Appropriate Language

“Good morning, sir. I would like to apply for the

position of senior manager at your company.”

Applying for a job

“Hey, how's it going? I was wondering if you were

free to hang out tomorrow for lunch. See you!”

Making plans with a friend on the phone

 Appropriate Language

Language that is both linguistically

correct and that is proper for the
situation.
 Authentic Sources

Website: en.wikipedia.org
Film: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
TV show: “Friends”
Song: “Yesterday” by the Beatles
Newspaper: The Guardian
Literature: “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens
 Authentic Sources

Sources used by native speakers or

other users of the target language
for “real world” communication
 Collaborative Learning
Reading: The teacher asks a group of 4 students to
read an 8 page essay. However, they have very little
time. So the students decide to read 2 pages each,
take notes and tell each other the main points of their
sections.
Speaking: The teacher asks a group of 4 students to
prepare a presentation about global warming. One
student researches the topic, another student
compiles the best information, the third student
makes the poster and the fourth finds audio-visual
material. The four of them then present their topic to
the class.
 Collaborative Learning

Learners working together to solve

a problem, complete a task or
create a product. Learning occurs
through social activity.
 Comprehensible Input
This class has studied Simple Past, but not Present
Perfect. What do you notice about the teacher's
question? What do you notice about the student
responses?
The teacher: “I love going to the coast for vacation. Have you
ever travelled to the coast? When did you go there?”

Student A: “I went there last summer.”

Student B: “I went to the coast two years ago.”

 Comprehensible Input

Language which can be generally

understood by the learner but
which contains linguistic items or
grammatical patterns that are
slightly above the learner's
competence.
 Conscious Effort
Read this classroom situation. What kind of effort
do the students make in doing their activity? How
is this different from normal effort?
The teacher explains the basics of English
pronunciation and tells the students that they will
act out a skit to improve their pronunciation.

The teacher tells the students to especially be careful

about the stress they place on the words.

The students act out the skit with deliberate

emphasis on pronouncing the stresses correctly.
 Conscious Effort

Effort that learners make

deliberately knowing and
understanding the purpose for the
action.
 Deductive Techniques

The teacher explains the rule that adverbs are

usually placed before the main verb in a sentence.
He then asks the students to try to put the adverb in
the correct place in these examples:

1. I walk to school. (often)

2. I wake up at 6 am. (always)
3. I eat lunch in a restaurant. (never)
4. I drink coffee. (sometimes)
 Deductive Techniques

Learners are taught the “rules” of

the language and then expected to
apply them.
 Inductive Techniques
The teacher asks these questions:

“Have you gone to Cartagena?”

“Have you danced on your living room table?”
“Have you eaten an ant?”
“Have you watched a sunrise?”
The students answer the questions with their own experiences.

Then they figure out that the Present Perfect Tense follows this
pattern:

Subject + have or has + Past Participle

 Inductive Techniques

Learners discover the “rules” of

language themselves through their
experience with the language.
 Language Awareness
Look at these examples closely. Is the person speaking or
writing? What difference do you notice in the language?
“I'll meet you at five.”
“Let's go.”
“He'd never cheat on his girlfriend.”
“I'm so hungry.”
“But you've just had lunch!”
“I will meet you at five. Let us speak about the job then. I
would really appreciate your time. I am grateful for this
opportunity. I have already sent an email to your
secretary.”
 Language Awareness

A focus on aspects of language

within a given context. Paying
attention to or noticing the
language detail in a context.
 Meta-language
Verbs, Nouns, Adverbs, Adjectives, Pronouns
Words describing word categories
Simple Past, Present Perfect, imperative, infinitive
Words describing grammar categories

Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Grammar

Words describing different skills

Study skills, flashcards, Podcasts, TV shows, radio
Different learning strategies
 Meta-language

Language used by the teacher and

students to talk about language or
about learning strategies and
techniques.
 Pragmatics
How does two people greet each other in Colombia?
In Japan? In India? In the US?
How does a child refer to an adult in Colombia? How does an adult refer to a child in Japan? How
do children talk to their elders in India?

How did you address your parents when you were a child? A teenager? Now?

Should you speak loudly or quietly in church? In a classroom? At a football game? At a funeral?
At a concert?

Should you speak assertively or modestly in Colombia? In

the US? In Japan?
 Pragmatics

Social and cultural aspects of

language use.
 Reflection
The teacher introduces the students to the four
skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking
The teacher then asks the students which is the most difficult out of the four skills.

Most of them reply that Listening is the most difficult.

The teacher asks what strategies they have tried or do they know to improve
Listening.

They reply: TV, news, radio, internet radio, podcasts, etc.

 Reflection

Thinking critically and analytically

about language and learning.
 Skit
Narrator: It's early Thanksgiving morning. Grandma Josephine
and Grandpa Joe are still asleep, and in the refrigerator the
food is chatting.

Cranberry Sauce: I can't wait for dinner!

Turkey: But, I'm the traditional main dish! So I must be the best,
in fact, I am the best!

Mashed Potatoes: Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without

me! Mashed potatoes are always everyone's favorite!

Stuffing: Turkey, you think you're so important! But you're

nothing without me, the tasty stuffing!

Pumpkin Pie: You all think you're so important! They always save
the best and the sweetest for last!
 Skit

Short dramatic performance.