Second edition

Stage aims

1 Students move around the classroom to find partners with newspaper headlines about the same story.	A a to practise deducing meaning from context
2 In pairs, they exchange ideas about what they find difficult in reading authentic texts.	В з to check students’understanding of what they have read and activate language
3 They say what they think their story will be about from the headlines and make notes of the main points they expect to read.	C • to read for gist « to check predictions
4 Pairs read the two newspaper stories and compare them with their notes.	D « to use limited information to predict possible content
5 They list the similarities and differences between the two newspaper stories.	£ э to get students actively involved *> to put students into pairs
6 They try to work out the meanings of new words, using the language that they know in the text.	F s to read for more detailed information
7 They prepare and give a short presentation on their articles to the rest of the class.	G* to review the whole lesson « to give the teacher feedback
8 Teacher asks students to summarise what they have done.	H « to raise awareness of what the lesson aim will be 3 to encourage personal involvement

Unit ig identifying and selecting aims





Think about these comments from teachers. Which do you agree with and why?

0. 
   I don't have to think about aims - they're alf there in the teacher's book.
   
1. 
   I like to discover my aims during the lesson - by listening to my students and finding out what they know, and what they need to learn. Often my aims aren't clear until alter the lesson!
   
2. 
   Students want to learn new words and get the grammar right ~ they don't need to know my aims.
   

DISCOVERY ACTIVITIES


L Think about the last lesson you tatight from your coursehook. Was the aim of the lesson the one given in the book, or did you have your own aim? Make notes in your Teacher Portfolio on why the alms given in your coursehook were / were not appropriate for your learners.

2. 
   In your Teacher Portfolio, list your main aims, subsidiary aims, stage aims and personal aims for the last lesson you taught and the next one you are planning for the same class. Can they be improved in any way?
   
3. 
   For useful ideas about selecting and describing aims, look at:
   

Section 1.0.2.2 'Establishing goals and objectives' of Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom by Tricia Hedge, Oxford University Press 2000 Chapter 6, Section 5 'Lesson Aims' of Learning Teaching (Second edition) by Jim Scrivener, Macmillan 2005
The first section 'Planning' of Action Plan for Teachers ~ A Guide to Teaching English by Callttm Robertson with Richard Acklam, downloadable free from: http://www. teachingengiish.org.uk/try/resourees/books/action~plan-teachers


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Module 2