The Language Teacher
02 - 2001

Thinking About Learning

Nicola H. Green

Singapore Japanese Secondary School



QUICK GUIDE

Key Words: Reflective Learning, Interviews, Writing
Learner English Level: Advanced
Learner Maturity Level: Junior High School to Adult
Preparation Time: Quite lengthy for Day 2 depending on class size
Activity Time: One to three lessons depending on class interest and teacher expectations regarding written assignment

Background

Getting students to think about how they have learned English in the past is a useful method of encouraging them to think about how they can learn more in the future. It also raises their consciousness of the learning process itself and can guide them in their choice of learning strategies that they will employ over the remaining school year. English is something that advanced students often take for granted, and thinking, talking, sand writing about why they speak English is an interesting exercise for both the students themselves and the classmates who learn from them.

It is also useful for a teacher, when starting a new class, to know something of the students' backgrounds, their language experiences, and their abilities. Advanced students (and returnees in Japan) are often reluctant to use their English fully in the classroom, as they don't want to be seen as drawing attention to themselves. This problem is amplified by adolescence. However, an activity that provides an opportunity for genuine communication, swapping of experiences, and genuine interest from the teacher in what they have to say, can go a long way toward creating good rapport in the classroom.

This activity aims to give the student an opportunity to reflect upon his/her learning background, as well as provide useful information for the teacher. It works particularly well at the beginning of the school year and is an interesting twist on the usual "Where do you live?" or "What's your favourite...?" questions.

Procedure

Day 1 -- Interviews and Presentations

In the first session the teacher writes five or six straightforward questions on the board about the students' English background. Questions I have used in my class are:

  1. Have you ever been to a non-Japanese school?
  2. Which country/countries did you live in before you came to Singapore?
  3. Do you have any friends who don't speak Japanese?
  4. Do your parents speak English?
  5. Do you ever speak English at home?

The students work in pairs interviewing each other. By thinking about, and talking about, the answers to these fairly general questions the students will hopefully begin the reflective process that the activity is intended to encourage. I give the students 20 minutes (10 minutes each) for this activity but if they have a lot to say then this time can be extended.

Each student is then asked to make a short presentation about his/her partner, based on the interview. This is an opportunity for the students to compare their own experiences of learning English with those of their peers. The presentations have no specific time limit. After the more informal pair work activity, which precedes the presentations, it is interesting to hear the students talk more formally to the whole group. The activity also gives the teacher an opportunity to collect information needed for the next activity. The students should be told that the teacher is interested in what they have to say rather than the way it is said. However, the presentations do give the teacher some insight into each student's oral abilities.

The teacher must take notes on each student's background in English during the presentations. The information will be used in the subsequent activity.

Teacher Preparation

Before the next class the teacher prepares an individual worksheet for each student (see Fig. 1). The worksheet contains statements based on the presentation details. Some of the statements should be wrong and some should be made up. There should be space at the bottom of the page for the students to write any more relevant statements. If the class is large these worksheets can take time, but this time can be reduced by using copy-and-paste on a computer.

Figure 1

Yuichiro

1. Look at these statements:

I have lived in Singapore for 6 years.
I lived in England for 7 years.
I went to primary school in an English school for 2 years.
I have private lessons in English.
My teacher is Japanese.
We study English grammar in my private lessons.
My parents speak English.
My parents think it is important that I learn English.
I study hard in all my school subjects.
I have non-Japanese friends.

Tick the ones you agree with and change the ones you disagree with so that they are true.

2. Now add some more sentences that give me more information about you and English.

.

.

.

Day 2 -- Worksheets

In the second session students are given their individual worksheets and asked to read the statements, indicating which ones are false. This enables the students to consider more carefully why some of the statements are incorrect and how their own experiences differ from those in the false statements. They then correct the false statements and add other relevant information at the foot of the page. This is an important step in the activity. It allows the students to reflect on other language learning experiences which they may not have previously mentioned.

Students then complete a short written assignment using their individual worksheets as a guide, adding more details to explain the statements as they progress. In thinking about their original statements the students will hopefully be reflecting upon their own learning processes. The students enjoy this writing activity as it takes little effort. The information they need has already been provided, firstly by themselves in the interview, secondly by their partners in the presentation, and thirdly by the teacher in the worksheet. It is worth noting that this is not a test or a grammar exercise, and is not being recorded as a part of the student's overall grade. Grades can be given for the students' own interest, but corrections should be kept to a minimum. The teacher can keep a copy of each student's essay as a reminder of the information learned from the activity. The essays also provide useful information regarding the students' strengths and weaknesses in written English, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.



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