary and the level of detail. They are beginning to be aware of standard English and when it is used.

Intermediate

Learners  talk and listen with confidence in an increasing range of contexts. Their talk is adapted to the purpose: developing ideas thoughtfully, describing events and conveying their opinions clearly. They listen carefully in discussions, making contributions and asking questions that are responsive to others’ ideas and views. They adapt their spoken language appropriately and use some of the features of standard English vocabulary and grammar.

Upper Immediate

Learners adapt their talk to the demands of different contexts, purposes and audiences with increasing confidence. Their talk engages the interest of the listener through the variety and liveliness of both vocabulary and expression. Pupils take an active part in discussions, taking different roles and showing understanding of ideas and sensitivity to others. They demonstrate their knowledge of language variety and usage effectively and use standard English fluently in formal situations.

Advanced

Learners are confident in matching their talk to the demands of different contexts, including those that are unfamiliar. They use vocabulary in precise and creative ways and organise their talk to communicate clearly. They make significant contributions to discussions, evaluating others’ ideas and varying how and when they participate. They use standard English confidently in situations that require it.

Fluency

Learners  select and use structures, styles and registers appropriately, adapting flexibly to a range of contexts and varying their vocabulary and expression confidently for a range of purposes and audiences. They initiate and sustain discussion through the sensitive use of a variety of contributions. They take a leading role in discussion and listen with concentration and understanding to varied and complex speech. They show assured and fluent use of standard English in a range of situations and for a variety of purposes.

fluency · Speaking