Teaching

The lesson

Considerations in preparing for and delivering the language lesson.

Introduction

Preparing to teach effectively is a complex and time-consuming process which, if carried out well, brings its rewards for both the teacher and the students. Knowing how much preparation is needed comes with experience. And yet, however much experience one may have, every year there are new students, new groups to teach, existing materials to update and new materials to prepare, so even experienced teachers keep on learning, and cannot rest on their laurels.

The pages in this chapter do not claim to be an exhaustive guide but, rather, a quick guide (and an aide-mémoire) relating to the things one needs to think about when preparing to teach a language course. Every teacher’s approach, and the requirements of every course or group of students, will be different, so it is best to use the techniques and approaches that work best in a given situation.

For a useful introduction to the issues which language teachers need to consider when preparing to teach, see the presentation by Anne Pauwels (Faculty of Languages and Cultures, SOAS): Insights into language pedagogy and second language for Languages of the Wider World: The essential guide with podcast (CEELBAS Language workshop in June 2013).

Modes

How you, as a teacher, deliver the content of your courses to students is likely to depend on a number of factors:

As a result of the above you may be involved in the delivery of courses in a number of different modes:

The latter mode is capable of reaching a global audience by giving learners open access to the course. A comprehensive learning environment is created by collecting, in one platform, all the resources students will need, including modules (sometimes called ‘toolkits’) for individual topics, and links to online resources freely available on the internet. By definition, this mode excludes regular teacher-student contact time, although there may be provision for contact with the PLE author/moderator, through email or software such as Pingpong, and also for peer learning.

The recent development of massive online open courses (MOOCs) has provided any interested learner with easy access to courses (university-run and other) on a wide range of topics. Examples of MOOCs are Coursera (produced by a partnership of US universities) and FutureLearn, sponsored by a consortium of mainly UK universities and led by the Open University. Opinions on MOOCs are divided, however (see discussion on this issue on the BBC website), and even a brief look at any MOOC website will show that language courses are, for the moment at least, almost non-existent.

The interactive nature of most language learning requires some contact with a teacher, either face-to-face or through video-telephony software. Attempts are being made, however, to set up language learning courses consisting entirely of PLEs, where everything the student needs for learning a language is presented online, in the form of toolkits, links etc., with, possibly, the opportunity to contact a tutor with queries.

One such pilot project is PROeLANG, a CEELBAS-funded pilot project aimed at conceptualising and designing e-learning toolkits for independent learners of Polish and Romanian. Another project delivering fully online language learning is e-Slovak, Slovak as a Foreign Language.

Preparation

Knowing what we are to teach (knowing the material and being prepared) is, of course, of the essence. However, how we teach will also have considerable implications for students’ levels of interest, satisfaction and course outcomes. This sections deals, in a practical way, with selected aspects of preparation for language teaching.

Most of the overall course preparation can be done well in advance, including:

Whilst each of the above may appear minor in itself, they will all contribute to the efficient running of the class. At the individual lesson level, though, there will always be things which can only be prepared once the outcome of the previous lesson is known. Some of these are:

Preparing lesson content

When preparing the content, a wide variety of issues need to be considered, including:

Most lessons will include a variety of tasks and activities:

Whatever the type of course you are teaching, even if it’s a ‘reading course’, it is always a good idea, at the beginning of each class, to engage students in some straightforward communicative language. This will add value to the course and equip them to handle straightforward social situations. It will also use time beneficially if you’re waiting for half your class to arrive from another lecture; at this point, on one side of board, make a list of the language points used, so that the latecomers don’t lose out. A typical introductory session could include:

At the end of the lesson, it is good to conclude with courtesies in the language you are teaching, such as when you will see students next, wish them a good day or weekend for example.

If you are teaching a translation course, you can vary the type of activity by introducing some production (always making sure students see the relevance of this to their course). For example, at beginning of the class, for a few minutes, you could get the whole class to produce a narrative or dialogue in the language being taught. This can then be written on the whiteboard or smartboard (with correction, if necessary), then translated, with discussion of translation issues.

Preparing the room

The successful outcome of a lesson depends not only on what we teach and how we teach it, but also, at least in part, on where we teach and how we manage the space.

Most university language classes are held in medium-sized or small seminar-type rooms, usually with tables laid out in a square or rectangle (see Figure 1 below). There is normally an empty area in the centre, but space can be tight on the outside since, usually, as many tables and chairs as possible are fitted into the rooms (to accommodate maximum numbers of students). 

Some small or medium-sized teaching rooms, however, may be set up in ‘lecture’ format (see Figure 2 below). In exceptional circumstances (when there is a shortage of suitable rooms) language classes may be assigned to slightly unusual premises, for example a small (raked) lecture theatre or computer cluster.

Examples of different types of seminar set-up. Two of the set-ups are modified in a manner that an individual could enter the centre area of the workspace.
Figure 1: Different types of seminar setup
An example of a lecture set-up, with rows of workspaces for students to sit at whilst the teacher table is at the front.
Figure 2: Lecture setup

Whatever the type of premises, if one plans ahead, and adapts class activities to the layout, one can ensure the best possible outcome of the lesson in the circumstances.

Adapting to the room layout

A ‘lecture-type’ layout (see Figure 2) can be rather formal and inhibiting, especially for language classes, where you want students to interact with each other (and not just listen and ask the teacher questions). To get students to work in pairs or groups, ask some of them to turn round in their chairs, so that they are working with people behind or in front of them (the obvious solution is for them to work with the person sitting next to them, but this should be varied).

Try to ensure that you, as the teacher, have access to each pair or group, so you can monitor their work, answer questions and help with any problems. There is limited benefit in pair or group work if the teacher does not engage with and monitor what the students are doing.

If you have to use a room with lecture layout, try to include, in each lesson, at least one activity which gets the students out of their seats. This could be a survey, for which they need to walk around the class asking questions, a role-playing task or a game.

In a room with a lecture layout, try to include activities which will involve students (volunteers, initially) coming to the front of the room, whether to give short presentations, or to write on the whiteboard. As above, this breaks up the formality of the layout and dispels the physical teacher-student divide.

In a room with seminar layout (see Figure 1 above), try to create a small gap between the teacher’s table and the rest, to allow you to move from the front of the class into the area inside the tables. This gives you the best possible access to the students, not only for pair/group work, but also when you are interacting with the class as a whole or with individual students. 

This is preferable to moving around the class on the outside of the table formation, as it gives you face-to-face contact with the students, rather than talking to the backs of their heads! And don’t be afraid to leave the safety of the teacher’s table - engaging with the class more directly is good practice and a sign of self-confidence.

If you have to teach in a small lecture theatre, try to work out, in advance, where it would be best for the students to sit, so that they can relatively easily carry out the various activities planned for the lesson. Importantly (as in any room layout), students need to be concentrated near the front, so that they have direct contact with the teacher and each other. In the first few classes, you may need to ask them to sit where you want them to; if left to their own devices, most students will unerringly head for the back of the room!

In exceptional circumstances, you may be asked to teach in a computer cluster. This is particularly tricky, as these premises are designed primarily for individual, rather than class, activity. So, again, this needs to be given some thought:

In some cases, you could make use of the fact that each student has access to a computer, and plan a part of the lesson around this. This could be going to websites in the language and looking at, for example, news headlines, using interactive language websites, or writing emails to the teacher and other students in the class. This type of activity needs careful planning, but can be very motivating, as students are using the language in an authentic context.

Finally, if you are very lucky, your lesson may be timetabled in a custom-designed language space, with an interactive whiteboard or ‘smartboard’, customised AV equipment (see how this is used in the teaching of Russian), a computer for every student and software installed specifically for use in language teaching. In that case, the world is your oyster!

Environment

The room layout, as discussed above, is an important factor in the success of the lesson you have planned. There is, though, one final point to be made. Students should enjoy their language lessons, but you, as the teacher, will also do everything you can to create a professional and ‘business-like’ atmosphere, in which everyone can learn and feel they are making progress. 

The general appearance and feel of the room will contribute to this. If at all possible, try to get to the teaching room a little in advance, to:

Structure

The length of language classes will vary from institution to institution, and you may be asked to teach in blocks of one or two hours. A one-hour class might have the following structure:

If the class is scheduled for two hours, each of the above stages can be extended, or activities may be varied. If the students are well engaged, it may not be necessary to have a break half-way through, but this will very much depend on the circumstances. If, in the teacher’s judgment, a break is necessary, it should just be for a couple of minutes, so that precious contact time is not wasted.