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Effective Classroom Activity Strategies

The document discusses classroom activities and tasks for language teaching. It defines a task as something learners do that involves using language to achieve a specific outcome. Effective tasks have clear, real-world or learning-focused outcomes. The document also covers classroom dynamics for running activities, including individual work, pairs, small and large groups. It provides a basic route map for conducting a simple EFL activity and questions to consider when analyzing activities. Finally, it discusses the importance of including information gaps in group and pair work to provide a genuine reason for communication.

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ChristianTeofiloGallegosCenteno
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166 views10 pages

Effective Classroom Activity Strategies

The document discusses classroom activities and tasks for language teaching. It defines a task as something learners do that involves using language to achieve a specific outcome. Effective tasks have clear, real-world or learning-focused outcomes. The document also covers classroom dynamics for running activities, including individual work, pairs, small and large groups. It provides a basic route map for conducting a simple EFL activity and questions to consider when analyzing activities. Finally, it discusses the importance of including information gaps in group and pair work to provide a genuine reason for communication.

Uploaded by

ChristianTeofiloGallegosCenteno
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPSX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

CLASSROOM

ACTIVITIES
L e a r n i n g Te a c h i n g
Chapter 3
A key teaching skill is to successfully:
• prepare
• set up
• run a single classroom activity or task
A task is ……
……something that learners do that involves their
using or working with language to achieve some
specific outcome.

The outcome may:


• reflect a “real-world” outcome (a communicative act we
achieve through language in the world outside the classroom) e.g.
learners role-play complaining about food service at a
restaurant).
• be a “for-the-purposes-of-learning” outcome (a piece of
classroom work focusing learners on, and involving learners in
manipulating some aspect of the language)
e.g. learners change sentences to questions
A task (Scrivener-41) Not a task (Scrivener-41)
(explicit outcome) (no outcome)
• Learners listen to four • Learners read an
conversations, and article about the best
number the pictures cities to live in on
as they listen (in order page 43.
to become better • Learners find new
listeners). words in a reading
• Learners read a passage.
newspaper article to
prepare for a
discussion.
CLASSROOM DYNAMICS
(arrangements to run an activity)

• Individual work
• Pair-work
• Small groups (three to six people)
• Large groups
• Whole class: mingle (all stand up, walk around,
meet and talk)
• Whole class: plenary
Basic Route-Map Plan
for Running a Simple EFL Activity
1. Before the lesson: familiarize yourself with the material and
activity; prepare any material or texts you need.

In class

2. Lead-in/prepare for the activity

3. Set up the activity: give instructions,


make groupings, etc

4. Run the activity: students do the


activity, maybe in pairs or small groups
while T monitors and helps

5. Post activity: do any appropriate follow-


on work

6. Close the activity and invite feedback from


the students
Analyzing a Coursebook Activity
Questions to be kept in mind when analyzing an
activity on content and classroom procedures:

1. Language content - What language systems and


skills will the students probably be practicing
when they do this activity?
2. Other content - What other purposes (apart from
getting students to practice language) might this
activity serve?
3. Preparation - What preparation needs to be made?
Are any special material or visual aids needed?
4. Steps - What are the various steps to be followed?
5. Instructions - What are some important
considerations when giving the oral instructions?
6. Organization – What organizational arrangements
could you use in class?
The Importance of Information Gap
in group/pair work
• One person knows something that the other
doesn’t.
• There’s a genuine need and desire to
communicate with each other.
• Most real communication comes about
because of gaps of information (or of
opinions or ideas, etc.)
By creating classroom activities that
include information gaps:
• We can provide activities that mimic a
reason for communication
• It may be more motivating and useful
to language learners than speaking
without any real reason for doing so.

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