CURRICULUM AND MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT:

PRACTICAL TECHNIQUES
IN LANGUAGE TEACHING

GROUP 1 (Class C)
 Group Members

Gina Putrisari
Sartika
Sitti Milawati
Yusrin Saeda
Curriculum And Material Development

Four Practical Techniques in Language Teaching:

 Information-gap activities for oral practice

 Discourse Chains

 Structured Conversations

 Role Play
 Information-gap Activities
 Definition
An Information-gap activities is an activity where the
students are missing the information they need to
complete a task and need to talk to each other to find
it.
These activity force the students to ask each other
questions, and these activity help make the language
classroom experience more meaningful and authentic.
These activity is known as an activity where Student A
knows something that Student B doesn't know and vice-
versa.
 Information-gap Activities
 Points to bear in mind when using Information-gap
activities:
– Careful preparation
– Pre-teaching of vocabulary
– Clear instruction
– Demonstration
– Mixed-ability
– Use of the mother tongue
– The teacher's role
 Information-gap Activities
 Example, “Describing People”
Steps:
 Divide the classroom into pairs, Student A and Student B.
 Image that they have agree to go to the airport to meet
three of people who are arriving from London. Explain
the there people they must meet are among the picture on
the left side of the task, (point out that as they don't yet
know the there people, so they need to ask their partner
for a good description of them so that they don't make a
mistake).
 Information-gap Activities
 Explain to students that right side of the task there are notes
that describing the three people is going to meet (details of
physical appearance and information about what they will be
wearing and carrying).
 Tell the students to take turns to use the notes to describing. Tell
them to listen carefully about the description will be mentioned
by their partner (tell the students to write the names of the
people they choose under the appropriate picture).
 Once the students are sure their choices are correct, tell the
students they may compare the picture and description in each
other's paper (task).
 Discourse Chains
 What they are?
(Introduction)
Ali greets → Zia
Zia asks Ali for introduction
Ali replies…..and ask Zia for the same.

(Invitation)
Catch attention → Reply
B invite A to his home tonight……………
A refuses politely ; give reasons
B invites A to a party on Saturday; A accepts gladly
 Discourse Chains
 When to use them?
Discourse chains provide an excellent means of
practicing language within a controlled situational
framework, while giving students a considerable
degree of choices as to which exponents to use.
 Discourse Chains
 How to use them?
There is no one fixed way of using discourse chains, but a fairly
standard one which meets the purposes of points are as
follows:
– Establish the situational context of the discourse chains.

– Present the discourse chains on the blackboard or OHP or

multimedia.
– Choose two students on opposite sides of the class, allot each
of them the role of one of the speakers in the chain, and then
ask them to go through their parts. This provides examples for
whole class for what to do.
– Either divides the class into closed pairs and asks them to
practice the dialogue simultaneously.
 Structured Conversations
 Definition
A conversation in which students know the complete
format and structure of the conversation and they
need clues which direction to follow
 Structured Conversations
 Example, Pyramid Discussion Activities
To apply structured conversation technique, teacher can use Pyramid
Discussion Activities. In this example, we will base our discussion on
‘Camping’.
Stage 1
The teacher tells the group they are going to spend 2 weeks camping in Peer
Chanasee, Muzaffarabad in December. To warm them up and to bring to the
foreground all they know about the topic, there is informal discussion about
e.g. who has actually been camping and what the weather is likely to be at
that time of year.
The teacher then gives a list of objects they will definitely take. What you will
definitely take:
Tent, sleeping bag, clothing (except waterproofs and overcoat), enough money
for travel and basic food supplies cooking stove, matches…
 Structured Conversations
 Pyramid Discussion Activities
The teacher also gives out a list of objects, students could take ranging from
borderline necessities such as a compass or a piece or string to, perhaps, less
important items, such as disposable bags..
Example:
Compass Torch Sun Glasses
Camera Radio Sun Cream
Mirror Sticking Plaster Aspirin
Rope Binoculars Hot-water bottle
pen-knife Chess Set Insect Repellant
Antiseptic Flannel A Piece of String
Lamp Raincoat Hammer
 Structured Conversations
Stage 2
Students are then asked to reduce this second list to ten items on their own.
They should choose the things they think would be most useful and think of good
reasons for their choice. This initial decision-making is important because it forces
the students to invest part of themselves in the task.
Stage 3
Students are then put into pairs and asked to compare and combine their lists and
produce ten items they both agree on. It is important each student justifies to the
other why they think something should be included or
Why they are prepared to leave something out….
Stage 4
The pairs are asked to form groups of four and to reach agreement on a list of
ten items and so on…..
 Role Play
 Definition
Role-play is any speaking activity when you either put
yourself into somebody else's shoes, or when you
stay in your own shoes but put yourself into an
imaginary situation
 Role Play
Imaginary people - The joy of role-play is that students can
'become' anyone they like for a short time! The President, the
Queen, a millionaire, a pop star …….. the choice is endless!
Students can also take on the opinions of someone else. 'For and
Against' debates can be used and the class can be split into those
who are expressing views in favor and those who are against the
theme.
Imaginary situations - Functional language for a multitude of
scenarios can be activated and practiced through role-play.
'At the restaurant', 'Checking in at the airport', 'Looking for lost
property' are all possible role-plays.