Methodological Tips

The expected answer is the teacher! However, the students could be given the opportunity to explain the rubrics using their own words. They would have the chance to test their comprehension. The teacher in turn would be in charge of inquiring and confirming the students’ explanations. This strategy empowers the students and makes them responsible for their own and classmates’ learning. Watch the video Sala de Aula Comentada (Fragment 2) to visualize how this strategy can be used.

Translation is not synonymous with comprehension. Teacher or students can translate the activity instructions but this does not ensure comprehension of what the students are expected to do in the activity. It is important that the students explain the instructions with their own words. After the teacher has confirmed the students’ explanations, the translation can be provided by the teacher. In this case, the function of the translation is to provide the students with the opportunity to map form and meaning and, thus, learn new words/ expressions. Watch the video Sala de Aula Comentada (Fragments 7 and 8) to visualize a classroom event involving this issue.

Here are some tips:

1) Students generally ask to go to the bathroom, to drink some water, to erase the blackboard, to close the curtains, among other requests. They also ask for comprehension (What's the meaning of ___  in Portuguese?), for new words (How do I say ___ in English?), etc. The students’ utterances can be listed on a wall chart, in English, and displayed to the whole class so they can use them every time they want to communicate with the teacher and classmates. Start with three or four expressions, and gradually add others, according to the frequency of occurrence of the students’ utterances in the native language. Read the book Metodologia do Ensino de Inglês (Chapter 7 - p. 126-128) to get a list of formulaic expressions that are generally uttered by the students in the classroom. Also watch the video Sala de Aula Comentada (Fragment 8) to have an idea of the wall chart used in the classroom context.

2) Insist that the students answer the attendance call in English (e.g., here, present, he/she’s absent, he/she’s been transferred, he/she’s sick, he/she’s outside, etc). Some of these structures may be on the wall chart.

Here are some tips:

1) Propose listening activities inside and outside the classroom. Read the book Metodologia do Ensino de Inglês ( Chapter 5 - p. 92-95) for some activity types.

2) Make English a means of instruction and communication with the students.

3) Negotiate meanings in English when the students do not understand you. These are some forms of meaning negotiation:

Verbal strategies: use of familiar and cognate vocabulary, shorter sentences, clear enunciation, repetition, speech reformulations, cognate synonyms, paraphrases, explanations, exemplifications, circumlocution, slow speech rate, etc.

Non-verbal strategies: gestures, facial expressions, mimicry, pictures, symbols, realia, etc.

Here are some tips:

1) Deflect the students’ questions to the whole class, so anyone can answer the question or solve the problem. In this case, the students would play the role of problem solver.

2) Encourage the students to correct their classmates (e.g., Do you agree with this answer? Is it correct or incorrect? There are two errors here. What are they?). In this case, the students would play the role of evaluator.

3) Invite the students to make the roll call. In this case, they would play the role of classroom manager.

4) Make students learn with their classmates, insisting that they speak in English when they know the language. In this case, the students would play the role of input provider.

5) Make students decide on who is going to answer the question/item during the activity correction. Use a football. First, throw it to a student and ask him/her to answer question/item 1. After the class has evaluated the given answer, ask the same student to throw the football to a mate who is expected to answer question/item 2. You may say:  Can you gently throw the ball to another student, and ask him/her to answer number 2 please?). Make sure the students throw the ball at different classmates so as not to have the same student answering repeatedly.

Here are some forms:

1) Explicit correction - The teacher provides the correct form with or without metalinguistic feedback.

2) Implicit correction or recast - The teacher reformulates the learner’s utterance or part of it in accordance with target-language norms. Watch the video Sala de Aula Comentada (Fragment 1) to have an example of recast.

3) Clarification request - The teacher indicates that an utterance has not been understood (e.g., Sorry?, Can you repeat it?).

4) Elicitation - The teacher attempts to elicit the correct form from the student.

5) Confirmation request - The teacher offers two alternatives, being one the correct utterance (e.g., Did you say ___ or ___?).

For further information about this issue, read the following articles:

ELLIS, R.; BASTURKMEN, H.; LOEWEN, S. Doing focus-on-form. System, v. 30, 2002, p. 419-432.
ELLIS, R. A typology of written corrective feedback types. ELT Journal, v. 63, n. 2, 2009, p. 97-107.

Here are some forms. The teacher can allow the students to...

1) decide on the evaluation tools they want to be assessed throughout the school year.

2) decide on the weight for each evaluation tool.

3) elaborate on questions/ activities for the test, and exchange them among the students.

4) decide on the activities they want to perform in the test. In this case, the test will have to include a greater amount of activities for the students to choose those they want to carry out.

5) decide on performing a bonus activity. In this case, the test will have to include an extra activity which can give the students more “points”.

6) decide on the numerical value for each activity in the test.

7) mark their classmate's test or their own.