FLAs on-line 1

Getting students talking Tip 1

One of the best parts of your job will be when you hear pupils using language spontaneously. It is fun to hear them practising their pronunciation so that they sound more realistic. This takes time and helping them to practise the language learned in their MFL lessons is a vital part of the learning process. Much of the language you will be using will already have been taught by their teachers so your job is to find ways to help them practise the new language. !o how can you get them talking" #emember they will be nervous at first$ If you plan a variety of activities involving pair work and group work as well as individual participation you will be able to build pupils% confidence and get them talking. &ou may need to start by being 'uite firm but friendly with pupils. (hatever the age or level if you have some interesting simple activities to start with then your pupils will feel able to complete the work and start speaking straight away$ Take plenty of time to observe teachers. )ote the target language they use with pupils so that you can use the same phrases in your lessons. *on%t forget that you are used to using comple+ sentences in your own language and the pupils need simple and clear instructions.

Here are some ideas for warm up games to involve pupils straight away: ,. -ave all pupils sitting. .sk them to /stand up% if they like pi00a 1 rock music 1 maths 1 blue shoes% 2 any vocabulary they already know. 3se longer sentences for older pupils. 4.g. -ave you seen the latest -arry 5otter film 1 been to the 3!. etc" &ou can also ask pupils for their own statement. Or they could be standing up and they sit down if they like or don%t like certain things. !tart with more unpopular items then they will have to stay standing for a while$ 6. Lip reading. !tart simply by asking pupils to lip2read the numbers you are saying 7 write them up in letters as they guess. &ou can do this in teams . versus 8 7 they get one point each time they guess correctly first. 5upils then play this in pairs 2 it works well with high numbers. &ou can of course use this techni'ue with other vocabulary and full sentences. 9. -ave a si+2line dialogue on the board. )umber each line. (hen you or a pupil throws a die pupils call out the correct numbered line according to the number on the die. This is a way to practise dialogues over and over again.

FLA on-line 20092010

26 February 2010 | 1

How to correct errors Tip 2

Making errors when you learn a language is normal. (e all learn by having a go and then finding out if what we have said or written makes sense. !o it is important that you help pupils to understand their mistakes without damaging their confidence. This can be harder than you think. &ou want pupils to talk as much as possible and not be put off because they have chosen the wrong gender1part of the verb etc. Here are some tips to help you highlight errors: ,. 8uilding sentences and communicating in the new language is more important than ,::; accuracy <although by &ear ,6 1,9 you can correct pupils more directly=. -owever you do need to model the correct version when you hear an incorrect one. Often just saying /yes that%s right% and then saying it again with the correct pronunciation means pupils hear their own error. 6. If the word or sentence is wrong say /no% or shake your head and 'uickly search for the correct answer. .ccepting that making an error is all part of the process and normal means that pupils will have a go. .sk pupils to correct each other. /*oes that sound right" (hat do you think"% 9. 3se the whole group to repeat a correct version together. *rilling or repeating a mispronounced word five times will help pupils to memorise the right version. >. &ou may be correcting written work. Find out how the teacher would like the work corrected. Often with younger pupils the work has been done to show comprehension of a word or phrase and the teacher is not e+pecting ,::; accuracy. &ou may be highlighting errors so that pupils can redraft and find the correct phrases themselves. ?. 3se your white board to support the learners. (rite up words in clear handwriting to show the correct version. @. Finally observe as many lessons as you can and notice how teachers deal with mistakes. )ote down the language they use when correcting grammar. *o they e+plain in detail or give a simple e+planation" #emember many pupils will not understand all the grammar terms you are used to using so keep it simple.

FLA on-line 20092010

26 February 2010 | 2