| How to avoid doing it: | | | | 3. One day, out there in the big wide world, |
| | | | the students will be faced with situations in |
| 1. Get the students to read the exercise | | | | which they will not know all the words and |
| completely before starting to actually do | | | | you won't be there to help them. Then what |
| anything. They can underline the words they | | | | will they do? (With any luck they will be |
| don't know, or (more positively) underline | | | | able to fall back on all the useful skills |
| the words they do know. 2. When a student | | | | you've taught them in class.) |
| asks you to explain the meaning of a word, | | | | |
| don't. Ask the other students if anyone can | | | | Explaining new vocabulary |
| explain it. | | | | |
| | | | As a last resort, give the students an |
| 2. You could put the students in pairs or | | | | explanation of the new word or phrase in |
| small groups and get them to explain the | | | | English. It's a good idea to give them an |
| words they don't know to each other. This | | | | example sentence or two containing the word |
| sounds daft but it's quite logical really - | | | | or phrase so that they can see how to use it. |
| the words Gianni is having difficulty with | | | | You may find it useful to demonstrate or mime |
| won't necessarily be the same ones that Marco | | | | the word to convey it's meaning quickly. Or |
| is struggling with. (Beware of the students' | | | | maybe a quick line-drawing (of the |
| tendency to translate the words. See TT17 for | | | | "stick-man" type) would convey the meaning |
| info on Translating). | | | | more quickly? Sometimes a synonym (similar |
| | | | word) is useful (e.g. wealthy = rich) or an |
| 3. It's a good idea to get the students to | | | | opposite (e.g. wealthy = the opposite of |
| try to guess the meaning of the word from the | | | | poor). |
| context it's in. (See TT6 for further | | | | |
| information on "deducing meaning from | | | | Extra info: |
| context"). | | | | |
| | | | If a student still thinks I should explain |
| 4. Get the students to look the word up in a | | | | all the new words to him I refuse and explain |
| (preferably English to English a.k.a. | | | | like this: If you give a starving man a fish, |
| monolingual) dictionary, should such a thing | | | | you feed him for a day. If you teach him how |
| be available (see TT20 for further | | | | to fish he can feed himself for life. (I |
| information about dictionaries). | | | | explain "starving" as "very, very, very |
| | | | hungry"). |
| Why to avoid doing it: | | | | |
| | | | In this case the "fish" is the explanation of |
| 1. You are not a dictionary. You don't even | | | | a word, given by you. The "how to fish" is |
| look like one, do you? | | | | the ability to guess words from context, the |
| | | | confidence to ask a peer (a classmate, a |
| 2. There's a world of difference between | | | | colleague etc.) if they know the meaning, and |
| telling someone something (spoon-feeding | | | | the ability to use a dictionary. |
| students who soon get into the habit of | | | | |
| switching off, being passive, letting the | | | | Learning English is like learning to play the |
| teacher do all the work for them and not | | | | piano/to drive/to swim etc. When you want to |
| bothering to try to remember a single thing) | | | | learn to play the piano/drive/swim is it |
| and teaching someone something (creating an | | | | enough just sit and watch other people doing |
| environment and a set of circumstances in | | | | it or do you need to have a go yourself and |
| which someone can actively learn, practise | | | | make mistakes and practise a lot until you |
| new skills, and develop confidence in his/her | | | | get it right? Speaking together gives you |
| own abilities). | | | | that chance to have a go yourself and the |
| | | | time to practice. |