METHODOLOGY OF FOREIGN

LANGUAGE TEACHING

CONFERENCE IN BELGRADE JULY 1ST

ANNICK PERROT
English teacher in upper secondary education and CPD teacher trainer
Acadmie of Grenoble, FRANCE
 The big challenges of
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IN LARGE CLASSES
 The big challenges of
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IN LARGE CLASSES
Fostering motivation and encouraging
interaction
 The big challenges of
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IN LARGE CLASSES
Fostering motivation and encouraging
interaction
Finding ways to engage students in the learning
process
 The big challenges of
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IN LARGE CLASSES
Fostering motivation and encouraging
interaction
Finding ways to engage students in the learning
process
Meeting the needs of students in multi
level/ability classes
 The big challenges of
TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES
IN LARGE CLASSES
Fostering motivation and encouraging
interaction
Finding ways to engage students in the learning
process
Meeting the needs of students in multi
level/ability classes
Providing personalized feedback and assessing
 How can teachers promote active learning
and encourage interaction between
students in large classes?
 How can teachers promote active learning
and encourage interaction between
students in large classes?

How can teachers cater for the needs of

students with different language skill
levels, abilities but also interests and
learning styles in large classes?
 1. Task-based learning (TBL)
A learner-centered approach
A task is.
A goal oriented activity in which learners use
language to achieve a real outcome
(Willis 1996)
The central focus of the lesson is the task itself and the objective is
to complete the task.
The language becomes an instrument of communication whose
purpose is to achieve the task successfully
It is learning by doing and learning for doing . Motivation is
provided by the need to realize the objectives of the task and to
report back on it
 Tasks can be designed to develop any of the four language
skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing)
Most tasks are integrative (involve more than one skill)

The traditional PPP (presentation,practice, production) lesson is

reversed
 A variation/extension of task based learning in language
classes in France :

A task based scenario

A task based framework called pedagogical scenario

designed by the teacher engaging the students in a
series of tasks and activities gradually leading up to a
more elaborate final task for students and a final product
or performance.
It is often topic based (in accordance with the National
curriculum)
The 4 skills are integrated in the scenario but the focus is
placed on developing 2 main dominant communicative
skills.
 Examples of final tasks

Creating a radio podcast on a topic, taking

part in a debate or a talk show, creating a
leaflet, making an oral presentation on a
topic, making a speech, organising an
exhibition, creating a TV advert or campaign
etc.
 The teachers role :

Orchestrator

Monitor (sometimes, referee !)

Supporter and Facilitator

The Guide on the Side and not The Sage on the Stage
 Benefits of TBL
It makes learning purposeful and meaningful for students

It is a strong communicative approach where students spend a lot of

time communicating.

It allows students to focus on real communication before doing any

serious language analysis

It focuses on studentsneeds by putting them into authentic

communicative situations and allowing them to use all their language
resources to deal with them.

It makes learners aware of their needs and encourage them to be more

involved in their own learning

It emphasizes meaning over form but also cater for learning form
2. Group work and differentiation
More hands make for lighter work. The more the merrier
Two heads are better than one.

Why using pair/group/team work in large classes?

 Skills development:
- Communication oral skills such as speaking
(Increase speaking opportunities, reduces anxiety) and
listening skills.
-Collaborative skills such as leadership, and working
with and motivating others (preparing students for the
realities and diversity of the workplace)
 Skills development:
- Communication oral skills such as speaking
(Increase speaking opportunities, reduces anxiety) and
listening skills.
-Collaborative skills such as leadership, and working
with and motivating others (preparing students for the
realities and diversity of the workplace)

Increased productivity, creativity and performance:

Groups that work well together can achieve much
more than individuals working on their own. A broader
range of skills can be developed by sharing and
discussing ideas.
 Grouping offers many possibilities for
differentiation (tasks/ content/ material/
support etc.)

Assigning different tailored tasks to each group or within

each group

Assigning the same task to groups but varying the

learning material (for each group or within each group)

Providing different support/ scaffolding to groups for

task completion
 Grouping of students
1) Grouping students by skill level (in a specific skill and
according to the CEFR standards and descriptors)
 Grouping of students
1) Grouping students by skill level (in a specific skill and
according to the CEFR standards and descriptors)
Heterogeneous skill level-based groups:
-Higher -achieving students in the group can help the others to
carry out the task and help them develop their skills .They are
in a position to be experts, leaders, models and gain
confidence
-Lower -achieving students get the benefits of having higher
achieving students help in their group.

Homogeneous skill level based groups:

-Students can work on their weaknesses or leverage their
strengths
-The teacher can work more intensely with those that need help
2) Other types of grouping
Interest-based groups:
Students can select and join a group sharing
the same interest.

Randomly mixed groups

Giving students the choice

 Teachers need to consider what they want their
students to get out of it

Do you want your students to collaborate and

help each other?
Do you want to have students grouped together
so you can work with them in a smaller group
setting to work on their weak skills or leverage
strong ones ?
Do you want to create group dynamics based on
a shared interest or personal choice ?

But dont forget to keep groups flexible and vary

grouping practices to maximize student learning
depending on your objective !
 Assigning roles and responsibilities
within each group
Examples:
Facilitator: leads the group discussion
Note taker: writes things down as needed
Reporter /Summarizer: provides a summary of
the discussion for other students to amend or to
the teacher if asked
Monitor: makes sure everyone is speaking
English and does their part
Checker /Time keeper: keeps track of the time
and checks for completion of assignments
Vocabulary helper: checks and defines new
words for the group
3.PROMOTING COOPERATIVE LEARNING
3.PROMOTING COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Making group work meaningful and efficient

through a set of processes of structured group
work to organise interaction in class:
3.PROMOTING COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Making group work meaningful and efficient

through a set of processes of structured group
work to organise interaction in class:

Students work in groups to help each other

3.PROMOTING COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Making group work meaningful and efficient

through a set of processes of structured group
work to organise interaction in class :

Students work in groups to help each other

Students draw on one anothers knowledge
and skills because they have a shared goal
that can only be met through cooperation.
Cooperative techniques
JIGSAW
TEAMPAIR SOLO
NUMBERED HEADS
ROUND ROBIN BRAINSTORMING
PARTNERS
THINK PAIR SHARE
CIRCLE THE SAGE
DYNAMIC CIRCLES
MAIN ELEMENTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Positive interdependence (swim or sink

together)
MAIN ELEMENTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Positive interdependence (swim or sink

together)

Promotive interaction (working together to

promote each others success)
MAIN ELEMENTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Positive interdependence (swim or sink

together)

Promotive interaction (working together to

promote each others success)

Individual and group accountability: both the

group and each individual are responsible for
achieving the shared goal
BENEFITS OF COLLABORATIVE AND COOPERATIVE
LEARNING
More active involvement in learning

More positive feelings about learning experience

Greater retention

Development of oral communication skills

Development of social interaction skills

More opportunities for personal feedback.

4.Flipped classroom: blended learning
 In a flipped classroom, students engage with
online lectures or other materials (WebPages,
videos, TV clips , podcasts etc...) outside of
class to prepare for an active learning
experience in the classroom (Hands-on
learning in class)

It is a pedagogical model in which the typical

lecture and homework elements of a course
are reversed.
 What to flip?

Teachers must determine:

what can be accomplished best online

what can be accomplished best in

class sessions

How online and in-class activities can

best be integrated for optimal
learning.
 How?

Assign pre-class readings and have students

complete quizzes on this reading before
coming to class (TedEd)

Create videos that explore a topic and require

students to watch them before class.
Use BYOD trends (kahoot, plickers, clicker) to
poll your students in class or ask them to
design one!
How?
 Benefits
Increase Time for interaction ( between students
/ teacher and students in class)
 Benefits
Increase Time for interaction ( between students
/ teacher and students in class)

More time for teachers to answer questions,

clarify content, provide feedback.
 Benefits
Increase Time for interaction ( between students
/ teacher and students in class)

More time for teachers to answer questions,

clarify content, provide feedback.

Greater student autonomy

 Benefits
Increase Time for interaction ( between students
/ teacher and students in class)

More time for teachers to answer questions,

clarify content, provide feedback.

Greater student autonomy

Greater differentiation: Students can control the

time, pace of learning with the online materials
 5. Using games and fun activities

Games are fun, interactive, social great learning tools

They add flare and student engagement to more

tedious, yet necessary exercises like :
Grammar or pronunciation rules and vocabulary , reviewing for
tests, remediation sessions

Using collaboration and adding an element of

competition motivates and energizes students.
 Pronunciation games (talking circle, running
dictation, Dear John letter....)

Vocabulary games (times up, chain

memorisation speaking games, board racing...)

Grammar games (whats my problem?)

Drama activities (role playing, miming,

simulations, improvisation etc...)
 6.Assessing
FOCUS on positive formative assessment

It uses activities that reveal what students can do

with the language emphasizing their strengths
instead of weaknesses.
It is performance based (the point of language
learning is communication for meaningful
purposes.)
Students can evaluate their own learning and learn
from the evaluation process: they reflect on both
Their linguistic development
Their learning processes (what helps them learn/ what might
help them to get better etc...)
 Main features
It is based on a task that demonstrates the students
ability to accomplish communication goals. The
focus is on communication (not on right/ wrong
answers)

Students help to set the criteria for successful

completion of the task

Students have opportunities to assess themselves

(self-assessment) and their peers (peer assessment).
 Rubric
Assessment rubrics should include all the
skills that are at stake for the successful
completion of the task, not just the
proficiency in linguistics but also socio-
linguistic skills, pragmatic skills
Rubrics provide a measure of quality of
performance of established criteria for the
successful performance of a specific task.
Rubrics are scaled and sub scaled according
to the CEFR standards and descriptors
For effective formative assessment:

- The teacher needs to familiarize students with the

use of formative assessment
-Students can measure how much they have
improved and what they still need to work on to
improve their performance.

They are then more likely to engage in remediation

activities and exercises to improve their skills
and more involved in their own learning.