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Delta revision tests for Module One, Paper 2

groucho Those are my principles, and if you don't like them ... well, I have others.
 Groucho Marx

Paper 2, Task 3: principles of ELT

The following table contains assertions made somewhere on ELT Concourse or elsewhere with a question or questions below each.  Respond to the questions by making a few notes, not just thinking about the assertions, and then click on the eye open to reveal some ideas.
The comments are severely brief and in the examination you will be expected to elaborate on the ideas considerably so make more notes than you think you'll ever need.

Lexis should always be contextualised
Why should this be asserted?
When might it be better to handle lexis out of context?
eye open
The assertion rests on the need for meaning to be treated in a way that encompasses communicative function as well as form.  Presenting language in a linguistic and social context supplies the background learners need fully to understand its use as well as its usage.
There may be a good case for treating elements solely of form, such as individual phoneme production, word stress and affixation without the distraction of co-text and context.
When planning lessons, we need to be aware of our learners learning styles: visual, kinaesthetic etc.
Supply an argument for and against this assertion.
eye open
There is little or no empirical evidence to suggest that learning style theory has any validity so we may be wasting our and our learners' time by focusing on any of the claims made in the area.
If there is any truth in the theory, then a conscious effort to align materials and teaching approaches to the learners' characteristic learning style will pay dividends in making materials and procedures more accessible and engaging.
Inductive learning is to be preferred to deductive learning procedures.
Explain what you understand to be the difference and give one argument in favour of each approach.
eye open
Inductive learning concerns hypothesising a rule from evidence with which one is presented.
Deductive learning involves forming accurate language based on a rule provided.
Inductive learning is thought to be more efficient in the long term because of the cognitive effort that is required.
Deductive learning is thought to be more efficient in terms of the use of classroom time because it circumvents the need to supply multiple representative examples of the target language from which learners can work out the rules.
It is impossible wholly to separate these two hypotheses because, however a rule is acquired, whether by being told it or working it out, the rule then needs to be deductively applied.
Modal auxiliary verbs are best focused on individually to make their functions clear.
When might this be appropriate?
When might it not be appropriate?
eye open
If one takes a form-focused approach then focusing on individual verbs makes sense in terms of getting the form, grammar and pronunciation of the verb clear.
Modal auxiliary verbs can perform a number of exclusive communicative functions so it makes sense in a communicative approach to start with the function and see which verbs can be appropriately used to realise it.
One should cut down to the very minimum any use of metalanguage such as tense names and terms like 'participle' and focus on what language items do rather than what they are called.
When might this not be the case?
eye open
Some technical terms are used with allied meanings in non-technical circumstances.  Terms like, past, present, aspect, and function are all examples.  The lexemes have useful non-technical functions so there's no reason not to include them.
Some technical terms (such as passive voice and causative) do not have easily usable non-technical alternatives so the case for avoiding their use is stronger.  Using the terms saves a good deal of classroom circumlocution, however, and is efficient as well as being clear.  In terms of learner autonomy, a knowledge of technical terms may be helpful for learners accessing grammars and other references independently.
For more, see: using metalanguage in the classroom.
Giving and getting feedback from tasks should be thorough and supportive.
When might this not be the case?
eye open
If the value of a task lies in its doing rather than in its product, taking very thorough feedback, above the level of valuing output from learners and identifying interesting responses, is actually unhelpful because learners want to move on.
Other tasks in which the product is important (such as those checking comprehension or the ability to apply rules) do, however, need thorough feedback phases so the learners can know how well they have achieved them and the teacher knows whether it is safe to move on.
New language should be heard, then spoken, then read and only finally written.
What circumstances might make this assertion invalid?
eye open
This depends on the purposes for which the learners need the language.  In the normal course of events, it makes sense to go from the oral/aural to written forms, not least because of the unpredictability of the written form and orthography in English.
However, some language will only be needed as part of the learners passive knowledge (depending on their level and/or needs) so an understanding only of the written form may be enough.
You need to learn the grammar to communicate effectively.
Give one argument for and one against this assertion.
eye open
Mastery of form makes it possible to build novel language from basic forms and be clear and accurate in communication.
Acquisition and learning are different processes and only the former leads to fluency and naturalness.
All activities need careful and close monitoring.
How true is this?
eye open
Some activities, especially those which are designed as a check on learning so far and those which require the learners to operate just above their current abilities, need the teacher to be on hand and aware of what is happening.  Not monitoring closely will mean that the teacher is unaware of what has (not) been learned and unable to scaffold the learners' efforts.
On the other hand, some activities, for example, awareness-raising or preparation tasks can be inhibited by the teacher's close attention and may reduce the learners' ability to work independently and autonomously.

Note what was said above about the need in the examination to provide a fuller discussion of many ideas.

Return to the Paper Two revision test index.