Teaching Tips

General Teaching Tips

The following are suggested teaching techniques to use when teaching Connect.
You can modify these tips to suit your own classs needs.

Giving and checking task instructions

At the beginning of the course, give most task instructions orally, as the tasks will
be new to students. If necessary, explain the tasks.

Having students read the instructions

The instructions for the tasks in the Students Books are simple and consistent,
so students should understand them after a few lessons. For this reason, after the
first few units, have students read them on their own.

Modeling the tasks

In the case of more complex tasks, invite volunteers to model or demonstrate the
task after you have explained it or after students have read the instructions.
Note: Many tasks fail because students do not know how to do them. This can
lead to decreased motivation. It is thus very important to check that students
understand what they are to do before they begin the task. This can be done
by asking a series of simple questions. For example, ask students: Do you work
individually or in pairs? Do you say it, or do you write it?

Monitoring
Once students begin a task, either individually or in pairs or groups, go around the
classroom and check that they are doing the task correctly. Offer help and correct
students when necessary. This is also a good opportunity to note common mistakes
students are making. These can be addressed with the class once students have
completed the task.

Using pair and group work

Many of the tasks in Connect suggest that the students work in pairs. If working
in pairs is not appropriate or possible for example, the number of pairs in large
classes could pose classroom-management issues the following alternatives can
be used:
Open pairs
Invite pairs of volunteers to do the task in front of the class. The rest of the class
offers to help as necessary.
Group work instead of pair work
For conversations:
Divide students into two or three groups for tasks that involve reproducing a
conversation between two or three people, and have groups say their part of the
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conversation simultaneously. To divide the class into groups, use criteria such as:
The boys are Group A, and the girls are Group B; or Rows one, three, and five are
Group A, and rows two, four, and six are Group B. Assign a role to each group
for example, Group A is Tyler, and Group B is Paulo. Motion to the groups when
it is their turn to speak.
For the games in the back of the Students Book:
Where appropriate, have students play the games in small groups of four or five
instead of in pairs.

Using the students native language in the classroom

In monolingual classes judicious use of the students native language can help
students learn faster and more efficiently. It may be beneficial to use the native
language for the following purposes:
To check that students understand instructions for a task when using English
would be too difficult and modeling too time-consuming.
To convey the meaning of target or incidental vocabulary.
To check understanding of the meaning and form of the new grammar when
checking in English would be too difficult.
To help students understand information in a reading or listening text. Students
can then focus on doing the reading or listening tasks rather than wasting
valuable time trying to figure out the meaning.
To enable students to give opinions about the materials, tasks, and their learning
process in general.

Correcting mistakes
Correction is an integral and crucial part of the learning process. Knowing when
to correct students depends on the task type and whether the aim of the task is for
accuracy or fluency.
For vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation tasks, it is important that students
pronounce the words or phrases or use the grammar correctly. These are accuracy
focused, and it is advisable to correct mistakes as they occur. Speaking tasks, in
which students express ideas or opinions or have a conversation, provide students
with an opportunity to experience real communication in English. These are
therefore fluency focused, and it is advisable to correct mistakes at the end of
thetask.
Not all mistakes need to be corrected. In the process of using English, students will
become more comfortable, and their attention will gradually shift from accuracy
to fluency. If their mistakes are corrected too often, students may be discouraged
from trying to use the language. It is important to stress to students that learning
a new language involves taking risks and that making mistakes is a natural and
unavoidable part of the learning process.

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