English language teaching

Approaches & Methods in Second Language Teaching

The following articles are suitable for teachers and students on TEFL Certificate or Diploma Courses or on 'TEFL / Applied Linguistics related' MA or MBA Degree Courses.

----The crosswords at the end of sections test the content and a little bit more! The interactive ones can be done online.

• 01 English Pronunciation and Listening to spoken English
• Why learn or teach "phonology"?
• Priorities and materials for phonology and phonetics
• British English consonant sounds - i. final blends ii. assimilation
• British English vowel sounds - monophthongs
• British English vowel sounds - diphthongs
• Specifying the priorities for pronunciation teaching
• Teaching intonation, rhythm and stress
• Speech versus written English
• Listening to spoken English: techniques for L2 learners
• Should spoken English be the principal objective in language learning?
• idiom, cliché, jargon, slang, motto, phoneme, allophone, redundancy
• Crossword: Pronunciation 1 paper version----interactive version
• Crossword: Pronunciation 2 paper version----interactive version
• 02 Syntax & Semantics
• Ways of presenting grammar
• Short Texts for production and grammar presentation
• Dialogues for grammar-presentation or conversation-facilitation
• Function & Form: uses of the Present Perfect Tense
• Grammar content of FCE as covered in leading exam course books 1979-1987
• Key developments in the teaching of English vocabulary during the mid 20th century
• Books for the learning and teaching of vocabulary
• The importance of concordancers and corpuses in vocabulary learning and teaching today
• Choosing a dictionary for English language learning
• Functional and linguistic analysis of occupational varieties of English
• Specialist English dictionaries and companion workbooks to develop vocabulary
• Crossword: Grammar paper version----interactive version
• 03 History and Practice of TESL /TEFL methods & approaches
• Audiolingualism (drilling as habit formation) and Structuralism
• Cognitive Theory (awareness of the rules) Mentalism
• The Notional / Functional approach - 'Speech Act Theory' applied to language syllabus design
• Compatibility of 'Notional' and 'Structural' approaches - the feasibility of twin syllabus design
• The Communicative Approach - its history and theoretical background
• Relating 'definitions of learning' to 'choice of language teaching methods'
• Crossword: Methodology paper version----interactive version
• 04 Language Acquisition Forum on current methods & approaches and the role of the teacher
• "The appeal & poverty of CLT" (Robert O'Neill: March 2000)
• "The limits of functional/notional syllabuses" (Robert O'Neill: 1997)
• "Crucial differences between L1 and L2 Acquisition" (Robert O'Neill: 1998)
• "Dogmas and Delusions in Current EFL Methodology" (Robert O'Neill: 1999)
• "The Myth of the Silent Teacher" (Robert O'Neill: April 1994)
• Verbal characteristics of good teacher-talk. How to be a good teacher: the most common tips.
• 05 Principles Syllabus and Course Design
• Approaches to Syllabus Design - structural, functional, or both?
• Motivating large classes of captive language learners in poorly resourced MLT environments
• A list of criteria for evaluating the Main Course Book
• 06 Methods of Testing and Assessment
• INDEX: to Language Testing Objectives
• Objectives of test types: a) aptitude b) placement c) diagnostic d) achievement e) proficiency
• What are a) discrete point tests b) tests of integrative skills?
• Subjective and objective testing techniques
• Standardized tests ("psychometric objective" & "linguistic realistic")
• The main requirements of an efficient test - the problem of "test rubric"
• Item analysis - the facility value of an item and its discrimination index
• The problems of assessing communication in a second language L2
• What are a) norm-referenced tests and b) criterion-referenced tests?
• Test reliability and validity: the most important aspects of both for the teacher / tester?
• Crossword: Testing paper version----interactive version
• 07 Developing a Placement Test
• Getting started & types of test to avoid
• Content specification
• The Placement Test
• Marking instructions and Answer Key
• Item Analysis for selective deletion Placement Tests set on an incline of difficulty
• Testing the test 1: Item analysis: facility value and discrimination index
• Testing the test 2: Statistical measures of the Mean, Standard Deviation and Reliability
• Reliability versus Validity
• Accommodating "complete beginners" during a 60-minute Placement Test and Bibliography on Language Testing
• 08 A Multiple Choice Placement Test designed for quick marking and optimum validity
• Part 1 Grammar
• Part 2 Vocabulary
• Part 3 Reading Comprehension
• Part 4 Listening Comprehension
• Tape Script for Part 4 Listening Comprehension (audio recording or teacher can read aloud)
• Protecting TEST QUESTION PAPERS for re-use by subsequent intakes of students
• ANSWER SHEETS WITH GRIDS and OVERLAYS for easy marking
• Using computers or computer labs with or without Internet to administer and mark the test
• 09 Reading in the Second Language Class
• Reading is not the same as Text Study
• Classroom activities and Skills for Reading
• L2 Reading objectives for English for Specific Purposes (Business and ESP)
• L2 Reading objectives for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Candidates for English medium universities
• Crossword: Reading paper version----interactive version
• 10 Writing in the Second Language Class
• 1) Exercise-types for teaching writing in the second language class. 2) Is writing an extension of speaking?
• Adjusting lesson content to the contexts in which writing is needed
• Coherence and cohesion in esl student writing
• Logical connectors: conjunctions and adverbials
• Logical connectors: discourse markers
• Correction techniques: behaviourist (steering round errors) v cognitive (earmarking the fault)
• Link to Adult Literacy Materials for zero beginners with no knowledge of our alphabet
• Link to Royal Literary Fund - help with essay writing for advanced learners hoping to attend UK universities
• Link to Letter writing guide - (1) advice (2) samples of letters written for different purposes
• 11 Learner Independence; Learner Autonomy and the Web; Self-access Centres and Practice Time
• Self-access Centres: the rationale
• Using javascript templates on other sites to make your computer lab teaching & testing material interactive
• Downloading freeware from the web to run javascript interactive teach/test templates and how to create your own

I am indebted to Robert O'Neill for giving me permission to use his excellent articles on Language Acquisition. It is with great sadness that I learnt recently of Robert's death. He died on 29th July 2014 at the age of 81. Both Robert and Julian Dakin (for whom Robert also had great regard) were hugely influential in their approaches and ideas which live on in their writing. I had the great fortune to work at The English Language Centre Hove over a period of 18 years where Robert had his office and contributed generously to teacher training and development. He will be greatly missed in many quarters.

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