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Theoretical Framework
for the Teaching English to
Teens Workshop
By Claudia Morales Brieño

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Learner Centered Approaches
 English language instruction should
encourage learner autonomy while
building a sense of self-esteem as well as
cultural identity. In addition, effective
instruction must incorporate different
learning styles and multiple intelligences.

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What teachers need to do
 Recognize importance of learner autonomy
for teenagers in the language learning
process.
 Develop activities that are effective for
teaching English while also building teenagers
self-esteem and cultural identity.
 Self-assess their own learning styles and
intelligences and become skilled at
incorporating a variety of themes in English
Language Instruction.
 Create a more learner centered English class
by focusing on the particular needs of
teenagers.

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Twelve things to keep in mind
while teaching teens
 Music in the classroom.
 Up-to-date topics such as
IT, sport, entertainment and media.
 Group work allows individuals to interact
collaboratively.
 Role-play activities help to express different
feelings.
 Teach them learner autonomy and individual
choice.
 Use their special encyclopaedic knowledge
of a particular field.

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 Surprise and humor.
 Movement around the class.
 Teaching multilevel classes, effective
classroom management.
 Use of mother tongue to avoid
misunderstanding, confrontation and
potential discipline problems and pressure
on individual.
 Games provide purposeful
contexts, stimulate
interaction, competition and are fun!
 Project work offers an individual chance
to use individual talent.

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Teach to students learning
styles.
To know the types of learners
they are and the activities
they like, give the students the
chance to discuss possible
solutions to problems.

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Multiple Intelligences Theory
 Verbal /linguistic Intelligence
Note taking
Listening to lectures
Reading books
Story telling
Debates

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 Musical Intelligence
Singing
Playing recorded music
Playing live music
Jazz chants
 Logical Mathematical
Science demonstration and experiments
Logic puzzles and games
Story problems with numbers
Logical sequential presentation

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 Spatial Visual Intelligence
Using charts
Videos, slides, movies
Using art
Graphic organizers
 Bodily Kinesthetic Intelligence
Hands-on activities
Field trips
Role plays

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 Interpersonal Intelligence
Pair work, peer teaching
Board games
Group brainstorming
Group problem solving
Project work
 Intrapersonal Intelligence
Activities with a self-evaluation
Component interest centers
Options for homework
Personal journal keeping

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Questions to be asked at the
end of a lesson
 What parts of the lesson were easy for
you?
 What was difficult?
 What was fun?
 What did you learn?
 What did you learn about yourself?
 About you classmates?
 How would you use these ideas outside of
the classroom?

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Feedback is important
P-Q-P METHOD
 Praise- Tell your student or classmate what
you liked best about his/her activity.
 Question-Ask your student or classmate a
question about something you didn’t
understand in his/her activity. Or ask a
question if you think something is missing.
 Polish- Give your student or classmate one
idea to make his/her activity even better. We
are here to work together as a community to
be the best teachers we can be after all.

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Lesson Framework
Three Stages Process
 Into-Student’s prior knowledge about a
concept is proved.
*Use of visuals, journals, vocabulary
previews, free association or visualization
exercises and anticipation reaction guides
to access to new materials. Entry to the
topic prior knowledge, better prepared for
new content materials.

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 Through- Encounter new content relating
it to the into stage.
*Activities may include grammar
development, vocabulary
expansion, reading guides, idea
sequencing, text completion, exercises into
gap tasks. Text explanation exercises either
oral or written. Practice new language skills.

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 Beyond- Students demonstrate their
comprehension by applying their new
knowledge.
*Literary passages, written output, role
plays, debates and essays. Students
demonstrate conceptual and linguistic
mastering.

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Content Based Instruction has at least
two categories: content and language
 It includes: learning strategies, skills
development, objectives, technology
skills, social skills, cultural objectives.

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 Culture objectives- Particular culture-
cross, cultural comparisons.
 Language objective- linguistic
concepts, vocabulary, communicative
functions, grammatical structures.
 Content obligatory language- language
essential for understanding and talking
about the content.
 Content compatible language- it
emerges directly form the foreign
language curriculum (additional
vocabulary).

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Formula for language objectives
 Ss wil use X (grammatical structure) to Y
(communicative function) with Z (words/word
groups).
 For example: Students will use prepositional
phrases to identify the relative location of
places with phrases such as to the south of, to
the west of, to the north
of, beside, between, etc.

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Tools for activating materials and tasks
in the English Language Classroom
Activating techniques: ellicitation, gapping
and adaptation
Ellicitation- as a technique allows students to
draw on what they know on existing
schemata/scafolding, sharing ideas within a
sociocultural context.
Ellicitation activities- extended brainstorming
and top-down vocabulary.

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 Gapping- refers to the authentic purpose
of communication: transfering information
or bridging the gap form one person to
another. Using gapping activities means
that each learner needs to
negotiate, collaborate and exchange
information toward a common goal.

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 Extendingand adapting- Practical ways
to draw on realia and authentic materials.
Activating techniques focus on the Ss in the
class. Keeping them involved or having
them doing and producing rather than
passively receiving information.

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Project Based Approach
 Developing a thematic unit plan that
engages teens in projects is meaningful
and fun!

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Project Based Instruction
 Student centered.
 Begining, middle, end.
 Content meaningful.
 Real world problems.
 First hand investigation.
 Sensitivity to local culture.
 Specific goals related to curriculum.
 Tangible product.
 Connections among academic life and work skills.
 Opportunity for feedback and assessment.
 Opportunity for reflective thinking & self assessment.

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Benefits of project based
instruction
 Preparing children for workplace.
 Increasing motivation.
 Connecting learning at school with reality.
 Providing collaborative opportunities to
construct knowledge.
 Increasing social and communicative skills.
 Increasing problem solving skills.
 See connections between disciplines.
 Providing opportunities to contribute.
 Use individual learning strenghts.
 Practical real world way to learn.

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To work with projects
 Examine curriculum standards and
required units for the class.
 Choose a theme that is meaningful and
relevant to students.
 Brainstorm ideas to incorporate real-life
situation and tasks.
 Choose, organize and order the activities.
 Incorporate projects that can encourage
learner choice and autonomy.

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Eleven steps for working with
projects
1. Students and teacher agree on a theme
for the project.
2. Students determine which the final
product will be.
3. Students and teacher structure the
project.
4. Teacher prepares students for the
language demands and copes it with
what they know.

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5. Students do the research on the topic.
6. Teacher helps students to select relevant
information.
7. Students compile and analyze the
information to identify the relevant one.
8. Teacher prepares language
improvement activities to help students
succeed with the presentation of their final
product.
9. Students present their final project.
10. Students evaluate their projects.
11. Students reflect about their experience.

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Student self-assessment
 What were the project’s successes?
 What might I do to improve the project?
 How well did I meet the goals?
 What was the most difficult about meeting
the goals?
 What surprised me most?
 What was my group best team effort?
 Worst team effort?
 What were the skills I used?
 How can I practice these skills in the future?
 What was my final project evaluation?

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Six A’s to Project Based
 Authenticity
 Academic rigor
 Adult relationships
 Applied learning
 Active exploration
 Assessment practices.

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For further references check the biblography posted
on the blog.