John Field Universities of Reading and Cambridge, uk

Problems of explicit teaching

• Many standard check-lists of L2 strategies were constructed with speaking in mind.
• The strategy that is chosen depends heavily upon the problem of understanding that has occurred.
• Effective strategy use is
• appropriate
• rapid
• a choice between alternatives.

A task-based approach to strategies (Field 2000)

• Intensive listening 1 (short section)
• Ss write down words they understand
• Ss form hypotheses linking the words
• Ss compare notes in pairs
• Intensive listening 2 (replay)
• Ss write down more words
• Ss revise guesses, discuss in pairs
• Ss present ideas to class. Teacher neutral
• Intensive listening 3 (replay)
• Ss revise guesses; discuss in pairs
• Class evaluates. T assists
• Final play.