Lesson Components & Reading/Listening Strategies

Components of an Effective Lesson

Woodward highlights several key components that contribute to a successful lesson:

• Classes and People: Consider the dynamics and interactions within the classroom.
• Language Patterns: Focus on recurring grammatical structures and expressions.
• Language Skills: Address reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• Combinations: Integrate different skills and activities.
• Literature: Incorporate literary texts to enhance learning.
• Culture: Explore cultural contexts relevant to the language.
• Study Skills: Equip students with effective learning strategies.
• Other Objects: Utilize various resources and materials.

Time Management in Lessons

Effective time management is crucial. Lessons need to be organized in terms of timing because we need to know how long students are used to spending on classroom tasks and homework.

Classroom Conduct and Rules

A class can be very noisy, but physical contact should be avoided. Classes operate in different ways, establishing rules, decision-making processes, attitudes, and behaviors to support a positive learning environment.

Exposure to Language

Teachers need to plan plenty of exposure so students can have opportunities to interact with the language, whether through speaking with a teacher or classmates. Students can increase their vocabulary by watching TV, films, or reading emails.

The Importance of Noticing

There are three forms of noticing, all of which reinforce learning and encourage independent study:

• The look (visual aspects of the language)
• The sound (phonological aspects)
• Meaning (semantic understanding)

Remembering and Language Acquisition

Remembering involves using mental storage to integrate new language into memory.

Refinement of Language Skills

Refinement is the use of new language through activities like tests, reading, or listening comprehension. This process involves recall, generalization, and transfer, further reinforcing understanding.

Selecting Aims and Utilizing the Syllabus

When selecting aims, we need to ask ourselves what students already know and what they need to know. The syllabus provides a general direction for planning.

Harmer on Reading and Listening Strategies

Reasons for Reading/Listening

• Instrumental: To achieve specific goals.
• Pleasurable: For enjoyment and personal enrichment.

Comprehension Approaches

• Top-down: Getting a general view of the passage.
• Bottom-up: Focusing on individual words and phrases to build understanding.

Key Skills for Effective Comprehension

• Identifying the topic: Quickly grasping the main subject.
• Predicting and guessing: Making informed inferences.
• Reading/Listening for general understanding: Understanding the gist without focusing on details.
• Reading/Listening for specific information: Extracting particular details.
• Reading/Listening for detail: Understanding everything in detail.
• Interpreting text: Relying on schemata for successful interpretation.

Extensive Reading and Authentic Material

Extensive reading takes place when students read independently. Authentic material is language where no concessions are made to foreign speakers.

Pre-teaching Vocabulary

Pre-teaching vocabulary in reading or listening can *hinder* comprehension; if we give students all the words, we deny them the chance to develop inferencing skills.

Engaging Students and Activating Schemata

• Choose the right topic: Select topics that interest students.
• Create interest: Engage students by discussing the topic, showing pictures, etc.
• Activate schemata: Encourage students to connect prior knowledge to the text.
• Vary topics and genres: Offer diverse reading and listening experiences.

Testing, Teaching, and Ensuring Success

• Testing and teaching: The best tasks raise expectations, help students tease out meanings, and provoke examination of the text.
• Appropriate challenge: Ensure the right match between text and task difficulty.
• Manufacturing success: By getting the level right, we can ensure student success.
• Agreeing on a purpose: Teachers and students should agree on both general and specific purposes for reading or listening.