Unit 11

Unit 10
Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems
The Teacher in the TEFL

classroom (II)
Index
Scheme 3
Key Ideas 4
11.1. Attention to Diversity in the classroom 4
11.2. Group dynamics and classroom interaction 7
© Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR)
11.3. Motivation and its importance 12

11.4. Action Research Project in the Language
Classroom 16
11.5. Bibliographic References 21
In Depth 23
Test 25
The Teacher in the TEFL classroom (II)
Group dynamics and classroom

Attention to diversity Motivation and its importance
interaction
LOMCE:
Group features Internal factors
- Special needs associated to Extrernal factors
physical, physic or sensorial - Give students the Two dimensions - Intrinsic interest.
disabilities. choice. - Perceived value
of the activity. - Significant others.
- High capacities. - Random - Direction.
grouping. - Mastery. - The nature of
- Late incorporation. - Intensity or
interaction.
- ADHD. - Select the group magnitude. - -Self-content.
yourself. - The learning
- External measures. - Attitudes. environment.
- Group norms.
- Internal measures. - Other affective - The broader
states. contexts.
- Developmental
age and gender.

Scheme
Unit 11. Scheme

3
Key Ideas
11.1. Attention to Diversity in the classroom
The model of attention to diversity in the Spanish educational system contemplates

all children enrolled in the school program. These measures depending on the
support needed by the student can be ordinary or extraordinary.
According to the LOE 2006 (modified) by the LOMCE in (2013) the students who need
a specific educational support should present the following features:
 Special educational needs associated to a physical, physic or sensorial disability or

a severe personality disorder.
 High capacities.
 Needs derived from a late incorporation in the educational system.
 ADHD.
Schools should elaborate pedagogic proposals taking into account diversity and that
all students have access to a common education. The different methods should bear
in mind the different learning rhythms.
From the side of the administration, the necessary measures should be taken into
account. Among the measures for students with high capacities or disabilities we can
find:
1. Adaptation to the curriculum.

2. Integration of the subject in fields.
3. Flexible grouping.
4. Splitting groups.
5. Offer specific subjects.

4
Unit 11. Key ideas
6. Reinforcement programs.
7. Programs to improve learning and performance (PMAR) (Spanish Acronym).
In these plans both ordinary and extraordinary measures can be found. The ordinary
measures for diversity are:
 Organizing the groups of students.

 Strategies that foster universal accessibility and allow a whole and active
participation of the students in the learning (access to spaces, curriculum,
resources, promotion of actions addressed to students’ socialization and value
diversity, reinforcement activities, prevention of absenteeism).
 Tutorial plan.
 Use of space.
 Coordination and collaborative work between the different professionals and
participation of external agents to the center and the socioeducational
performances.
 Orientation, training and mediation actions that favor the approach of families to
the centers and the implication in the children’s educational process.
We will now enumerate some extraordinary measures:
 Significative curricular adaptations to adapt the ordinary curriculum to the most

specific needs of the students’ essential aspects like objectives, contents and
evaluation criteria are modified.
 FPB (Formación Profesional Básica) basic professional training which implied the
creation of new formative cycles to which you can access when the students are
between 15 and 17 years old once you have passed the first cycle of ESO.
 PMAR (Programas de Mejora del Aprendizaje y del Rendimiento) programs of

learning and performance improvement which are addressed to students who
present relevant difficulties due to a lack of study from 2nd E.S.O. on. A specific

5
Unit 11. Key ideas
methodology is used to organize the contents, practical activities of different
subjects with the purpose of enrolling 4th E.S.O. These programs should integrate
different subjects including at least three specific fields: language, social, scientific,
mathematical and foreign language.
We will now describe the measures for the students with special education needs
associated to a disability or to a severe conduct disorder.
 Significative curricular adaptations, to adapt the curriculum to the students’

needs, the objectives, contents and assessment criteria should be modified. The
support teacher counts with teachers of different specialties of therapeutic
pedagogy or audition and language that reinforces the work of the main teacher.
 Related to Preschool, Primary and Secondary the adaptations to the curriculum

allow you to modify the curriculum or resources, either personal or material, for
the students with special needs to enroll the ordinary curriculum.
 Special Education classroom in ordinary centers are group programs adapted to

students with severe physical, psychic or sensorial disabilities. The significative
adaptations are carried out in a specific classroom inside the center and are
compatible with the ordinary school activities.
 Reduce the number of students in the classroom.
 Support from specialized teachers which can be given inside or outside the
classroom individually or in a small group according to students’ needs.
 Flexibilization of the permanence in the center, students with special needs can
stay one more year. Exceptionally they will be able to repeat a second time in the
4th course in case they haven’t repeated in previous years.

6
Unit 11. Key ideas
For students with high capacities the following measures should be carried out:
 Adopt the necessary educational measures to identify and value students at an

early stage.
 Adopt performance and enriching plans for the curriculum adapted to these needs
that allow students to highly develop their capacities.
To finish we will enumerate the measures for students who have lately been
incorporated to the educational system. The following circumstances will be
considered:
 Knowledge.
 Age.
 Academic history.
11.2. Group dynamics and classroom interaction
Group work came into EFL through communicative approaches in the 1970s. Thanks
to this technique even less confident students get the chance to speak in the foreign
language, and the teacher acquires the role of a mediator.
Since English classes are, generally speaking, very numerous, we tend to associate
the term group as composed by a great number of students, however according to
Ehrman and Dörnyei (1998, p. 72) the term group conveys the following features:
 There is some interaction among the members.

 Group levels present a distinct unity and show a level of commitment to it.
 Group members share a goal for being together.
 The group should endure for a long period of time.

7
Unit 11. Key ideas
 The group develops some internal structures:
• The regulation entry and departure of the group.
• Rules and standards of behaviors for members.
• Some division of group roles.
 The group is held accountable for its members’ actions.
Once the whole group is set, the teacher should bear in mind the following features:
 Praise the whole group.

 Praise of whole-class discussion.
 Tact and sensibility.
 Repertoire.
 Variety adds spice to the classroom.
We now present some typical expressions in English to praise your students

individually:
Great!
Cool!
Unbelievable work!
Breathtaking!
Two thumbs up!
Terrific!
Marvelous!
Wonderful!
First Rate Work!
Superb!
Excellent!
And now typical praising expressions for groups:

You did (all) a great job!

It’s a class record.
Give them a round of applause!
I will give you all a golden star.
You have all made an excellent progress!
Give yourselves a pat on the back.

8
Unit 11. Key ideas
Group dynamics can vary enormously when a new learner or teacher joins the class.
Teachers should detect the factors that contribute to a good group dynamic by
choosing interesting topics and the most appropriate activities.
We will now see the different ways to group students depending on the activities that
will be carried out. All of them present advantages and disadvantages for this reason
they should be combined.
Give students the choice
Students can choose their peers sitting down in the same place and working with the
same people. This is not necessarily connected with good class performance and in
the long term, since they are in their comfort zone, they won’t socialize with other
students. This group dynamic is suitable if the topic is more personal or the students
should know each other better.
Random grouping
This is seen as the fairest of all. If the class has 25 students and you want to make
groups of 5 give each student a number from 1 to 5 and once you have given all the
students a number, they should group with their corresponding number.
Select the groups yourself
The teacher groups the strong candidates with the weak ones so they help them, and
they will also find it challenging, but if the activity is more homogeneous strong
candidates should be grouped with strong candidates.

9
Unit 11. Key ideas
Group norms
As previously stated, one of the conditions for the group to be cohesive is to follow
the rules and standards of behavior for this reason we propose a series of activities
that could be useful to introduce at the beginning of the school year.
This behavior contract is mainly addressed to teenagers and teachers can adapt them
to the most important aspects, according to their criteria.
In the following image we can find a contract that to become official should be signed
by the student and the parents.
Figure 1. Example of contract. Retrieved from: http://www.kidpointz.com/behavior-tools/behavior-

contracts/view/behavior-contract-tweens-teens.html

10
Unit 11. Key ideas
This contract can also be adapted to primary and preschool with the main difference
that students could also contribute to create the rules. It is recommendable to put
them on the wall so the students will remember them. For preschool students it will
also be interesting to give them points and if they follow all the rules the points are
not removed.
In the following image we find an example of golden rules created by the students.
Figure 2. Example of golden rules. Retrieved from: http://www.kidpointz.com/behavior-tools/behavior-

contracts/view/behavior-contract-tweens-teens.html

11
Unit 11. Key ideas
11.3. Motivation and its importance
Although the term “motivation” is commonly associated to a motivated or an

unmotivated student it is a much more complex term to define. It is undeniable that
students’ motivation at all ages can be the key for success, but other aspects should
be considered.
The concept of motivation is an abstract concept because a student can be willing to

learn English because he/she loves the subject or the culture or because he/she
wants to apply for a better job.
Dörnyei describes two basic dimensions of motivation:
 Direction. When we choose a specific action to carry out, this responds to the
question “Why do we carry out this task?”
 Intensity or Magnitude. Related to the perseverance and effort to accomplish the

task. This responds to the question “How long will we have to carry it out?”
The previously mentioned dimensions should be borne in mind by teachers because

each student has a different learning rhythm, or each teacher expects different
outcomes from his/her students.
Generally speaking, motivation is higher at early stages, preschool and primary and
decreases during adolescence. Generating initial motivation is relatively easy during
the different stages because the teacher should foster a good atmosphere and make
fun and dynamic classes. The difficulty comes when motivation should be kept in the
long term.

12
Unit 11. Key ideas
We will now analyze through some scholars’ definitions the importance of motivation
in the second language. Learning a language does not only imply learning vocabulary,
syntax, grammar and phonetics but a different country, with a different culture.
As Marion Williams states (1994, p. 77) “Learning of a language is not just the learning
of the different skills we need to master to communicate with others and decode
their messages. It involves an alteration of our own identity: the adoption of new
social behaviors.”
The responsibility of English language teachers is very high because if students have
never contacted with the target culture we will be the “ambassadors of the language
and culture”, as Dörnyei and Murphey explain (2001, p. 14), “if our students are very
young and have not had any contact or previous knowledge of the target culture and
its speakers, it is our responsibility to present the culture of the English speaking
countries as something interesting and appealing and to reinforce a positive attitude
towards the otherness.”
In the following figure we present the main internal factors to foster foreign language
learning.

13
Unit 11. Key ideas
I N T E R N A L FA C TO R S
Attitudes:
Intrinsic interest of activity: Language Learning in general.
1 Arousal of curiosity. 5 Target Language.
Optimal degree of challenge. Target Language community and
culture.
Perceived value of activity:

Other affective states:
Personal relevant.
2 6 Confidence.
Anticipated value of outcomes.
Fear, anxiety.
Intrinsic value attributed to activity.
Mastery:
Feeling of competence.
3 Awareness of developing skills and
mastery of a chosen area.
Self-efficacy.
7 Developmental age and gender
Self-content:
Realistic awareness of personal
4 strengths.
Personal definitions and judgements.
Self-worth concern.
Figure 3. Internal factors.
We will now describe the main external factors.
E X T E R N A L FA C TO R S
The learning environment:

Significant others:
Comfort.
Parents.
1 3 Resources.
Teachers.
Time of the day or year.
Peers.
Size of class.
The nature of interaction with The broader contexts.

significant others: Other affective states:
Mediated learning experiences. Wider family networks.
2 Nature of feedback. 4 Local education systems.
Rewards. Conflicting interests.
Nature and amount of praise. Cultural norms.
Punishments and sanctions. Societal expectations.
Figure 4. External factors.
In the following image we can see the Motivational Teaching Practice during the
different stages.

14
Unit 11. Key ideas
Figure 5. Motivational teaching practice. Retrieved from:
https://www.slideshare.net/carlachavezs/motivatonal-strategies-in-the-language-classroom-dornyei-zoltan
We now propose some activities to increase students’ motivation:

Invite culture into class. You could use pop songs, movies, and magazines to work
the different skills in an authentic context.

15
Unit 11. Key ideas
In order to focus on reading, students could start reading about celebrities of English-
speaking countries in the magazine People (https://people.com/). This could be done
in the last stage of primary and secondary.
If you want to work on speaking skills you could play English songs with the website
Lyricstraining (https://es.lyricstraining.com/) and the students will fill the gaps
individually, in pairs or groups (depending on their level and age), and if they finish
filling it they will be able to listen to the whole song. This activity will allow them to
connect listening, reading and speaking.
Gamification. It is a perfect way to introduce more passive skills like reading and
writing, grammar and vocabulary. We could play charades to practice verbs in
progress or continuous actions. With the use of ICT tools students of all ages can learn
vocabulary in a fun way. In the following website
https://www.eslgamesplus.com/classroom-games/ primary students will be able to
practice colors, animals, clothes and numbers with a fortune wheel.
To conclude, to foster students’ motivation and keep in the long-term classes should
be fun but also unexpected, for this reason the teacher should change the activities
every week to make it more unpredictable, specially at early stages where the
attention span in short.
11.4. Action Research Project in the Language

Classroom
Action research is a classroom-based research conducted by teachers to reflect upon

and evolve in their teaching practices. The idea of action research began in the 1950’s
in America, but later went to decline until in the 1970’s some researchers as John
Elliot, Jack Whitehead, Wilf Carr and Stephen Kemmis made it reputable again. Elliot

16
Unit 11. Key ideas
(1991) developed action research associated to teachers’ development. The main
purpose is to gain understanding in the teaching/learning process and use that
knowledge to increase students’ and teachers’ efficacy. According to Mills (2003, p.4),
“Action research is any systematic inquiry conducted by teachers’ researchers to
gather information about the ways that their particular school operates, how they
teach and how well their students learn. The information is gathered with the goals
of gaining insight, developing reflective practice, effecting positive changes in the
school environment and on educational practices in general, and improving student
outcomes.”
Reflective teachers pose themselves daily questions like, “If I teach this topic, should
I do this task? When would it be better to teach it? Should I group them in pairs or
larger groups?” Generally speaking, teachers do this research informally but in order
to obtain trustworthy results we could follow these tips:
1. Choose a research question (preferably on something you would like to improve).
2. Observe in the classroom and make questions. These questions should not be too
general or specific but focused or related with the main research question.
3. Write on an observation journal, so you can collect much information which will,
sometimes, be useful to improve your teaching. In this journal you can reflect your
own thoughts but also interview students, give them questionnaires or tests.
4. Write down all the research and results. It is clearer if it is presented in a graph or
diagram. This will be the point of departure to start introducing changes in your
classroom.
We will now analyze different action research projects that can be carried out:
Stringer’s model
Community-based action research purpose is to assist people to extend the

understanding of the situation and resolve the problems. The basic action routines

17
Unit 11. Key ideas
according to Stringer (2007) provide a powerful framework consisting on looking,
thinking and acting, as we can see in the following image.
Figure 6. Stringer’s model.

Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812026523?via%3Dihub
Mill’s model
Presents a four-step action research where research is done by the teachers and for
teachers and students. It is a dynamic and flexible model that can be adapted to all
contexts and levels.
In the following figure we can find Mill’s spiral model:

Figure 7. Mill’s model.


18
Unit 11. Key ideas
We depart from an area of focus or problem then through observation we will collect
data and through the information an action plan will be developed.
Wallace’s model
This model aims to accelerate and enhance reflective development specially related
to language teaching. It can be done by systematically carrying out data and drawing
to some conclusions about the future teaching practice.
Figure 8. Wallace’s model.

The teachers will have to reframe the problem, collect fresh data, rethink the analysis
until they find a satisfying solution.
Action Project
We now present a sample Action Project that should follow these steps:
Step 1. The problem should be related to student learning in the classroom. We could
pose the following questions:
 Would a different type of assignment enhance students’ learning?
 Would they feel more motivated studying grammar implicitly?

19
Unit 11. Key ideas
 Would cooperative learning help students to do more critical thinking?
Step 2. We define the problem.

 Enhance students’ learning through different assignments and teaching methods.
 Improving cooperative learning.
Step 3. Gathering information following one of the previous models and collecting
data, observing…
Step 4. Apply the measures according to the given results to improve the
teaching/learning practice for example by changing the type of assignments to make
a more effective learning.
You can now see a sample action research project.

Figure 9. A sample action research project.

Retrieved from: https://www.slideshare.net/guevarra_2000/format-for-the-action-research-project

20
Unit 11. Key ideas
Video. Turn a story into a game.
Access to the video through the virtual campus
11.5. Bibliographic References
Easy Pace Learning. (N. d.). 150 praise and encouragement phrases you can use to
show you appreciate your co-workers, classmates, students, friends. Retrieved from:
https://www.easypacelearning.com/all-lessons/english-lessons-level-3/1343-praise-
and-encouragement-phrases-you-can-use-to-show-you-appreciate-english-words
Ehrman, M. E. and Dörnyei, Z. (1998). Intepersonal dynamics in second language

education: the visible and invisible classroom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Eurydice. (2020). Atención a las necesidades educativas del alumnado en centros

ordinarios de Educación Infantil, Primaria y Secundaria. Retrieved from:
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/special-education-
needs-provision-within-mainstream-education-70_es
Dörnyei, Z. and Murphey, T. (2001). Group Dynamics in Language Classroom.

Cambridge University Press.

21
Unit 11. Key ideas
Elliot, J. (1991). Action research for educational change. Maidenhead (UK): Open
University Press.
Mills, G. E. (2003). Action research: a guide for the teacher researcher. New Jersey:
Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Stringer, E. T. (2007). Action research. Sage Publications.


22
Unit 11. Key ideas
In Depth
Inclusion and Diversity in Education…
Rashid, N. and Tikly, L. (2010). Inclusion and Diversity in Education: guidelines for Inclusion
and Diversity in Schools. London: British Council. Retrieved from:
https://www.britishcouncil.es/sites/default/files/british-council-guidelines-for-
inclusion-and-diversity-in-schools.pdf
Throughout this document you will find how to develop a model in school to foster
inclusion in a European context where learners, teachers and parents have a voice.
Primary Success Stories: Involving the whole group in the lesson
British Council. (N. d.). Primary Success Stories: Involving the whole group in the lesson.
[Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/primary-
success-stories-involving-whole-group-lesson
This video by Barnali from India talks about how the teacher manages to involve all
learners despite their level, classroom layout and mixing groups. One of the purposes
of this resource is to make teachers reflect on their own development.

23
Unit 11. In Depth
Action Research in Education: Methods and Examples
McCallister, J. (N. d.). Action Research in Education: Methods and Examples. [Video file].
Retrieved from: https://study.com/academy/lesson/action-research-in-education-
examples-methods-quiz.html
The following video explains the benefits and types of action research and the steps
that should be followed. After watching the video, you can check your knowledge
doing a quiz.

24
Unit 11. In Depth
Test
1. Attention to diversity according to the LOMCE refers to:
A. Special educational needs associated to physical, physic or sensorial disability
or a severe personality disorder, high capacities, needs from a late incorporation,
ADHD.
B. Special educational needs associated to physical, physic or sensorial disability
or a severe personality disorder, high capacities, needs from a late incorporation.
C. Severe personality disorder, high capacities, needs from a late incorporation,
ADHD.
2. According to Dörney internal factors to foster motivation are:

A. Intrinsic interest of the activity, perceived value of the activity, mastery, self-
content, attitudes and other affective states.
B. Intrinsic interest of the activity, perceived value of the activity, mastery, self-
content, attitudes, other affective states and developmental age and gender.
C. Intrinsic interest of the activity, perceived value of the activity, mastery, self-
content, attitudes, other affective states and self-esteem.
3. Who stated the following quote “Learning of a language is not just the learning of
the different skills we need to master to communicate with others and decode
their messages. It involves an alteration of our own identity: the adoption of new
social behaviors.”
A. Dörney.
B. Elley.
C. Marion Williams.

25
Unit 11. Test
4. Dörney stated that the stages for motivational teaching practice are:
A. Magnitude, Intensity and degree.
B. Generate initial motivation, maintain motivation, encourage positive self-
evaluation, create basic motivational conditions.
C. Internal and external.
5. Stringer’s model for the Action Research Project is based on:

A. Accelerating and enhancing the reflective development.
B. Looking, thinking and acting.
C. Observing, collecting data and taking action.
6. Among some of the ordinary measures in attention to diversity we can find…

A. Organizing groups of students, foster universal accessibility, active
participation, tutorial plan, use of spaces and collaboration between different
professionals.
B. Organizing groups of students, foster universal accessibility, active
participation, tutorial plan, use of spaces and collaboration between different
professionals and orientation, training and mediation actions.
C. Foster universal accessibility, active participation, tutorial plan, use of spaces
and collaboration between different professionals and orientation, training and
mediation actions.
7. The type of research that is flexible and dynamic and starts from a hypothesis and
ends with an action plan is…
A. Wallace’s.
B. Stringer.
C. Mill’s.

26
Unit 11. Test
8. For students with high capacities the following measures should be taken into
account:
A. Adopt the necessary education measures to identify students at an early stage,
adopt performance and enriching plans for the curriculum.
B. Adopt the necessary education measures to identify and value students at an
early stage, adopt performance and enriching plans for the curriculum.
C. None of the previous answer is correct.
9. The factor of mastery related to internal factors of motivation is related to: The
Spotlight technique consists on:
A. Feeling of competence, awareness of developing skills and mastery of a chosen
area and self-efficacy.
B. Feeling of competence, awareness of developing skills and mastery of a chosen
area self-efficacy and language learning in general.
C. Feeling of competence, awareness of developing skills and mastery of a chosen
area, self-efficacy and arousal of curiosity.
10. Group work started to be used through the…………………. method in the 1970’s.
A. Grammar-based method.
B. Total Physical Response.
C. Audiolingual.

27
Unit 11. Test

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Unit 10

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

The Teacher in the TEFL

11.3. Motivation and its importance 12

The Teacher in the TEFL classroom (II)

Group dynamics and classroom

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Unit 11. Scheme

11.1. Attention to Diversity in the classroom

The model of attention to diversity in the Spanish educational system contemplates

 Special educational needs associated to a physical, physic or sensorial disability or

1. Adaptation to the curriculum.

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

 Organizing the groups of students.

We will now enumerate some extraordinary measures:

 Significative curricular adaptations to adapt the ordinary curriculum to the most

 PMAR (Programas de Mejora del Aprendizaje y del Rendimiento) programs of

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

 Significative curricular adaptations, to adapt the curriculum to the students’

 Related to Preschool, Primary and Secondary the adaptations to the curriculum

 Special Education classroom in ordinary centers are group programs adapted to

 Reduce the number of students in the classroom.

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

 Adopt the necessary educational measures to identify and value students at an

11.2. Group dynamics and classroom interaction

 There is some interaction among the members.

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

 Praise the whole group.

We now present some typical expressions in English to praise your students

And now typical praising expressions for groups:

You did (all) a great job!

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Give students the choice

Select the groups yourself

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Figure 1. Example of contract. Retrieved from: http://www.kidpointz.com/behavior-tools/behavior-

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Figure 2. Example of golden rules. Retrieved from: http://www.kidpointz.com/behavior-tools/behavior-

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Although the term “motivation” is commonly associated to a motivated or an

The concept of motivation is an abstract concept because a student can be willing to

Dörnyei describes two basic dimensions of motivation:

 Intensity or Magnitude. Related to the perseverance and effort to accomplish the

The previously mentioned dimensions should be borne in mind by teachers because

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

Perceived value of activity:

Figure 3. Internal factors.

We will now describe the main external factors.

The learning environment:

The nature of interaction with The broader contexts.

Punishments and sanctions. Societal expectations.

Figure 4. External factors.

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

We now propose some activities to increase students’ motivation:

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

11.4. Action Research Project in the Language

Action research is a classroom-based research conducted by teachers to reflect upon

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems

1. Choose a research question (preferably on something you would like to improve).

Community-based action research purpose is to assist people to extend the

Methods for Teaching EFL: Systems