TKT Tutoring Class

TKT Tutoring Class Week 3: Part 1 Describing language and language skills (Unit 5, 6 & 7) April 15, 2009

Unit 5 Reading I. What is reading? -definition, reasons for reading II. Key concepts 1. coherence/cohesion 2. kinds of reading 3. reading principles 4. reading subskills/strategies III. Classroom implications

I. What is reading? • Reading, one of the four language skills, is a receptive skill, like listening; we need to understand the language of the text at word level, sentence level and whole-text level, and we need to connect the message of the text to our world knowledge. (p.21) * Reading= understanding the text + world knowledge (using schemata) * schemata=organized knowledge which represents one’s understanding of the world

Reasons for reading: we read different text types for different reasons • Reading for information: e.g. reading newspapers • Reading for pleasure: e.g. reading a novel • Reading for language acquisition/education: e.g. reading language materials

II. Key concepts:1. coherence/cohesion • Coherence (meaning connection): understanding the connection between sentences through world knowledge e.g. to know what the Olympic games are • Cohesion (grammar connection): understanding the connection between grammar and vocabulary e.g. pronoun and antecedent ; “he” refers to whom • What we read depends on why and how we are reading e.g. reading a travel website to find some information about prices

II. Key concepts:2. kinds of reading • Extensive reading (joyful reading/reading for pleasure) • Students read away from the classroom, such as reading novels, newspapers, etc. • Students are encouraged to read whatever they like; the more one reads, the better one’s English becomes.

b.Intensive reading (classroom reading) • Detailed focus on reading texts of different genres (styles or types of text) in classrooms • It’s often accompanied by study activities where students are studying for certain purposes, e.g. improving reading skills

II. Key concepts:3. reading principles (Harmer 2, 2007, p.101-2) • Encourage students to read as often and as much as possible. (intensive+extensive reading) • Students need to be engaged with what they are reading. (joyful reading) • Encourage students to respond to the content of a text, not just concentrate on its construction (not just for cohesion) • Prediction is a major factor in reading (to activate knowledge)

e. Match the task to the topic when using intensive reading texts (the right level of challenge for Ss’ ability) f. Good teachers exploit reading texts to the full (to integrate reading with interesting activities and discussions)

II. Key concepts:4. Reading subskills/strategies a.Reading for specific information/scanning (p.22) • Read to find a specific piece of information e.g. looking for a number in a phone directory b.Reading for gist/skimming • Read quickly through a text to get a general idea of what it is about e.g. skimming quickly through a reference book to decide which part will help you write an essay

II. Key concepts:4. Reading subskills/strategies c.Reading for detailed comprehension • Reading to get the meaning out of every word e.g. reading a letter from a close friend

III. Classroom implications(p.22-23) • Reading may be a receptive skill but it is not a passive one. • Help students transfer the reading skills they have already had in L1. • More extensive reading helps fluency in reading. • The reading subskills we need to teach depend on the age and L1 of the learners.

Choose texts that are interesting and right for the learners’ level. • The difficulty of a text depends partly on the level of the comprehension task we give to learners. • Simplified or graded readers are encouraged for beginners for extensive reading due to comprehensible input.

However, authentic material is more varied and richer than simplified texts. • Learners thus learn best to read best by reading both simplified and authentic materials. • Reading activities should follow the pattern: introductory, main and post- activities

Unit 6 Writing • What is writing? • Key concepts • Two major approaches to writing • Kinds of writing • Genres • The writing process • Evaluating writings III. Classroom implications

I. What is writing? • Writing, also one of the four language skills, is a productive skill, like speaking. • Writing involves communicating a messageto somebody, in addition to accuracy • Writing as both a physical and a mental act, purpose of expression and impression, both a process and a product

II. Key concepts1.Approaches to writing • The product approach • focuses on the final product, the coherent, error-free text • is consistent with sentence-level structural linguistics and bottom-up processing • criticism: the significance of discourse and learning by doing (revising)

II. Key concepts1.Two major approaches to writing b.Process writing: • focuses on the steps involved in drafting and redrafting a piece of work • drafting, structuring, generating ideas, evaluation, focusing and reviewing • criticism: not factual writing, but recounts and narratives, for young writers; writing without structure accomplishes little

II. Key concepts2.Kinds of writing • Writing-for-learning - We do the writing to help students learn language or to test them on that language e.g. asking Ss to write three sentences using the “going to” b.Writing-for-writing - It is directed at developing students’ skill as writers e.g. real-life reasons for getting Ss to write emails

II. Key concepts3.Genres • Genre represents the norms of different kinds of writing, e.g. a formal letter, advertisements, poetry formats • Typical models->notes-taking of grammar/vocabulary constructions->write one paper-> for specific purpose in real life

II. Key concepts4.The writing process • Brainstorming: ideas about one topic • Making notes • Planning: organize ideas • Drafting: put down ideas on paper • Editing: correct and improve the text • Revising: rewrite first drafts • Proof-reading or editing again: check for mistakes in accuracy

II. Key concepts5.Evaluating writings • evaluating writing: content, organization, discourse, syntax, vocabulary, and mechanics

III. Classroom implications • Subskills of writing must be varied according to learners’ age and needs. • Writing teaching need to focus on both accuracy and communication, instead of grammar and checking listening and reading alone. • Learners have to be encouraged to be creative and expressive.

Unit 7 Listening I. What is listening? -definition, reasons for listening II. Key concepts 1. Differences between written and spoken language 2. kinds of listening 3. listening principles 4. listening subskills/strategies III. Classroom implications

I. What is listening? • Listening, one of the four language skills, is a receptive skill, which involves responding to language rather than producing it. • Using context and knowledge of language and the world, we make sense of the meaningful sounds of language.

Listening involves: • Characteristics of spoken language • Contextual and world knowledge • Understanding different text types • Understanding different speeds of speech and accents • Using different listening subskills

Reasons for listening: • For communication • For pleasure • For information • For education

II. Key concepts1. Differences between written and spoken language (p.30)

II. Key concepts2. Kinds of listening • Intensive listening/extensive listening -Intensive listening focuses on listening skills in the classroom to study the way English is spoken in. -Extensive listening is about pleasure listening outside the classroom without the teacher’s intervention

2. Kinds of listening B. Monologues/dialogues Monologues: planned (e.g. speeches) or unplanned (e.g. anecdotes) dialogues (familiarity) : social/interpersonal (e.g. parties )or transactional (e.g service encounters)

II. Key concepts3.Listening principles (Harmer 2, 2007, p.135) • Encourage students to listen as often and as much as possible. • Help students prepare to listen. • Once may not be enough. • Encourage Ss to respond to the content of a listening, not just to the language. • Different listening stages demand different listening tasks • Good teachers exploit listening to the full

II. Key concepts4. listening subskills/strategies • Listen for gist/general information • Listen for specific information • Listen for detail

III. Classroom implications (p.32) • Let students listen to many sources and varieties of spoken language • Listening to live speakers is easier than listening to recordings • Have students listen to both created and authentic listening texts • Comprehension activities should be easier in language than the language in the listening text. • Children learn well from listening to stories that interest them

Develop students’ listening skills by focusing regularly on particular aspects of listening, e.g. problem sounds • Activity pattern in a listening class: -introductory activities (focus on topic and language of the text) -main activities (comprehension activities) -post-activities (discussion of the topic, personal opinion about the text)

References 1. Hadfield.J. & Hardfield, C. (2008). Introduction to Teaching English. Oxford University Press. 2. Harmer, Jeremy. (2007). The Practice of English Language Teaching. Pearson Education Limited. 3. Harmer, Jeremy. (2007). How to Teach English. Pearson Education Limited.

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