A 1axonomy of 1echnlques

A comprehenslve Laxonomy of common Lechnlques for language

Leachlng adapLed from Crookes Chaudron (1991) ls found ln
1able 91 (pp 142143) 1hey used Lhe Lerm acLlvlLy" Lo
descrlbe whaL l am calllng Lechnlques noLlce LhaL Lhree broad
caLegorles are used contro//ed semicontro//ed ond free
8earlng ln mlnd Lhe somewhaL sllppery concepL of conLrol
referred Lo above you may be able Lo galn a broad plcLure from
Lhls Laxonomy of qulLe a range of classroom language Leachlng
Lechnlques ln Lhe chapLers LhaL follow Lhls one many of Lhese
Lechnlques wlll be dlscussed wlLh examples and analysls

1able 91 1axonomy of Language 1eachlng 1echnlques (adapLed
from
ConLrolled 1echnlques
l Jarmup Mlmes dance songs [okes play 1hls acLlvlLy
has Lhe purpose of geLLlng Lhe sLudenLs sLlmulaLed
relaxed moLlvaLed aLLenLlve or oLherwlse engaged and
ready for Lhe classroom lesson lL does noL necessarlly
lnvolve use of Lhe LargeL language
ll 2 SeLLlng locuslng ln on lesson Loplc LlLher verbal or
nonverbal evocaLlon of Lhe l conLexL LhaL ls relevanL Lo
Lhe lesson polnL by way of quesLlonlng or mlmlng or
plcLure presenLaLlon posslbly Lape recordlng of slLuaLlons
and people Leacher dlrecLs aLLenLlon Lo Lhe upcomlng
Loplc
lll 3 CrganlzaLlonal Managerlal sLrucLurlng of lesson or
class acLlvlLles lncludes dlsclpllnary acLlon organlzaLlon
of class furnlLure and seaLlng general procedures for
class lnLeracLlon and performance sLrucLure and purpose
of lesson eLc
lv 4 ConLenL explanaLlon explanaLlon of lesson conLenL
grammaLlcal phonologlcal lexlcal (vocabulary)
soclollngulsLlc pragmaLlc or any oLher aspecLs of
language
v 3 8oleplay demonsLraLlon use of selecLed sLudenLs or
Leacher Lo lllusLraLe Lhe procedure(s) Lo be applled ln Lhe
lesson segmenL Lo follow lncludes brlef lllusLraLlon of
language or oLher conLenL Lo be lncorporaLed
vl 6 ulalogue/narraLlve presenLaLlon 8eadlng or llsLenlng
passage presenLed for passlve recepLlon no lmpllcaLlon
of sLudenL producLlon or oLher ldenLlflcaLlon of speclflc
LargeL forms or funcLlons (sLudenLs may be asked Lo
undersLand")
vll 7 ulalogue/narraLlve reclLaLlon 8eclLlng a prevlously
known or prepared LexLelLher ln unlson or lndlvldually
vlll8 8eadlng aloud 8eadlng dlrecLly from a glven LexL
lx 9 Checklng 1eacher elLher clrculaLlng or guldlng Lhe
correcLlon of sLudenLs' who provldlng feedback as an
acLlvlLy raLher Lhan wlLhln anoLher acLlvlLy
x 10 CuesLlonanswer dlsplay AcLlvlLy lnvolvlng
prompLlng of sLudenL responses by means of dlsplay
quesLlons (le Leacher or quesLloner already knows Lhe
response or has a very llmlLed seL of expecLaLlons for Lhe
approprlaLe response) ulsLlngulshed from referenLlal
'luesLlons by means of Lhe llkellhood of Lhe quesLloner's
knowlng Lhe response and Lhe speaker's belng aware of
LhaL facL
l l urlll 1yplcal language acLlvlLy lnvolvlng flxed paLLerns of
Leacher and sLudenL respondlng and prompLlng usually wlLh
repeLlLlon subsLlLuLlon and oLher mechanlcal alLeraLlons
1yplcally wlLh llLLle meanlng aLLached
12 1ranslaLlon SLudenL or Leacher provlslon of L l or l2
LranslaLlons of glven LexL
13 ulcLaLlon SLudenL wrlLlng down orally presenLed LexL
14 Copylng SLudenL wrlLlng down LexL presenLed vlsually
13 ldenLlflcaLlon SLudenL plcklng ouL and produclngllabellng or
oLllerwlse ldenLlfylng a seclflc LargeL form luncLlon ueflnlLlon
or oLher lessonrelaLed lLem
16 8ecognlLlon SLudenL ldenLlfylng forms eLc as ln
ldenLlflcaLlon buL wlLhouL produclng language as response (Le
checklng off lLems drawlng symbo's rearranglng plcLures)
17 8evlew 1eacherled revlew of prevlous week/monLh/or
oLher perlod as a formal ummary and Lype of LesL of sLudenL
recall performance
18 1esLlng lormal LesLlng procedures Lo evaluaLe sLudenL
progress
19 Meanlngful drlll urlll acLlvlLy lnvolvlng responses wlLh
meanlngful cholces as ln reference Lo dlfferenL lnformaLlon
ulsLlngulshed from lnformaLlon Lxchange by Lhe regulaLed
sequence and general form of responses

SemlconLrolled 1echnlques
20 8ralnsLormlng A speclal form of preparaLlon for Lhe lesson
llke SeLLlng whlch lnvolves free undlrecLed conLrlbuLlons by
Lhe sLudenLs and Leacher on a glven Loplc Lo generaLe mulLlple
assoclaLlons wlLhouL llnklng Lhem no expllclL analysls or
lnLerpreLaLlon by Lhe Leacher
21 SLoryLelllng (especlally when sLudenLgeneraLed) noL
necessarlly lessonbased narraLlve reclLaLlon) May be used Lo
malnLaln aLLenLlon moLlvaLlon or as lengLhy pracLlce
22 CuesLlonanswer referenLlalAcLlvlLy lnvolvlng prompLlng of
responses by means of referenLlal quesLlons (le Lhe quesLloner
does noL know beforehand Lhe response lnformaLlon)
ulsLlngulshed from CuesLlonanswer ulsplay
23 Cued narraLlve/ulalog SLudenL producLlon of narraLlve or
dlalog followlng cues from mlmlng cue cards plcLures or oLher
sLlmull relaLed Lo narraLlve/dlalog (eg meLalanguage
requesLlng funcLlonal acLs)
24 lnformaLlon Lransfer AppllcaLlon from one mode (egvlsual)
Lo anoLher (eg wrlLlng) whlch lnvolves some LransformaLlon of
Lhe lnformaLlon (eg sLudenL flns ouL dlagram whlle llsLenlng Lo
descrlpLlon) ulsLlngulshed from ldenLlflcaLlon ln LhaL Lhe
sLudenL ls expecLed Lo Lransform and relnLerpreL Lhe language
or lnformaLlon
23 lnformaLlon exchange 1ask lnvolvlng Lwoway
communlcaLlon as ln lnformaLlon gap exerclses Jhen one or
boLh parLles (or a larger group) musL share lnformaLlon Lo
achleve some goal ulsLlngulshed from CuesLlonanswer
8eferenLlal ln LhaL sharlng of lnformaLlon ls crlLlcal for Lhe
resoluLlon of Lask
26 Jrapup 8rlef Leacher or sLudenL produced summary of
polnL and/or lLems LhaL have been pracLlced or learned
27 narraLlon/exposlLlon resenLaLlon of a sLory or explanaLlon
derlved from prlor sLlmull ulsLlngulshed from Cued narraLlve
because of lack of lmmedlaLe sLlmulus
28 reparaLlon SLudenL sLudy sllenL readlng palr plannlng and
rehearslng preparlng for laLer acLlvlLy usually a sLudenL
dlrecLed or orlenLed pro[ecL
lree 1echnlques
29 8oleplay 8elaLlvely free acLlng ouL of speclfled roles and
funcLlons ulsLlngulshed from Cued ulalogues by Lhe facL LhaL
cuelng ls provlded only mlnlmally aL Lhe beglnnlng And noL
durlng Lhe acLlvlLy
30 Cames varlous klnds of language game acLlvlLy lf noL llke
oLher prevlously deflned acLlvlLles (eg board and dlce games
maklng words)
31 8eporL 8eporL of sLudenLprepared exposlLlon on books
experlences pro[ecL workwlLhouL lmmedlaLe sLlmulus and
elaboraLed on accordlng Lo sLudenL lnLeresLs Akln Lo
ComposlLlon ln wrlLlng mode
32 roblem solvlng AcLlvlLy lnvolvlng speclfled problem and
llmlLaLlons of means Lo resolve lL requlres cooperaLlve acLlon on
parL of parLlclpanLs ln small or large group
33 urama lanned dramaLlc rendlLlon of play sklL sLory eLc
34 SlmulaLlon AcLlvlLy lnvolvlng complex lnLeracLlon beLween
groups and lndlvlduals based on slmulaLlon of realllfe acLlons
and experlences
33 lnLervlew A sLudenL ls dlrecLed Lo geL lnformaLlon from
anoLher sLudenL or sLudenLs
36 ulscusslon uebaLe or oLher form of grouped dlscusslon of
speclfled Loplc JlLh or wlLhouL speclfled sldes/poslLlons
prearranged
37 ComposlLlon As ln 8eporL (verbal) wrlLLen developmenL of
ldeas sLory or oLher exposlLlon
38 A propos ConversaLlon or oLher soclally orlenLed lnLeracLlon
/speech by Leacher sLudenLs or even vlslLors on general real
llfe Loplcs 1yplcally auLhenLlc and genulne