How can you as language teacher help your students achieve those four

objectives?
Cristian Riao
Juan Pablo Vargas

We consider that in order to help our students to accomplish those four objectives
we must adopt a methodology in which learners can feel in a confident,
comfortable and safe environment, therefore, they do not feel embarrassed when
they make mistakes. As language teachers we need to be flexible and patient with
our students because mistakes are part of the process of learning a language,
even native speakers make grammar and pronunciation mistakes; in that sense,
we must know what the most appropriate moment to provide feedback is and how
we are going to approach learners mistakes in order to not affect their fluency
whether is in writing or speaking. - Anyone who has never made a mistake has
never tried anything new. Albert Einstein.

1. Enhancing fluency by furthering development of automaticity through

practice

Creating a safe, supportive environment where students are not afraid

of mistakes: Adopting this approach in the English language classroom,
students will feel that mistakes are not something terrible, on the contrary,
they will become aware that mistakes are part of the process of learning one
of the most intellectually demanding human task. In that sense, we are
contributing to our students to be more fluent due to students will not feel
afraid to talk, thus, enhancing automaticity. If students are afraid of
mistakes, then they are afraid of trying something new, of being creative, of
thinking in a different way.

Do not focus too much on Grammar: If we take into account this

methodology in our classrooms, we are aware that in order to obtain English
fluency and automaticity for our EFL students, studying too much grammar
can slow their progress down significantly. Basic grammar is a necessity, but
focusing on grammar will prevent our students from being able to speak
English fluently.

2. Noticing gaps in their own knowledge as they are forced to move from
semantic to syntactic processing, which may lead learners to give
more attention to relevant information

Back translating Activity: Back translating simply refers to the process of

translating a translated text back to its original language. Back translating is
beneficial for fostering learners consciousness of the lexical, idiomatic, and
syntactic differences between their native language and the target language.
If properly used, this activity facilitates English acquisition. (Zhang, 2014)

Pair correction activities with authentic material: Learners work with

authentic materials, it can be readings or listening activities in which they
are require to understand the meaning and use of words and expressions
embedded in an specific context, then, they correct in pairs with the help of
the teacher. These experiences should allow learners to become more
successful monitors and managers of their own learning, aware of the
limitations of their current level of language ability

3. Testing hypotheses based on development interlanguage, allowing for

monitoring and revision

Formative assessment: formative assessment is a type of assessment

which feeds back into learning and gives the learner information on his/her
progress throughout a course thus helping him/her to be a more efficient
learner Harris/McCann (1994: 90). The well known feedback is a way for
not only monitoring learners learning process, but it is also a path which
demonstrates to the learner what he/she has to correct for getting a
perfected acquisition of the language. A permanent use of it will allow to see
their mistakes and to improve them developing a well based knowledge of
the target language.

Establishing a few aims: To establish aims in a classroom is a strategy

that allows learners to be aware of a real input due to the fact that when they
are not too many the aims proposed during certain period of time, teacher
and learners will be focused solely on it. If a 40-students-classroom
proposes to reach a well domain over determined unique topic, teacher
himself/herself will be a permanent witness of the learning process;
consequently, the teacher will have time for monitoring and revising students
interlanguage development during such established period of time. On the
other hand, saturating students minds with many aims becomes a difficult to
process, and at the same time it blocks and produces demotivation towards
the acquisition/learning of the language.

4. Talking about language, including eliciting relevant input

(collaboratively) solving problems

Structured Problem Solving:

It is evident that if we establish two non-

experts to teach each other about an specific subject they will not learn
because they will not contribute meaningful knowledge each other. Generally,
in a Colombian classroom there are differences among students proficiency
and competence, but if we as teachers decide set groups up for them to solve
a problem (To find and correct the mistakes of a text, Replacing informal

language for a formal one, After a dictation students will compare and correct
the not correct written words, etc.), then, the less skillful ones will acquire
abilities and knowledge from the ones who are more skilled. The positive
result(s) of the activity, since that was a cooperative one, will elicit not only
collaborative work for solving problems, but will increase students meaningful
input too.

Sending Problems: Teacher will provide a problem to the students. Groups

are set up. It will be an empty folder which teacher will provide to the first
group where they will put sheet with the possible solution(s) to the problem.
The second group will also put the possible solutions to the problem without
copying the answer(s) from the first group and this will continue according to
the number of groups that have been set up.
The last group has to choose the best answer(s) to the problem(s). Lastly, the
teacher will assess the final answer but he/she will also provide a feedback
based on the wrong answer(s).

References:
Brumfit, Christopher (1984). Communicative Methodology in Language
Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Domingo, J. estrategias para el trabajo con grupos cooperativos, retrieved
from https://upcommons.upc.edu/bitstream/handle/2117/9373/CUIEET-XIIEEEI-1.pdf
The Role of Mistakes in the Classroom, Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/benefits-mistakes-classroom-alina-tugend
Zhang, Y. (2014). Back Translating: An Integrated Approach to Focus
Learners Attention on Their L2 Knowledge Gaps. Number 1. English
Teaching Forum.