Trainers: Mario Rinvolucri & Zhang Wenhua

Abstract:

In this presentation we will open with a warm-up exercise, a warm-up that gets people into the mood for a bit of hard work!  This will lead into a discussion of the problems teachers face in dealing with large classes. We will then move on to demonstrating practical techniques for teaching grammar  that work well with large classes.

The first nest of techniques will be based on the area of  dictation, but not just the classical version of this exercise. So, for example, we will introduce you to the dictogloss technique that focuses students minds on the structure of the sentence in a way that makes it memorable. The beauty of dictogloss is that it is strongly student centred.

The second nest of activities for teaching grammar comes from the work of Caleb Gattegno, the founder of Silent Way. At the heart of this approach to grammar teaching is the idea that the students learn best when they themselves make an effort. We will demonstrate several silent way exercises with your help.

The third nest of activities  uses  the age-old technique of story-telling. The marvellous things about using stories is that the bigger the group the better!  Stories work fine in Kolkatta classes of 150!

Let me give you an example:

Teacher: Once upon a time there was a man……..
               The moment the students hear the past tense was they move a tiny step backwards.

Teacher: I’m feeling really really hungry…….
               On hearing the present tense verb I’m feeling.. the students move a tiny step to the left.

Teacher:  I’ll go down to the sea…
                 On hearing the future tense the students move a little step forward.

(In a classroom with literally no space for steps in any direction the student sway back, sideways and forward instead of moving their feet.)

The fourth nest of techniques is based on Carolyn Graham’s jazz chanting which is a simple, rhythmical and clear way of inculcating grammar patterns so they stick.

You will leave this workshop with a load of practical activities that you can easily experiment with and make your own.

If you do, we hope you will write about your work applying new ideas to your classes in the Pilgrims webzine: www.hltmag.co.uk.

Mario Rinvolucri frequently contributes to THE TEACHER TRAINER and to HUMANISING LANGUAGE TEACHING (www.hltmag.co.uk).

Mario works as a teacher and teacher trainer for Pilgrims, UK. His most recent teacher resource books are:

Imagine That!, with Jane Arnold and Herbert Puchta, Helbling Languages, 2007

Creative Writing, with Christine Frank, Helbling Languages 2007

Unlocking Self-expression through NLP, with Judy Baker, Delta Publishing, 2005

Multiple Intelligences in EFL, with Herbert Puchta, Helbling Languages, 2005

Using the Mother Tongue, with Sheelagh Deller, Delta Publishing, 2002

Humanising Your Coursebook, Delta Publishing, 2002

Zhang Wenhua, an English lecturer of Jiangxi Normal University, used to work as a primary school English teacher for some years in several primary schools in China. At present, he is doing in his doctoral study at BNU with a research focus on issues concerning primary school English teachers’ professional development.