DIDACTICS OF ENGLISH

GRADUL II

Conf. dr. RUXANDA BONTILĂ

Using various adequate methods of
teaching/ learning English
Adapting methods/ techniques/
activities so as to make good use of
available textbooks
Evaluating lesson planning
 Growing self-assessment awareness
 LANGUAGE LEARNING/
TEACHING THEORIES
 Behaviourism (Skinner) Audio-lingual Method
 Cognitivism / Mentalism (Chomsky) The
Communicative Method
 SLA (Krashen) vs. SLL
 Task-based Learning (Allright)
 Humanistic Approaches: Community Language Learning;
Suggestopedia; Silent Way; TPR

REMEMBER:
The quality of student learning is proportionate to the
quality of teaching
 Underlying principles
 Goals
 Roles
 Teaching/learning process
 Types of interaction
 Feelings
 View of language and culture
 Language areas and skills
 Native language
 Evaluation
 Correction
 The communicative approach
revisited
 How important is it to you to be accurate (not just
fluent)?
 Do you like native speakers of the TL to correct you if
you make mistakes?
 Does it help you if your teacher translates into your L1,
or contrasts with it?
 If you want to find out the meaning of a TL word, do
you go to a monolingual or bilingual dictionary?
 Do you feel that grammar exercises (even if not
communicative) help you to learn?
 Contrasting the communicative
approach
Grammar- Audio-Lingual Communicative
translation
Objective Correct L Correct L Understanding/
(written) (spoken) communicating
Language Discrete items/ Discrete items/ Whole discourse,
Decontextualized Decontextualized items in context
‘Acceptable’
‘Correct’ descriptive
‘Correct’ prescriptive
Prescriptive Authentic
Made-up
Made-up Samples of meaningful use
Samples of correct
Samples of correct usage
usage

Learner Controlled Controlled Less controlled

output
 Contrasting the communicative
approach
Grammar- Audio- Communicative
translation Lingual
Task Language Language Communicative task
manipulation manipulation

Success measured by Correct Correct Successful

testing language language communication

Errors Corrected Corrected if Not corrected

necessary
Mother tongue Used Not used Not used
Teacher mainly Instructor; Driller Facilitator
as … tester advisor
The communicative approach revisited
-suggested compromise-
Objective Communicating in correct English
 Language  Both discrete items and
language in context,
depending on the objective
 Correct, as used by educated,
competent users of the
language
 Both made-up and authentic,
depending on objective
 Learner output  Moving from controlled to
free (and back, if necessary)
 The communicative approach revisited
-suggested compromise-
 Task  Producing/understanding
correct and meaningful
language

 Success measured by testing

 Meaning and form

 Errors
 Usually corrected

 Mother tongue  Used when cost-effective

 Teacher mainly as…  Teacher

 Communicative Syllabi

 Structural syllabus grammar/lexis

 Functional syllabus functional headings
 Task-based syllabus tasks of language
ATTENTION:
WITH FUNCTIONS, AS WITH SENDERS
AND RECEIVERS, THERE IS NO SIMPLE
ONE-TO-ONE CONNECTION TO
DISCOURSE TYPE
Needs of language user
• pronunciation
language system • grammar
• vocabulary
• voice
paralanguage • face
• body

knowledge • cultural world

reasoning
 Discourse typology

spoken written

formal formal

informal informal
 Conversation as a discourse type
 when necessitated by a practical task
 when unequal power of participants is partially
suspended
 when few participants
 when turns are short
 when participants-oriented

 Formal spoken discourse Conversation

 A top-down approach to discourse
processing
social relationships top-down
shared knowledge
discourse topic
discourse structure
discourse function
conversational mechanism
cohesion
(grammar and lexis)
bottom-up (sounds or letters)
Arrange these activities in a top-down sequence
 identifying the meaning of pronouns
 predicting the contents
 answering factual questions
 practising grammatical structures
 identifying the sender and intended receiver
 scanning for information
 discussing issues raised
 defining words
 giving a title
 taking notes on a given subject
 Discourse type identification

Features 10. Grammar

1. Sender/receiver 11. Vocabulary
12. Pronunciation
2. Function 13. Graphology
3. Situation
4. Physical form
5. Title
6. Overt introduction
7. Pre-sequence
8. Internal structure
9. Cohesion
 CLT
-underlying principles-
 Language is a dynamic resource for the creation of
meaning

 Learning means to distinguish between ‘learning that’

and ‘knowing how’. Namely, both knowing various
grammatical rules and being able to use the rules
effectively and appropriately when communicating.

NB
 Both the ends (effective communication) and the
means (classroom activities) are important
The pendulum theory of language teaching
A swing between

explicit learning about L v. implicit learning about L

form-focused v. meaning-focused
declarative v. procedural
conscious v. unconscious
knowing that v. knowing how
product v. process
language as static v. language as dynamic
accuracy v. fluency
 Parameters of language awareness
 A parameter of form (focus on formalistic aspects of
L - Contrastive Analysis)
 A parameter of function (raising awareness about
the relationship between L and contexts of use)
 A parameter of socio-cultural meaning
(contrasting cultures and ideologies)
 The reflective language learner (greater learner
autonomy goes with increased language awareness)
NB
Consciousness-raising activities give learners
greater control over their own learning
 Teaching texts: curricular principles
 The contrastive principle (contrasts in genre, register , etc.)
 The continuum principle (a continuum of texts organized
around related themes)
 The inferencing principle (teaching strategies for cultural and
literary understanding)
 Familiar to unfamiliar principle (using culturally familiar
texts/ contexts)
 The critical principle (to see through language to the ideologies and
values which particular stylistic choices encode)

REMEMBER: CRITICAL THINKING

 relies on criteria
 is self-corrective
 displays sensitivity to context
 Curriculum planning process

Content

evaluation
goals

Tasks
 Listening comprehension
The listener has to integrate the following skills:
 identify spoken signals from the midst of surrounding
sounds;
 segment the stream of speech into words;
 grasp the syntax of the utterance(s);
 formulate an appropriate response (in interactive/reciprocal
listening);

 have a purpose for listening;

 have appropriate social and cultural knowledge
and skills.
 Listening sub-skills
 Anticipation
 Recognition “What did you say?”
 Inference “What did you mean when you
said?”
 Construction “Why are you telling me this?”

 Enabling skills (1. emphasizing perception; 2.

emphasizing interpretation)
 Enacting skills: utilizing representation of
discourse to make appropriate response
 Criteria for evaluating listening activities
 Content validity
 Listening comprehension or memory?
 Purposefulness and transferability
 Testing or teaching?
 Authenticity

 Factors affecting the difficulty of oral language

tasks:
 related to the speaker
 related to the listener
 related to the content
 related to the support
 A framework for analysing
communicative tasks
Goals
Teacher role

Learner role
Input TASKS

Activities Settings
Process involved in learning to communicate
PERCEPTION
(of units, categories,
and functions)
COGNITION
(knowledge)
ABSTRACTION
(internalizing rules
relating categories
and functions)
SKILL ARTICULATION
(practice of sequence
GETTING of sounds)
PRODUCTION
(pseudo-communication)
CONSTRUCTION
(practice in formulating
communications)
Process involved in learning to communicate

RECEPTION
(comprehension
of a message)

SKILL INTERACTION MOTIVATION

USING (real (to communicate)
communication)

EXPRESSION
(conveying
personal
meaning)
Relationship between major textual categories and the notions
of genre and register
Discourse Spoken Written Prototypical
linguistic features
world
eg past tense
passives
relational
processes

Core generic Reporting

function

Genres eg Information report

Progress report
Weather report

Generic blends eg Reporting and predicting

Reporting and
recommending
Reporting and evaluating

Registers eg Weather forecast

TV/Radio Newspaper
 LESSON PLAN LAYOUT
 Name of teacher
 Date
 Level of students
 No of students
 Time
 Topic of lesson;
textbook
 Timetable fit
 Aims: overall, specific
 Assumptions
 Anticipated problems
 Aids
Procedure: Stage activities
(A) PERSONALISATION
(B) GUIDE TO MEANING
(C) HIGHLIGHT THE MEANING
(D) INITIAL PRACTICE
(E) SECONDARY PRACTICE
(F) GUIDED CREATIVITY
(G) ASSIGNMENT
 Principles of lesson planning
 Variety in terms of activities and materials

 Flexibility in terms of adaptability to students’ needs

 Learner difficulties (anticipated problems)

 Individual differences (anticipated problems)

 Language background and past experience

Principles in assessing materials
accessibility
flexibility

variety

appropriacy to the context

learner autonomy

authenticity

gradual progress
suitability to age/level

student-centredness

balance of skills/tasks

educational values

clear organization and clarity of instructions

continuity
 Evaluation criteria
Aims and approaches

Design and organization

Content

Skills

Activities

Methodology
 Text authenticity v. learner authenticity
Text authenticity (origin of
materials)
 have a real communicative purpose
 are related to everyday issues and
activities
 are more difficult with ungraded
syntactic patterns and vocabulary
Learner authenticity (learner’s appropriate
response and positive psychological reaction)
 are motivating, interesting and
useful
 don’t produce culture shock or
discomfort
 the rhetorical structure is
appropriate to learner’s needs and
purposes
 Develop both communicative
competence and awareness of
conventions of communication
 Assessment (A)/ testing (T)

 A refers to monitoring the  T refers to the product of

process of learning
 Classroom assessment is both
a teaching approach and a set
of techniques aimed at course
improvement.
learning
 T is part of the
learning/teaching process
 T should affect
teaching/learning styles
 Taxonomies
Teacher
Standardized
made

Cambridge
ESOL Textbook tests

Teacher
IELTS
compiled tests
Taxonomies (time; purpose)

aptitude

placement

diagnostic
achievement
Progress/summative

proficiency
Taxonomies (skills; scoring)
Direct
Speaking/writing

Indirect
Discrete-point items

Objective testing
Discrete-point

Subjective testing
Integrative
 Qualities of a good test
• Consistency in terms of circumstances
• Consistency in the way in which it is marked
Reliability • Consistency in terms of the assessment it makes

• Content validity
• Face validity
• Criterion-related validity/ instrumental validity
Validity • Construct validity

• Time
• Place
Practicality • facilities
 Making tests more communicative

Communicative
tests

purpose audience

enabling
information integrative contextualized
skills are
gap items language use
tested
 Awareness of
In/competence
in/competence

1. Unconscious 2. Conscious
incompetence incompetence

4. Unconscious 3. Conscious
competence competence
Nunan’s model of collaborative learning cycle (1992)

doing
something

informing for
recalling what
future practical
happened
experience

drawing reflecting on
conclusions that