MODULE 3

MANAGING THE TEACHING AND

LEARNING PROCESS
UNIT 29
GROUPING STUDENTS

 An important part
management
Types of grouping:
+ Whole-class learning
+ Individualized learning
+ Pair learning
+ Group learning

of

class

Whole-class learning
1. Advantages
It reinforces a sense of belonging
among members.
It is suitable for activities where the
teacher is the controller, especially
when involving explanations and
instructions.
It allows teachers to improve the
mood.

Whole-class learning
2. Disadvantages
Everyone is forced to do the same
thing at the same time and pace.
Individuals do not have much chance
to say anything on their own.
Students may not be encouraged to
be responsible for their own learning.
Not the best way to organize
communicative language teaching

Whole-class learning
3. Seating
Orderly rows

 Easy to view the students clearly

Easy to give lectures, let students
watch videos, explain grammar
points, etc.
Eye contact is facilitated.

Circle

 Easy to use when the class size is

not big (20 students maximum)
When the teacher is not inside the
circle, students have a greater feeling
of equality. When inside the circle,
the teacher can give instructions and
demonstrate things.
Can be used when organizing
games or communicative activities.

Horseshoe

 The teacher is in a commanding

position (in front of the horseshoe).
The horseshoe, however, is less
rigidly organized than the orderly
rows.
It can make the atmosphere in the
class more intimate and make it
easier for students to share ideas
and feelings (like the circle).

Separate tables

 Groupwork is easy to arrange.

Particularly useful for mixed-level
classes.
However, using separate tables
means it is more difficult to teach and
give examples to the whole class,
due to the likelihood of students
talking to one another.

Individualized learning
1. Advantages
. It allows teachers to respond to
individual student differences in learning
pace, learning styles and preferences.
. It is less stressful for students.
. It can develop learner autonomy and
promote self-reliance.
. It can be a way to restore peace and
tranquility after some noisy time.

Individualized learning
2. Disadvantages
It does not encourage cooperation and
the sense of belonging.
When combined with giving individual
students different tasks, it requires more
thought and preparation than wholeclass teaching.
Working with individual students takes
much more time than interacting with
the whole class.

Pair learning
1. Advantages
. It dramatically increases the
amount of speaking time that a
student can get.
. It allows students to work
independently and cooperatively at
the same time.
. It is relatively quick and easy to
organize.

Pair learning
2. Disadvantages
If the teacher does not pay enough
attention => noisy, out of control
Students may talk about something
else, even in their first language.
Choosing partners can be a
problem.

Group learning
1. Advantages

. It increases the number of talking

opportunities for students.
. Personal relationships are less
problematic than in pairwork. In addition,
there is a greater chance of different
opinions and varied contributions.
. It encourages broader skills of
cooperation and negotiation.

 It promotes learner autonomy by

allowing students to make their
own decisions in the group without
being told what to do by the
teacher.
Some students can choose their
level of participation (how actively
they take part in lessons).

Group learning
2. Disadvantages
The whole-class feeling may be affected
when the class is divided into small
groups.
Some students may have difficulties
getting used to working with members
they are yet to know.
Each student may fall into fossilized
groups.
It takes longer to organize.

Discussion
You are in charge of teaching a 36student communicative English
class. Now you want to let them
mingle and speak to one another.
After that, you will ask the students
to go into groups and design a
poster for the upcoming fair. What
formation(s) will be suitable? Why?

MODULE 3
MANAGING THE TEACHING AND
LEARNING PROCESS
UNIT 30
TEACHER ROLES

The ways a teacher behaves at

different stages of the lesson.
The roles may be played at the
same or different times.

Planner
Thinking through and planning in
detail before teaching
Making predictions as to when,
where and how problems can arise
and be solved
Not only thinking about the
activities, but also making sure they
are appropriate for the learners in
terms of age, level and culture.

Informer
Giving detailed information about
the language and activities
Having to be sure the students
understand the instructions
When giving the instructions, they
must be simple and clear.
Depending on learners level, the
language used for informing them
must be appropriate.

Manager
Organizing the learning space
Making sure everything in the
classroom runs smoothly
Setting up rules and routines
Taking care of the class discipline
Dealing with any problem that may
arise in terms of equipment, internal
issues among students, etc.

Monitor
A teacher works in this role when
the students are doing activities and
learning
Moving around in the class during
group discussions, individual tasks,
pairwork tasks, group activities, etc.
Checking the understanding of
students so as to provide help when
necessary

Involver
Making sure everyone in the class
can take part in the process of
learning
Using questions, discussions and
tasks to involve learners
Motivating students if they are shy

Parent/Friend
Dealing with

outside-the-class

issues
When teaching teenagers, this role
of the teacher is especially clear.
As external issues may affect
students learning, the teacher needs
to be like a parent/friend to listen to,
comfort and help them overcome life
problems.

Diagnostician
Observing the students, the teacher
needs to recognize the academic
problems and they have and those
problems causes.
From that, the teacher can come up
with ways to help learners study
better.
They can use daily observation or
diagnostic tests.

Resource
Working as a source of knowledge
for students
Expanding the knowledge and
give extra explanations as the
situation requires.

Giving
extra
information,
examples and shares experience.

ATTENTION TO TEACHERS
What roles the teacher will work in
depend on the learners age and level,
the stage of the lesson and purpose of
each task/activity.
Choosing the right teacher roles will
help lessons run smoothly and make
learning more interesting.
Some roles are more suitable for
young learners only (e.g. parent/friend).

 The roles of a teacher vary

+ Before the lesson
A planner in charge of the
materials and activities
A diagnostician of learners
problems

+ During the lesson

An informer presenting new
language/vocabulary
A manager when setting up
activities
A monitor, diagnostician,
manager and resource when
learners are working.

Consolidation
1. The teacher is explaining a
grammar point. What is his role?
=> Informer + Resource

2. The teacher checks the progress

of her students while they are doing
an exercise. Which role is she
taking?
=> Monitor

3. Before the start of a lesson, who

does a teacher work as?
=> A planner in charge of the
materials and activities
=> A diagnostician of learners
problems

4. This teacher wants to arrange the

seats to suit an activity she wants to
use in her class. Which role is she
going to take?
=> Manager

MODULE 3
MANAGING THE TEACHING AND
LEARNING PROCESS
UNIT 31
THE SYLLABUS

Definition
A document that presents information on
what topics or content are to be covered
in a course of study
It can present information on what is to
be taught
so as to reach a certain level
in a school system
so as to pass a test/examination
in a specific coursebook

Basic features
Consisting of a comprehensive list
of content items (e.g. words,
structures, etc.)
Arranged in order
Including explicit objectives
May indicate a
methodology/approach
May recommend materials

Types of syllabus
Structural/Grammatical syllabus
Lexical syllabus
Situation/Topic-based syllabus
Functional-notional syllabus
Standard-based syllabus

Structural/Grammatical syllabus

 Created based on a list of

grammatical structures and items
The most traditional type
Convenient for coursebook
design:
each
unit
with
a
grammatical feature
Texts and tasks are linked to the
grammatical feature.

Lexical syllabus
Comprising a list of lexical items
(separate words or multi-word
expressions)
There may be some grammar, but
not significant.

Situation/Topic-based syllabus
Example:
Management
Management
Work and motivation
Company structure
Managing across cultures
Recruitment
Women in business

 Based on real-life contexts of

language use (e.g. Having a
meal, At school, etc.)
Can be organized into specific
topics (e.g. Family, Corporate
Culture, etc.)
Suitable for courses of English for
Specific Purposes

Functional-notional syllabus
Example:
1. Imparting and seeking factual
information
1.1 reporting (describing and
narrating)
1.2 correcting
1.3 asking
1. 4 answering questions

 Notion: A concept that language can

describe (e.g. number, time, etc.)
Function: What can be done with
language (e.g. identifying, promising,
etc.)
An early attempt to create the right
syllabus
for
the
communicative
approach
Idea: To move towards the use of
language to express meanings

Standard-based syllabus
Describes what learners should
be able to do at specific levels
(using can-do statements)
The standards can be divided into
functional areas: four skills, social
interaction
or
access
to
information.

Domain
Listenin
g
Speakin
g

Reading

Writing

English Language Proficiency

Standards
Follow
simple
and
complex
directions
Make inferences and predictions
Use English to interact in the
classroom
Use
strategies
to
extend
communicative competence
Recognize concepts of print literacy
Build
vocabulary
to
develop
concepts
Use conventions and formats of
written English