How to motivate learners

with visible goals

John Hughes

ELTNGL.COM
A part of Cengage
John Hughes is a teacher, teacher trainer and
course book author. He has worked in ELT since
1992 and managed departments of Business
English and Teacher Training. He currently
combines a variety roles including part-time
teaching, running online training courses, and
lecturing on ELT methodology at Oxford
University in the summer. He has written many
books with National Geographic Learning
including Spotlight on First, Practical
Grammar, Total Business 2, Success with BEC
Vantage, Aspire, Life and World English Third
Edition.

He lives near Oxford and is a contributor to the

National Geographic Learning In Focus Blog.
His website is www.johnhugheselt.com.
World English Third Edition Level 1
World English Third Edition Level 2
 Teacher A:
Teacher B:
“You have to have clear goals
“Goals get in the way because
before a lesson, otherwise how
they force students to follow a
do you know what to teach or
path that might not be right for
what you want the students to
them.”“
learn.”

A poll

1 I agree with Teacher A

2 I mostly agree with A
3 I agree with both of them
4 I mostly agree with B
5 I agree with Teacher B

0 I don’t agree with either of them!

Graves, K. (2000) Designing Language Course National Geographic Learning

FORWARD PLANNING GOALS
What do the teacher’s goals look like?

BACKWARD PLANNING GOALS

What does success really look like?

STUDENT-DRIVEN GOALS
What do students think success looks like?
FORWARD PLANNING GOALS
What do the teacher’s goals look like?
 GOAL
By the end of this lesson students will be able to tell a story in English.

OBJECTIVE 1 OBJECTIVE 2 OBJECTIVE 3

Review the rules of the Learn the vocabulary you Practice telling the story
narrative tenses. need for a particular story. with discourse markers.

Graves, K. (2000) Designing Language Course National Geographic Learning

The what, who, where test:

By the end of this lesson I will have enabled students to

order a meal.

By the end of this lesson I will have enabled students to

discuss a menu with a friend and order a meal with a
waiter in a restaurant.
 Add so that for relevance

To use the past simple… so that students can write about their
grandparents’ lives.

To read quickly for key words so that students can understand the main
and phrases… meaning of a lecture and take
notes.

To learn words for the names so that students can talk about the best
of transport… ways to travel.

Zoe Elder at https://fullonlearning.com/2012/10/01/constructing-learning-so-that-it-is-meaningful-and-purposeful

Based on an idea from Didau, D. (2015) What if everything you knew in education was wrong Crown House
BACKWARD PLANNING GOALS
What does success really look like?
Goal: To enable students to show surprise and amazement

Objective 1: Learn phrases such as ‘Wow!” “That’s amazing” etc.

Objective 2: Practice rise fall intonation patterns

World English Third Edition Level 1 Unit 7

STUDENT-DRIVEN GOALS
What do students think success looks like?
Self-testing
 Games and game-like activities

World English Level 1 Third Edition, Unit 4

Challenge
Student video on food

With special thanks to Ira Maksymova and her wonderful students!

FORWARD PLANNING GOALS
What do the teacher’s goals look like?

BACKWARD PLANNING GOALS

What does success really look like?

STUDENT-DRIVEN GOALS
What do students think success looks like?
 Critical Thinking in ELT:
A Working Model for the
Classroom

By John Hughes
and
Paul Dummett
Join National Geographic Learning!

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