CLASSROOM

ACTIVITIES
L e a r n i n g Te a c h i n g
Chapter 3
A key teaching skill is to successfully:
• prepare
• set up
• run a single classroom activity or task
 A task is ……
……something that learners do that involves their
using or working with language to achieve some
specific outcome.

The outcome may:

• reflect a “real-world” outcome (a communicative act we
achieve through language in the world outside the classroom) e.g.
learners role-play complaining about food service at a
restaurant).
• be a “for-the-purposes-of-learning” outcome (a piece of
classroom work focusing learners on, and involving learners in
manipulating some aspect of the language)
e.g. learners change sentences to questions
 A task (Scrivener-41) Not a task (Scrivener-41)
(explicit outcome) (no outcome)
• Learners listen to four • Learners read an
conversations, and article about the best
number the pictures cities to live in on
as they listen (in order page 43.
to become better • Learners find new
listeners). words in a reading
• Learners read a passage.
newspaper article to
prepare for a
discussion.
 CLASSROOM DYNAMICS
(arrangements to run an activity)

• Individual work
• Pair-work
• Small groups (three to six people)
• Large groups
• Whole class: mingle (all stand up, walk around,
meet and talk)
• Whole class: plenary
 Basic Route-Map Plan
for Running a Simple EFL Activity
1. Before the lesson: familiarize yourself with the material and
activity; prepare any material or texts you need.

In class

2. Lead-in/prepare for the activity

3. Set up the activity: give instructions,

make groupings, etc

4. Run the activity: students do the

activity, maybe in pairs or small groups
while T monitors and helps

5. Post activity: do any appropriate follow-

on work

6. Close the activity and invite feedback from

the students
 Analyzing a Coursebook Activity
Questions to be kept in mind when analyzing an
activity on content and classroom procedures:

1. Language content - What language systems and

skills will the students probably be practicing
when they do this activity?
2. Other content - What other purposes (apart from
getting students to practice language) might this
activity serve?
3. Preparation - What preparation needs to be made?
Are any special material or visual aids needed?
4. Steps - What are the various steps to be followed?
5. Instructions - What are some important
considerations when giving the oral instructions?
6. Organization – What organizational arrangements
could you use in class?
 The Importance of Information Gap
in group/pair work
• One person knows something that the other
doesn’t.
• There’s a genuine need and desire to
communicate with each other.
• Most real communication comes about
because of gaps of information (or of
opinions or ideas, etc.)
By creating classroom activities that
include information gaps:
• We can provide activities that mimic a
reason for communication
• It may be more motivating and useful
to language learners than speaking
without any real reason for doing so.