Waldo, Florida TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

In previous units we are made to understand that for students to learn a new language they need to be exposed to it, understand its meaning, understand how it is constructed and be able to practice and use it in everyday life. Unit 7 therefore lays emphasis on how new vocabulary, grammatical structures and language functions can be introduced our lessons or classrooms. The use of the different ESA approach ( engage, study, activate) can be applied to introduce new lessons as it was seen in unit three. Lessons that are specifically targeted to grammar or vocabulary most often then not use the `straight arrow‘ ESA approach, whereas function based lessons are commonly approached with `boomerang‘ or `patchwork‘ ESA structures. This rule does not have to be strictly followed, an effective teacher thinks about which structures is most suitable for the students and to the language that will be introduced Teaching vocabulary to students is very important as basic words can help them to get by in the new language. The ease or difficulty students may encounter when learning a new language may depend on the similarity the new language has with the student’s native language, similarity to English words already known, appropriacy etc. Selecting which vocabulary to teach is not always easy as it should be suitable for the level of class. Teachers should take note of certain criterias when selecting new vocabulary such as whether it is appropriate for the students, the teachability of the vocabulary, how often is it likely that the students will need to use it. Students should also be taught the meaning, use, where it belongs in a sentence, its spelling, pronunciation and how it interacts or effects other words. As above mentioned, the ESA approach can be used to introduce new vocab (ex: pictures, gap-filling exercises, role play). Introducing new language structures depends on the level of class and course syllabus. Students will therefore need to know what the language means, how it is used, forms and patterns, spoken and written form. Techniques for presenting and practicing language structures could be introduced by using pictures, drawings and objects during the engage stage. As for the study and activate stage, teachers can introduce sentence and role play respectively. The ESA `patchwork‘ approach can also be used to teach grammar lessons whereby by the end of the lesson students should be able to talk and write about films and books using the past simple tense. This approach is suitable for mid-level students. The activities in the ESA `patchwork approach‘ vary. Various stages are used in between the engage and activate stage ( ex: E, A, S, A, S, A). Teaching language functions include areas like inviting, refusing, agreeing and disagreeing, suggestions, etc. Teachers should also look at the formal, informal, tentative and technical use of the language. language lessons stress the need for activation of language and this can be effectively done by using the ESA `boomerang‘ approach ( E, A, S, A) Using role play is very useful in this approach. During the engage stage students can talk about their favorite leisure game and why they like them. Later they can ask their peers to join them in their favorite activity. In the study stage, teachers and students should listen to invitation dialogue on tape, compare and analyze ways of inviting, accepting/rejecting