Welcome to

Yerevan TESOL: A
Course for Teachers of
English
Kiri Manookin and Juli Sarris
Facilitators
Introduction to the
course

Facilitators

Attendees

Namecards so we can
match up names and
faces
Warm up
1.What’s going on in
this picture?

2.Why do you think

that?

3.What else do you

see?

02/21/2023

Source: New York Times “What’s going on in this picture?”

Administrative

We will take attendance at every

session

Need to attend 7 of 8 to earn a

certificate

observation
Choose a final
lesson plan
assessment option
video
How we’ll
work
together
• A lot of group work
and collaboration
• Sit with other
teachers that you
don’t know!
• We’ll mix you up by
assigning groups
sometimes!
 Acknowledge
• Everything we are doing
in these workshops is
grounded in modern
theory and research
• Proven to be more
effective than practices
from decades ago
• These may be new ideas
• We want to hear “how
can I make this work in
my institution”
Big new ideas
• Out with the old: grammar translation
method
• Focus is on absolute correctness and
precision
• Verb tenses, word order, noun/verb
agreement
• Fill in the blank
• Multiple choice
• Matching
• Ineffective for many people
• In with the new: communicative language
teaching
• Correctness is also important
• Ability to actually use the language to
communicate something
 8 workshop sessions
  Topic Date
1 Lesson objectives 2/14
2 Basic ESL teaching strategies 2/28
3 Brave spaces 3/14
4 Vocabulary in reading/groupwork 3/28
5 Academic writing 4/11
6 PBL 4/25
7 Formative assessment 5/2
8 CBI 5/23
Writing learning objectives
for lesson planning
Turn and
talk

What do you
know about
learning
objectives?
 • Attendees will be able to:
• Identify learning objectives that are specific,
measurable, achievable, results-oriented, and
Learning time-bound
objectives • Contrast learning objectives that address higher
order/critical thinking skills with those that do
for today’s not
workshop • Connect learning objectives to 21st century skills
• Write learning objectives and apply them to
lesson plans
What’s missing from my objectives?
• Learn, understand, or appreciate
• Learn to appreciate
• Use action verbs!!
Why write
objectives?
• Guide your lesson
• Add clarity, focus,
purpose, and direction
• Informs students about
their learning
• Builds engagement and
motivation
 SMART learning objectives

Specific Achievable
Measurable
very precise about appropriate to the
results can be seen
what students level of the
and assessed
should do students

Results-oriented Time-bound
tangible end there is an end
products point
 Example
By the end of the day, students will be able to compare two
pictures, choose their favorite, and defend their choice orally
and in writing

Specific Achievable
Measurable
very precise about appropriate to the
results can be seen
what students level of the
and assessed
should do students

Results-oriented Time-bound
tangible end there is an end
products point
 Example
By the end of the day, students will be able to read a text
passage from their textbook and summarize it by writing
3-4 sentences

Specific Achievable
Measurable
very precise about appropriate to the
results can be seen
what students level of the
and assessed
should do students

Results-oriented Time-bound
tangible end there is an end
products point
 Your turn – in groups
Students will be able to read a short story from their
textbook, learn about the setting, and describe the
characters orally and in writing

Specific Achievable
Measurable
very precise about appropriate to the
results can be seen
what students level of the
and assessed
should do students

Results-oriented Time-bound
tangible end there is an end
products point
 • Attendees will be able to:
• Identify learning objectives that are specific,
Your turn! measurable, achievable, results-oriented, and
Analyze time-bound
• Contrast learning objectives that address higher
today’s order/critical thinking skills with those that do not
objectives • Connect learning objectives to 21st century skills
• Write learning objectives and apply them to
lesson plans
Adding critical thinking
skills to objectives
Critical thinking skills with Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s verbs
Example
• By the end of the day, students
will be able to compare two
pictures, choose their favorite,
and defend their choice orally
and in writing
• compare – level 4-5
• choose – level 5
• defend – level 5
 Example
• By the end of the day, students
will be able to read a text
passage from their textbook,
memorize the new vocabulary,
and write a summary of the
text

• What level of Bloom’s?

Your turn – in small
groups

By the end of the lesson,

students will be able to
read a short story from
their textbook, identify
the setting, and describe
the characters orally and
in writing
• What level of Bloom’s?
Analyze a textbook
chapter
• Textbook chapter handout
• Look at the Aims on the first
page. Are they SMART?
• Are they high on Bloom’s?
• Let’s look at the first activity
entitled Lead In. Look at the
fourth item:
• Which of the five famous
managers below do you
find the most interesting
and impressive?
Your turn -
analyze a
textbook chapter
• Analyze the other
activities from the
textbook chapter
• What are the
students doing?
• What level of
Bloom’s?
Specifying language in
learning objectives

• As language teachers, we
should specify language in our
objectives
• They can be separate from
learning objectives or
integrated
• At the very least, identify key
vocabulary
Language • Key vocabulary
components • Grammar structures
to consider • Function/skills: reading, writing, listening,
speaking

28
 • Example objective
Key • By the end of the week, students will be
vocabulary able to compare two pictures, choose
their favorite, and justify their choice
orally and in writing, using key
vocabulary
• Students will use correct pronunciation
of key vocabulary when speaking
Grammar
structures

• Example objective
• By the end of the week,
students will be able to
compare two pictures,
choose their favorite, and
justify their choice orally and
in writing, using key
vocabulary and comparative
grammar structures (prettier,
most beautiful, etc.).
 • Reading, writing, listening, speaking,
vocabulary, grammar
• Example
Language • By the end of the week, students will be
functions able to compare two pictures, choose
their favorite, and justify their choice
orally and in writing, using key vocabulary
and comparative grammar structures.
 • What language objectives are in
the Lead In activity?
• Key vocabulary: none
Textbook
chapter • Grammar structures: none
analysis • Language functions: speaking,
reading, listening (to other
students)
Your turn – textbook
chapter analysis

• Examine the other activities in

the textbook chapter
• Identify language objectives
• Key vocabulary
• Grammar structures
• Language functions/skills
Identifying 21 century
st

skills in objectives
 21st Century Skills
Higher order/critical Analytic and research
thinking skills skills
Communication skills Problem solving skills

Collaboration and Perseverance and self-

teamwork skills direction
Creativity and Media and information
imagination literacy
Technology and digital Global awareness
literacy skills
Your turn – in
groups

• Return to the textbook chapter

• Identify the 21st century skills
that are evident throughout the
chapter.
Putting it all together

• SMART learning objectives that are

high on Bloom’s taxonomy
• Include language in objectives
• Include 21st century skills in the
lesson
 Your turn – in
groups
• Take your own textbook,
choose a chapter
• Write objectives that:
• are SMART
• are high on Bloom’s
• include key vocabulary,
grammar structures,
and language functions
• Look through your
chapter and identify 21st
century skills
Wrap up:
exit ticket
What is one thing
you learned today
that you will use in
your lesson
planning this
week?