Cambridge

CELTA COURSE
International House Mexico
PRE COURSE STUDY TASK
Part C: Methodology

So far we have looked at language but not at ways of teaching it.

This last section introduces you to a few of the basic principles that underlie current classroom
practice. Some of these tasks will be used as the basis for discussion during sessions.

For reference you should consult:

How to Teach English by Jeremy Harmer (Longman)
or Learning Teaching by Jim Scrivener (Heinemann)

1. Classroom management

1. You are teaching a class of between 10 and 20 students in a reasonably sized room. Assuming basic furniture
requirements are available, design some possible seating arrangements, using blank squares for ground-plans.
What are the pros and cons of the different arrangements? Which arrangements might be appropriate for what
sort of activities?

2. Classroom instructions: You are teaching a group of elementary students. "Translate" the following examples
of teacher talk into language that is more comprehensible:

a. "Would you like to repeat that altogether, please?"

b. "Does anyone know what I look forward to hearing from you means?"

c. "Suppose I didn't know what your name was. What would I ask?"

d. "Discuss amongst yourselves and see if your neighbour has got the same answers to the exercise you have just
done".

e. "This is Jo [picture]. What might his job be?"

f. "Jot down the answers..."

g. "Swap over."

h. "If you could do this exercise by yourselves, please."

2. Teaching Vocabulary

1. Why might the following words be a problem for French or Spanish speakers?

sympathetic sensible library to pretend

2. "What means set?" asks a student. What do you reply?

3. "What's the opposite of light?" What's your answer?

4. What problems do you have if you try to put the following in order?

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 plump / fat / skinny / thin / slim / overweight / willowy

5. What is wrong with these?

a strong smoker
rancid fish
to make a photograph
merry birthday!

6. What more would you need to teach, if you were teaching these verbs?

to rely
to look forward
to depend
to apply

7. What is "odd" about the pronunciation of the following?

a. to insult an insult
b. economist economical economise

8. Which is the odd one out in each group?

a. meat wheat great seat

b. give five alive arrive
c. thin thick this thing

What do the above tasks suggest about the teaching/learning of vocabulary?

[This task has been adapted from a task devised at INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, LONDON.]

3. Teaching grammar

1. Read these transcripts of three different presentations of used to to a group of elementary students. Which do
you think is the most effective? Why?

a. Good morning. Today we're going to do used to. Used to is formed from the past of the verb to use plus the
infinitive with to, as in I used to play tennis. Used to is an expression we use to talk about something you did in
the past but which you don't do anymore. For example, "I used to smoke", "she used to play the piano." OK?
Can you all repeat that please? "I used to smoke" ...

b. Vamos a ver. Used to. Para decir que estábas acostumbrado a hacer algo, decid used to. Quiere decir solía, por
ejemplo, "I used to work in a bank", o "Solía trabajar en un banco", que quiere decir que ya no trabajo en un
banco, se ha acabado. Entendéis?

c. Have a look at this. This is Jo. How does he look? Does he look well? Yes, he's very healthy. He looks well.
Why - do you think? Yes? Because he plays sport. Good. Anything else? He doesn't smoke. Good. He eats
healthy food. Good. OK, have a look at this. This is Joe five years ago. How did he look then? Not well, huh?
Why not? Because he didn't play sport. And... he smoked. Good. Does he smoke now? No. Did he smoke
before? Yes. Did he give up, then? Yes. So what can we say about Joe? Listen: He used to smoke... He used to
smoke, but now he doesn't. Can you repeat that: He used to smoke....

2. Having selected one of the above presentations, how could you go about checking that the learners had got it?

3. Now, can you think of ways of presenting the following grammatical structures?

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 a. have to/don't have to

b. as...as (as in "She's not as old as Ana.")

c. get used to (as in "I'm getting used to the food")

5. Grammar practice

Look at these grammar practice activities. They are all designed to practise a certain structure. Can you

a. identify the structure?

b. put them in a logical order, going from the most controlled to the most free?

A Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form:

1 If I (have) the money, I (buy) a new car.

2 She (apply) for the job, if she (be) old enough.
3 What (you do) if you (win) the lottery?
4 If I (be) President, I (lower) taxes.
5 If (not have) so much work, I (go) to the movies.

B Write sentences about yourself:

1 What would you do if you had lots of free time?

2 Where would you go if you won an open airline ticket to anywhere?
3 Who would you invite to dinner, if you could invite anyone?
4 What century would you travel to, if you could travel in time?

C Complete these sentences:

1 If you worked harder, you...

2 I'd offer to pay, if...
3 If you walked to work, you...
4 She'd take more notice of you if...
5 If we had a spare bedroom, ...

D Write sentences using these prompts:

1 If/work/harder/she/pass/exams.
2 I/save/money/if/earn/more.
3 If/have/money/go/to/Australia.
4 Where/you/live/if/have/choice?

E Faiza is dreaming about having more free time. Use her list to write sentences about her dreams:
For example: "If I had more free time, I'd travel more".

study Chinese read more

learn to type join a gym
write a novel paint the bathroom
6. Listening

1. This is the tapescript for a listening text in an elementary course book. Underneath are five tasks. Evaluate the tasks:
which task do you think is most effective? Why?

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 MONICA: Good afternoon. I'm phoning about the bedsitter.
MRS HARRIS: Yes?
MONICA: Could you tell me something about it, please?
MRS HARRIS: It's a very nice room. It's got a bed and a wardrobe, of course. And
there's a chest of drawers, a table and two chairs. And there's an
electric fire. You share the kitchen.
MONICA: Could I come and see the room, please? My name's Johnson, Monica
Johnson.
MRS HARRIS: I'm Mrs Harris. The address is 160 Oakhill Road. It's near East
Putney Station.

[Encounters by Jupp, Milne et al. Heinemann 1979, p. 98]

A Tick the items that you hear:

electric fire table

fridge cooker
wardrobe chairs
television chest of drawers
arm chairs bath

B True or false?

1. The bedsitter has got a wardrobe.

2. You share the bathroom.
3. It's near East Putney Station.
4. There's a gas fire.
5. There are two arm chairs.

C Answer these questions:

1. Is it a nice room?
2. How many chairs are there?
3. What is Monica's second name?
4. What is Mrs Harris's address?

D Listen and write a description of the room.

E Listen to the conversation. Which room is it? [imagine 6 pictures of similar rooms, with small differences.]

2. What follow up activity might be appropriate for this particular listening text?

7. Reading

1. Look at these different text-types. How does the way you would typically read them differ?

a. instructions about how to install a printer

b. the TV programme in the paper
c. a news report on an air crash
d. a thriller
e. a postcard from a friend on holiday

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 What implications might this have for dealing with texts in the classroom?

2. What makes reading difficult? Consider these texts:

a. Next a single block was spliced in one end of the topping lift and a thimble at the other to shackle on the boom
end, the runner was spliced to a single block at masthead, rove through the first single block, back to the
second and at the lower end was a double block of luff tackle which was set up to starboard. The downhaul was
fitted and the boom hung on its gooseneck. [J. March Sailing Trawlers, 1953]

b. In the General Theory of Relativity, space and time are first fused together into a continuum called
space-time. The geometrical properties of this space-time determine the evolution of the physical
processes in space and time. The geometrical properties of the space-time continuum in turn are
determined by the masses (and physical processes) present in space and time. [Encyclopaedia
Britannica]

c. For the purposes of this Part of this Schedule a person over pensionable age, not being an
insured person, shall be treated as an employed person if he would be an insured person were
he under pensionable age and would be an employed person were he an insured person.
[National Insurance Act, 1964, 1st Schedule, Part II.]

3. What makes reading easy? Try answering the questions to this text:

George W. Bush je prezidentom spojenych statov. Bol zvoleny v novembri

2000, cim porazil Al Gore. Ma 55 rokov, a jeho manzelka Laura Bush.

a. Kto je prezidentem spojenych statov?

b. Kedy bol Clinton zvoleny?
c. Koho porazil?
d. Kolko ma rokov?
e. Koho ma za manzelku?

4. Which of the above texts suggests

a. that background knowledge contributes to understanding?

b. that lack of background knowledge makes understanding difficult?
c. that lack of vocabulary knowledge makes understanding difficult?
d. that complex syntax makes understanding difficult?

8. Testing

Look at these test activities. What does each activity test? Which test(s) would tell you more about the learner's overall
ability?

a. Put the right form of the verb:

1. My mother _______ in an accident last week. (hurt)

2. I _________ English since last May. (study)
3. I didn't know you ______ a doctor. (be)
4. If I _____ you, I'd take a holiday. (be)
etc.

b. Here is the outline of a story. Use the outline in order to write the story for yourself. The outline contains about
60 words; your story should contain about 200 words.
Going home from school - friend suggests take an unusual route - see smoke coming from upstairs window of
house - hear child scream - run off to phone Fire Brigade - difficult to find house again - no smoke now and

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 Fire Brigade find the house empty - mystery of fire and missing child - Fire Brigade chief angry - but dog
barking leads to kidnapper and child - mystery solved.

c. Use these holiday brochures to plan a 10-day holiday in Scotland. Write and tell a friend what you have
chosen to do, and why, and invite your friend to accompany you.

d. Write some more words in each group.

1. grandfather, aunt, brother ....

(at least seven words)

2. hill, valley ...

(at least three words)

etc.

e. Choose one of the topics below, write brief notes, and then give a short talk to the class. You should try to talk
for 30-45 seconds. When you have finished, the class may ask questions.

- if you had three wishes, what would they be?

- what could be done in your country to help the unemployed?
- the advantages and disadvantages of living in a city or in the country.
etc.

f. Using the words provided, re-write the following sentences without altering the meaning:

a. They made him work long hours.

He...
b. If I had known you were ill, I would have phoned.
Had...
c. If you don't give me a raise, I'll leave.
Unless...
etc.