Doing it on Disc
A new series of DVDs shows teachers doing what they do best
Published January 2010,
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING IN ACTION (FIVE DVDS)
BridgeTEFL
I became involved in teacher-training about fifteen years ago when the then-current technology allowed the use of occasional video clips on bulky TV screens, usually in airless training rooms, and only if there was a seat available. How things have moved on! More recently any shortage of input via DVD would probably lead to huddles of trainees muttering about asking for their money back. Happily, we nowadays see more and more use of laptops running high-definition clips of teachers in action. Hence the title of this excellent five-DVD series showing teachers in a North American context doing what teachers do.
Disc one, ‘Games and Activities,’ has fifteen clips ranging from five to nine minutes in length. As with all five discs, it begins with teachers briefly explaining relevant terminology such as ‘task-based learning’ or ‘information-gap activity’ and then the rationale behind the activity. The main section of each clip shows the teacher setting up the task and the class carrying it out. Tasks shown generally involve small groups of students from a variety of linguistic backgrounds. High-quality filming and sound recording have resulted in DVDs with clear sound and professional close-up images of teachers and learners at work. Key points often appear onscreen, along with examples of the target language involved, and advice is often given on how to adapt material, such as in ‘Vocabulary Bingo,’ to suit the needs of different levels of learners.
Disc two, ‘Productive Skills,’ features tasks for teaching writing, such as running dictation, job applications, story-building, creative writing, and using prompts to increase fluency. Speaking tasks include a fun role play dealing with ordering in a restaurant, during which students first learn appropriate functional language and then get the chance to use it in a created but realistic context. Disc three, ‘Receptive Skills,’ provides, among others, clips on the following: teaching listening for gist and detail, designing tasks for CALL (computer-assisted language learning), using authentic materials, using images to pre-teach vocabulary, and using a cloze test to assess reading levels.
The first part of Disc four, ‘Teaching Grammar,’ will, as it deals with matters with which all language teachers are concerned, perhaps be the most viewed. The several clips here include work on the following: teaching tenses via timelines, drilling the past continuous tense with flashcards, and drilling grammar by using dominoes. Part two of this disc, on teaching vocabulary, includes the use of gradable opposites, realia, and crossword puzzles.
The final disc first covers pronunciation and involves a good deal of work on vowel linking and word stress using both poems and jazz chants. Part two covers the critical areas of dealing with disruptive students, tips for remembering students’ names, breaking bad teaching habits, effective error correction techniques, and finally tips for identifying lesson aims.
Obviously discs may be used in any order and, depending on the training session aim, there may be a selection from various discs. Whether working in groups or alone, this series will provide superb input for trainers and trainees on certificate-level courses.
A final comment: I did feel that a participant booklet of some form would greatly enhance this series of discs. Then again, there’s nothing to stop energetic trainers from putting together their own. I’m off to work on one right now.
Wayne Trotman, a CELTA tutor, teaches EAP writing in Turkey
waynetrotman@gmail.com |
