Tagged, Blogged, Broken ...

Thanks Marisa Constantinides for tagging me for this "kind of a chain blog post in which one blogger tags you on their blog and challenges you to answer some questions and then pass the ball to eleven more bloggers!"  I feel quite honoured as Marisa is a champion to me.  Which is the only reason I'm spending time posting on my one free day between a very hectic end-of-semester rush and packing for 4 weeks away.

Here are the bits of the task that Marisa has invited me to step up to, that I have stepped up to …

• Share 11 random facts about myself.
• Answer the 11 questions Marisa has created for me.
• Post 11 questions for others to answer

 I'm passing on the tagging of others part, see below for my explanation.

11 random facts about myself

1. My education seems to run in sets of two: I attended two infants schools, 2 primary schools, 2 high schools.  While I’ve attended more than 2 universities, I do have 2 post-graduate diplomas and 2 masters degrees :-)
2. Before I was an English language teacher I was a web developer, computer programmer, systems analyst, and other ICT roles.
3. Before I worked in the areas mentioned above I was a librarian, indexer, specialist database searcher, and other information management roles.
4. And I have mixed the skills developed in 2 & 3 and worked as a systems librarian, and an information architect.
5. Teaching is the hardest job I’ve ever had, but by far the best and most satisfying thing I’ve ever done.
6. My favourite sports all involve moving across water: rowing, sailing, kayaking
7. The only artistic thing I have ever been reasonably successful with has been photography.
8. I love reading … anything!
9. My favourite food is bananas - the one food I would really miss if they were no longer around.
10. I’ve learned little bits of lots of languages, but never stuck with one long enough to progress very far, including: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Polish, Pitjantjatjara
11. I much prefer hot weather to cold.

My answers to Marisa’s questions - my answers in purple

1. How long does it usually take you to draft and finalise a blog post?
   Marisa, did you write this question just for me? You know how long it takes me to write an #ELTchat summary - a long time - and you know I need prodding to finalise one.  Most of my blog posts are like that, which is why I'm a very occasional blogger. But sometimes I do whip one off very quickly (like this one - took a long time to start, but I wrote it very quickly).
2. Which ICT tools do you actually use with your classes?
   Moodle, SMARTboard, iPhone (my own - mostly for dictionaries, recording, quick web searches, and more), iPad (my own - for recording, screencasting feedback of student writing, and more), YouTube, VoiceThread, and more...
3. What is your absolute dream job?
   Right now, it would be teaching just what students want and need, without any restrictions from a prescribed curriculum, and without the mountain of administrative tasks around reporting, etc.
4. Which classroom activity do you absolutely enjoy using with your students? One is all I need
   Only one?! The first that comes to mind is Dictogloss - works on so many levels, on many skills, is collaborative and enables me to focus on individual students' needs.
5. How many of your current friendships  were started through a social network?
   Too many to count!
6. Which household chore do you hate the most and which one do you love the best?
   Hate: cleaning the toilet, Love: ... still thinking... :-)
7. Name your 10 desert island CD’s
   Only 10?!  Tough!  When I travelled around Australia I had about 100 CDs in my bus!  If pushed, I'd probably choose these, but I reserve the right to change my mind before being stranded on a desert island.  No particular order...
   • Ed Kuepper - The Butterfly Net
   • The Cruel Sea - The Honeymoon is Over
   • Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes - Night of the Wolverine
   • Deborah Conway - Bitch Epic
   • The Boat That Rocked (soundtrack)
   • The Key of Sea
   • Warsaw Village Band - People's Spring
   • Rodriguez - Cold Fact
   • The Saints - Prehistoric Sounds
   • The Goddess of 1967 (soundtrack)
   Interesting that all except two of these are Australian!
8. Do you wish you had studied something other than what you did study? Do say what, if the answer is yes.
   No, I think I've studied everything I've wanted to and doubt I've finished studying :-) 
   Maybe wish I'd stuck with one language long enough to master it.
9. Describe the naughtiest thing you have ever done – within reason, of course
   Probably the naughtiest was riding my motorbike up and down the stairs of the local primary school.  Hope that the statute of limitations protects me from prosecution! But it was when I was around 12 to 15 so I'm probably safe :-)
10. What artistic aspirations or skills do you have?
    I'd love to be artistic; would especially love to be able to create gorgeous music. But I don't think I have it in me, or perhaps it's because I appreciate good art/music too much to tolerate my piddling efforts.
11. Which TV series or film do you keep watching again and again?
    Gillian Armstrong's Starstruck - could never get sick of it!

My questions

Like Sue Annan, I will just put out 11 questions without tagging anyone.  I think everyone I know with a blog has already been tagged, and given this almost felt like a chore I had to finish (but not too arduous Marisa), I didn’t want to burden anyone.  And I've always been the person who has broken the chain on any type of chain letters, emails, etc. dating back to my school days.  So, sorry to be a party-pooper, but... the chain stops here!

If anyone gets this far and wants to play, and it is fun responding, here are some questions that I would actually be very interested in reading answers to from any of my PLN-friends:

1. If you were going to make any New Year’s resolutions, what is the first that comes to mind?
2. What is your favourite book that you read in 2013?
3. What musical instrument would you most like to play that you can't already play? 
4. Are you a morning person or a night person?
5. What's your favourite song to use with a class, and how do you use it?
6. What are you like as a language learner?
7. What is one thing have you taken from your own language learning experience and used in your own teaching?
8. What is one thing from your own language learning experience that you would never use in a class? 
9. Where would you first take a visitor to in your home town?
10. Which country would you most like to visit that you haven't already been?
11. What is one thing you can suggest to encourage colleagues to share in an online environment? (I'd really love some ideas here :-) )

Thanks again Marisa.  It was fun, and I'm pleased and honoured to have been tagged by you.
 

Dealing with multi-aged English language classrooms: An #ELTchat summary

When I saw the topic for #ELTchat on 9th October was Dealing with multi-aged classrooms, I wanted to take part, even though the second chat is now at 7am my time and I that’s when I’m out walking in the bush near my house.  I struggled to keep up on my phone, at the same time trying not to trip over anything and keeping one eye on the dog ☺.  Fortunately there weren’t as many participants as usual, so it was easier to follow and I even managed to send off a few tweets of my own.  

I have had a lot of students who have migrated to Australia to perform grandparent duties, that is, helping to care for grandchildren while their parents are working. Consequently they often come to my evening class where the predominant group are younger migrants (though this still varies from 18-60) who are working or studying, so often getting a lot more English input day to day. In contrast, often the ‘grandparents’ don’t have much exposure to English outside of class, particularly when they have come with very low-level English language skills.  I've also had classes with some very young adults who are struggling with making a new life in a new country, often without their family and friends, and sometimes alone.  So this chat was one I didn't want to miss.

The #ELTchat Summary

First of all we chatted about the age ranges we are seeing, or have seen in our classes. 

There were a few of us dealing mostly with adults, with groups from around 18-88 in one class

There were others teaching younger learners - teens and children.  Spans reported were 5 -11, 10-17 and 12-15 year olds, which were variously described as “a challenge”, “a nightmare”, but others found that it wasn’t so problematic and could work well.  @Shaunwilden mentioned that a class with a 6-year age span “covers quite a lot of child development”.

And others reported having classes with mixed teens and adults, with someone mentioning they’d had students as young as 14 years old in an adult class.

This thread prompted @ELTExperiences to ask, Why do we assume that there are greater issues between Young Learners and Adults? adding that “perhaps most issues are with adults than expected”.  The responses included comments that it may be because YLs are more open about showing feelings, where adults keep them in filter; with adults there are benefits that balance any drawbacks; kids want to play and adults want to 'learn'; kids don't want to play with younger kids; intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation.

What other differences did chat participants see in learners of different ages?

While there seemed to be general agreement that it depends very much on the individual learner, there were a few observations from participants regarding

> Fluency vs accuracy…
Some felt that younger students are more fluent and older more accurate, while others thought that the older students might be more cautious rather than accurate, or possibly more hung up on accuracy (or even more cautious and that's why more accurate.  Though this wasn’t everyone’s experience.   

> Dependency on translation and grammar explanations
There was a suggestion that older students are more dependent on translation and grammar explanations.  But other have seen the opposite, so it was agred that it usually depends on their educational background and there are exceptions.

> (English) language learning experience
Some older students have experience of communicating in other additional language, and some may have been learning English for many years and have (or have experienced) a different approach.  These were seen as an advantages which could be exploited in the classroom

> Time, will and motivation to learn
Sometimes older students (e.g. retired) have a lot more time to dedicate to studying.  As well as more will and motivation, especially as some teens are obligated by parents and don't really want to be there.   

> Creativity vs knowledge
Someone suggested that younger students are much more creative, while older students 'know' more, which was a good combination.

Are there any limitations to those mixed age groups you would prefer to have - e.g. no teens and grandads or what?

@Marisa_C posed this question, and there were a range of responses, which included: not really if they're all adults; a limit of +14 for "adult" classes; a preference to have teens separate and elders separate (if they want it); and that younger groups (under 17/18) need to be divided.   

Issues & Problems

> Materials
It is hard to find relevant materials to suit all ages, so need to find 'themes' to engage all students.   Fortunately in a country such as Australia, 'settlement' is common, though even 'settlement' is different at different ages too!   

> Discipline
Discipline was mentioned as an issue by quite a few people, in both adult and YL classes.  However, having older adults can help with discipline of younger learners (more on that later). 
There was also the issues of having a parent and child, or a boss and a worker, in the same class

> Past education experiences and expectations
With large age gap there are bound to be different experiences of education and what students expect from a lesson.  Also, how accustomed to studying they are.  There can be an even wider range of past educational experiences in a multicultural class – the teacher can make no assumptions!

> Rates of assimilation   

> Pace
This was seen as a problem especially with the teen/older adult mix.

Teens are at the prime of their L2 acquisition - after 16 all downhill – and it could be hard for a, say, 60 year old to keep up.  But again this does depend on the individuals too - @cerirhiannon had seen some very slow teens!!

Someone felt that teens needs quicker transitions, but another comment was that they think they need quicker transitions but sometimes they... do things too quickly.   

@Shaunwilden mentioned a BBC programme that talked about how critical 2-4 years is: Toddler brain scan gives language insight http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24446292   

Benefits of mixed aged classes, or ways teachers are working with the differences:

Many of the differences that were mentioned in learners at different ages (also stages, learning styles, etc.) can be exploited in mixed-aged classes, such as: the accuracy vs fluency distinction; that younger students don't need to understand every word; that some older students have experience of communicating in other L2.
   
Having grandparently types in with younger students can help with discipline.  (as can having a nun or two!).  Having 'older' people in a class with teenagers means that the teacher I can share the job of being the ‘parent’ as there's more than one person they need to respect, which keeps them in line.

There was a side discussion about whether the younger students really respect the adults in the class or accept them as peers?  It can a mixture of both. If everyone is there to learn then the respect is there, but it could be hard for older adults who feel they lose face/respect in class. Some younger students benefit from the diligence of more mature classmates and from participating in grown up conversation.     

Often it’s the older people that are harder work.  @Marisa_C recalled one 75+ year-old keen student roping in a young guy to be his translator – though she said they had a ball!    This type of scenario is an opportunity to work with the differences., getting them to share stories, ideas, experiences.
   
> Teaching separate lessons for different age groups or using projects
@cerirhiannon commented that, with 5 - 11 year olds, she ended up teaching 3 or 4 separate lessons at the same time.  She finds this hard work but fun and elaborated on how she manages this challenging situation: It wasn't a big class - between 10 and 12 depending on the day and some were brothers and sisters. We had a big table, rugs and cushions on the floor, with games and various activities.  It was like monitoring group work, but on double speed!  We used to have every 4th lesson mixed (ages & levels) in a team-teaching class.  While it was hard work, it was fun and definitely good for the teacher’s fitness ;-)

@HanaTicha felt the mixed age groups seems to work great with project work.  Now and then they do 'project' days and mix classes and found it a good experience.  She felt there could have be a limit to how this would work with different age groups, but that 10-15 is

> Different roles for different age groups
If the group is mostly young then the older students could be scribes during roleplays and discussions! This could serve to gives them a status (@mary28sou)   

A lot of the discussion about mixed ages in a class covered the same ground as discussions about mixed ability levels in a class.

With mixed age groups, we may be seeing mixed abilities, different attitudes not just levels, plus a wider range of needs/wants and learning styles too.    While some felt that teaching different ages is as complex as teaching multiple levels, others felt it was fine if the different ages shared the same level,

@harrisonmike weighed in with another tricky situation: Try virtually pre-literate in L1 alongside PhD level qualified students in same class!   

And as with mixed level/ability classes, some of the same ideas were suggested, such as, arranging tasks and activities so that everyone has chance to 'shine' in class at some time (as well as struggle!).

@Marisa_C summed it up nicely… I think inevitable then we are talking about mixed ability teaching with a sprig of something about different attitudes not just levels.
 

After the chat - an extension activity...

One of the issues that didn’t come up during the chat was that of use of technology.  Given that we could expect to see a big gap with experience with and comfort level with technology between younger students and much older students, this was a little surprising.   I’ve had older students (60+) who avoid anything to do with computers or other technology, including one memorable student in her late 60s who usually disappeared on the way to the computer lab.  She had basic computer use skills, but felt using a computer for learning English was a waste of time.  However, when I managed to get her to the lab with the rest of the class, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the activity was interesting and useful.  But then she disappeared on the way to the lab the following week again!  At the other end of the scale was another late-60s student who had never used a computer before, and who was terrified the first time I took the class to the lab. I sat with her and helped her through every part of the activity.  The following week I started off giving her a lot of support but she quickly demonstrated that she didn’t need me so much, and the next week proudly told me her son-in-law had bought her a laptop so she could access our LMS at home.  The first time the same student recorded herself speaking in a language lab activity, she was amazed - it was the first time she had heard her own voice! 

Another interesting observation is when I take a class on an excursion.  Being in the centre of our nation’s capital city, we are very fortunate that there are many national institutions (museums, galleries, etc.) within easy walking or ‘bus and walking’ distance.  I usually find that the older students stride ahead with me and then we have to wait on each corner for the students (who are between a half to a third of their age) to catch up!  When I’ve given them a choice between walking or driving somewhere, it’s usually the older ones who want to walk!


For the purpose of the summary, I thought I’d do a quick search to see what I might find on the Web.

This one looked interesting:

Mathews-Aydinli, J. & Van Horne, R. (2006). Promoting the Success of Multilevel ESL Classes: What Teachers and Administrators Can Do. Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/multilevel.html
Age. Young adults (16-18) differ socially and cognitively from older adults. Although adolescents tend to progress more quickly in their language learning, they also need more structure, guidance, and support to stay motivated (Weber, 2004; Young, 2005). Senior learners also have unique concerns that need to be taken into consideration, such as issues of physical health or hearing and visual acuity (Grognet, 1997).

And:

For elderly refugees it has been particularly difficult. At a time in their lives when they should be looking forward to respect and reverence, they find themselves transplanted in a culture which is focused on youth. They have lost their homes, probably many of their family members, and most of all, their honored status
Grognet, A.G. (1997). Elderly refugees and language learning. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Denver, CO: Spring Institute for International Studies.
http://www.springinstitute.org/Files/refugeescomingtotheu.pdf

For those interested, there is also mention of elderly learners in this:

AMEP Research Centre Fact sheet – Retention of adult migrant learners
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/docs/fact_sheets/Misc_Retention.pdf

And issues related to teaching youth in mixed-aged classes here:

AMEP Research Centre Fact sheet – Youth in the AMEP
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/docs/fact_sheets/07Teachingissues.pdf

And finally, this one:

Harding, L., & Wigglesworth, G. (2005). Different generations, different needs: Migrant youth in English language programs. Prospect, 20(3), 6–23
This recent Australian study provides a survey of language programs for migrant youth in the AMEP, and details the views of young migrant learners and their teachers/program directors. The authors propose a number of recommendations for the provision of language education for young people in both youth-specific and mixed-age classes.
http://www.ameprc.mq.edu.au/docs/prospect_journal/volume_20_no_3/20_3_2_Harding.pdf

A few of these refer to the AMEP, which is the Adult Migrant English Program. The most recent statistics I could find on age ranges in the AMEP (right across Australia) are from 2011-12:

Department of Immigration and Citizenship Annual Report 2011–12 (p.250)
http://www.immi.gov.au/about/reports/annual/2011-12/pdf/report-on-performance.pdf

#ELTchat participants for this chat:
•    @cioccas
•    @Shaunwilden
•    @HanaTicha 
•    @theteacherjames
•    @cerirhiannon
•    @mattellman
•    @Marisa_C
•    @ELTExperiences
•    @SueAnnan
•    @MicaelaCarey
•    @mary28sou

[Image source: http://eltchat.org/wordpress/summary/dealing-with-multi-aged-english-language-classrooms-an-eltchat-summary-09102013/  ]

My 15 minutes of fame... or not? On PLNs, CamTESOL2013, @worldteacher, #ELTchat & #AusELT

I was interviewed last month for my institution's newsletter CIT.U

I wasn't shown the final copy and there are a few mistakes in the final product, but it's mostly correct.

The interview was to highlight my forthcoming workshop with @worldteacher (Andrea Wade) at CamTESOL 2013, and also our local fundraising efforts to sponsor Cambodian teachers to attend the conference.

#ELTchat and #AusELT both get an honourable mention, but I didn't say I'd personally developed either!   My main message was the value I place on the fantastic sharing and learning that is happening out there and is accessible to all with an Internet connection.

See page 3 for the whole article ... Read online or Download cit.u February 2013 PDF (2Mb)

“To teach or not to teach. That is the question, isn’t it?” - an #ELTchat summary

Guest post by Carolyn Kerr @KerrCarolyn

I suggested this topic for #ELTchat following a discussion at our local professional association's annual dinner ATESOL ACT Annual Spring Dinner. In a discussion about speaker affinity with audiences, our guest speaker, Jeremy Jones of the University of Canberra, had us reflecting on who uses sentence tags, suggesting that Gen Y no longer tend to use them (except perhaps in Britain?), or use other versions. The teachers present wondered whether we should skip that bit of the text book?

As you can see, it got voted up for the chat and led us in many different directions. New #ELTchatter, Carolyn Kerr put her hand up for the summary, but as she didn't have a blog to post it on (yet!) I volunteered to host it for her here. My very first guest blogger! She has done a simply brilliant job of the summary and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

“To teach or not to teach. That is the question, isn’t it?”

When it comes to deciding what to teach and what to give a wide berth, idioms, inversions and even question tags have us scratching our heads, don’t they? And with language seeming to develop at a rate of knots, it’s hard to keep up.

On November 7th 2012 at 2100 CET @ELTChat asked the question. Hardly a second had passed when twitter was a buzz with idioms and inversions, although for me it was at times as clear as mud!

Joking aside, the main questions that arose were the three not-so-traditional R’s:

Redunancy – when does a piece of language become obsolete?

Generation Y don’t use question tags, right? But baby boomers do, don’t they? Or do they? Therein lies the problem. Does that mean that question tags are ‘redundant’ for some learners? Shared from a recent TESOL dinner:

• @cioccas We decided need to teach them to over 50s, but maybe not to younger learners. We agreed that Gen Y don't use question tags the way they are used in coursebooks

But can we know for sure that this is a one way street to obsolesence. Trends change and

• @cioccas it's hard to keep up with younger generation slang, idioms, etc.

So

• @naomishema How do we judge which idiom is really out of date?

Now something that is that tricky to deal with begs the next R question:

Relevant, still? - @Shaunwilden Aren’t most idioms pointless anyway ?

The answer depended on the leaners needs. If you’re living and working in an English speaking country then the common idioms are a key to both communication and culture. Who do your learners want or need to communicate with? What language are they ‘stumbling across’? If it’s a language peppered with innit, issat or aye right, then question tags tend to become more of a ‘polite’ form that a fundamental. And who’s to say that idioms only my granny would use are not relevant if you, like some

• some Ss are working with 80+ year-olds in aged care facilities! @cioccas

To add to age relevance, we have geographical relevance:

• @ ljp2010 loads of idioms seem very brit-centric to me too, often ones i've never heard of in cbs.

and to prove the point a link to Hugh Laurie and Ellen de Generes failing to ‘get’ each other’s idioms

• Hugh Laurie vs Ellen DeGeneres - English vsAmerican slang

And some laughs for those 'down under' at

• Australian Question Intonation

The world of work idioms is easy to get lost in too. For Business English learners, if they don’t know that a company with a glass ceiling is not necessarily one housed in a Norman Foster building, they could be in for a shock when they start working there. We need to give learners the skills to deal with such language, whether it be in terms of tools, deductive skills or teaching. Help is at hand:

• @SueAnnan pointed us to unsuck-it.com - brilliant for BE jargon

Learners may come across outdated idiomatic language, whether we teach it or not.

• @Marisa_C: I think all these - even outdated expressions useful for following literature...

So even the redundant becomes relevant again. And what’s more, idiomatic language appears in exams:

• @shaznosel CPE exam full of 'em and as a native speaker I use so few. my grandma used loads!

So if we accept that redundant language can be relevant for some learners, we arrive at the last of the three R’s:

Receptive skill – do learners only need to understand them?

Well actually, once you head towards fluency, idiomatic language does matter for both the receptive and the productive skills:

• @Marisa_C idiomatic lang EVIDENCE of fluency (Prodromou research)

So for CPE Candidates at least it is clearly not just a receptive issue. But is it a priority for other leaners? And what about inversions, which feature in coursebooks and exams too?

• @ljp2010 So difficult to use naturally are they that sts typically turn into yoda for a few weeks after teaching them.

Do we want to run the risk of ‘Yodafying’ our learners (‘Learn inversions you will’). Or just teach them to recognise, understand, smile and nod politely?

It’s not as if we’re lacking other things to teach them:

• @ljp2010 Wouldn't skills work be more beneficial? guessing meaning from context, asking for clarification, paraphrasing....

Again here a number of us were on the fence. Some shared the fun of teaching idioms for production, and stressed that their learners really got a kick out of it.

• @Shaunwilden I never see the point of teaching idioms but my sts love them so...
   
• @shaznosel I only teach them for certain exam boards and the odd one for fun and to enrich ss lang
   
• @Marisa_C Oh yes, always love a game of idioms charade :-) each word and then the whole idiom

For others it was not on our radar, either because of the learners’ level or because it doesn’t fit with learners’ needs. Dealing with idioms as they emerge rather than getting a bee in your bonnet seems the answer for some.

• @esolcourses: I explain idioms to s's when they ask about them, but not convinced as to their general usefulness...

We skirted around the topic of teaching idioms for non-native speaker teachers – although it was clear that NS and NNS alike can be caught on the back foot when it comes to an idiom emerging in the lesson that we’ve never even heard of! Sticking to the course books is one idea, however be warned:

• @Shaunwilden:@naomishema probably dated if it's in a course book :-)

But help is at hand. Steven Collins has written two self study books for NS and NNS teachers which are specifically aimed at just this issue (http://learnenglishadvanced.com/). Informative and fun for anyone interested in British Idioms.

But if the teachers can self study, why not the learners?

• @Marisa_C: You Tube - give them a Mission - listen and find idioms to bring back to class

• @mrmohammedsheha BBC offer this great thing about up to date idioms: Keep Your English Up To Date on BBC Learning English

• @Shaunwilden you tube and wallwisher combined and students searching for their own ideas

The chat drew to a close with a somewhat frightening flurry of animal behaviours: someone squirrelling around to find a link, whilst another was running around like a headless chook. It’s easy to see why some learners enjoy idioms and other everyday expressions – some of us certainly enjoy using them!!!

So that was the story of our chat. Thank you all for tweeting and reading, oh and here’s how the story ends:

• @shaznosel Fun chat as idioms can be funny! Night all..tired after writing last summary!!
   
• @Shaunwilden So it's time to hit hay and put this chat to bed.....thanks all for joining
   
• @ ljp2010 don't let the bed bugs bite ljp2010

Then ELTchat said its goodbyes and turned out its lights. So the lights were OFF and no one was home, which is oh so different from:

• @SueAnnan: The lights are on but there's no one at home.
   

Other Links

• Urban Dictionary
• fun practice on. BBC Learning
• Aus e-phrase - good for Australian idioms
• Understanding Spoken English and Understanding Everyday Australian

A bit out of date, but fun:

• Aussie English for the Beginner interactive
• Outdated course books - classic from the80s

  

How to Teach our Learners Good Oral Presentation Skills - an #ELTchat summary

My suggested topic for the #ELTchat on 3rd October was:

How can we teach our learners good oral presentation skills? (for general English, business English, academic English – anything!)

 

As always, the pace was fast and furious and it was only while trawling through the transcript for this summary that I discovered all of the threads.  I’ve been doing these chats since January 2011 and I’m still amazed at what can be achieved in 140 characters over an hour amongst a bunch of dynamic and passionate educators!

Stages and phases

One of the early chat threads was about the stages or phases of teaching presentation skills.  There was a little disagreement here as to whether the skills of content research and preparation were included, but it seemed to depend on the educational context.

Some of the suggestions were:

•  presentation skills development cycle of present, analyse, reflect @teflgeek
  revised through discussion and brainstorming with @cioccas, @PatrickAndrews, @yitzha_sarwono and @MrChrisJWilson  who threw up ideas such as: anticipate, discussing
  to: research - drafting - presentation - analysis - reflection
•  I love TBLT for presentations - here's how I do it, here's your task, now decide what you need from me to succeed - @yearinthelifeof 
• plan, practise and perfect (verb, not adjective!) - @worldteacher
• Divide & conquer. 1st provide warm-up. For adv. intermediate I presented a 4 line poem as a choral reading. Then did a QA. - @jankenb2   
• perform task analysis on overall assignment. Break down subgoals. Speaking & novel lang & planning & present = 4 subskills - @jankenb2    
• I treat presentation like essays - first draft; changes; reflection; second draft; changes, feedback &; reflection; final draft; reflection - @theteacherjames   
•  I think this is good practice.  Also perhaps students need awareness of purposes of presentations @PatrickAndrews

In my own context, with learners from a variety of backgrounds and with different experiences of education, researching the topic and putting the content into some sort of structure are also skills we work on when tackling oral presentations.  Others agreed and added:

• Often research will lead to students acquiring vocab through reading - @PatrickAndrews    
•  … if you know it is well researched then it provides confidence when presenting? -   @MrChrisJWilson 

Models - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

Using model presentations was commonly agreed upon as necessary preparation:

• I like to do a lot of pre-presentation analysis. Look at examples, analyse what works & what doesn't -  @theteacherjames
• Start with a model - ss will then have an idea of  what's expected - @yearinthelifeof:
•  I think giving an idea of what's expected through modeling is a great way to start - @yearinthelifeof   
• I think it's essential. How can you know what to do unless you see someone else do it first? - @theteacherjames  
• but I tend to do input on good and bad presentations reactively rather than initially - @teflgeek  

 TED Talks – there was a whole sub-conversation around TED Talks

• @Marisa_C started by suggesting some TED talks can be great examples of what a good presentation ought to be ... but @cioccas and @teflgeek thought maybe they might be TOO good and a difficult model to follow  :-)
  But it was agreed that TED talks can be useful, quite varied and great for advanced Ss - @PatrickAndrews &  @Marisa_C  
• @theteacherjames  pointed out that they all have subtitles and put forward an example of a TED talk he’s used: Teaching Business People to Tie Their Shoes complete with lesson plan!
•  @theteacherjames  also suggested that the TEDed ones might be more appropriate? http://ed.ted.com/
• @cioccas kept pressing the point that she wanted to  show Ss something they think they could do themselves as well as expert presentations and  @teflgeek  suggested The Office and to video your DoS giving a teacher dev seminar.....  ask for feedback from the students!

Another thread on models discussed the purpose of the presentation, eg, Academic vs Business presentations:

• Also not quite sure it is easy to define what is good - academic presentations are different from business ones  - @PatrickAndrews 
• Makes sense then to fit model of good to needs of Ss - if academic or for business -  @Marisa_C  
• Also within those, there can be different functions - eg explaining, persuading - @PatrickAndrews
• So we agree that criteria may be different depending on the target audience? - @Marisa_C   
• Agree criteria may be different. CAE prep includes moving to outcome, active listening & responding - @MarjorieRosenbe   

For more model presentations see also the list of videos in the links below.

Speaking skills

Naturally enough, a lot of the discussion centred around speaking skills, summed up nicely by @Marisa_C: All the great ideas you have presented and notions of rehearsing, notes, peer evaluations and more good for all kinds of speaking.

The development of speaking and pronunciation skills in the context of teaching oral presentation skills brought out many facets, specifically:

Technology tools:

There were suggestions for tech tools for speaking skills development:

• My Brainshark an excellent tool for getting students to practice oral skills- @teacherphili and seconded by @Shaunwilden
• PresentMe is also good, simpler - @teacherphili    
• Education Anywhere might also be a good option for this type of thing.-@michaelegriffin   
• Voxopop is a great online recording tool where all ss can leave recordings - in a thread - in a group private or public - @Marisa_C   

Recording:

Recording the student presentations was also deemed of high value:

• Recording presentations (audio or video) is very useful as part of the 'drafting' process - @theteacherjames 
• Get them to record themselves and listen on their own or with peers - insert pauses where missing - @Marisa_C   
• webcam for reflection - @BobK99 
• webcam also good for sharing - self reflection and peer feedback and means can all be done outside classtime - @teflgeek 

Recording of student presentations brought up the issue of saving and sharing online:

• yes, FLIP cameras = great. simple and effective. Ss generally love to film each other as long as don't publish on YouTube - @teacherphili  
• Can publish on you tube but then "duty of care" issues.  There are "link only" settings on you tube I think @teflgeek   
• and can make yr own group or stream of videos that can be for private viewing i think @Krisawal: 
• the UNLISTED videos option on YouTube is great for student uploads  @Marisa_C 
• THERE is AN 'unlisted' option so videos not generally searchable or 'private'  @teacherphili   

Pausing:

• Get them to write out transcript of preso and mark down pauses one / for short pause two // for longer pause - breathe!!! - @Marisa_C   
• I did a whole lesson recently about the spaces between words & sentences, and why they are there - @theteacherjames    
• It might be a good idea to get them to time pauses in a good presentation - @Marisa_C   
• Yes, they can be surprised by what they see. Also useful to look at the reasons: humour, drama, time to think etc.- @theteacherjames 
• I use Aragorn's speech from Lord of Rings to show learners how to slow down and use pause as a tool - @teflgeek   

Given vs New information:

• @ Marisa_C shared her "Given vs New" info lesson
• Given/new and theme/rheme are very important, I think -     @PatrickAndrews    

Voice projection:

A few of the #ELTchatters had some experience with voice training, as singers ( @Marisa_C, @BobK99,  @MarjorieRosenbe) and passed on some tips:

• We include voice projection, too - needed 4 our Asian students! - @worldteacher  
• Deliver your talk to a wall. Voice amplifies, talking to the wall is an exercise in voice projection - @Marisa_C   
• Distant wall? My conductor always tells the choir to sing to someone in the back row. - @BobK99   
• or a mirror - @BobK99  
• talking to a wall will be easier ) mirror is the nest step of training - @waykatewit 
• or a webcam, phone or other camera - @teflgeek & @BobK99 
• Another exercise is using your two hands - cup your ear and join palms - a natural amplifier - @Marisa_C 
• That's why I remind them to breathe. @MarjorieRosenbe 
• Classroom layout in our uni means we can present in one room to people in another (or on the landing!) - @worldteacher   (I’D like to see photos of this!)
• Sts experiment with voice projection - how much/accurately can their classmates hear? - @worldteacher 

Importance of Rehearsing:

• Also seems to me that practice makes, if not perfect then at least, better  - @teacherphili   
• We also practice establishing rapport with audience by using VAK language - @MarjorieRosenbe   
• What is more important? Comfort in front of audience or quality of content. I think comfort...so one goal at a time - @jankenb2   
• You mean not anxious or afraid? I think rehearsing is key - @Marisa_C   

Notes, or not to Notes

One area where we found differing opinions was on whether students should be using notes when delivering their presentation

• When doing sts presentations I don't allow them to read from notes or slides. They need 2 practice before in order to speak freely. - @MarjorieRosenbe   
• I don’t agree with that, we often use notes in real life so why prevent them in class - @Shaunwilden  
• Ed Milliband's recent conference speech!! without notes!! - @MarjorieRosenbe
• But many academics yawn inducers when just reading out their slides - @Marisa_C   
• I allow notes - just don't let them read the whole thing.  Making notes is a skill in itself. - @worldteacher   
• Think short notes are a good idea but need to be short. - @PatrickAndrews
• It depends on if they just mumble from notes, or use them to effectively speak (as reminders) - @waykatewit  
• Notes yes! Have had Ss do whole thing from memory (rote), can be painful -@cioccas 
• ...  yes - and stilted with lots of eyes to the ceiling as they struggle to remember their words!! - @worldteacher   
• ... ...Or they just spew out the words without taking a breath! - @cioccas  
• Oh yes I wasnt saying be a lecturer, but notes are useful not least as an aide memoire - @Shaunwilden
• If it requires notes then- A)  talk is too long, B) is more than 5 slides....No & no - @jankenb2
• ... But I teach business people and they have to make 20/30 min presentations. - @theteacherjames    
• Notes simply calm them down/ They may not really need them. Psychologically - @waykatewit      
• But reading notes verbatim and mispronouncing words is awful as well. Put key words on cards to help. - @MarjorieRosenbe 
• Yes, only if the notes are true notes, not narratives. Important distinction - @jankenb2  
• Yes, too often prez=Brain-dump with slides!  - @BobK99   
  

Feedback & Assessment

Other issues discussed were on how to give feedback - teacher, peer and self - and the creation and use of assessment criteria and grids. 

• Feedback from peers as well as from the teacher is very important - reflecting on others helps their performance. - @worldteacher  
• But Ss only allowed to give positive feedback. I give corrections - @MarjorieRosenbe  .
• I encourage them to tell each other what they liked & would like to learn to do. See feedback form in In Business - @MarjorieRosenbe   

Students create the feedback and/or assessment criteria: 

• Embed peer feedback/assessment. Get group to agree own success criteria before to promote ownership - @BrightAire
• Agree that students should decide on the criteria on which they are evaluated, with guidance of course - @theteacherjames 
• Encourage them to have high expectations of themselves and each other. - @BrightAire

… from watching models:

• Groups create an assessment grid based on a presentation they choose  - TED, Harvard - then share - @annehodg   

.. from their own worst presentation:

• One thing I’ve done is give Ss task of giving "worst presentation ever" ...then work out criteria - @michaelegriffin
• Have done this as well. Make them give feedback on what went wrong & how they felt watching. - @Marisa_C
• Right...It seems much safer (and fun!) to start out trying to be bad - @MarjorieRosenbe

… and on a learning management system (LMS) or virtual learning environment (VLE):

• Due to time constraints what about Ss putting their prezis on Blackboard & then have peer reviews online? - @Julian_LEnfant   
• Putting presentations on Blackboard is a great idea. For live presentations use present.me - @yesseniacgr   

The Audience

Another major thread was on how to keep the rest of the class engaged while students give their presentations.  

Some of the suggestions linked to peer feedback:

• My main problem with student presentations is keeping other students interested - @teflgeek   
• Give them something to do - some kind of evaluation sheet or a worksheet to force them to take notice! - @worldteacher   
• Ss make notes and then interview the presenter to clarify details after the presentation - @waykatewit 
• It's tricky getting them (a) to focus (b) be critical of their peers - @teflgeek 
• Evaluation sheet of some kind  e.g. posture, voice projection, pron... - @Marisa_C
• I like to have students responsible for giving comments/filling out rubric - @michaelegriffin
• Yes, can be a problem in EAP classes where students are studying different subjects.- @PatrickAndrews   
• Have you tried proposing Ss do interactive presentations? A bit like workshops- @yesseniacgr 
• Why not do it at different lessons? Critical one time, just asking questions another - @waykatewit   
• Focusing on something they want to learn from speaker is helpful - @MarjorieRosenbe 
• Give them job to do. Write  one new fact or most interesting bit or new phrase or word - @MarjorieRosenbe  
• Ask every student to have one question to ask at the end. They don't know who you'll pick. - @theteacherjames  
• Giving them a task is important - keeping them on task and NOT worrying about their own presentations even more so - @teflgeek

But how to keep students interested without forcing them to listen:

• I think SS should be GENUINELY interested, not MADE to listen :) @waykatewit 
• Ideally - yes, but not always possible! -  @worldteacher   
• How do you go about generating genuine interest??? - @teflgeek    
• By picking really interesting topics? by raising their interest before every new presentation? - @waykatewit
• Ask learners to select topics of interest then allocate these topics to the learners who didn't choose them?  -  @teflgeek   
• I once asked Ss to #weet their questions and comments during a presentation using an appropriate hashtag  Worked well! It was in Saudi Arabia. All Ss had blackberries, iPads or similar device kept them engaged in what was being said - @teacherphili   
• As extension have Ss give presentation & for feedback, ask audience to select intended objective from a prepared list? - @jankenb2 
• Maybe by encouraging pre-listening tasks? - @PatrickAndrews  
• Tough to make them interested, depends on the pres. Attentive more realistic. - @theteacherjames  
• Attentive - yes.  Interested - if they're not, they need to be encouraged to say why not - constructive feedback - @worldteacher   
• They should want to listen. Choosing topics they want can help or giving them task. - @MarjorieRosenbe 
• In EAP context, topics should be based on needs and presenters interests rather than interests of audience - @PatrickAndrews

… which led to ideas for other speaking activities, such as debates and discussion:

• Actually, oral speaking is easiest as argumentation topic. We all have thoughts and beliefs. Select good debate topic like TV & kids - @jankenb2     
• Fun idea. Use dice for discussion - even numbers are pros & odd numbers cons. Ss make number of statements according to number on dice. -   @MarjorieRosenbe 
• Using scribe to report back what was said can be very helpful. - @MarjorieRosenbe   

Presentation tools: Powerpoint , Prezi, etc.

Only a few mentions of presentation slides:

•  PowerPoint/Prezi etc. should be used as a tool not a crutch- not just reading slides. - @Julian_LEnfant  
• Prezi is great but more complex.  A good Prezi is the one by David White on residents and visitors Visitors & Residents: The Video - @teacherphili    

Other techniques for teaching

With so many skills discussed in the chat we were reminded of the importance of teaching one skill at a time 

• I find two many foci in presentation overwhelming.  I do  one improvement at a time, several times - @waykatewit   

Pecha Kucha

• With my advanced Ss and student-teachers I use PKs - 20 slides 20'' each but can start with 5 or Beauty of PKs is that they need to be rehearsed-so they can be used as an end of term/course project & for assessment purposes too - @Marisa_C  

Speed dating

I shared a link to an article from The Internet TESL Journal:  Oral Presentations in the ESL Classroom Using a Technique Similar to Speed Dating which brought this fabulous response from

• That is my favourite technique. I call it Speaker's corner, SS in the 4 corners present, then those who listen ask them questions, then I give feedback. That happens 4 times, ones presenting rehearse the same 4 times, better & better, the ones listening will hear 4 speeches. Ss make notes and then interview the presenter to clarify details after the presentation in a great variety of ways. Tried and tested. Will write a post in my blog today. @waykatewit 

and this:

• Speed presenting, great idea. A bit like snowball vocab or storytelling.-@MarjorieRosenbe

Doing your student's presentation yourself

@MrChrisJWilson started a thread by posing the questions: Have any teachers "done" their students presentation? I've never tried it but suspect it could help.”  He then went on to explain how he thought it could be done:

• Well they give you the content of the presentation and you deliver it (to them) so they can see what you do. Then they can then critique what you do and gain some confidence for doing their own. Or it might set a bar they can't attain? @MrChrisJWilson 

A couple of others had ideas for this too:

• I have, sure. They write draft, we correct, I present, they observe, they try -  @waykatewit    
• I do if the topic is broad enough to allow for other choices. Example: Topic = transportation issues. My demo? Seatbelts - @jankenb2

Other tips:

• I've also got Ss to do digital story to prepare for their presentations - covers lots of points without the stress of presenting - @cioccas   
• Great activity in CLIL book. Students choose topic but others write the questions. Have to think on their feet to answer. - @MarjorieRosenbe   
• For adv-intermed I ask each Ss to A) endorse a Turkish product B) present sales on hypothetic product- 5 slides+1graph & research ++ - @jankenb2  
• Also give your Ss links for finding good images - @Marisa_C   
• I also do presenting for specific target audience. Sts say at end which audience it was for and why.  - @MarjorieRosenbe   

Nerves

Some suggestions for tackling nerves were also shared:

• I would like to add that being mindful is a good way for Ss to prepare themselves for presentations. Seems to me that getting Ss to be relaxed before they present is half the battle - @teacherphili   
• Tackling anxiety? Lots of practice & build up to the main presentation slowly. - @theteacherjames  
• Internalizing content via self-selection of "known" works well too. - @jankenb2    

Cultural and pragmatical considerations of presentations

Late in the chat @jankenb2 asked:  How culturally defined is the idea what makes a good presentation? Can a great presentation in one culture be considered poor elsewhere?

• I know audience reactions differ culturally! - @teflgeek   
• Good question about culture. For me a good presentation keeps me awake & interested & I learn something - @MarjorieRosenbe   
• This is why I like to have the Ss help develop the criteria and choose what they think is important/good - @michaelegriffin
• I guess culturally there is a lot of difference, even simple things like where to stand - @feedtheteacher   
• I think different cultures have different rhetorical styles, so this would affect presentation organisation - @teflgeek   
• Perhaps not necessarily defined only by culture but context and register of presentation too - @Krisawal

And then there was a discussion about the linguistic aspects started by @Marisa_C  How about the linguistic aspects of introducing, outlining, connecting, moving to a close. Isn’t it also important to teach those?

• That's where I start. We look at the different sections & language. There is argument that NS don't signpost. When students signpost well I point it out to others. Could also have Ss listen for that language. - @MarjorieRosenbe 
• Yes, process is pragmatic instruction too. Each culture defines presentation criteria. Also differentiates for purpose. - @jankenb2  
• ...same in writing - but they do so lexically or in other ways  - @Marisa_C   
• Yes, I also do a class analysing the phrases used for linking ideas, intros, outros, rhetorical questions etc. Necessary for higher level learners to sound slick and professional - @theteacherjames    
• They also need to sound convincing. And get idea across that they believe what they are saying. - @MarjorieRosenbe     
• Perhaps a phrase bank or something like a poster on the wall as visual reminder in class while a student is presenting? - @Marisa_C   
• And while we are teaching the pragmatics of oral presentation skills in English, Am or Euro, also teach how to give socially accepted feedback. - @jankenb2     

Links shared:

How to do a presentation in English from @sandymillin

Videos:

· How to Give a Good Presentation - video made by ESL students (shared by @cioccas)

· Funny Presentation Training - how many errors can you find? (shared by @Marisa_C)

· @sandymillin 's Diigo Library of YouTube Presentations  "And here are some links to good/bad presentations I've found on YouTube. My fave is"Life after death by PPoint"

· Teaching Business People to Tie Their Shoes (complete with lesson plan!) (shared by @theteacherjames )

  

BBC Skillswise video and quizzes on Oral Presentations (shared by @cioccas)

Oral Presentations in the ESL Classroom Using a Technique Similar to Speed Dating an article by Gilda Martinez in the The Internet TESL Journal (shared by @cioccas)

Terrific Australian resource (DVD + worksheets) for teaching presentation skills to intermediate ESL learners:(shared by @cioccas)

· Let's Present - Oral Presentations for ESL Learners

· Here is an extract one of the model presentations from the DVD on YouTube

Video made by @Raquel_EFL's class

· THE THING - YOUNG 6 Graduation Video

Speaking skills parctice

· My Brainshark (shared by @teacherphili) "an excellent tool for getting students to practice oral skills" @Shaunwilden Agreed, my brainshark is an excellent tool, one thing about Web is that there are lots of ways to practice speaking #ELTchat

· PresentMe is also good, simpler.

@ Marisa_C    My "Given vs New" info lesson 

This was shared on #ELTchat's Facebook group after the chat by Giselle Santos This could be a good chance for practice =)"

Deeyoon: A Site Where You Can Debate Anyone About Anything — On Live Video
Debating skills? Now there's another possible future #ELTchat topic!

Prezi example: Visitors & Residents: The Video  @teacherphili    

Acronyms & Abbreviations

I'm a bit obsessive about use of acronyms and abbreviations in groups where it can't be guaranteed they are known by all. I am a little more lenient on Twitter given the 140 character limit, but felt I needed to provide a key here on my summary post for anyone trawling thorugh the chat transcript (I had to search for some of these, and guess some, so please let me know if I've got any wrong!)

• Ss – students
• Ts - teachers

• CAE - Certificate of Advanced English (??)
• CEFR - Common European Framework of Reference for Languages 
• CLIL - Content and language integrated learning
• EAP - English for Academic Purposes
• ESP - English for Specific Purposes
• GPE - General Proficiency English
• PK - PechaKucha
• TBLT - Task Based Language Teaching
• VAK language - Visual/Auditory/Kinesthetic language

Thanks to all participants and especially our fabulous  moderators@theteacherjames @Shaunwilden @Marisa_C @BrunoELT 

Finally, I hope I haven’t misquoted anyone or attributed comments to the wrong people.  The categorising and selection of tweets reflects my own interests, so I apologise if I've misplaced or left out something you think was vital to the discussion.  I find the process of pulling together a summary from the #ELTchat transcript fascinating, but also fraught with potential error-making!  I get lost in the threads and may have referred to a comment out of the correct context.  I've also done a little editing to make comments easier to follow on a blog, and hope that I haven't made any errors which affect the meaning.  I’d be happy to correct anything that you bring to my attention (via comments below) .