A Training Workshop given to Lebanese University undergraduates based on the Shaping We Teach English material during the months of November-December, 2010

1. Shaping the Way We Teach English Welcome to the "Shaping the Way We Teach English" Workshop as adapted for the English Language & Literature undergraduates at the Lebanese University - Branch II, Fanar

2. Shaping the Way We Teach English Modules to be Covered: Session 1: Monday, November 15 Contextualizing the Language Building Language Awareness Using Authentic Materials Session 2: Wednesday, November 24 Integrating Skills Pair and Group Work Session 3: Monday, November 29 Critical and Creative Thinking Learning Strategies Session 4: Wednesday, December 1 Individual Learner Differences Session 5: Monday, December 6 Learner Feedback Session 6: Wednesday, December 8 Managing Large Classes

3. Shaping the Way We Teach English Outline for Session 1: Introduction of the material Modules and expectations Task in preparation for presentations Contextualizing the Language A. Introduction B. Video C. Debriefing V. Building Language Awareness A. Introduction B. Video C. Debriefing VI. Authentic Materials VII. In preparation for session 2

4. Shaping the Way We Teach English Shaping the Way we Teach English: Successful Practices Around the World is a Video-based teacher training product for English language educators. Authors: Leslie Opp-Beckman & Sarah J. Klinghammer – University of Oregon Produced & Distributed by the Office of English Language Programs, US Department of State This training product is designed for English as a Foreign Language educators who share the following two goals: 1. Building an academic or “pedagogical” foundation, and 2. Improving classroom practices.

6. your willingness to experiment with and seriouslytry to use different ideas and techniques in your classroom THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX to creatively “SHAPE THE WAY YOU TEACH ENGLISH”

8. Attend regularly

9. Work actively and purposefully during each session to prepare with other group members for a lesson plan – or action plan – where you integrate the strategies and practices you have learned

10. Present your action plans during the last 2 sessions – Dec. 13 & 15

12. Shaping the Way We Teach English Contextualizing the language: learning language in real communicative situations Building language awareness: becoming aware of not only the grammar rules and the vocabulary but how the language is constructed in a specific context Using authentic materials: real objects used in the target culture for actual communicative purposes

13. Shaping the Way We Teach English Integrating Skills: the ability to communicate meaningfully in TL requires the use of language skills together in social interaction Group and pair work: what are the benefits? What about assessment? Class management? Critical and creative thinking: guiding students to think “analytically” so that they question and evaluate and create new concepts based on previously learned ones Learning Strategies: the strategies – cognitive and metacognitive – that learners develop to become independent and more involved in their own learning process

14. Shaping the Way We Teach English Individual learner differences: different learning styles; multiple intelligences; different backgrounds; a variety of personality traits; etc. Learner feedback: giving efficient feedback to learners and promoting the concept of mistakes as learning opportunities Managing large classes: how do large classes affect the quality of learning? What kind of planning is required? What about individual attention and effective feedback?

15. Shaping the Way We Teach English Contextualizing the Language the meaningful use of language for real communicative purposes to help students understand how language users construct language in a given context

17. A contextualized approach to instruction also supports the use of integrated skills, and pair and group work.

19. Shaping the Way We Teach English Contextualizing the Language SEE or DON’T SEE? Checklist: Language in Context What classroom practices or items of interest caught your eye as you watched the video? Give one or more specific examples, and connect them to changes you would like to try in your own setting. Explain how those changes might benefit you and your students.

21. vocabulary,

22. and pronunciation However, teaching these formal aspects of language through rules, exercises, memorization, and drills does not appear to be entirely effective. Research shows that: SELECTIVELY FOCUSING ON ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE USE WITHIN A GIVEN CONTEXT CAN BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE. LANGUAGE AWARENESS IS THE NAME FOR THIS KIND OF FOCUS.

25. Training of learners to become better, more conscious participants in their own learning. They do the work.

26. A balance of inductive and deductive techniques to focus on specific aspects of language.

27. Focus on appropriateness of language used, both situational and cultural.

30. Are appropriate for age and level – they are adaptable – could be simplified

31. Use real language.

32. Contain examples of the point of the lesson

33. Help students learn how to get as much information as they can

35. Shaping the Way We Teach English Authentic Materials Printed Text: Tourism Album

36. Shaping the Way We Teach English Authentic Materials Realia: Dolls in real clothes

37. Shaping the Way We Teach English Authentic Materials Realia: Models

38. Shaping the Way We Teach English Authentic Materials Realia: Students bring their own realia.

39. Shaping the Way We Teach English Authentic Materials Book Cart to create a literacy rich environment Or subject corners to expose learners to targeted content

40. Shaping the Way We Teach English Authentic Materials Images: Posters

44. Concerned groups prepare a brief presentation on your initial plan concerning the implementation of session 1 modulesThank you  See you next week!

45. Shaping the Way We Teach English Outline for Session 2: Sitting in groups & checking out list of names www.efleducators.wikispaces.com Readings, PPT, Updates, & Presentations What to look for Action Plan + Aids / poster Update Group Session 1 + briefing Integrating Skills A. Introduction B. Video C. Debriefing V. Group & Pair Work A. Introduction B. Video C. Debriefing VI. Group work VII. In preparation for session 3 & 4

47. Reflection on videos and ensuing discussions: differences and/or similarities; what I would like to try in my classroom & why

48. Link to poster’s questions & to action plan

49. Identify a class technique or resource that you would like to try in your own classroom

50. Highlight expected benefit

51. Explain how you would evaluate its successShare & receive feedback from your peers!

52. Shaping the Way We Teach English Action Plan for Final Presentations In this workshop, we are focusing on new teaching techniques and resources. Choose one technique or classroom innovation that you would like to incorporate into your class, and develop an action plan (below) for accomplishing this. My class Now vs. My Class in the Future (My Vision) The benefits I predict from this change: Challenges I expect: How I will address those challenges: Steps and timeline (schedule) for completing the change: How I will assess the degree of success of the change:

53. Shaping the Way We Teach English Session 1 Group Update on: Contextualizing the Language Building Language Awareness Using Authentic Materials

54. Shaping the Way We Teach English Integrating Skills The ability to communicate meaningfully & effectively in TL requires the use of language skills together in social interaction. Recall a successful or effectively transmitted message – a movie scene, a talk show, or a real life situation: * Use of receptive & productive language skills * Non-verbal skills * Aids

55. Shaping the Way We Teach English Integrating Skills: View the Video SEE or DON’T SEE? Checklist: Language in Context

57. A dialogue between the club secretary and a student who wants to join the club.Writing Activity: Students complete a membership application form for the reading club based on their partners’ information

59. a slideshow

60. A discussion

61. Diary entries

63. Shaping the Way We Teach English Group and Pair Work: What are the benefits? What about assessment? Class management?

65. Game rules:

67. Lesson Plan:

68. Student behavior:

71. Deductive vs. Inductive Reasoning

72. Jigsaw activity

74. Concerned group(s) prepare a brief presentation / update on your initial plan concerning the implementation of session 2 modulesThank you  See you next week!

75. Shaping the Way We Teach English Outline for Session 3: Sitting in groups & checking out list of names www.efleducators.wikispaces.com Readings, PPT, Updates, & Presentations Update Groups Session 2 + briefing Material Distribution Critical & Creative Thinking A. Discussion B. Video C. Debriefing D. Group Work Activity VI. Presentations

76. Shaping the Way We Teach English Session 2 Group I Update on: Integrating Skills Session 2 Group II Update on: Pair & Group Work

77. Shaping the Way We Teach English Critical & Creative Thinking What is the definition of critical thinking? What does it look like in the EFL classroom i.e. how do you know it’s part of the learning experience? “The disposition to provide evidence in support of one’s conclusion and to request evidence from others before accepting their conclusion.” (Hudgins & Edelman 1986) Low Level Thinking skills (LOTs) and High Level Thinking skills (HOTs)

78. Shaping the Way We Teach English Bloom’s Taxonomy

79. Shaping the Way We Teach English Critical & Creative Thinking Students should be given opportunities to question / evaluate knowledge / facts presented especially in today’s global society. EXPLAIN. How does it affect traditional teachers’ and learners’ roles? What about assessment?

80. Shaping the Way We Teach English In addition to cognitive abilities, what affective areas are involved? Critical & Creative Thinking Video SEE or DON’T SEE? Checklist: Language in Context

83. Shaping the Way We Teach English Outline for Session 4: Sitting in groups; checking out list of names; reminder about the “deal” www.efleducators.wikispaces.com Readings, PPT (action plan), Updates, Presentations, & Photos Presentations of Critical Thinking activities: Group Session 3 + briefing Learning Strategies & Individual Learner Differences A. Discussion B. Activity

84. Shaping the Way We Teach English Session 3 Group Update on: Critical & Creative Thinking

85. Shaping the Way We Teach English Any other group interested in sharing their activity on Critical & Creative Thinking

87. Which strategies would you encourage your students to use? Why? What’s the purpose?

88. Are you ready to model the use of these strategies in class to guide your students?

90. Shaping the Way We Teach English […] The neighbour feud had grown into a personal one since Ulrich had come to be head of his family; if there was a man in the world whom he detested and wished ill to it was GeorgZnaeym, the inheritor of the quarrel and the tireless game-snatcher and raider of the disputed border-forest. The feud might, perhaps, have died down or been compromised if the personal ill-will of the two men had not stood in the way; […] If only on this wild night, in this dark, lone spot, he might come across Georg Znaeym, man to man, with none to witness--that was the wish that was uppermost in his thoughts. And as he stepped round the trunk of a huge beech he came face to face with the man he sought. […]

91. Shaping the Way We Teach English The two enemies stood glaring at one another for a long silent moment. Each had a rifle in his hand, each had hate in his heart and murder uppermost in his mind. The chance had come to give full play to the passions of a lifetime. But a man who has been brought up under the code of a restraining civilisation cannot easily nerve himself to shoot down his neighbour in cold blood and without word spoken, except for an offence against his hearth and honour. And before the moment of hesitation had given way to action a deed of Nature's own violence overwhelmed them both. A fierce shriek of the storm had been answered by a splitting crash over their heads, and ere they could leap aside a mass of falling beech tree had thundered down on them. […]

92. Shaping the Way We Teach English "Could you reach this flask if I threw it over to you?" asked Ulrich suddenly; "there is good wine in it, and one may as well be as comfortable as one can. Let us drink, even if to-night one of us dies." "No, I can scarcely see anything; there is so much blood caked round my eyes," said Georg, "and in any case I don't drink wine with an enemy."

94. Cognitive ability or “intelligence”

95. Cognitive development in young learners

96. Language proficiency

97. Motivation

98. Personality traits

100. Learning styles questionnaire: active & reflective learners; sensing & intuitive learners; visual & verbal learners; sequencing & global learners

101. Seven intelligences checklist: linguistic; logical; spatial; musical; bodily; naturalistic; interpersonal; intrapersonal& accordingly identify learning strengths!

103. Content & medium of delivery

104. Learning strategies

105. Responsibility

107. Concerned group prepare a brief presentation / update on learning strategies & individual learner differences + post on wiki

108. Check the www.efleducators.wikispaces.com for an activity regarding learning styles and multiple intelligences

109. Check the wiki for the presentations schedule and guidelinesThank you  See you next week!

110. Shaping the Way We Teach English Outline for Session 5: Group work: articles vs. questions Attendance / material / wiki membership / action plan / schedule Presentations that answer the questions + note taking by relevant groups to post on www.efleducators.wikispaces.com Preparation for final presentations

111. Shaping the Way We Teach English Session 3 Group Update on: Learning Strategies Elias Haddad Jessica Bechara Leonie El Khoury Liliane Geara Pierre Awaida Rabih Bou Jaoudeh Sabine Abi Saber Sandra Tawk ElianorKhoury

113. uses a variety of strategies to learn independently

114. monitors his/her own learning process

115. explains what strategies s/he uses and why“Metacognition” is the process of thinking about one’s thinking / learning.

117. recognizes language and communication patterns

118. has a strong motivation to communicateA “strategy” is a tool, method, or plan for accomplishing a task. Successful language learners tend to select strategies that work well together in a highly organized way, and that are a good fit for the requirements of the language task.

119. Shaping the Way We Teach English Group Work Go through the article you are responsible for, and then pick one of the questions listed on the poster to answer in a quick presentation. Make sure your presentations include at least one example, tip, or strategy from the classroom that support your point. You could also refer to the manual & the video segments.

120. Shaping the Way We Teach English Group Work The groups responsible for “Individual Learner Differences” and “Learner Feedback” record the answers to the questions relevant to their content areas and post these answers to the wiki as update. Any use of references should be cited.

121. Shaping the Way We Teach English Group Work: Articles Evaluating Student Work I: Philosophy of Grading (II) Methodology: feedback in communicative classrooms (I) Student Correction During Class – How and When? (II) Responding to student papers (III) Learning Styles and Strategies (VI) Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades (IV) Teaching Multilevel Adult ESL Classes (VI) Emotional Intelligence and ELT (V)

122. Shaping the Way We Teach English Session 4 Group Update on: Individual Learner Sentences Session 5 Group Update on: Learner Feedback

123. Shaping the Way We Teach English QUESTIONS How can you help students self-correct and why is it important? What does formative assessment mean and why is it important? Which of these strategies is an effective feedback strategies? Describe and justify: giving incentives; using checklists; facial expressions; on-the-spot correction When is it appropriate to delay feedback? Is it important for students to have consistent feedback? What kind of feedback should it be? How would you deal with students who correct each other spontaneously? Describe 4 best practices concerning feedback on students’ written work.

124. Shaping the Way We Teach English QUESTIONS 8. Why is it important to be open-minded while correcting students’ work? 9. What is the link between emotional intelligence and learner feedback? 10. Is fluency more important than accuracy or the other way around? 11.What should you do if all students have the same mistake? 12. “Selective correction” means that the teacher decides to correct only certain errors. On what is the choice of errors to be corrected based on? 13. The module advocates listening to students’ feedback. What could students contribute? Why is it important to listen to them?

125. Shaping the Way We Teach English QUESTIONS Do learning styles affect the choice of learning strategies? Elaborate. How can language educators individualize learning? What are the benefits of learning stations or self-access areas or rooms? What are the challenges? How can the concept be adapted to our setting? Does “differentiated instruction” mean special education as instruction for special groups of very advanced language learners? Explain. Which learners are active and which are reflective? Are learners either active or reflective?

126. Shaping the Way We Teach English Some Answers When is it appropriate to delay feedback? It is better to delay feedback if it affects learners’ fluency and self- confidence. It is then suggested to find alternative ways to comment and correct errors. These ways could include jotting down remarks and asking other learners to do so and then have a class discussion. In this case, the teacher should guarantee a positive and constructive class atmosphere. Is it important for students to have consistent feedback? What Kind of feedback should it be? Learners should receive consistent feedback to guide them in the learning process but also to give value to their work and effort. Feedback should consistently be specific and objective.

128. Write comments instead of just administering a grade; comments should guide students in their revision of their writing ; comments should also exclude vague expressions and focus on the positive aspect of the student’s work

129. Resort to face-to-face conferencing to give the student a chance to explain his way of thinking and to be able to offer the appropriate guidance

131. Shaping the Way We Teach English Outline for Session 6: Congratulations! Previous modules: wrap-up Managing large classes Preparation for final presentations

132. Shaping the Way We Teach English EFL Educators Bravo for all those who signed in to the wiki and all those who met the challenge and started exploring and posting! MOST of ALL Remember to cite your sources!!!!

134. Teachers’ role is to reduce anxiety and negative feelings during the learning process, in short to create an environment able to develop students’ EQ

135. This is especially important in these days when communicative and collaborative learning techniques prevail over rote-learning and teacher-center classroomsSource: Emotional Intelligence and ELT by Steve Darn http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/emotional-intelligence-elt

137. Ice breakers & warmers (raising personal interest & connecting to personal experience)

138. Brainstorming & discussions (sharing of knowledge & opinions)

139. Drama and simulation linked to real life

141. Build confidence

142. Create a positive classroom atmosphere

144. Give specific feedback rather than vague comments

145. Listen to students’ own comments: what they felt during the task for example

148. Write comments instead of just administering a grade; comments should guide students in their revision of their writing ; comments should also exclude vague expressions and focus on the positive aspect of the student’s work

149. Resort to face-to-face conferencing to give the student a chance to explain his way of thinking and to be able to offer the appropriate guidance

152. Teachers are to be proactive and try to anticipate students’ behavior or misbehavior and plan accordingly; a teacher reflects on his/her strategies, and then either improves them or replaces them.

154. Teachers should also carefully separate behavior rewards from grading assessment.

155. Don’t put yourself as a teacher in a personal confrontation with a student; make sure the established rules are clear from day one in the way they identify the behavior / misbehavior and the way it is treated. That way, students face the system rather than the teacher.

156. Students’ sense of responsibility and dignity is enhanced when they know that they have every right to claim a chance provided they give guarantees in return. These chances are recorded.

158. In preparation for sessions 7 & 8 on: Check the wiki for the presentations’ schedule and guidelines Starting 4.10 p.m. Remember the activity regarding learning styles and multiple intelligences Thank you  See you on Wednesday!

159. In preparation for sessions 7 & 8 on: PresentationsWith regard to your presentations, please keep the following issues in mind: Your presentation should not be a lecture. Please plan on presenting an activity that engages the audience. Then share the techniques used, the benefits, the challenges, and the assessment methods most preferably in a discussion. Your presentation should take around 20 minutes including the time you dedicate to questions. Your presentation should be connected to “Shaping the Way We Teach English” and is not necessarily restricted to the content area of your group. Feel free to use all the aids available. Be as creative as you need to be. You could check Project Showcase, Fall 2006 for examples of action plans.