Some thoughts, top tips and practical ideas for teaching English to beginners.

1. Teaching Beginners
Free voiced over presentation and ‘Grammar for language
teachers’ course available at elt-training.com
Jo Gakonga

2. Some
thoughts

4. Starting from zero
got nothin’ to
lose…
Tracey Chapman
..but first words are the hardest to remember

5. Ls will learn quickly
may be very motivated…
But may have had bad
experiences before..

6. It can be very frustrating…
Be empathetic…

7. They may have a low sense of esteem
in language learning

8. Build their confidence

9. They may have very different
expectations of a class

10. Using L1 for translation and explanation is more efficient
Using L2 only may be motivating…

11. Literate in Roman script?

12. Feeling infantalised
..depressing and
discouraging.

13. Don’t talk down to
them.
Try to incorporate
relevant vocabulary
and themes.

14. You have been going to your class for about 3-4
weeks. Would you prefer to have learnt:
a) a small amount of language thoroughly
b) a larger amount of language, not so precisely.

15. Remember language is organic…
.and the curriculum is cyclical…

16. Top Tips

17. ‘It all seems
like a
meaningless
torrent.’
Keep your language simple.

18. Instructions
Demonstrate rather than explain.
Explanations
Check meaning with concept questions

19. Visuals

20. Get good
at drawing!

21. Beginners
get tired
quickly
short activities
and
changes of pace

22. I add loads of gesturing, face
expressions, acting out, smiling, speedchanging, intonation. You, teacher, must enjoy
classes.
Add energy!

23. I add loads of gesturing, face
expressions, acting out, smiling, speedchanging, intonation. You, teacher, must enjoy
classes.
Gesture/ mime/intonation

24. What to
teach

25. As a total beginner in a language, what do you think
you would like to learn first?

26. Colours,number
etc are tempting
because they
are finite,
but they’re not
that helpful

27. Give
to the language they will need first..

28. Greetings

29. Cover the walls with useful phrases…
How do you say ---?
What does --- mean?
I don’t understand.
Can I --- please?

30. Personalised language

31. I’ve got…

32. Ask them what they
want to say in L1

33. A silent phase?
Total
Physical
R esponse

34. Functional language
shopping, in a café

35. A: Hello, what would you like?
B: I’ll have a black coffee, please.
A: Anything to eat?
B: Do you have any cake?
A: Yes, we’ve got some nice chocolate
cake.
B: Great. I’ll have a piece of that. Thanks

36. Drilling
May not be very fashionable but
really useful at low levels

37. Drilling
Choral drilling
In pairs, in groups, individual
Mumble drilling
Chanting (to music)

38. Grammar as chunks of language
Did you ----?
Would you like…. ?
I don’t want…
There’s a…

39. High frequency
High surrender value

40. Cognates are helpful
Exploit this, but beware of false friends

41. Recycling
Flashcards – a vocab box

42. cards
on
make
can

43. Situational PPP

44. I want you Fiona!
From: Streamlines Departures By Bernard
Hartley & Peter Viney Unit 30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_VdE1IN
mZ8

45. Listening
www.elllo.org

46. http://elllo.org/video/1251/V1270-Sorie-WeekendCity.htm

47. Picture stories
for
reading
and speaking

48. A country woman goes to the city for
the first time. She sees buses, cars and
tall buildings.
She goes into a building an looks
around. She sees an old, old man
standing next to some doors. He
presses a button and the doors open.
He goes inside and the lights over the
doors change – 1-2-3-4-5 and back
again 5-4-3-2-1.
The doors open and a
young, handsome man walks out. The
country woman said ‘That’s fantastic –
tomorrow, I’m going to bring my
husband!’.

49. Practise,
practise,
practise…..
……and then revise it all.

51. Thank you!
Jo Gakonga