The A.A approach to teaching English

• Translations used for CCQ and teaching lower levels.
• Taboo subjects.
• High level student to student interaction.
• Relaxed environments (cafes/bars).
• 10 lesson syllabus; 10 topics/subjects across the 5 levels based on mistakes from previous lessons.
• Realia and self supplied topics based on personal interests of students.
• 2-3 students maximun per class.

How can my approach help students achieve learning objectives?

The key is to keep students stimulated and interested at all times, transmitting information in the easiest fashion at the same time. That means the content of the course will be personally designed around the students participating to work on their interests, and to get them speaking and thinking in english A.S.A.P. If their interests are provoked there should be no problem with the students focusing and picking up newly transmitted information.

By enabling the use of translations in the classroom for target language and concept checking questions, the students will immidiatly be able to apply a new sound and word to a meaning they already know in their mother tongue, followed by giving examples in English, this will allow the students to pick up and run away with new vocabulary at a rapid rate.

Taboo subjects with higher level students will help stimulate the students interest and participation in the lesson, whereas games and image and sound activities for lower level students will help those students maintain interest acquiring new gramatical structures and vocabulary.

Asking concept checking questions in the student`s mother tongue will require them to think of their answers without any mental assistance from English language, then formulate a sentence in English ith the answer. Questions will more or less always be "tell me the meaning of this in english", to see if the newly transmitted information has sunk in.

Referee Teaching (high level of student to student interaction) will help students begin to think in English as my students will spend the lessons speaking about a subject i've introduced, with the teacher acting as a conversation guide. The basis of vocabulary and grammatical learning will be based upon students mistakes; e.g, the mistakes my students make in the first lesson will be noted and in the next lesson focused upon in order to make a gradual progression.

The students will act as communicators and imitators during these lessons and the teachers wil act as conversation guides, group managers and time managers enabling all students present to have equal speaking and listening time.

Relaxed environments will provide a, well... relaxed atmosphere to aid the students and teacher by erroding the wall of formailty that a classroom environment can create. IT eliminates pressure on both sides, neutralising the situation making a class seem more like a friendly meeting allowing friendships to develop at the same time.

The teachers attitude in the classroom will be relaxed in terms of formality:

• Takes note of students mistakes to correct after the lesson and focus upon during the next.
• Praises students when needed, not overused otherwise the meaning of the praisals will fade, and not enough could knock their confidence, either way resulting in the loss of interest.
• At the end of every lesson the teacher will tell the students one on one, what they did well and what they need to improve on.

Materials used in the classroom:

• For lower levels, Realia to apply meaning to a physical item for easier understanding.
• Self supplied materials directed towards the interests and needs of the students.
• Some games usually with lower levels as the higher levels will focus on discussions and conversations.

Criteria behind choices of classroom materials:

• Realia for students needs, focusing on specific vocabulary (ESP style).
• Content of articles chosen to suit needs, level, and age, e.g, If I was teaching a group ofDoctors, I would teach them vocabulary related to their work environment, whereas if I was teaching a group of fifteen year old boys level P3, I would teach them about something they could find funny, for example, the man who suffers from over 100 orgasms per day. They would love it.

All students have different reasons and motives for learning English, some may need to learn for career purposes, some for general interest, and some may have parents paing for them but they themselves competly lack interest so, I MUST cater the lessons to make those who feel like they want to be there get their monies worth, and those who don't to develop a new interest.

In classroom dynamics:

• Reading self catered articles, beginning discussions.
• Role Plays.
• Situation Learning.
• Vocabulary Learning (within articles).
• 2-3 Students per classroom MAXIMUM.
• Games for lower levels.

In order to give students the maximum time speaking and listening to a native speaker, the class will be much easier for the teacher to manage if there are only three students maximum, also alowing teacher and students to form a closer and less strict relationship with the teacher.

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LESSON PLAN WITH HIGHER LEVEL STUDENTS

QQ

ISSUE: Euthanasia

SUB ISSUE: Nuerological Disorders

OBJECTIVE: to create an opinionated debate between students.

Intro

• Have you ever heard of someone with a nuerological disorder before?
• Do you believe it is right to end somebody's if they are not able bodied or able minded and can not make the decision themselves? If so/not, why?

Text

Mrs O'C, a sixty-four year old Irish woman, was GOING THROUGH a ROUGH PATCH in her marraige, when the music began. One night she dreamt vivdly of her childhood in Ireland, especially the songs she used to sing and dance to. When she woke up, the music continued, very loud and very clearly. 

She thought it was her radio, so she went to turn it off but was left PUZZLED as the radio was already turned off. She went back to bed, assuming that it would disappear before the morning, but the music's INTENSITY increased over a period of four years, stating that the music was starting to annoy her.

She could no longer hear others speaking, or contribute to any conversations at all, beginning to SLIP INTO a VEGATABLE state of mind.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks has DIAGNOSED Mrs O'C with ''musical epilepsy''.

He stated that her condition would DETERIORATE leaving her paralysed in both the body and mind.

Mrs O'C's family have began to discuss their options. One option is the use of euthanasia, to finally stop the musical mind of Mrs O'C.

ACTIVITY/DEBATE 

Split into two groups. Give one group an opinion card in favour of euthenasia, and one group an opinion card against euthenasia.

CCQ´s:
Can you tell me about a rough patch in your life?
Could you diagnose eachother with invented illness´?
Can you make me a sentence using the word ''Intensity''?
Has anything in this lesson puzzled you?

Dime en Ingles, que es la significa de la palabra eutenasia?

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My approach takes all levels into consideration, lower levels will still be taught in relaxed environments etc, but more realia and imagery will be involved to engage and transmit information simply and effectivly. Higher levels will be guided through conversation.

Lower levels will be taught with translations whereas higher levels will rarely have translations, saved really just for the concept checking questions.