Teaching methods - International TEFL Academy

Summary

In this video, Karen Duncan discusses various teaching approaches and techniques in the context of the post-methods era in ESL and EFL education. She shares her experiences from different classrooms, including a sheltered ESL classroom in Kansas, junior high schools in Japan, and an intensive English program in Colorado. Duncan highlights methods like content-based instruction, task-based learning, multisensory learning, TPR, and project-based learning. Her examples illustrate how teachers can adapt to different contexts while promoting active learning and communication in English, encouraging educators to embrace flexibility in their teaching methods.

Takeaways

• 📘 The speaker, Karen Duncan, discusses the idea of a post-methods era in teaching, connecting it to her ESL and EFL teaching experiences.
• 🏫 She describes her first-grade sheltered ESL classroom experience in Kansas, where she used content-based instruction to teach subjects like math, science, and social studies while addressing the students' English language needs.
• 🌱 Task-based learning was incorporated through activities like seed sorting in science class, helping students learn by completing tasks.
• 🎨 Multisensory learning was used, where students created objects out of clay, described their creations, and wrote stories about them to practice English.
• 🔠 Total Physical Response (TPR) was applied daily for teaching the alphabet and sounds, helping students act out different letters.
• 🇯🇵 In Japan, Duncan was an assistant language teacher, where she focused on listening and speaking skills using the communicative approach, while Japanese teachers often used grammar translation and the audio-lingual method.
• 🍪 Project-based learning was used in a junior high school English club to make Christmas cookies while learning about American culture through a simple English recipe.
• 📚 In an intensive English program at a university in Colorado, Duncan used communicative language teaching to help students improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through context-based activities.
• 🏋️ She implemented task-based learning with low-level proficiency students by organizing a tour of the university's gym, encouraging them to ask questions as part of the task.
• 👥 Cooperative learning was emphasized to prepare students for university-level group work, where students gave group presentations based on shared hobbies.

Q & A

What does Karen Duncan mean by a 'post-methods era' in teaching?

The 'post-methods era' refers to the idea that there is no single best teaching method. Instead, teachers combine various approaches, methods, and techniques to suit the specific needs of their students and classroom environments.

What is the significance of content-based instruction in Karen's experience in Kansas?

In Kansas, Karen used content-based instruction to teach subjects like math, science, and social studies to ESL students while simultaneously supporting their English language learning, demonstrating how language learning can be integrated with regular academic content.

Can you give an example of task-based learning from Karen's Kansas classroom?

Karen used task-based learning through a seed sorting activity where students categorized seeds and matched them to the names of plants. This hands-on task helped reinforce their learning while engaging them in a specific goal-oriented activity.

How did Karen incorporate multisensory learning in her Kansas classroom?

Karen asked students to create something out of clay, describe it, and then write a story about it. This engaged students' creativity, helped them use English vocabulary, and reinforced their language skills through tactile and sensory engagement.

What role did Total Physical Response (TPR) play in Karen’s ESL teaching in Kansas?

Karen used TPR to teach the alphabet and phonics by having students physically act out the letters, allowing them to connect physical actions with learning sounds and letters, making it easier to remember.

How did Karen approach teaching English in Japan differently from her Kansas experience?

In Japan, Karen focused more on the communicative approach and English-only interactions, in contrast to the grammar translation and audio-lingual methods commonly used by Japanese teachers. She emphasized using English for communication rather than just grammar.

What example did Karen provide for project-based learning in Japan?

Karen used project-based learning in her English club by having students make Christmas cookies while following a simple English recipe. This introduced them to American culture and allowed them to practice English in a hands-on way.

How did Karen apply the communicative language teaching approach in the Colorado university program?

Karen applied the communicative language teaching approach by focusing on helping students learn listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar through English in context, ensuring that English was the only language used for instruction.

What task-based learning example did Karen mention from her experience in Colorado?

Karen took low-level proficiency students on a tour of the university gym. Before the tour, students wrote down questions to ask, helping them practice English through a real-life task.

How did Karen use project-based learning in advanced classes at the university?

In her advanced reading and writing class, Karen had students research and write about nonviolent resistance in the modern world, allowing them to engage deeply with a complex topic and develop their academic language skills.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Introduction to Post-Methods Era and ESL/EFL Teaching Experiences

Karen Duncan introduces the concept of the post-methods era in language teaching. She explains her goal of connecting this idea to her ESL and EFL teaching experiences. Her first example is a sheltered ESL classroom in Kansas, where she taught a regular curriculum to English Language Learners (ELLs). She used content-based instruction and task-based learning (e.g., seed sorting in science) and incorporated multisensory learning activities (e.g., creating objects out of clay and writing descriptive stories). Additionally, she used Total Physical Response (TPR) to teach the alphabet and sounds through interactive movements.

05:01

🌍 Teaching in Japan: Communicative and Grammar-Based Methods

Karen discusses her teaching experience in junior high and elementary schools in Japan, where she worked as an assistant language teacher. She highlights the balance between her use of the communicative approach and the Japanese teachers' focus on grammar translation and the audio-lingual method. Karen used English-only interactions in her activities and even created an interactive English bulletin board. She employed the direct method, particularly in elementary schools, using pictures to teach vocabulary. TPR was also a key method she used to teach action verbs and classroom vocabulary.

🍪 Project-Based Learning and Cultural Exchange through Cooking

Karen shares an example of project-based learning during her time in Japan, where she led an English club at a junior high school. The club made Christmas cookies as a cultural exchange activity to learn about American traditions. The project involved following a simple English recipe to complete the task of making cookies, emphasizing hands-on learning and language practice.

🏫 Intensive English Program at a University in Colorado

Karen describes her teaching experience in an intensive English program at a university in Colorado, where students aimed to improve their proficiency to gain university admission. She used the communicative language teaching approach, integrating listening, speaking, reading, writing, and grammar through contextual learning. Task-based learning was employed during a university gym tour for beginner students, where they had to prepare questions in English as part of the interactive task.

📝 Research and Writing on Nonviolent Resistance

In an advanced reading and writing class, Karen tasked her students with researching nonviolent resistance, a challenging topic. The students watched videos, read articles, and ultimately chose a modern example of nonviolent resistance to write about in an essay, combining critical thinking and research with language development.

🎶 Cooperative and Multisensory Learning for University Readiness

Karen used multisensory learning, such as music and visual aids, and cooperative learning in her classrooms. Since the students aimed for university admission, she prepared them for group work, a common practice in U.S. universities. For example, she grouped students by shared hobbies, and each group gave a presentation on their topic, fostering collaboration and communication skills.

📚 Conclusion: Reflecting on the Post-Methods Era

Karen concludes by emphasizing how her teaching practices varied according to the educational philosophies of her employers and her personal teaching principles. She highlights the importance of adaptability in the post-methods era, encouraging future teachers to consider diverse approaches in their own classrooms.

Keywords

💡Post-methods era

The post-methods era refers to the idea that teaching is no longer confined to strict adherence to one specific method. In the video, Karen Duncan highlights how educators can blend various approaches and techniques to suit different classroom needs. This reflects a shift from rigid teaching methodologies to more flexible, context-driven teaching practices, as exemplified by her diverse teaching experiences.

💡Content-based instruction

Content-based instruction is an approach where language is taught through subject matter. In the video, Karen Duncan describes how she used this method while teaching subjects like math and science to English Language Learners (ELLs) in Kansas, ensuring students learn the curriculum while supporting their English development.

💡Task-based learning

Task-based learning involves students completing tasks to use and practice language in real-life contexts. Duncan gives the example of a seed-sorting activity in a science lesson where students sorted seeds and matched them with plant names, emphasizing learning through task completion.

💡Multisensory learning

Multisensory learning engages multiple senses to enhance understanding and retention. Karen Duncan mentions having students create clay objects and describe them in English, integrating visual, tactile, and linguistic learning to reinforce their language skills.

💡Total Physical Response (TPR)

Total Physical Response is a language-teaching method where students physically respond to commands or stimuli to reinforce language learning. In the video, Duncan describes using TPR in her elementary ESL classroom to teach the alphabet and sounds, helping students connect language with physical actions.

💡Communicative approach

The communicative approach emphasizes interaction as a means to learn a language. Karen Duncan explains how she used this method in Japanese junior high schools, encouraging students to practice English by engaging in conversations rather than focusing solely on grammar translation or rote learning.

💡Direct method

The direct method teaches language through immersion, without using the learners' native language. Duncan used this method in Japanese elementary schools, relying on pictures and actions to introduce vocabulary and communicate with her students entirely in English, promoting natural language acquisition.

💡Project-based learning

Project-based learning is an approach where students work on extended projects to explore complex topics and apply their language skills. Duncan's example of making Christmas cookies in her English club and writing essays on nonviolent resistance shows how project-based learning connects language learning with real-world tasks.

💡Cooperative learning

Cooperative learning involves students working together in groups to complete a task. Duncan explains how she used this approach in her university classes, where students collaborated on group presentations about their hobbies, simulating the cooperative work environment found in many U.S. universities.

💡Sheltered ESL instruction

Sheltered ESL instruction refers to teaching subject matter to English Language Learners (ELLs) in a way that supports both content understanding and language development. Karen Duncan taught in a sheltered ESL classroom in Kansas, where she had to balance teaching the standard curriculum with addressing the students' English language needs.

Highlights

Introduction to post-methods era in ESL/EFL teaching, focusing on Karen Duncan’s personal teaching experiences.

First example of teaching experience: first grade sheltered ESL classroom in Kansas with content-based instruction.

Task-based learning example: seed sorting activity during science class, integrating language learning with subject teaching.

Multisensory learning: students created clay models, described them, and wrote stories using new vocabulary.

Use of Total Physical Response (TPR) to teach the alphabet and sounds through physical activities.

Second example: experience as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Japanese junior high and elementary schools.

Focus on communicative approach in Japan while working alongside Japanese teachers using grammar translation and audio-lingual methods.

Interactive English-only bulletin board outside the classroom to encourage English use outside class time.

Direct method in elementary schools: using pictures and actions to teach vocabulary, especially action verbs.

Project-based learning in junior high school: making Christmas cookies to learn American culture and follow an English recipe.

Third experience: teaching in an intensive English program at a university in Colorado for students aiming to meet entrance standards.

Task-based learning during a gym tour with beginner English students, focusing on asking questions in English.

Project-based learning in an advanced reading and writing class, focusing on researching and writing about nonviolent resistance.

Cooperative learning: students grouped by hobbies to give group presentations, preparing them for university-level group work.

Emphasis on adapting teaching methods to employers’ philosophy while incorporating personal best practices in a post-methods era.

Transcripts

(pleasant music)

- Hi, I'm Karen Duncan.

And I'd like to talk to you about the different approaches,

methods and techniques that you studied in your text.

Now in your text,

it stated that many people believe we're

in a post-methods era.

So that's why in this video,

I'd like to use a few of my ESL and EFL experiences

to connect to the idea of a post-methods era

to help you better understand what that means.

The first experience I'd like to share

with you is my experience teaching

in a first grade sheltered ESL classroom

in an elementary school in Kansas.

There, I was teaching in a sheltered ESL classroom.

So that means that all of my students

were English Language Learners,

but I had to teach the regular curriculum

of the other classrooms.

So in this classroom,

I used a lot of content-based instruction.

I had to teach the curriculum.

So I taught subjects like math, science, social studies,

but I supported their English language needs.

Another example is task-based learning.

One example of this is when I was teaching science,

I did a seed sorting activity where the students had a bunch

of different seeds.

They sorted them into different categories,

and then they matched those seeds

with the names of the plants.

So they had to finish a task by the end of the activity.

I also used a lot of multisensory learning

in this classroom.

One specific example was when I asked students

to create something out of clay,

they could be really creative and think something,

think of something interesting to create.

Then I asked them to list different activities

to describe what they had created.

And then finally they wrote a story,

including a lot of that description,

all of those English words that they had learned.

I also used TPR in this classroom.

Every day, we worked on the alphabet

and different sounds

and we would have the students

act out the different letters through TPR activities.

The next experience I'd like to talk to you about

is my experience teaching in junior high schools

and some elementary schools in Japan.

Now, when I was there,

I was an assistant language teacher.

So there was a Japanese teacher

who was the main language teacher,

and I was there to help out,

mostly with listening and speaking.

So in the classroom,

I tried to use a lot of the communicative approach.

The Japanese teachers used a lot of grammar translation

and the audio lingual method.

But when I was solely in charge of an activity,

I used only English and tried to interact

with the students in English only.

I also tried to get them to interact

with English outside of the classroom.

So I created an interactive English-only bulletin board

for them to see in the hallway.

I also used the direct method a lot in junior high school,

but a lot in the elementary schools when I was there,

I used a lot of pictures

and taught vocabulary directly through those pictures.

Also, TPR is great for the elementary classrooms

that I was in.

I used that a lot to teach classroom vocabulary

and action verbs, especially.

Another example is when I used project-based learning a lot

in the junior high school.

One specific example was when I was in charge

of an English club.

And one of our activities was to make Christmas cookies

because they wanted to learn more about American culture.

I created a simple recipe in English

and we followed it together

and completed the project

of making Christmas cookies together.

The last teaching experience I'd like

to talk to you about is when I was teaching

in an intensive English program

at a university in Colorado.

So in this program,

we had students who are hoping to gain entrance

to the university,

but their proficiency standards

weren't quite high enough yet.

So in our program,

we used the communicative language teaching approach

because we wanted our students to learn listening,

speaking, reading, writing,

and grammar through context and only using English.

I also used task-based learning when I could.

One specific example

of this was when I had a basic English class.

So these were beginning level students

and we decided to take them on a tour

of the university's gym.

It's a very nice gym.

And so before we went on this tour,

we had these low level proficiency level students

write down questions,

so they could be interactive during this tour.

And that was their basic task to complete.

I also used a lot of project-based learning

when I was teaching through context.

So when I was teaching an advanced reading

and writing class, I had the project

of having students research nonviolent resistance.

So this was an advanced class

and it was an advanced topic for them.

We talked a lot about this topic.

We watched videos, we read articles,

they learned a lot about it.

And ultimately they had to choose one,

something that was happening in the world today

that you could classify as nonviolent resistance.

And they had to write about that in an essay

that was the project that they had to complete.

I also used multisensory learning

when I could in my classrooms.

The students learned through a lot of musical activities.

I used pictures and brought in regalia when I could,

I also use cooperative learning in the classrooms.

And this was because all of these students wanted

to go to university.

And at most universities in the U.S.,

professors ask you to work in groups a lot of times.

So one example was in an listening and speaking class.

I had the students grouped together based on hobbies

that they had in common.

So one group, maybe they liked skiing

or another group really liked reading.

And they had to give a group presentation

about those hobbies.

So they had to cooperate and work together.

By hearing my examples of my different experiences

in various classrooms,

I hope that you can see how I differentiated

between different approaches,

methods and techniques in order to teach,

according to the philosophy of my employers,

while incorporating my own ideas

of best practices in the field.

I hope you consider this post-methods era

in your future classrooms.

(pleasant music)