Delta Module 3 Sample

 

DELTA MODULE 3: The Extended Assignment

The Adolescent Learner

Jitesh Patel Candidate Number: 53 Centre Number: TR054 ITI Istanbul Word Count: 4,497 06/06/2010

 

CONTENTS

Page Pag e Number  Number 

PART ONE: Introduction and Specialism 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Reasons for Choosing Specialism 1.3 Issues in Teaching Adolescents 1.3.1 Mo Motivation and Engaging the Adolescent Learner

4 4 4 4 4

1.3.2 Behaviour and Discipline 1.3.3 The Multi-level Classroom 1.4 Implications on Course Design

5 5 6

PART TWO: Needs Analysis and Commentary 2.1 Group Profile 2.2 Needs Identification 2.3 Needs Assessment and Results 2.3.1 Motivation 2.3.2 Learning Styles and Preferences 2.3.3 School Requirements 2.3.4 Communicative Needs 2.4 Strengths, Weaknesses and Priorities for the Course

7 7 7 8 8 8 9 10 11

PART THREE: Course Proposal 3.1 Approach, Design and Procedure 3.2 Course Objectives 3.3 Materials and Course Content 3.4 Group and Pair-work 3.5 Constraints

12 12 13 13 14 14

PART FOUR: Testing, Assessment and Evaluation 4.1 Formative Assessment 4.2 Summative Assessment 4.3 Course Evaluation

15 15 16 17

PART FIVE: Conclusion

18

BIBLIOGRAPHY

19

APPENDIX 1: Needs Analysis and Results APPENDIX 2: Diagnostic Test Results APPENDIX 3: Oral Test Transcript APPENDIX 4: Interview with Head of English APPENDIX 5: Course Plan APPENDIX 6: Blank Student Questionnaire APPENDIX 7: Breakdown of results from questionnaire APPENDIX 8: Blank VAK Learning Styles Test APPENDIX 9: Considerations for Materials APPENDIX 10: Sample Course Materials

21 23 26 29 30 36 38 39 41 42

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10.1 Directions Worksheet 10.2 Murder Mystery Activity 10.3 Agreeing and Disagreeing 10.4 Pictures of Chindogu Inventions 10.5 Pronunciation Game 10.6 Continue the Script 10.7 Debate Preparation Cards 10.8 Sample Peer Feedback Sheet APPENDIX 11: Assessment Criteria and Analytical Scales APPENDIX 12: Course Evaluation Questionnaire

Jitesh Patel: The Adolescent Learner

42 43 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 53

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PART ONE: Introduction and Specialism 1.1 Introducti Introduction on This paper outlines a 20-hour course designed for school children aged between 15 and 16 at a state-run secondary school in Istanbul. The classes are to support oral communication skills as part of the main English language programme at the school.

1.2 Reasons for choosing specialism specialism I have chosen young learners as my specialism due to the challenges I have recently faced teaching adolescents in Turkey. I hope that research into young learners coupled with my own experiences will help me to draw some conclusions regarding successful classes for the adolescent learner. Large and growing numbers of adolescents around the world are currently learning English as a second language as it is increasingly seen as a tool to boost opportunities for school and university leavers. Pennycook (1994:14) speaks of English as an international ‘gatekeeper’ enabling people to work and live abroad, widen job prospects in their own country and may be necessary to pursue further education at university. Teaching adolescents is particularly interesting due to the fact that so many teachers have problems successfully engaging and motivating teenage students (Miller 2009). These problems can prevent students from progressing and reaching the level of language competency desired by their school, parents, parents, future employer, university university or themselves. Harmer (2006), however, states that even though adolescents are often seen as problem students they are relatively successful as language learners. The main aims for this assignment, therefore, are to explore some of the issues surrounding the adolescent learner and create an effective course to tackle these and in doing so help the adolescent students to fully realise their potential as language learners.

1.3 Issues in teaching adolescents 1.3.1 Motivati Motivation on and engaging engaging the adolescent adolescent learner learner Many of my adolescent students have an awareness of the potential benefits that English can bring to their lives. In comparison to adult learners, however, they have not made the decision to learn English and “the goals and ends seem much more distant” (Puchta, Schratz 1993:1). Additionally the complexity of teenage years in terms of the physical, physiological and psychological changes can have a serious and negative effect on student attitude towards learning. Close attention, therefore, needs to be paid to learning styles, preferences and materials in order to successfully motivate and engage the learner. Herbert Puchta and Michael Schratz (1993:4) state that problems in teaching teenagers occur due to “...the teacher’s failure to build bridges between what they want and have to teach and their students’ worlds of thought and experience”. They suggest linking language teaching very closely to the students’ everyday interests.

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Davis (1977), lists a variety of ways which can boost motivation for students in the secondary classroom: Having varied activities in one class as the attention span for the unmotivated secondary school student is often short Providing immediate and tangible goals, this is likely lik ely to come from assessment, which is also something expected by the school child. 





Demonstrations by the teacher – Students benefit benefit from being shown what what to do before they have time to practice themselves.

Additionally, Crawford (2008) stresses the need for a personal connection, an appropriate intellectual challenge and purposeful social interaction as important factors to promote student motivation. Social interaction through group-work is also seen as important by Miller (2009), however, Burden (1997:78) states that “At the same time as learning to co-operate, people need to be individuals, to feel they can legitimately think and feel differently from others, to develop and exercise their own personality”.

1. 1.3. 3.2 2

Be Beha havi viou ourr and Dis Disci cipl plin ine e

Behaviour issues are a common problem in many of the adolescent classes I have taught and the disruption can seriously effect the sucess of the class. Although motivation can have an effect on behaviour, in my experience even the highly motivated and enthusiastic learner can be disruptive and difficult to manage at times due to a variety of factors. Adolescence, according to Erikson (1963), is a complex world marked by a struggle with social interactions, need for peer approval, as well as a period of withdrawing from responsibilities. A specific, and common, example of bad behaviour I have experienced is the refusal of students to co-operate and listen to each other. They instead adopt a ‘me first’ attitude during presentations and role plays and struggle to constructively comment on their peers’ work. Piaget (2001) comments that adolescence is charactericed by egocentrism, causing them to believe that everyone else shares ther opinions and concerns and giving less value to the ideas of others. With regards to discipline, a formal system is non-existent at the school. All issues are expected to be resolved in the classroom with minimal involvement from the department head, headmaster or parents.

1. 1.3. 3.3 3

Th The e Mult Multil ilev evel el Cla Classr ssroo oom m

One of the most striking differences I have come accross between teaching adults and younger learners is the wide variation variation of individual language competence in the ad adolescent olescent classroom. The obvious reason for this is the preference for secondary schools to group students based on age rather than language proficiency (Moys, 1996). Large variations are due to the fact that adolescent learners brings with them previously learned language or exposure from schooling at primarily level, exposure to the language through friends,

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relatives and the media (Moon et al, 2002:31), not to mention the stu student’s dent’s natural ability and interest in learning English. In my experience it is difficult to satisfy the learning needs of lower ability students whilst challenging exceptional students using a class plan aimed at one particular level. There is a clear need for activities to be flexible enough for all students to participate fully and be challenged.

1.4 Implications on course design The implications of the issues discussed on course design are as follows: 1. Materials - Students Students should should be involved involved when choosing choosing topics topics to promote promote engagement and increase motivation. There should also be a variety of activities in a single class as well enough flexibility to cater for varied levels. Finally, language goals need to be established with appropriate and regular assessment. 2. Peers  – Attention needs to be paid to how and when students are grouped and paired. Individual work and opinions should also be promoted along with peer work. Presentation based activities must have a ‘need for listening’ to encourage students to listen to their peers. 3. Rules - Clear rules on general class class behaviour as well as specific guidelines for activities in the course need to be identified to create a positive atmosphere of respect and co-operation.

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PART 2: Needs Analysis and Commentary 2.1 Group Group Profile Profile The group is a class of 25 male and female adolescent learners aged between 15 and 16. The institution is a prestigious state run secondary school in Istanbul with a strong focus placed on English. The students have a total of 18 hours of general English classes a week with nonnative teachers and 2 hours with a native-English speaker, myself, to support oral communication skills. Classes are in a 2-hour block with a 15-minute break. All students are required to reach an intermediate/upper-intermediate level of English by the end of the academic year. There are three official exams on the English course, however, the speaking classes are currently not assessed by the school.

2.2 Needs Identificati Identification on A variety of tools were employed to gather information regarding students’ needs: A. Student Questionnaire (See appendix 1 and 6) – Information was gathered gathered on factors such as: motivation, learning preferences and students’ own assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. The questionnaire was created with the adolescent learner in mind and questions written in a manner unlikely to confuse lower level students. According to Hague (1993: 45) “Questions must be within the scope and interest of the learner”. The adolescent, as discussed in part 1, can have a shortattention span, Hague (1993) suggests having a variation in question types in order to keep the responder interested. B. Head of Department Interview (Appendix 1 and 4) – Needs regarding the institution, which Brown (2002) calls situational needs, needs, must be considered, as the principal objective of the course course is to support the main English programme at the high high school. The head of department was interviewed in order to gage their expectations of the classes as well as views on student strengths and weaknesses C. Diagnostic Test – As well as situational needs, needs, Brown (2002) identifies communicative needs and defines this as “The specific forms and functions that needs to be programmed into a course”(Brown, 2002:13). A diagnostic diagnostic test was created created where students were asked to perform a typical task requiring group-work, planning, rehearsing and presenting. The activity involved a question-answer element from the audience so that both planned and unplanned communication could be assessed. The class was recorded and students assessed on a number of criteria (See Appendix 2 and 3). Mead (1985) calls this the ‘observational approach’ as it involves observation and analysis of a typical classroom activity rather than a traditional test, the advatage being that student stress and anxiety levels are reduced, leading to more accurate assessment.

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D. Modified VAK Learning Styles test (Appendix 1 and 8) – This was use used d to identify the percentage of students who are visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learners. The test was modified to make it suitable and relevant for adolescent students.  students. 

2.3 Needs Assessment Assessment and Results 2.3 .3.1 .1 Mot otiiva vati tion on In general, student attitude and motivation towards learning English seems to be very positive. The questionnaire (See Appendix 1) shows that: Speaking is preferred over writing, listening and reading 65% of students ‘like’ or ‘love’ speaking English 80 % of students said that it was ‘important’ or ‘very important’ for them to improve their speaking skills. Many of them commented upon potential job prospects and further education opportunities. Regarding motivation type, a distinction is often made between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Harmer (2007:98) says that extrinsic motivation comes from outside factors, such as “the need to pass an exam, the hope of financial reward or the possibility of future travel”. Intrinsic motivation comes from the learner “being motivated by the learning process itself or by a desire to make themselves feel better” (Harmer, 2007:98). The results 

 

show both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation amongst students with the former being more common.

Attitutes towards speaking English

Love 13%

Hate 22%

Don't Like 13% Like 52%

2.3.2 Learning Styles and preferences 



Learning styles vary in the group with the most popular learning style being visual. Students showed preferences for a variety of activities but liked worksheet based exercises the least (see below)

Jitesh Patel: The Adolescent Learner

VAK Learner Styles

Combinations 17% Visual 44% Kinaesthetic 17%  Auditory 22%

8

 





The main interests of the adolescent group are: sports, popular music, television, politics and science An equal proportion of students favour individual work, group-work and pair-work.

Activity Pref Preferences erences

Worksheets 13%

Plays 21%

Games 22% Presentations 21% Songs 23%

Topic Preferences

Sports Television Music Food The Environment Science and Technology Jobs  Animals Festivals around the world Fashion Politics

2.3.3 School requirements The head of department suggested that the course should focus on: Improving confidence, fluency and pronunciation Preparing students students for tasks such as presentations presentations and debates as they will be be expected to be competent with these for their next years of education at the school  

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2.3.4 Communicative Needs The student questionnaire shows that: 70% of students feel ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ when speaking in front of the class Students feel they have the least problems with grammar and the most with pronunciation and vocabulary 



Student Self Assessment 100%    s    t    n    e     d    u    t    S     f    o      e    g    a    t    n    e    c    r    e    P

75% No Problems  A few Problems

50%

Some Problems Lots of Problems

25% 0%

  e   c   n   e    d    i    f   n   o    C

  n   o    i    t    i   a   c   n   u   n   o   r    P

  y   r   a    l   u    b   a   c   o    V

  r   a   m   m   a   r    G

Results from the diagnostic test show that: Most groups scored highly on vocabulary and grammar, both in range and accuracy Weaknesses were: pronunciation, use of discourse markers, mar kers, delivery and appropriacy of language (especially in the case of one of the groups) There is a wide variety of oral competence within the class 



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Oral Assessment Scores from Diagnostic Test 16 14 12

Group 4

10 Points 8

Group 3

6

Group 2

4

Group 1

2 0

P  r   D  e  R  a   U  s  A  p  A c   o  n  c  u   e  o    p r   l  i  v   n  g   u  n  o   e r   r   e  a   f     p r    d  i    o  f     y   c   c  i  a   i    y   a   s   L e   o  f    c   c  o   t  i  o    y      /   x   u  r   l  a  n  n  R  e  i  s   s  e  m  a  r    g  u  a    g  e  a  n dd     G    g  i  s tt    e r   k  e  r  a   r  s  m   m  a   r  

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2.4 Strengths, weaknesses and priorities for the course The results from the needs analysis reveal that student’s strengths are: range and accuracy of grammar and lexis. Students are highly enthusiastic and seem to be motivated and feel confident about speaking. The main weaknesses identified are: pronunciation, use of discourse markers, communication strategies and the ability to listen and respond to others. Some students also struggles with appropriate language, often using both formal and informal structures in the same communication task. The main priorities for the course will be: To improve pronunciation To improve fluency The use of discourse markers The use of communication strategies To promote dialogue as well as presentation and debate skills Differentiation in language and style with regards to context (e.g. formal vs. informal)     



Issues regarding discipline, behaviour and the multi-level class identified in part one will be taken into consideration together with the course priorities and student preferences, outlined in this chapter, when planning the course.

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PART THREE: Course Proposal 3.1 Approach, Design and Procedure A framework for the comparison of teaching methods, created by Richards and Rodgers (1982), divides method into: approach, design and procedure. The approach concerns the theory of language learning whilst design includes the definition of language content, its specification and organization and the role of the teacher. teacher. Procedure is concerned with a description of techniques and practices (Long and Crookes, 1992). A communicative approach based around activities, or tasks, which promote a variety of communication, would probably be best suited given the needs and preferences of the learner learn er and instituti institution. on. Long and Cr Crookes ookes (1992) (1992) define a syllabu syllabuss base based d around communicative tasks as  Analytic  Analytic,, they “offer the learner target language samples which, while they may have been modified in other ways, have not been controlled for structure or lexis in the traditional manner” as oppose to Synthetic which “ segment segment the target language into discrete linguistic items for presentation one at a time”. The design of the course must take into account the needs of the adolescent learner and provide enough flexibility for the multi-level multi-level class as well as be engaging engaging and motivating. Tasks should allow and encourage students to be creative and share opinions with each other with the role of teacher being to observe, analyse and provide new language and feedback where needed. With regards to the procedure, the main issue is how and when to focus on language forms. There are varying opinions on this; proponents of Task-Based Learning (TBL), such as Prabhu (1980) for example, usually discourage any focus on language forms. In my experience with the group, however, when undertaking a communicative task they will use simple and often inaccurate language unless new language is presented or they are corrected. Regarding tasks, Foster (1999) states “learners might be encouraged to prioritise on a focus on meaning rather than a focus on form and thus be led to use fluent but unchallenging and inaccurate language”. A Test, Teach, Test (TTT) technique will be employed to combine language focus with communicative tasks. Focus on language will be encouraged encouraged after an initial activity that w will ill serve to activate schemata and provide information to the teacher with regards to gaps in student knowledge. The teacher will then present useful lexical phrases and pronunciation that will aid students in the main task. This main task will involve group work and require planning and presentation or reporting to the rest of the class. Peer feedback after group reporting/presentation will be incorporated in order to provide a need for need  for listening and reduce the chance of students becoming bored and disruptive whilst listening to their peers. The teacher will also provide feedback to groups after task completion.

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3.2 Course objectives The objectives of the course are for students to:

3.3 Materials and Course Content Regarding the type of communicative activity, Stern (1992) provides the following suggestions:  

Give and follow instructions Gather and exchange information

  

Solve problems Give informal talks in the classroom Take part in role-play and drama activities

After reviewing the needs and objectives of the course I would also add formal speaking activities such as presentations and debates to the above list. Although difficult to grade tasks I feel that the order listed above roughly increases in difficulty and will be used to grade and order tasks on the course. The course plan meets the needs and objectives identified through the careful selection and grading of activities. Presentations Presentations and d debates ebates (objectives 1 and 2) were m mentioned entioned as a requirement by the institution and classes 9-12 9-12 deal with these specifically. Pronunciation, discourse markers and communication strategies (objectives 3, 4 & 6) are dealt with before the main task  and linked to the activities carried out by students, e.g. In class 4 students practice pronouncing words related to music that contain consonant clusters, this is

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followed by the main task which is to plan and present proposals for a music festival. Classes that practice both informal (classes 1-6) and formal speech (classes 9-12) have also been incorporated into the course plan (objective 5). The course also takes into differences in learning styles. Classes 7 & 8, for example, involve creating and presenting a poster (visual learner) whilst classes 2 & 3 involve movement and examining objects (kinaesthetic learner) and the debates involve listening and responding (auditory learner). The tasks are also flexible enough to cater for the multi-level class. Additionally, the topics and activities chosen reflect student s tudent preferences, for example class 4 is based on music and concerts

3.4 Group and Pair-work Due to the discipline issues related to the adolescent learner and the multi-level class, grouping and pairing needs to be undertaken carefully. Harmer (2007:168) recommends placing friends together to avoid conflict. In my experience, however, this can lead to particular groups being disruptive and others where all members are of a certain level. Having a variety of levels in one group could be beneficial, as stronger students will help weaker ones (Harmer 2007:169). The teacher will, therefore, choose groups during the lesson planning stage with each class having a different group configuration and groups having a mix of levels.

3.5 Constraints The main constraints of the course are the limited facilities available in the classroom. There are no video/audio recording or projection facilities in the classrooms although an external recording device could be brought in, as well as speakers. Another constraint is the configuration of the classroom; all students sit in rows with small individual desks fixed to the ground, this may provide some difficulties during group work activities. The other limitation is time; all classes are a fixed length (2 hours with a 15 minute min ute break in the middle) and there can be no changes made to this.

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PART FOUR: Testing, Assessment and Evaluation To differentiate the terms testing and assessment, we can refer to the latter as being “broader than testing; the teacher is looking at progress over time in a variety of contexts” (Law, 1995:5). Testing, therefore, can be viewed as a tool in the assessment process that gives us information at a specific point in time regarding student language ability. There are various purposes for assessment such as: 1) To provide provide informatio information n required required or expected expected by the institution institution,, parents parents or other institution (such as a prospective college or university) 2) To aid the teache teacherr in understand understanding ing the effectiven effectiveness ess of of the cour course se 3) To provide provide feedback feedback for the lear learner ner which which may then have have an impact on their their learni learning, ng, known as washback (Messick, 1996) With regards to this particular assignment, the institution does not require any form of assessment. The interest, therefore, lies in assessing for the purpose of providing information about course effectiveness for the teacher and also in providing feedback to students, which it is hoped will inform as well as motivate them. Assessment is often divided into two types: formative and summative. Brindley (2001:137) defines formative assessment as being “carried out by teachers during the learning process with the aim of using the results to improve instruction”. Summative assessment is usually “at the end of the course, course, term or school year – often for purposes of providin providing g aggregated information on programme outcomes to educational authorities”.

4.1 Formative Assessment The methodology selected for the course lends itself well to formative assessment due to the fact that all tasks are observed with the aim of giving feedback to students and focusing on language accordingly. Rea Dickens (1992) and Underhill (1987) point to the advantages of using classroom observation for assessment, especially with regards to communicative activities. “In classical testing terms terms it is based on a bigger and better sample sample of language” and in comparison to an oral test the learner is more “relaxed and confident” Underhill (1987:27). Formative assessment will, therefore, be based on classroom observations of tasks performed by students in each class throughout the course. Using observations as a testing method needs to be considered with criteria established regarding the attributes of a successful test. Harmer (2007:381) (2 007:381) states that a good test needs to be valid and reliable, he defines a valid test as one that “tests what is supposed to” and that a reliable test “should give consistent results”. Brown (1996:231) separates validity into the following three categories: “Content validity: To demonstrate content validity, testers investigate the degree to which a test is a representative sample of the content of whatever objectives or specifications the test was originally designed to measure

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Criterion-related validity usually Criterion-related validity  usually includes any validity strategies that focus on the correlation of the test being validated with some well-respected outside measure(s) of the same objectives or specifications Construct validity  has traditionally been defined as the experimental demonstration that a test is measuring the construct it claims to be measuring.” Scores given through observation of tasks need to be based on the objectives set in order to ensure content validity. Construct validity is high, as the tasks set have been designed to demonstrate language skills set out in the objectives and also due to the larger sample size of work compared to a one-off test. Criterion-related validity is difficult to measure, as the school does not currently administer any official oral exams. With regards to face to  face validity , whether the test looks like a test for the teacher and learner, this may be a problem as students are accustomed to traditional paper based, one-off tests. They may not regard continuous assessment of their tasks as testing. Underhill (1987:20) points out “there may be a discrepancy between the objectives if a teaching/testing programme and the cultural expectations of the learners”. In order to combat this he suggests explanation, preparation and practice so students become familiar with the new style of testing and hopefully accept it. Regarding reliability “marking gets more reliable when a student’s performance is analysed in much greater detail” (Harmer 2007: 388). Clear criteria based on objectives, as well as an analytic scale for each criteria has been created to aid the teacher during the marking process for each task and produce more reliable results (see page Appendix 11).

4.2 Summative Assessment The results of individual tasks throughout the course will be combined to give an overall impression of student progress. In comparison to a one-off test Ana Huerta-Macias (2002:342 ) sees it as “more beneficial as it gives as more knowledge about the student’s goals, progress and interests. It helps us understand the student”. Law (1995:31) also argues that single occasion tests are not a good measure measure of student competence and they do not easily measure growth. The combination of scores from assessment of the tasks for each student will be used to create a report giving an overall impression of their progress, strengths and weaknesses. Harris and McCann (1994:21) also suggest a broader view of assessment that includes learner characteristics as well as language ability (see figure 1 below). Due to behavioural issues surrounding the adolescent learner this is see as particularly relevant and will therefore form part of the assessment procedure and included in the final report. The following points will be used as by the teacher as a framework to comment on student characteristics:

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Figure 1: Student Behaviour (Harris and McCann, 1994:21)

4.3 Course Evaluation A distinction can be made between assessment and evaluation; the former concerns “passing judgements on students’ learning potential and performance” and the latter is concerned with “making judgements about the curriculum” (Skilbeck 1984:238). The course will be evaluated in the following three ways: 1) Student questionnaire to determine opinions regarding the classes and suggestions for improvement (See Appendix 12) 2) Teacher’s notes and student student feedback after each class - In my experience, st students udents are often vocal about activities and classes they particularly liked or disliked. The teacher is often aware if a particular task has been successful or not. The teacher, therefore, should make notes after each class with their own evaluation of the class as well as feedback from students. 3) The main English teacher for the class will be interviewed to determine improvements they have seen in the students’ communication skills.

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PART FIVE: Conclusion This assignment outlines a 20-hour course for adolescent learners of ESL. Issues concerning the adolescent learner have been analysed and a course proposed with both the learner and institution in mind. The course is based around communicative activities with a TTT (test, teach, test) framework. Activities have been selected which should engage the adolescent learner and allow for a variety of learning styles, preferences and levels. Measures such as careful pairing and grouping of students and creating a need  for listening during student presentations have been used to tackle issues regarding poor behaviour and motivation. Pair work and group work activities have also been used extensively to increase the speaking opportunities the learner has. Regular assessment is incorporated into the course and is seen as a further measure to increase student motivation and provide feedback for the teacher. The overall student progress at the end of the course will be gauged by combining all individual assessments of tasks as well as an analysis of student behaviour and attitude. The limitations of the course proposed are mainly due to restrictions in time and also factors concerning student discipline and preferences. Individual presentations, for example, have not been incorporated incorporated in the course, as most students students prefer group work and some lack confidence to speak alone in front of the class. The strong focus on group work may also cause problems regarding discipline issues, as it is difficult for the teacher to ensure that all members of a group are participating fully, not speaking in their L1 and cooperating well. Some students may also resent the fact that so much time is spent speaking to their peers rather than the teacher and prefer a more traditional style of teaching and learning. Despite its limitations it is hoped that the course will benefit learners by greatly increasing the quantity and quality of speaking practice in the classroom. They will also have the opportunity to practice speaking in different contexts and to a variety of their peers. peers. Through basic presentation and debate tasks it is hoped that students are better prepared for further and higher education and are able to express their opinions and ideas effectively. Learners should also be aware of discourse markers and communication strategies and use them appropriately to improve the quality of their speech. This will be further improved due to the course’s focus on pronunciation, intonation and stress. Finally, students should be able to recognize some differences between formal and informal speech and be able to use appropriate register according to context.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Brindley, G. (2001) Assessment  (2001) Assessment In In R. Carter & D. Nunan The Cambridge guide to teaching English to speakers of other languages pp 137-143 Cambridge University Press Brown (2002) English Language in the “Post Method Era” In Era” In Richards, J., Renandya W. Methodology in Language Teaching pp 9-18 Crawford, G. (2008) Differentiation for the Adolescent Learner Corwin Learner Corwin Press Davis, E. (1977) Motivating Secondary School Children ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED137263 Erikson, E. (1993) Childhood and Society , W. W. Norton and Company Foster (1999) ‘Task-based learning and pedagogy’ ELT Journal Volume 53/1 January viewed 19th May at http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/53/1/69.pdf  http://eltj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/53/1/69.pdf  Hague, P. (1993) Questionnaire Design Kogan Page Ltd. Harmer, J. (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching, Teaching, Pearson Longman ELT Harris, M., McCann P, (1994) Assessment  (1994) Assessment Macmillan Macmillan Education Huerta-Macías, Ana (2002). Alternative (2002). Alternative Assessment: Assessment: Responses to Common Commonly ly Asked Questions In: Richards, Jack C. and Willy A. Renandya Methodology in Language Teaching.  An Anthology of Current Practice Practice Cambridge University Press. Pp 338-343. Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for language teachers. teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Law, B., & Eckes, M. (1995). Assessment (1995). Assessment and ESL: ESL: On the yellow big road to the withered of Oz Oz.. Peguis Publishers. Long and Crookes (1992) ‘Three Approaches to Task-based syllabus design’ TESOL Quarterly 26/1 Spring Meed, N. (1985) Assessing (1985) Assessing Listening Listening and Speaking Skills ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED263626 Messick, S. (1996). Validity and washback in language testing. Language Testing, 13(3), 241256 Miller, J. (2009) Understanding and Engaging Adolescents, Adolescents, Corwin Press Moon, B. Mayes, S. Hutchinson S. (2002) Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum in Secondary Schools Routledge Falmer: London

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Moys, A. (1996) The Challenges of Secondary Education In 30 Years of Language Teaching Hawkins, E. Oxford University Press pp241-253 Norris, J., Brown, J. D., Hudson, T., & Yoshioka, J. (1998). Designing second language  performance assessments assessments (Technical Report 18). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Nunan, D. (1993). Task-based syllabus design: selecting, grading and sequencing tasks. In In G. Crookes & S.M. Gass (Eds.). Tasks in a Pedagogical Context . Cleveland, UK. Pp 55 –66 Pennycook, A. ( 1994 1994 ) The Cultural Po Politics litics of English as a Second Second Language Language,, Longman Group Limited Piaget (2001) The Psychology of Intelligence, Intelligence, Routledge Puchta, H., Schratz, M. (1993) Teaching Teenagers: Model Activity Sequences for Humanistic Language Learning, Learning, Longman Publishing Group Prahbu, N. S., (1980). ‘Reactions and predictions’. Bulletin 4(1). Bangalore: Regional Institute of English, South India Rea-Dickens, P., Germaine, K. (1992) Evaluation Oxford University Press Richards, J. and T. Rodgers (1982) (1982 ) 'Method: approach, design, procedure'. TESOL Quarterly , 16: 153-68. Stern, H. 1992. Issues and Options in Language Teaching. Oxford: OUP Tomlinson (1998) Materials Development in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press Underhill, N. (1987) Testing Spoken Language Oxford University Press Williams, M., Burden, R. (1997) Psychology for Language Teachers Cambridge University Press

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APPENDIX 1: Needs Analysis Results

Skill Preferences  Atti tu des t owar ds co nf iden ce in sp eakin g Eng li sh

14

  s    t   n 12   e    d   u 10    t    S 8    f   o 6   r   e 4    b   m 2   u    N 0

Reading Writing Listening

Very Confident 30%

Very Shy 0%

Shy 30%

Speaking

1

2

3

Quite Confident 40%

4

(1 = Favour Favour ite , 4 = Leas t Favourite)

 Att it itute ute s t ow ard s s peak ing Englis h

Love 13%

 Att itu des t ow ards sp eakin g En gl ish in fro nt o f the class

Hate 22% Love 39%

Hate 0%

Don't Like 4%

Don't Like 13% Like 52%

Like 57%

 Acti vi ty Pre fer en ce ces s

Worksheets 13%

Topic Prefe Preferences rences

Sports Television

Plays 21%

Music Food The Environment

Games 22%

Science and T echnolog echnology y Jobs

Songs 23%

Jitesh Patel: The Adolescent Learner

Presentation s 21%

 Animals Festivals around the world Fashion Politics

21

 

Student Self Assessment VAK Learner Styles   s    t   n   e    d   u    t    S    f   o

Combinatio ns 17% Kinaestheti c 17%

Visual 44%

 Auditory 22%

Jitesh Patel: The Adolescent Learner

  e   g   a    t   n   e   c   r   e    P

100% 75%

No Problems  A few Problems Problems

50%

Some Problems

25%

Lots of Problems

0%

  n   e   a  r    l  a  r  y   t    i  o   n  c   m   u    i  a    i  d  e   m    b   c   a   n   r  a   n  f   G    V  o  c   n  u   C  o   o    P  r

22

 

APPENDIX 2: Diagnostic Test Results Delivery

Appropriacy Range of Lexis

Use of Discourse Markers 1 2

Pronunciation

4 3

Accuracy of Language 3 3

Group 1 Group 2

2 2

4 3

Group 3 Group 4 Total

3 3 10

2 3 12

4 4 15

3 3 12

3 2 9

3 2 9

2 2

CRITERIA Delivery 0 - Very poor use of voice and body body language Max. 5 - Excellent use of gestures, gestures, body language and pitch Appropriacy 0 - Language is either too informal informal or formal for considering the context Max. 5 - All language is appropriately appropriately selected with regards to the task Range of Lexis 0 - Lexis is very simple and repetitive; only one or two basic tenses us used ed Max 5. - Broad range of lexis and some expressions used Accuracy of Language 0 - Many basic grammar mistakes mistakes made and inaccurate use of lexis Max. 5 - Both grammar and lexis is used accurately Use of Discourse Markers 0 - No use of sequencing, connecting or finalising devices Max. 5 - A broad range of discourse markers markers used in an appropriate appropriate and effective manner Pronunciation 0 - Poor pronunciation makes it very difficult or impossible for the listener to understand the speaker Max. 5 - No problems with pronunciation, pronunciation, intonation or stress stress COMMENTS Group 1 Strengths Fairly good range of lexis e.g. home-schoo home-schooll is widespread. 

Weaknesses 

Delivery was poor – The audience had had problems hearing the the group and they also failed to engage the audience

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





Accuracy of language was average but some basic mistakes e.g. Name of the island is, Every children have to Very little use of discourse markers (for sequencing and connecting) and communication strategies. Pronunciation problems with consonant clusters e.g.  plants and long words e.g. discrimination

Group 2 Strengths Accuracy of language was good but some basic mistakes e.g. The students doesn’t have to 

Weaknesses Delivery was OK but the group interrupted each other during the presentation causing breaks in the presentation. They did not use any phrases to interrupt (e.g. “sorry but can I just add…”, etc.) Range of lexis is average for the level but only simple structures and basic grammar used Appropriacy was poor e.g. What are you gonna..?  Little use of discourse markers to connect contrasting ideas and to sequence and poor pronunciation due to sentence stress problems 







Group 3 Strengths Overall the best presentation given. Good delivery and some use of communication strategies e.g. I want to say something more Good range and accuracy of lexis e.g. marital arts, loyal  but some simple mistakes, very similar to those see in other groups Some use of discourse markers Our first job is but none used for finalising 





Weaknesses Pronunciation was good but problems with /w/ and /v/ sounds e.g. we pronounced 



as vee Some very inappropriate language was used e.g. We gonna protect them

General Comments: Although students were asked to give a short 3-minute presentation to describe their island before taking questions, all gave a very brief presentation. presentation. Students seemed to lack confidence and language ability to sequence ideas into lengthy prose. Students generally used a wide range of vocabulary but made a few basic grammar mistakes, possible due to nervousness. The audience were very enthusiastic regarding question asking but conversely didn’t listen to answers and often had to be asked to be quiet and listen to the speakers.

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Group 4 Strengths Good range and accuracy of lexis e.g. Oligarchy, dominate. dominate. 

Weaknesses Very brief sentences with little connection c onnection between ideas Delivery was OK but students gave no introduction and all answers were fairly brief  



 

Minimal uses of discourse markers and communication strategies Pronunciation problems with the ‘th’ sound in there Oral Test Results by Criteria

Oral Test Results by Group

18 Delivery

16 14

 Appropriacy/Register   Appropriacy/Regi ster 

12 Range of Lexis and Grammar 

10 8

 Accuracy of language

6 Use of discourse markers

4 2

Pronunciation

0 Group 1 Group 2 Grou Group p 3 Group 4

Jitesh Patel: The Adolescent Learner

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0   n   o    i    t   a    i   c   n   u   n   o   r    P

   f   e   o   e   s   r   y   g   u   c   a   o   s   a   r   c   e   r   u   s   u   g    d    i    k   c   n   r   a   c   l    f   a   o   m    A   e   s    U

   d   n   a   s   r    i   x   a

  r   e    t   s    i   g   e

  y   r   e   v    i    l   e

   L   e   m    f   m   o   a   r   e   G   g   n   a    R

   /    R   y   c   a    i   r   p   o   r   p   p    A

   D

25

 

APPENDIX 3 – Oral Test Transcript Transcript

The Perf Perfec ectt I sland  sland  Students were asked to imagine that a new island has been discovered and they have been chosen as the first inhabitants. They must decide how island will be governed g overned and managed. They must think if issues such as: Style of government, immigration, transport, energy, education, the financial system and agriculture. Students will have time to prepare to give a presentation to give an introduction of their island i sland to the audience who act as potential inhabitants. After an introduction, the audience should ask the group questions regarding life on the island. The following is a transcribed section of student oral output during the presentation phase:

Group 1 S1: Name of the island i sland is Miterion. The population has 2000 people. It is a republic. Q1: What will you do about education? S2: Home-school is widespread on our island, children don’t have to go to school. Every children have to home school. Q2: Where will energy come from? Turkish Babble from group S3: Energy comes from water. Produced from water Q3: What about terrorism? S4: 55% of population is old people Umm, so there is no discrimination or terrorism Q4: What about natural disasters? S3:If you want to live on the island you have to think tthat, hat, we can’t prevent disasters Q5: What types of jobs will people have? S5: Umm They are working special plants, there are lots of special plants, other countries, don’t have it. People made of..Uh, um, drum. Papers are made from hemp because papers made from hemp harm less than others.

Group 2 S1: Our island’s name is Choro, population --Interruption from audience