A Suggestion for the Teaching of the Past Continuous

NORMAN COE
Ministry of Education, Oslo

TWO PRINCIPLES which I try to follow in my teaching are (a) that presentation and practice of an item should be as three-dimensional1 as is appropriate for that item, and (b) that each new structure should be presented on its own, without reference to structures already learned. (This latter only refers to initial presentation. Obviously the learners must later be made to grasp the difference in use between the new structure and other structures which might be used in similar contexts, or, more generally, the role played by the structure in the total system of the language.) When these two principles come into conflict with each other, clearly one of them has to give way. In presenting and practising the past continuous, I originally wanted to stress the first principle by arranging a suitable classroom situation, thus:
Teacher: John, go and stand by the door, please. Mary, put the lights on, please. Thank you. Will you both sit down, please.

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It was then possible to use, and get the pupils to use, the past continuous, but only in contrast with the simple past, something which goes against principle (b). For example:
Q: Where was John standing when Mary put the lights on ?

After using this approach in several classes it was very obvious that the pupils did not find it as crystal clear as I had hoped,2 so I decided to try to work out a new approach. As will be seen, the new presentation manages to deal with the past continuous on its own, but on the other hand the emphasis on the threedimensional aspect has had to go. I decided to use a large picture of a clock face without hands. (This approach is ideally suited to the overhead projector, using different-coloured pens; otherwise one can use different-coloured chalks on the chalkboard.) It is essential to establish that reference is being made to the past; hence the title over the clock. It is best to avoid a title like
'By three-dimensional I mean using everything available in the classroom in order to provide a concrete, visual framework for the language. *The pupils in question were Scandinavian school-children of about twelve.

A Suggestion for the Teaching of the Past Continuous

Mary's day last Saturday

12 noon Ham 1 pm

10 pm

9 pm .
r

watching ' a film

3 pm

8 pin

4 pm

7 pm 6 pm

5 pm

'What Mary did last Saturday' because it contains the simple past. After checking that the pupils appreciate that we are talking about last Saturday, it is possible to have the following presentation:
Teacher: At half past eleven last Saturday Mary was washing clothes. At half past twelve she was having lunch, etc.

One can then go on to question work, for example: Q: Was Mary having lunch at a quarter past twelve ? or Q: What was Mary doing at four o'clock? And so on. After thorough practice of this sort, it is usually possible for one or two of the brighter pupils to see and explain why the past continuous is being used in these cases. After practice and explanation comes the contrast with the simple past. (What I am suggesting is not a lesson plan. This second stage may well take place in a later lesson.) The clock is now supplemented with new information. If the overhead projector is used, this extra information can be ready on an overlay. On the other hand, one may prefer to miss out the verbs for the long actions in all subsequent practice, so that the pupils have to produce the correct form without assistance. As in the three-dimensional approach we can now have two sorts of question:
Q: What was Mary doing when it started to rain ? and Q: What happened while Mary was chatting with her friends ?

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Norman Co*

Mary's day last Saturday

the milkman came her boyfriend John telephoned

11

10
John put his arm round her

she saw George Beit

it started to rain

John came

6 the rain (topped

I have always found that this clock approach (in the two stages) is considerably more effective than my original way. But my experience is that this latter comes in very useful as a follow-up or refresher after the use of the clock approach. By this time the pupils have a fair grasp of the use of the structure, and the classroom situation can now provide goodreinforcement,including the contrast between the past continuous and the simple past.