NON-TRADITIONAL MATERIALS (PEDRO)

     During the whole course we have been talking about the different strategies that we can use in class in order to acquire a second language. In my opinion, the best way to teach is by using learning centred strategies because in this kind of activities the pupils have a chance to use language in a less controlled, more creative way. A good technique is to use pair group because they have plenty of opportunities to talk. Moreover, they are more independent because sometimes they choose they own tasks and they have access to the resources they need.

    My favorite teaching strategy is TPR (Total physical response) because in TPR students do not have to give instructions themselves until they are ready. Moreover, responding to commands students get a lot of comprehensible input. For example, a typical TPR activity is ‘walk quickly to the door and hit it’ (when the students can call respond to commands correctly, one of them can then start giving instructions to other classmates) I think that it is a good strategy because students have a period of listening and developing comprehension before production. In addition, students answer to commands with physical movement so it’s funny for them.

    One example of TPR activity that I would use in my classroom would be “The lost treasure” game. This game would be used to improve speaking and vocabulary skills in “English as a foreign language” class.

• At the beginning of the class I ask them: 

Write 10 things that you bring to a desert island if you were marooned there.

• How can the activity start? Probably children are not going to know the meaning of “marooned”, so I can use a picture and explain the meaning of this word.

• When they understand the activity, they are going to work individually, choosing the things that they considered more important.

• After that, all the members of the class are going to create a group discussion, trying to choose 10 new items. Each group will have 4/5 pupils

• Finally, each group will choose one representative who will present to the whole class which items they have chosen and why.