Activities – things that people do in order to achieve a particular aim
Retention – the ability to keep something in your memory
language skills (reading, writing, speaking, etc.) used together for communication
Communicate – to exchange information or conversation with other people, using words, signs, writing etc
Communicative – relating to the ability to communicate, especially in a foreign language
Communicative competence – the ability to communicate in a target language for meaningful purposes. Such an ability requires the use of language skills together in social interaction
Skill – a special ability that you need to learn in order to do a particular job or activity, an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practiced it
Social skills – ability to deal with people easily
Study skills – skills that help you study efficiently and be successful in school
Communicative skills (communication skills) – the way people express themselves so that other people will understand
Skill, subskill – the four language skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each skill can be divided into smaller subskills that are all part of the main skill, e.g. identifying text organization (reading); identifying word stress (listening)
Sub-skills are such as pronunciation, vocabulary use, spelling, etc. that contribute to success with the primary skills
Develop skills is to teach students how to do activities like listening, and help them to understand how to listen.
Primary language skills Reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Productive skills – the primary skills of speaking and writing.
Receptive skills – the primary skills of listening and reading.
Cognition – mental processes, especially those used in learning, such as thinking, remembering, classifying, recognizing, synthesizing, etc
Cognitive (processes) – the mental processes involved in thinking, understanding or learning
Metacognition – global understanding of thinking or mental processes that enables learners to recognize, monitor, and organize those processes in themselves. Also called “global strategies”
Motivate – to make someone want to do or achieve something and be willing to work harder in order to do so
Motivation – Psychological factors that determine how much effort learners are willing to apply to accomplish or learn something, the thoughts and feelings which make us want to do something and help us continue doing it
Demotivate – to make someone lose motivation
Authentic – refers to tasks, activities, and materials used in "real" life by native speakers of a language for actual communicative needs. In a language classroom, they can be used in simulated situations
Authentic materials – materials used in the target culture for actual communicative needs. They should enable the learner to hear, read, and produce language as it is used in the target culture
Authentic sources used by native speakers or other users of the target language for "real world" communication
Authentic tasks – tasks or activities that are used in the "real" world for actual communication needs. Teachers can have learners do authentic tasks for practice or for real world application
Communicate – to exchange information or conversation with other people, using words, signs, writing etc
Communicative – relating to the ability to communicate, especially in a foreign language
Communicative competence – the ability to communicate in a target language for meaningful purposes. Such an ability requires the use of language skills together in social interaction
Awareness – a focus on aspects of language within a given context, paying attention to or noticing the language detail in a context
Language awareness – understanding the rules of how language works
Raise awareness is to help students understand something that they may not already know. For example, if you teach learning strategies, it can raise students’ awareness of how they learn
Learning strategies – the techniques which a student consciously uses when learning or using language, e.g. deducing the meaning of words from context; predicting content before reading
Open pairs – In open pairs, one pair does a pairwork activity in front of the class. This technique is useful for showing how to do an activity and/or for focusing on accuracy
A group work activity in which different members of the group have different tasks related to the same topic. Students perform the tasks individually, then come back to the group to put the information or pieces together "jigsaw puzzle" style.
Open pairs – In open pairs, one pair does a pairwork activity in front of the class. This technique is useful for showing how to do an activity and/or for focusing on accuracy
A group work activity in which different members of the group have different tasks related to the same topic. Students perform the tasks individually, then come back to the group to put the information or pieces together "jigsaw puzzle" style.
Open pairs – In open pairs, one pair does a pairwork activity in front of the class. This technique is useful for showing how to do an activity and/or for focusing on accuracy
A group work activity in which different members of the group have different tasks related to the same topic. Students perform the tasks individually, then come back to the group to put the information or pieces together "jigsaw puzzle" style.
Interaction – ‘two-way communication’
Interactive strategies – the means used, especially in speaking, to keep people involved and interested in what is said, e.g. eye contact, use of gestures, functions such as repeating, asking for clarification
Cooperative Learning is a specific kind of collaborative learning. In cooperative learning, students work together in small groups on a structured activity. They are individually accountable for their work, and the work of the group as a whole is also assessed
Open pairs – In open pairs, one pair does a pairwork activity in front of the class. This technique is useful for showing how to do an activity and/or for focusing on accuracy
A group work activity in which different members of the group have different tasks related to the same topic. Students perform the tasks individually, then come back to the group to put the information or pieces together "jigsaw puzzle" style
Assessment – a process in which you make a judgment about a person or situation, or the judgment you make
Formative assessment – a relatively informal assessment that takes place during the process of learning, as opposed to at the end. The purpose is to provide feedback, which helps the learning process
Summative assessment – formal testing or evaluation at the end of a learning period to measure what a student has learned
Peer assessment – Learners evaluate each other’s work, using pre-set guidelines
Performance assessment – an assessment of performance on an oral or written task
Self-assessment – a reflective process in which learners evaluate their own work based on pre-set criteria
Continuous assessment – a type of testing which is different from a final examination. Some or all of the work that students do during a course is part of the final mark
Informal assessment, evaluation – when a teacher decides whether a student is doing well or not, or whether a course is successful or not, but without a test or an official report or grade
Performance – the act of doing a piece of work, duty etc
language skills (reading, writing, speaking, etc.) used together for communication
Flow-chart – a drawing that uses shapes and lines to show how the different stages in a process are connected to each other. (Synonym: Flow-diagram)
Authentic – refers to tasks, activities, and materials used in "real" life by native speakers of a language for actual communicative needs. In a language classroom, they can be used in simulated situations
Authentic materials – materials used in the target culture for actual communicative needs. They should enable the learner to hear, read, and produce language as it is used in the target culture
Authentic sources used by native speakers or other users of the target language for "real world" communication
Authentic tasks – tasks or activities that are used in the "real" world for actual communication needs. Teachers can have learners do authentic tasks for practice or for real world application
Communicate – to exchange information or conversation with other people, using words, signs, writing etc
Communicative – relating to the ability to communicate, especially in a foreign language
Communicative competence – the ability to communicate in a target language for meaningful purposes. Such an ability requires the use of language skills together in social interaction
Evaluate – to judge how good, useful, or successful something is (synonym assess)
Evaluation is when a teacher collects information about students’ performance and abilities
Task – an activity which students complete which has a definite result. For example problem-solving activities or information-gap activities
Open pairs – In open pairs, one pair does a pairwork activity in front of the class. This technique is useful for showing how to do an activity and/or for focusing on accuracy
A group work activity in which different members of the group have different tasks related to the same topic. Students perform the tasks individually, then come back to the group to put the information or pieces together "jigsaw puzzle" style.
Self-correction – when students are able to correct language mistakes they have made, when asked without help from the teacher or other students
Performance – the act of doing a piece of work, duty etc
Interaction – ‘two-way communication’
Interactive strategies – the means used, especially in speaking, to keep people involved and interested in what is said, e.g. eye contact, use of gestures, functions such as repeating, asking for clarification
Feedback – Information which lets learners know how they are doing or whether their production is correct
To give a feedback:
1. To tell students how well they are doing. This could be at a certain point in the course, or after an exercise that students have just completed
2. To communicate to a speaker that you understand (or not) what they are saying
Formative feedback is used to check on learner progress during the period of learning, to determine what has been learned so far and what still needs work
Summative feedback takes place at the end of a learning period to measure what has been achieved by the learners
Negative feedback informs learners directly when their work is incorrect. May use negative wording such as “no” or “don’t.”
Positive feedback helps learners discover their own mistakes and self-correct. It avoids the use of negative wording
Trial and error is learning by trying new or different language, taking risks, and learning from errors or mistakes
Peer reinforcement is a type of feedback from friends or other students in the class that supports positive behavior and/or learning
A mistake – incorrect language production. In research, as opposed to the specialized meaning of "error", a mistake is the result of inattention or carelessness, rather than incomplete learning
Echo correct – when a student makes a mistake, the teacher repeats the mistake with rising intonation so that students can correct themselves
A mistake – incorrect language production. In research, as opposed to the specialized meaning of "error", a mistake is the result of inattention or carelessness, rather than incomplete learning
Echo correct – when a student makes a mistake, the teacher repeats the mistake with rising intonation so that students can correct themselves
Error – language production that is not correct. In applied linguistics research, it refers to patterns in production that shows incomplete or incorrect learning
A mistake that a learner makes when trying to say something above their level of language or language processing
Learning strategies – the techniques which a student consciously uses when learning or using language, e.g. deducing the meaning of words from context; predicting content before reading
Relevance – directly relating to the subject or problem being discussed or considered
Feedback – Information which lets learners know how they are doing or whether their production is correct
To give a feedback:
1. To tell students how well they are doing. This could be at a certain point in the course, or after an exercise that students have just completed
2. To communicate to a speaker that you understand (or not) what they are saying
Formative feedback is used to check on learner progress during the period of learning, to determine what has been learned so far and what still needs work
Summative feedback takes place at the end of a learning period to measure what has been achieved by the learners
Negative feedback informs learners directly when their work is incorrect. May use negative wording such as “no” or “don’t.”
Positive feedback helps learners discover their own mistakes and self-correct. It avoids the use of negative wording
Trial and error is learning by trying new or different language, taking risks, and learning from errors or mistakes
Peer reinforcement is a type of feedback from friends or other students in the class that supports positive behavior and/or learning
A mistake – incorrect language production. In research, as opposed to the specialized meaning of "error", a mistake is the result of inattention or carelessness, rather than incomplete learning
Echo correct – when a student makes a mistake, the teacher repeats the mistake with rising intonation so that students can correct themselves
Impact – the effect or influence that an event, situation etc has on someone or something
Trial and error is learning by trying new or different language, taking risks, and learning from errors or mistakes
Motivate – to make someone want to do or achieve something and be willing to work harder in order to do so
Motivation – Psychological factors that determine how much effort learners are willing to apply to accomplish or learn something, the thoughts and feelings which make us want to do something and help us continue doing it
Demotivate – to make someone lose motivation
Self-correction – when students are able to correct language mistakes they have made, when asked without help from the teacher or other students
Intellect – the ability to understand things and to think intelligently
Intellectual – relating to the ability to understand things and think intelligently
Teaching strategy – the procedure or approach used by a teacher in the classroom, e.g. a teacher may choose to give thinking time to students before they speak
Learning style – the way in which an individual learner naturally prefers to learn something
Auditory learner – a learner who remembers things more easily when they hear them spoken aloud. This type of learner likes the teacher to say a new word aloud as well as writing it on the board
Kinesthetic learner – a learner who learns more easily by physically doing things. This type of learner likes to move around or move objects while learning
Visual learner – a learner who finds it easier to learn when they can see things written down or in a picture. This type of learner likes the teacher to write a new word on the board as well as saying it aloud
Linguistic learner – a type connected with language or the study of language
Intelligence – the ability to learn, understand, and think about things, a high level of this ability
Linguistic Intelligence – the ability to read, write and communicate with words. Authors, journalists, poets, orators and comedians are obvious examples of people with linguistic intelligence
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence – the ability to reason and calculate, to think things through in a logical, systematic manner. These are the kinds of skills highly developed in engineers, scientists, economists, accountants, detectives and members of the legal profession
Visual-Spatial Intelligence – the ability to think in pictures, visualize a future result. To imagine things in your mind's eye. Architects, sculptors, sailors, photographers and strategic planners. You use it when you have a sense of direction, when you navigate or draw
Musical Intelligence – the ability to make or compose music, to sing well, or understand and appreciate music. To keep rhythm. It's a talent obviously enjoyed by musicians, composers, and recording engineers
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence – the ability to use your body skillfully to solve problems, create products or present ideas and emotions. An ability obviously displayed for athletic pursuits, dancing, acting, artistically, or in building and construction
Interpersonal (Social) Intelligence – the ability to work effectively with others, to relate to other people, and display empathy and understanding, to notice their motivations and goals. This is a vital human intelligence displayed by good teachers, facilitators, therapists, politicians, religious leaders and sales people
Intrapersonal Intelligence – the ability for self-analysis and reflection–to be able to quietly contemplate and assess one's accomplishments, to review one's behavior and innermost feelings, to make plans and set goals, the capacity to know oneself. Philosophers, counselors, and many peak performers in all fields of endeavor have this form of intelligence
Naturalist Intelligence – the ability to recognize flora and fauna, to make other consequential distinctions in the natural world and to use this ability productively–for example in hunting, farming, or biological science. Farmers, botanists, conservationists, biologists, environmentalists would all display aspects of the intelligence
Skill – a special ability that you need to learn in order to do a particular job or activity, an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practiced it
Social skills – ability to deal with people easily
Study skills – skills that help you study efficiently and be successful in school
Communicative skills (communication skills) – the way people express themselves so that other people will understand
Skill, subskill – the four language skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each skill can be divided into smaller subskills that are all part of the main skill, e.g. identifying text organization (reading); identifying word stress (listening)
Sub-skills are such as pronunciation, vocabulary use, spelling, etc. that contribute to success with the primary skills
Develop skills is to teach students how to do activities like listening, and help them to understand how to listen
Motivate – to make someone want to do or achieve something and be willing to work harder in order to do so
Motivation – Psychological factors that determine how much effort learners are willing to apply to accomplish or learn something, the thoughts and feelings which make us want to do something and help us continue doing it
Demotivate – to make someone lose motivation
Intelligence – the ability to learn, understand, and think about things, a high level of this ability
Linguistic Intelligence – the ability to read, write and communicate with words. Authors, journalists, poets, orators and comedians are obvious examples of people with linguistic intelligence
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence – the ability to reason and calculate, to think things through in a logical, systematic manner. These are the kinds of skills highly developed in engineers, scientists, economists, accountants, detectives and members of the legal profession
Visual-Spatial Intelligence – the ability to think in pictures, visualize a future result. To imagine things in your mind's eye. Architects, sculptors, sailors, photographers and strategic planners. You use it when you have a sense of direction, when you navigate or draw
Musical Intelligence – the ability to make or compose music, to sing well, or understand and appreciate music. To keep rhythm. It's a talent obviously enjoyed by musicians, composers, and recording engineers
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence – the ability to use your body skillfully to solve problems, create products or present ideas and emotions. An ability obviously displayed for athletic pursuits, dancing, acting, artistically, or in building and construction
Interpersonal (Social) Intelligence – the ability to work effectively with others, to relate to other people, and display empathy and understanding, to notice their motivations and goals. This is a vital human intelligence displayed by good teachers, facilitators, therapists, politicians, religious leaders and sales people
Intrapersonal Intelligence – the ability for self-analysis and reflection–to be able to quietly contemplate and assess one's accomplishments, to review one's behavior and innermost feelings, to make plans and set goals, the capacity to know oneself. Philosophers, counselors, and many peak performers in all fields of endeavor have this form of intelligence
Naturalist Intelligence – the ability to recognize flora and fauna, to make other consequential distinctions in the natural world and to use this ability productively–for example in hunting, farming, or biological science. Farmers, botanists, conservationists, biologists, environmentalists would all display aspects of the intelligence
Motivate – to make someone want to do or achieve something and be willing to work harder in order to do so
Motivation – Psychological factors that determine how much effort learners are willing to apply to accomplish or learn something, the thoughts and feelings which make us want to do something and help us continue doing it
Demotivate – to make someone lose motivation
Activities – things that people do in order to achieve a particular aim
Affective – related to learner feelings, attitude, values, and motivation
Authentic – refers to tasks, activities, and materials used in "real" life by native speakers of a language for actual communicative needs. In a language classroom, they can be used in simulated situations
Authentic materials – materials used in the target culture for actual communicative needs. They should enable the learner to hear, read, and produce language as it is used in the target culture
Authentic sources used by native speakers or other users of the target language for "real world" communication
Authentic tasks – tasks or activities that are used in the "real" world for actual communication needs. Teachers can have learners do authentic tasks for practice or for real world application
Authentic – refers to tasks, activities, and materials used in "real" life by native speakers of a language for actual communicative needs. In a language classroom, they can be used in simulated situations
Authentic materials – materials used in the target culture for actual communicative needs. They should enable the learner to hear, read, and produce language as it is used in the target culture
Authentic sources used by native speakers or other users of the target language for "real world" communication
Authentic tasks – tasks or activities that are used in the "real" world for actual communication needs. Teachers can have learners do authentic tasks for practice or for real world application
Realia – real objects such as menus, timetables and leaflets that can easily be brought into the classroom for a range ofpurposes
Proficient – to be very good at something because of training and practice, e.g. speaking English
Proficiency level – the level of a learner's language ability. How much language the learner knows and can use
Critical thinking – the cognitive process of using reasoning skills to question and analyze the accuracy and /or worth of ideas, statements, new information, etc
Critical thinking – the cognitive process of using reasoning skills to question and analyze the accuracy and /or worth of ideas, statements, new information, etc
Creative thinking – new, alternative ways from the expected of looking at things that would be different
Creative thinking – new, alternative ways from the expected of looking at things that would be different
Skill – a special ability that you need to learn in order to do a particular job or activity, an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practiced it
Social skills – ability to deal with people easily
Study skills – skills that help you study efficiently and be successful in school
Communicative skills (communication skills) – the way people express themselves so that other people will understand
Skill, subskill – the four language skills are listening, speaking, reading and writing. Each skill can be divided into smaller subskills that are all part of the main skill, e.g. identifying text organization (reading); identifying word stress (listening)
Sub-skills are such as pronunciation, vocabulary use, spelling, etc. that contribute to success with the primary skills
Develop skills is to teach students how to do activities like listening, and help them to understand how to listen
Content – the ideas, facts, or opinions that are contained in a speech, piece of writing, film, program etc
Social studies – the study of people in society
Evaluate – to judge how good, useful, or successful something is (synonym assess)
Evaluation is when a teacher collects information about students’ performance and abilitie
Cognition – mental processes, especially those used in learning, such as thinking, remembering, classifying, recognizing, synthesizing, etc
Cognitive (processes) – the mental processes involved in thinking, understanding or learning
Metacognition – global understanding of thinking or mental processes that enables learners to recognize, monitor, and organize those processes in themselves. Also called “global strategies”
Affective – related to learner feelings, attitude, values, and motivation
Authentic – refers to tasks, activities, and materials used in "real" life by native speakers of a language for actual communicative needs. In a language classroom, they can be used in simulated situations
Authentic materials – materials used in the target culture for actual communicative needs. They should enable the learner to hear, read, and produce language as it is used in the target culture
Authentic sources used by native speakers or other users of the target language for "real world" communication
Authentic tasks – tasks or activities that are used in the "real" world for actual communication needs. Teachers can have learners do authentic tasks for practice or for real world application
Primary language skills Reading, writing, listening, and speaking
Productive skills – the primary skills of speaking and writing
Receptive skills – the primary skills of listening and reading
Target language culture – the traditions and culture of the country whose language is being studied
Target language culture – the traditions and culture of the country whose language is being studied
Awareness – a focus on aspects of language within a given context, paying attention to or noticing the language detail in a context
Language awareness – understanding the rules of how language works
Raise awareness is to help students understand something that they may not already know. For example, if you teach learning strategies, it can raise students’ awareness of how they learn
Awareness – a focus on aspects of language within a given context, paying attention to or noticing the language detail in a context
Language awareness – understanding the rules of how language works
Raise awareness is to help students understand something that they may not already know. For example, if you teach learning strategies, it can raise students’ awareness of how they learn
Inductive learning is an approach to learning in which students are not first taught the rules of grammar. They work out the rules for themselves by using the language
Deductive learning is an approach to learning in which students are first taught the rules and given all the information they need about the language. Then they use these rules in language activities
Deductive – taking a known idea or theory and applying it to a situation
Deductive learning is an approach to learning in which students are first taught the rules and given all the information they need about the language. Then they use these rules in language activities
Inductive learning is an approach to learning in which students are not first taught the rules of grammar. They work out the rules for themselves by using the language
Context – the situation in which language is used or presented in the classroom, the words or phrases before or after a word which help a student to understand that word
Contextualize is to put new language into a situation that shows what it means
Learning strategies – the techniques which a student consciously uses when learning or using language, e.g. deducing the meaning of words from context; predicting content before reading
Context – the situation in which language is used or presented in the classroom, the words or phrases before or after a word which help a student to understand that word
Contextualize is to put new language into a situation that shows what it means
Context – the situation in which language is used or presented in the classroom, the words or phrases before or after a word which help a student to understand that word
Contextualize is to put new language into a situation that shows what it means
Formal register or language is used in serious or important situations, e.g. in a job application
Informal register or language is used in relaxed or friendly situations, e.g. with family or friends
Informal register or language is used in relaxed or friendly situations, e.g. with family or friends
Formal register or language is used in serious or important situations, e.g. in a job application
Communicate – to exchange information or conversation with other people, using words, signs, writing etc
Communicative – relating to the ability to communicate, especially in a foreign language
Communicative competence – the ability to communicate in a target language for meaningful purposes. Such an ability requires the use of language skills together in social interaction
Outcome – the final result
Adapt (material) – to change a text or other material, so that it is suitable to use with a particular class
        Section II. Key ELT Issues with Pre-Viewing and While-Viewing Questions
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for the English Language Office (ELO) of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow
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Key ELT Issue 1. Integrating Skills

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • What communicative skills and sub-skills can be developed in the class? What types of activities can be used to develop each of them?

  • What predetermines the choice of the main activity in the class? How is the main activity related to the topic problem of the lesson?

  • What activities can a teacher use to integrate receptive/productive/cognitive skills for better language retention; motivate students; allow for plenty of practice; provide opportunities for authentic communication; create an active, interesting classroom?

  • What can be the main activity of the lesson?

  • What skills and sub – skills (communicative, cognitive etc.) are required to do the activity successfully?
  • What is the main activity of the lesson? What are the topics of the activity and how are they determined? What skills and sub-skills are required to do the activity successfully?

  • What language skills does the teacher focus attention on? Which of them are communicative receptive,productive, cognitive? Does each of the skills get sufficient practice? If not, what would you advise?

  • Make a flow-chart that shows in what order students work with the various skills. How are they connected with one another? Does the order flow naturally? If not, what would you advise to the teacher?

  • In what ways do you think these activities are authentic? What language do the students use to communicate? Can they use the same language for real communicative purposes outside the classroom?

  • How does the teacher evaluate student work in the activities? How would you evaluate student work in the activities?

Key ELT Issue 2. Building Language Awareness & Learning Strategies

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • How important is it to understand the meaning and use of the focus language items before the activity?

  • What do you think about the use of comprehensible input in the form of materials from authentic sources?

  • What techniques can a teacher use to focus on vocabulary/grammar?

  • How can the students get the language information they need to do the task?

  • What cultural aspects of a target culture might be interesting for the students? How can they be reflected in the language? How can we raise students’ awareness about these interrelations?

  • How does the teacher focus on language within the context?

  • Do you agree with the assumption that students can learn more easily and effectively through contextualized language practice and a focus on language within the context? Why or why not?

  • What can a teacher do to contextualize the language?

  • What learning strategies do students need to analyze and reflect on language they use? How do they do that?
  • What language do the students and the teacher use? What language items does the teacher pay attention to? When does she do it?

  • Does the teacher focus on language within the context? Do the students analyze and reflect on language they use?

  • Do the students use authentic materials as a stimulus for their activity? Do you think the students have the language skills to get information from this material?

  • How does the teacher make the students aware of the new language, be it new vocabulary or new structures? How do the students get the language information they need to do the task? Is the teacher’s approach more inductive or deductive?

  • If inductive, how does the teacher guide the students so that they, rather than the teacher, find the meaning of new words or the new grammar rules? Do you think the students are conscious in their own learning? What meta–language does the teacher use? For what purposes?

  • If deductive, how do the students react to the new information? What other language support resources would you recommend in an activity like this one? Why? Give your reasons.

  • Does the teacher ensure that the students are being exposed to comprehensible input? What other techniques can the teacher use to ensure the students understand the new language?

  • What different learning strategies do the students use during the class? Does the teacher coach the students to use different learning strategies? If not, what would you advise?

  • What cultural aspects of a target culture are taught? What else might be interesting for the students? How can the teacher better raise the students’ awareness of these cultural aspects?

Key ELT Issue 3. Group- and Pair-work

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • Which of the pair/group work activities could work well for all age groups?

  • What are some pros and cons of group work activities?

  • What can be the possible roles of students and teacher in pair/group work?

  • What kinds of interactions may occur between the groups and teacher, and within the groups themselves? Can you call this activity as cooperative learning or jigsaw activity?

  • How can the teacher assess students’ results?

  • If a student is working with a partner or group, in what ways can the results be similar to other participants’ results? In what ways can they be different?

  • What role does assessment play in the classroom activities? How might the students’ performance affect the future lessons that the teacher plans for the classes?
  • How many examples of group- and pair-work are there in this lesson? What is the purpose of using group work in each case?

  • How does the teacher organize the pairs or groups? What is the seating arrangement? What are the advantages of doing it this way? Are there any disadvantages? If so, what? What would you advise the teacher do?

  • Is there an example of a jigsaw activity or of an information gap activity? If not, how could the teacher modify one of the activities so that it becomes one of these types of activities?

  • In what sequence do the activities occur, and why? What are the advantages of each of the different pair- and group-work activities? What are the disadvantages? What could you advise the teacher to do in order to limit the disadvantages?

  • What kind of learning do you think takes place when the students work in pairs or groups?

  • What are the roles of students during each of the activities? What kinds of spontaneous communication take place between students?

  • What kind of group management techniques do you notice? What kind of directions do the students give each other? Do you notice any examples of student self-corrections?

  • How does the teacher give the instructions and when? What kinds of adjustments or adaptations might be necessary?

  • Does the teacher assess the students? If so, how? If not, what do you think the teacher does? How would you assess the students during this kind of activity?

  • How might the students’ performance influence the future lessons that the teacher plans for the classes?

Key ELT Issue 4. Teacher-Student Interaction & Learner Feedback

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • When/where/how do you usually give/receive the feedback? Does relationship to the person influence feedback?

  • What is the relationship to the activity and types of feedback in the class?

  • How can a teacher create a comfortable atmosphere in which students see making mistakes as part of the learning process?

  • There are different types of feedback (negative or positive; linguistic/communicative or affective; oral/written/non-verbal; given immediately or delayed; formative or summative). Think of a classroom situation in which one or several types of feedback can be used to advantage. What makes feedback relevant to the task?

  • In general, are there times when a teacher should not be positive? Is there a time when it is desirable to avoid correcting errors?

  • Can formative feedback encourage or discourage the learners?

  • What is the reason of giving/receiving the feedback in a foreign language class?

  • What can students learn throughfeedback? Must it always be positive?

  • How can a teacher correct mistakes? How does a mistake differ from an error?

  • Is it possible to avoid correcting errors? Give your reasons?

  • How does the classroom atmosphere relate to student performance?

  • What can you say about the group process that enables students to help each other and give peer feedback?

  • When/ where/ what for /how can you use peer feedback in a FL class?
  • Teachers can interact with students by providing information, giving directions, taking part in an activity with students, giving feedback and by quietly observing. In this lesson, which kind of interaction happens the most? The least?

  • What atmosphere is in the classroom? What techniques does the teacher use to encourage the students and give them confidence, to create a comfortable atmosphere in which students accept mistakes as part of the learning process?

  • What kind of feedback can you observe – negative or positive, both? Do the students feel ‘stupid’ receiving the feedback?

  • What can you say about the relevance of the feedback to the task? Is feedback linguistic/ communicative or affective? Oral/written/non-verbal? Given immediately or delayed? Formative or summative?

  • Does the teacher distinguish between errors and mistakes? Are they grammar/vocabulary/pragmatic? Does the teacher determine the type of errors? If so, how does the feedback differ? Does the teacher try to understand why the error occurred? Why or why not? What would you advise to the teacher?

  • How are feedback examples distributed within the group? Who does the teacher give feedback to? What is the long term impact of this kind of feedback on the students’ learning? Does it encourage a trial-and-error process or discourage students?

  • During the class are there any examples of peer feedback? How do the students respond to this kind of feedback (vs. that given by the teacher)? Does the teacher motivate students to self-correct, either individually or in groups?

  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of using peer feedback? How do students support and correct each other?

Key ELT Issue 5. Individual Learner Differences

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • Think about two or three of your students. List their personal and intellectual characteristics or habits. Name the characteristics of each individual that you think would help them to learn a foreign language. List two or three types of activities that he or she might do well in a classroom. Why do you think so?

  • How can a teacher vary teaching approaches and techniques, macro/micro level strategies to facilitate learning for a wide variety of students in the classroom?

  • How many different learning styles are there in your classroom? Try to categorize them.

  • What are possible procedures, materials, and activities that might facilitate more effective learning in the class where students have different intelligences?

  • What instructional activities can appeal to different forms of intelligence?

  • Should a teacher always encourage students to use their preferred intelligences in learning?

  • Is it reasonable to include some of the non-language skills into the language classroom? Why or why not?

  • Think of the things that might increase learner motivation or might make the learning process ‘real’ to the students.
  • Does the teacher use different approaches to deal with the various learner differences? What are they?

  • Are the students encouraged to use their preferred intelligences in learning? What kinds of motivation does the teacher use that makes learners want to learn?

  • Do the teacher’s instructional activities appeal to different forms of intelligence? How does the teacher vary teaching approaches and techniques to help facilitate learning for a wide variety of students in the classroom? What is the macro/micro level strategy the teacher uses?

  • What is the macro/micro level strategy the teacher uses?

  • How is the class organized to work on the different activities? What might be some reasons for this organization? Do you think it is effective? What are the skills the students have to use to complete the activity?

  • What is the main purpose of all the activities? What might be some secondary purposes? Do you feel that one or two of the activities are better than the others in terms of language learning? In terms of affective behaviors that might affect language learning?

  • Can you give the examples of activities the teacher uses that require the use of different skills, not only different language skills but other kinds of skills?

  • Name two or three techniques the teacher uses to enable students to take some responsibility for their own learning. What does the teacher do to help students be more self-directed? What can help students take some responsibility for their own procedures, classroom organization, and assignment completion?

  • How does the teacher lower affective barrier in the class, make the language learning tasks more enjoyable and motivating, and allow students with abilities in those areas to display those abilities and use them to enhance their language learning?

Key ELT Issue 6. Authentic Materials and Tasks

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • What are the reasons for using authentic materials in the classroom? What are some examples of authentic materials?

  • Can video and other multimedia materials fit into this category?

  • What is an authentic task? How should these tasks relate to the age and proficiency level of students?

  • What authentic materials/tasks do you usually/often/seldom/hardly ever use in your classrooms? Which of them do you find most interesting/enjoyable/useful in helping students learn the language?

  • What should a teacher do for authentic materials to be effective?

  • What are some things the teacher might do in subsequent lessons to build on each of these lessons, if the lessons are based on using authentic materials?
  • What kinds of materials does the teacher use during the class? Which of them can be called authentic?

  • How does the teacher use authentic materials/realia? What is the purpose for using them? Could the teacher conduct this lesson without them? What are the advantages and challenges of using these types of materials/ realia?

  • What is the age and proficiency level of the students? What behaviors can tell you whether or not this activity is a good match for these students or that the students enjoy the activity? Is the realia appropriate for this level?

  • How do the students react to the various materials? Which do they prefer? Why? If some of the materials you think are not quite appropriate for the students, how could you adapt them or modify activities to make them more appropriate?

  • What is an authentic task? Are there any examples of such tasks in the teacher’s lesson? Can you find any missed opportunities?

  • What are some things the teacher might do in subsequent lessons to ensure the use of authentic materials and tasks?

Key ELT Issue 7. Critical and Creative Thinking

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • What do we usually mean by critical/creative thinking?

  • Which topic in your curriculum or an upcoming lesson would you like to improve or enrich with critical thinking skills for your students? Give your reasons.

  • Do you agree that teaching and learning techniques for critical thinking apply as well to language studies as they do to content areas such as social studies or science? Why or why not?

  • What are critical and creative thinking activities?

  • In what ways do these activities foster higher order thinking skills?

  • What is the purpose of giving student groups different problems to address, instead of giving all the groups the same issue?

  • How can a teacher evaluate and measure the effectiveness of using critical thinking activities?
  • What do we usually mean by thinking critically? What do we mean by thinking creatively? How are these two terms related? What language skills are involved in these activities?

  • Can you find examples of how the teacher stimulates creative and critical thinking in the lesson? What aspects of the activities are cognitive or ‘thinking’ in nature/ affective or ‘feeling’ in nature/ strictly factual in nature? What percentage of the class time seems to be devoted to each?

  • How do the students respond to these tasks or activities? In what ways do these activities foster higher order thinking skills?

  • What are some strategies the teacher uses to reinforce critical/creative thinking using the language?

  • In what ways are the activities related or linked to each other? What is the sequence of activities the teacher uses in the class? Why do you think the teacher chose to do them in this sequence? What else might the teacher have done to ensure students employ creative and critical thinking?

  • How can a teacher measure the effectiveness of using critical thinking activities? What would happen if the teacher gave all the students the same questions? If the teacher gave different questions to different students? If the teacher let students choose their own questions? What do you think would work well and why?

  • What might you do differently in your own class? If you were this teacher, would you considered some or all of the activities a success? Why or why not?
Key ELT Issue 8. Contextualizing Language

Pre-viewing questions

While-viewing questions
  • How can the process of language learning in context be expressed?

  • How is language constructed for real communicative purposes?

  • What classroom learning experiences are more likely to lead to better learning outcomes?

  • Do you think that a contextualized approach can foster a deeper level of use of the language, especially when the themes and topics are of high-interest and motivate students? Why or why not?

  • What are the activities that the teacher uses in the classroom? Make your description as detailed as possible?

  • How might the activities be adapted for different ages? Different topic areas? Different levels?
  • Is the new language presented in the context of a long reading, listening or video chunk of language? Is it formal or informal language? What are the advantages of presenting language in the “context” of a larger chunk of language? How does this help the students? What are the difficulties of approaching language teaching from this perspective?

  • How does the teacher prepare the students for new language? How does she approach the new vocabulary? Would you do the same? If not, what would you do differently?

  • Does the language presentation phase of the lesson reflect realistic communicative purposes?

  • Do students continue to work with the language in context during the language practice phase?

  • Do the activities reflect realistic communicative purposes?

  • What themes and topics in the class do the students enjoy? Does the teacher identify, or ask the students to help identify, some related or new themes or topics they want to learn about?

  • Do you agree with the assumption that students learn more easily and effectively through contextualized language practice and a focus on language within the context? Why or why not?