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Thornbury (1999) finds a number of parallels between language teaching and the expressive arts, specifically in film structure and its nature as a social experience. Similar comparisons may be drawn in Woods's (2009) remarks on the nature of architecture, which he describes as "trans-disciplinary”; this is comparable to the nature of EAP teaching, which often encompasses multiple language goals, and EAP classes, which often feature students of various academic disciplines. To accommodate this multi-disciplinary nature, Woods promotes a collaborative approach: in his view, a school relies on students, teachers, and administrators as equal actors. Underlining this is the idea that successful teaching requires meaningful communication between stakeholders; in the TEAP course, we have seen this applied to numerous areas of EAP from needs analysis to programme evaluation.

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A school is---before all else---a faculty. It is obvious that without a faculty, a school could not exist, for there would be no one to teach the students who come to a school. Also, the better students, those who are most eager to learn, most ambitious for themselves, and most demanding, those, in short, with...

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LESSON PLANNING: Time efficiency strategies

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LESSON PLANNING: Time efficiency strategies

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I tend to overestimate the number of tasks that can be accomplished in a lesson. Using different teaching approaches has helped; for example, flipped classroom methods can focus class time on more valuable activities (Brame, 2013). I’ve also experimented with selective use of L1 in the classroom, under Cook’s (2001, p.414) observation that it may help students become more comfortable communicating in L2.

There are practical strategies for lesson efficiency that don’t require changes of approach. Meador (2017) suggests a variety of techniques, from creating efficient procedures for routine tasks to keeping a journal of class distractions, with links to further reading for each. While some of the techniques may seem innocuous, they have helped me to develop practical ways of managing class time that have improved my lessons as a whole.

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Time is a precious commodity for teachers. Most teachers would argue that they never have enough time to reach every student, particularly the ones that are below grade level. Therefore, every second a teacher has with their students should be a meaningful and productive second.

Successful teachers establish procedures and expectations that minimize wasteful downtime and maximize engaging learning opportunities. Wasted time does add up. A teacher who loses as little as five minutes of instructional minutes per day due to inefficiencies wastes fifteen hours of opportunity over the course of a 180-day school year. That extra time would likely make a significant difference for every student, but particularly those who are struggling learners. Teachers can utilize the following strategies to maximize student learning time and minimize downtime.

Effective planning and preparation are essential in maximizing student learning time. Too many teachers under-plan and find themselves with nothing to do for the last few minutes of class. Teachers should get in the habit of over-planning- too much is always better than not enough. In addition, teachers should always have their materials laid out and ready to go before students arrive.

Another important-and often overlooked-component of planning and preparation is practice. Many teachers skip this essential element, but they shouldn't. Independent practice of lessons and activities allows teachers to work out the kinks beforehand, ensuring that minimum instructional time will be lost.

Distractions run rampant during school hours. An announcement comes over the loudspeaker, an unexpected guest knocks on the classroom door, an argument breaks out between students during class time. There is no way to eliminate every single distraction, but some are more easily controlled than others. Teachers can evaluate distractions by keeping a journal over the course of a two-week period. At the end of this period, teachers can better determine which distractions can be limited and formulate a plan to minimize them.

Classroom procedures are an essential part of the learning environment. Those teachers who operate their classroom like a well-oiled machine maximize student learning time. Teachers should develop efficient procedures for every aspect of the classroom. This includes routine activities such as sharpening pencils, turning in assignments, or getting into groups.

Most teachers give "free time" at some point during the school day. It is easy to do when we may not be feeling the best or we under-plan. But we know when we give it, we are not taking advantage of the precious time that we have with our students. Our students love "free time", but it is not what is best for them. As teachers, our mission is to educate. "Free time" runs directly counter to that mission.

Transitions occur every time you switch from one component of a lesson or activity into another. Transitions when poorly executed can slow a lesson down tremendously. When done right, they are practiced procedures that are quick and seamless. Transitions are a major opportunity for teachers to gain back some of that valuable time. Transitions may also include changing from one class to another. In this case, students must be taught to bring the correct materials to class, use the bathroom or get a drink, and be in their seats ready to learn when the next class period starts.

A major component in teaching is providing your students with clear and concise directions. In other words, directions should be easy to understand and as simple and straightforward as possible. Poor or confusing directions can stymie a lesson and quickly turn the learning environment into total chaos. This takes away valuable instruction time and disrupts the learning process. Good directions are given in multiple formats (i.e. verbal and written). Many teachers select a handful of students to summarize the directions before turning them lose to get started on the activity.

No amount of planning can account for everything that could go wrong in a lesson. This makes having a backup plan critical. As a teacher, you make adjustments to lessons on the fly all the time. Occasionally, there will be situations where more than a simple adjustment is needed. Having a backup plan ready can ensure that learning time for that class period will not be lost. In an ideal world, everything will always go according to plan, but the classroom environment is often far from ideal. Teachers should develop a set of backup plans to fall back on should things fall apart at any point.

Many teachers lose valuable instructional time because they have poor classroom management skills. The teacher has failed to gain control of the classroom environment and establish a relationship of mutual trust and respect with their students. These teachers are continuously having to redirect students and often spend more time correcting students than teaching them. This is perhaps the most limiting factor in maximizing learning time. Teachers must develop and maintain effective classroom management skills where learning is valued, the teacher is respected, and expectations and procedures are set and met beginning on day one.

Even the best intentions fall by the wayside if students do not truly understand what is being asked of them. This problem can be easily taken care of with a little practice and repetition. Veteran teachers will tell you that the tone for the year is often set within the first few days. This is the time to practice your expected procedures and expectations over and over. Teachers who take the time within the first few days to drill these procedures will save valuable instructional time as they move throughout the year.

It is easy for teachers to get distracted and veer off topic from time to time. There are some students who, frankly, are masters at making this happen. They are able to engage a teacher in a conversation about a personal interest or tell a funny story that captivates the classes attention but keeps them from completing the lessons and activities scheduled for the day. To maximize student learning time, teachers must maintain control of the pace and flow of the environment. While no teacher wants to miss out on a teachable moment, you don't want to chase rabbits either.

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10 Effective Strategies to Boost Student Learning Time

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Time is a precious commodity for teachers. Most teachers would argue that they never have enough time to reach every student, particularly the ones that are below grade level. Therefore, every second a teacher has with their students should be a meaningful and productive second.

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This is a two-hour lesson on descriptive and narrative writing. It is part of an introductory EAP writing course for secondary-level students who are planning to pursue academic studies in English at university.

The primary aim of the lesson is to show students how structure and grammar change according to rhetorical purpose. The structure of the lesson is based on the Engage-Study-Activate model (Harmer, 2007, p.52-53), and features a speaking activity, lecture, and writing tasks. I emphasize corrective feedback and assignment editing, and task worksheets are designed to accommodate grammar corrections and critical commentary. I use selective grammar correction with a correction code, as learner self-correction has been shown to improve second-language acquisition (Ellis, 2009, p.7); as Lee (2005, p.10) asserts, “those needing the most practice in error correction should do it, meaning the students.” Written commentary is included on the basis that it has been shown to improve student skills in draft revision (Paulus, 1999), which is a frequent task in the course.

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AE - Writing 1 - Lesson 5 Description and narration

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LESSON PLANNING: Developing effective lessons

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LESSON PLANNING: Developing effective lessons

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Richards and Bohlke (2011) provide practical information on all stages of lesson development in an accessible style; their use of imperative sentences—“Understand your learners’ cognitive styles” (pg. 29)—as chapter subheadings is encouragingly straightforward, and reminiscent of Strunk (1918).

Of particular interest is a short section in which Richards and Bohlke discuss the role the lesson plan should play in the actual delivery of the lesson (pp.39-40). In their view, the lesson plan is a blueprint to be “renegotiated according to what occurs in the lesson itself” (pg. 40). Earlier in my career, I was beholden to lesson plans, unwilling to follow tangents that may have created learning opportunities; now, I may follow such asides too exuberantly, and lose focus on planned outcomes. Balance is key, and Richards and Boehlke’s suggestion of flexibility for good reason (p.40) seems advisable.

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Richards & Bohlke - 2011 - Creating effective language lessons

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Al-Jarrah, R.S. (2016) ‘A suggested model of corrective feedback provision’, Ampersand, 3, pp.98-107.

Brame, C. (2013). Flipping the classroom. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Available at: http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/ (Accessed: 8 July 2017)

Cook, V. (2001) ‘Using the First Language in the classroom’, The Canadian Modern Language Review/La Revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 57(3), pp.402-423.

Cumming, A. (2001) ‘ESL/EFL instructors’ practices for writing assessment: specific purposes or general purposes?’, Language Testing, 18(2), pp.207-224.

Ellis, R. (2009) ‘Corrective Feedback and Teacher Development’, L2 Journal, 1(1), pp.3-18.

Ellis, R. (2009a) ‘A typology of written corrective feedback’, ELT Journal, 63(2), pp.97-107.

Harmer, J. (2007) How to Teach English. (7th ed.) Essex: Pearson Education Ltd.

Harvard College Writing Program (2007) A Brief Guide to Responding to Student Writing. Available at: https://writingproject.fas.harvard.edu/pages/teaching-guides (Accessed: 04 July 2017).

Harwood, N. (2005) ‘What do we want EAP teaching materials for?’, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(2), pp.149-161.

Lee, I. (2005) ‘Error-Correction in the L2 Writing Classroom: What do Students Think?’, TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL du Canada, 22(2), pp.1-16.

Meador, D. (2017) Strategies for Teachers to Maximize Student Learning Time. Available at:
https://www.thoughtco.com/strategies-for-teachers-to-maximize-student-learning-time-4065667 (Accessed 02 July 2017).

Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie (2013) Marking Guide: Ministerial Examination of College English Language of Instruction and Literature. Available at: http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/en/references/publications/results/detail/article/ministerial-examination-of-college-english-language-of-instruction-and-literature/ (Accessed: 04 July 2017)

Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie (2013a) ‘Appendix: Sample Student Essays’, Marking Guide: Ministerial Examination of College English Language of Instruction and Literature. Available at: http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/en/references/publications/results/detail/article/ministerial-examination-of-college-english-language-of-instruction-and-literature/ (Accessed: 04 July 2017)

Paulus, T.M. (1999) ‘The Effect of Peer and Teacher Feedback on Student Writing’, Journal of Second Language Writing, 8(3), pp.265-289.

Richards, J.C. and Bohlke, D. (2011) Creating Effective Language Lessons. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Strunk, W. (1918) Elements of Style. Geneva, N.Y.: W.F. Humphrey.

Thornbury, S. (1999) ‘Lesson art and design’, ELT Journal, 53(1), pp.4-11.

Wette, R. (2014) ‘Teachers’ practices in EAP writing instruction: Use of models and modeling’, System, 42, pp.60–69.

Woods, L. (2009) Architecture School 101. Available at:
https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/architecture-school-101/ (Accessed 02 July 2017).

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I have found writing models useful in many of my writing courses. Often my students revert to simple language and structures when confronting new tasks; text models allow them to see structure and language in use (and how they change across genres). They provide a reference for students’ own compositions, although Wette (2014) notes that useful model texts must satisfy certain criteria: they should be presented alongside explicit guidance, and their complexity should not be beyond learners’ current levels (p. 62). The latter consideration is something I have struggled with, as I sometimes produce texts that are too ambitious for my learners’ abilities; this is an area where adapting a textbook may prove more expedient (Harwood, 2005, p. 153).

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Wette - 2014 - using models in writing class

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ASSESSMENT: CORE DOCUMENTS - GRADED COURSEWORK

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ASSESSMENT: CORE DOCUMENTS - GRADED COURSEWORK

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These graded essays are from the English Exit Exam of the Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) 2-year post-secondary programme in Quebec, CA. Of 48 CEGEP colleges in Quebec, 43 are French-language; as English is widely-spoken in the province, one can consider the Exit Exam submissions as ESL (rather than EFL) compositions under Cumming's delineations (2001, p.208), and the CEGEP English course can be described as EAP in that its primary aims are to analyse various discourses and academic genres (MESRST, 2013). The essays display a wide range of English ability; some seem appropriate to undergraduate-level studies in English (see Samples 1 and 4), while others demonstrate difficulty in all three areas of assessment (see Sample 3). In terms of assessment, the markers have provided comprehensive written feedback and, using Ellis’s (2009a, p.98) typology, indirect corrective feedback by indicating and locating errors.

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ASSESSMENT: CORE DOCUMENTS - MARKING GUIDE WITH DESCRIPTORS

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ASSESSMENT: CORE DOCUMENTS - MARKING GUIDE WITH DESCRIPTORS

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The Quebec Ministerial Examination of College English Marking Guide details the provision of formative and summative feedback for the CEGEP English Exit Exam, and could be useful in EAP contexts where critical reading and essay composition are emphasized. It outlines three assessment areas: Comprehension and Insight, Organization of Response, and Expression. There is extensive written commentary and in-text corrective feedback on structure (main points are underlined), grammar (incorrect usage is highlighted), and rhetorical devices (examples and other support are marked in bold). Summative grades are given in four subsections of the main assessment areas, which are converted to an overall letter grade. The feedback is effective in its focus on specific forms (Al-Jarrah, 2016, pp.102-103), but may be more useful to students if abridged into a more concise message (Harvard, 2007, p.1).

This document has been useful in my own assessment practices. It provides examples of language features to help understand assessment criteria; I try to include examples for each level of assessment (A-F) in my own rubrics. It advises that students should be credited for informal terminology that demonstrates understanding, and I have found rewarding students for comprehension far more effective than penalizing them for misused terms. Finally, I use a similar 3-criteria rubric for writing assignments (critical understanding, composition structure, and formal expression), and the Marking Guide provides a useful breakdown of what factors comprise these categories.