Unit 18 assessment types and tasks

     As teachers we need to know what is assessment and tasks. On the one hand, assessment means judging learner’s performance by collecting information about it. Teacher assesses learners in two different ways. First, informal assessment is when we observe learners to see how well they are doing something. Second, formal assessment refers to exams and assigning them grades and marks. On the other hand, tasks are the tasks we use for assessing them. There are several reasons for assessing learners formally. At the beginning we use the diagnostic test which is used to assess what they know and don’t know. Another is called the placement test which is used to place a learner in a correct course according to his/her level of knowledge. The progress test is used to find out how well learners have learnt it. Then, we need to assess learner’s work. One way is through a portfolio. Another kind of test is the summative test or achievement test which is taken at the end of a course. Proficiency tests are taken by learners that want to see how well they are at language. As a teacher, I consider that we need to asses regularly to our students. At the beginning of the course I could make them to take a diagnostic test. I could give them feedback to increase confidence. Also, I think that the exams have to be practical and relevant. To sum up, a teacher must know how to evaluate their students in order to assess what they learn during the course of course he/she needs to follow a syllabus.

Visit these links for more information:

• Educationoasis.com,. (2014). Types of Tests. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://www.educationoasis.com/curriculum/assessment
• Scholastic Teachers,. (2014). Formal vs. Informal Assessments | Scholastic.com. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/formal-versus-informal-assessment

Unit 17 practice activities and tasks for language skills development

      These are activities and tasks designed to give learners opportunities to practice and extend their use of language such as functional exponents or grammatical structures or the subskills of reading, listening, speaking or writing. There are three kinds of activities that give learners the opportunity to use language. First, the controlled/restricted practice which learner can only use certain items of language. Also they focus on the form of the language. they practice accuracy, too. Used mostly to guide students in using the form of target language, drills, choral drills, individual drills are some examples.. Second, the less controlled/freer practice activity is an activity in which learners have some choice over what language they use. These activities allow the teacher predict what language the students will need to use. For example, role plays and information gap activities. Third, the free activity which gives students the opportunity  on communicating. These activities focus on fluency, giving students practice in recalling language. Also, they have the opportunity to interact. Finally, as a future teacher to make students do activities I need to focus on the students’ needs and preferences. Taking into account that I have to find some interesting and motivating activities by adding variety to them. As a conclusion, students have different needs when learning and it’s really important to select activities for practicing and developing language which must develop skills.

For further information:

• ·  Education.com,. (2014). Free Activities for Kids | Education.com. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://www.education.com/activity/
• ·         Constantinides, V. (2013). Freer Practice: Ways of Getting Ss to Use Target Language - an #ELTchat Summary 16/10/2013. ELTchat. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://eltchat.org/wordpress/summary/freer-practice-ways-of-getting-ss-to-use-target-language-an-eltchat-summary-16102013/
• ·         TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC,. (2014). Controlled practice. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/knowledge-database/controlled-practice

Unit 16 Presentation techniques and introductory activities

       It’s really important to know what presentation techniques are. Regarding this, are the ways used by the teacher to focus on learner’s attention on meaning. And, introductory activities are used by a teacher to introduce a lesson or teaching topic. On the one hand, one of the two ways of presenting new language items is called the presentation practice and production (PPP). This method is focused on the target language that language is repeated in a choral drill and is controlled. On the other hand, the teacher starts contextualizing the topic. After, both teacher and students discuss a new or problematic language. Finally, the students do a task to consolidate the language. I think that as a future teacher it’s very important to know what methods choose for students. I’d need to know what items to present which new grammatical structures, vocabulary, lexical phrases, and functional exponents. The context needs to be meaningful and relevant. As a conclusion, all of these factors are important in teaching in order to overcome the learning of the language.

For further information: 

• Teachingknowledge.files.wordpress.com,. (2014). Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://teachingknowledge.files.wordpress.com/201
• profile, V. (2009). Teacherale's Blog: Presentation techniques and introductory activities. Teacheraleupbc.blogspot.com. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://teacheraleupbc.blogspot.com/2009/05/presentation-techniques-and.html

Unit 15 Approaches to language teaching

     An approach to language teaching may refer to our view of language and our view of how language takes place. Also, refer to the ways and methods of teaching that we use in the classroom. Some supporters believe that communicative approaches have to be based on communicative activities rather that focus on fluency. In these two approaches we can see some differences. On the one hand, the structural approach. The language is a system structures used to communicate meaning. Language is learnt through controlled practice. Also, oral skills are learnt before written skills. On the other hand, on the Task Based Learning, language is taught based on functions, vocabulary, structures and discourse. The activities in the classroom are based on problem solving tasks. As a future teacher I think that we have to choose an approach that agrees with the learner needs. Since, is too difficult to determine which the best is. We need to take into account the age, level of English, motivation to learn, expectations of learning and what resources are available. But, to make sure that the techniques are taught in a coherent way. As a conclusion, it is very important to know what the learner needs are in order to overcome a second language successfully.

For more information: 

• Es.slideshare.net,. (2014). Language Teaching Approaches and Methods. Retrieved 5 December 2014, from http://es.slideshare.net/emma.a/language-teaching-approaches-and-methods
• The PPP Approach to Language Teaching TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC,. (2012). The PPP Approach to Language Teaching. Retrieved 5 December 2014, from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/admin/ppp-approach-language-teaching}
• Task based learning diapositivas Es.slideshare.net,. (2014). Task based learning diapositivas. Retrieved 5 December 2014, from http://es.slideshare.net/gingerfresa/task-based-learning-diapositivas

Unit 14 Learner needs

Learner needs are those that influence his/her learning. For example, some learners need praise. Regarding this, recognizing and trying to meet learner needs are part of being a good teacher. There are three different kinds of learner needs; these are going to influence what a teacher does in the classroom. First, personal needs, here we have security, challenge, goals and expectations. The reasons for the needs influence the age, gender, interests, motivation, etc. Second, learning needs like specific target language, specific language subskills and learner autonomy. Here influence the learning styles like past language learning experience and availability of time. Third, future professional needs for example, specific subskills, vocabulary and grammar, specific functions and text types.  Often, schools provide different kinds of courses according to their needs. About the knowledge I acquired in this chapter I could suggest different courses according to their specific professional, general or academic goals for their learning of other language for example, a three- day intensive course, a series of one to one lessons over eight weeks, a four week online course. As a conclusion, it’s really important to know what the learner needs are in order to teach them the correct teaching method and activities.

For further information:

• Pcrest3.com,. (2014). 3.2.6 Identifying Learner Needs. Retrieved 5 December 2014, from http://www.pcrest3.com/fgb/efgb4/3/3_2_6.htm
• Yates, B. (2014). Learning Needs Analysis . Assetproject.info. Retrieved 5 December 2014, from http://www.assetproject.info/learner_methodologie

Unit 13 Learner characteristics

       Nowadays, it's really important to know what the learner characteristics are. Those characteristics include a learner's motivation learning style, learning strategies, maturity and past language learning experience. All of them are factors which are going to influence of how successful they are at learning a language. First, Learning styles are the ways in which a learner naturally prefers to take in, process and skills. The learning style influence how we like to learn the language, this involves our way of interacting and learning new things. Here we have some of them: Visual ,auditory, kinaesthetic and autonomous. Second, Learning strategies, are the ways learners choose and use to learn language. If the strategy is correctly applied at the right time, it could help us to be more autonomous. For example, asking for feedback to the teacher and classmates, thinking about how to memorize and paraphrasing the meaning of the words. Third, maturity involves becoming grown up, physically, mentally and emotionally. There are different ways in which children, teenagers and adults prefer to learn. For example, children need to move, they have short attention span, teenagers begin to learn in abstract ways and adults, are able to keep more concentration and are able to control themselves. The strategies I could use in my classroom could be: to train learners to become aware of and use of learning strategies, I could use and activity which is called mingle and I could ask them about the methods that I use to teach a second language in order to introduce new methods and ask them for some ideas. I think this could raise their motivation to learn. As a conclusion, we need to be aware of the correct strategies we can us to make our students to want to learn the language according to their learning styles and characteristics.

For more information:

·        Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2009). Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence. Psychological Science In The Public Interest, 9(3), 105-119. doi:10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01038.x

·        Center for Research on Learning Ku-crl.org,. (2014). Center for Research on Learning . Retrieved 3 December 2014, from http://www.ku-crl.org/sim/strategies.shtml