A "Market survey"

More hot tips in the classroom!

Last post was about “presenting people” - a quite typical task at language classes. Now, let's add a step to this task.

Choose one of your photos (a character you especially like).

Task 1. You need information for a market survey on the fashion market. The survey is very detailed. You want information about people, their preferences regarding not only fashion but spare time, hobbies and entertainment. The research includes a full marketing review (personal and background data, habits, likes and dislikes, activities and life-style).

Ask for relevant information. Write 10-20 questions regarding the above topics.

Task 2. Answer your questions in the name of the person in your photo! Alternatively, you can exchange questionnaires with your class mates.

Task 3. Introduce your character: report all the pieces of information you shared about the character in your photo. Follow your list of questions!

Presenting people

The presentation should include the "main content" of the lesson. It can take a variety of forms, and as the word suggests, this content is usually presented (by the teacher, who else)?

Why not elicit former knowledge as a kind of “student presentation”? Different techniques might help you do that. Let's see a common situation, describing people.

When you talk about people you often follow a train of thought like this:

1. outlook comes first (face, body, garments, special things)
2. personal issues (age, character, profession, background)
3. habits (likes and dislikes, activities, life-style)
4. your impression (“I think...” issues)

For getting most of the job done by your students, webquest might be a hand.
Define two very simple tasks:
1. Find photos of interesting people on the net (everybody loves searching photos of interesting people:-)

2. Create your gallery for these interesting people. Share your photos on any community site you use and add a few sentences introducing these people. Follow the above train of thought when you describe these people!

Share the link of your album with your mates.

How plan your e-lesson?

Practically, most of the lesson plans we, trained teachers prepare for English classes tend to follow this kind of “standard” lesson plan format:

1.Warm-up
2.Presentation
3.Controlled practice
4.Free practice
5.Feedback

Does it make a difference, if it is about e-learning or an instructor led training? Sure it does! On the one hand, in case of an e-learning class most of the presentation has been done by the student before the class. (Let's be optimistic!:-) This really means that the teacher is rather like a tutor. On the other hand some good old activities, which usually work pretty well in the traditional classroom, would perhaps fail in the virtual classroom!

Let me present a warmer that usually goes pretty well with pre-intermediate or intermediate groups, even if you want to get to know your students during one of the first classes (and you want them to get to know you!)


Ten words
Hot tips: Use the chatboard
Communication game for pre-intermediate /intermediate students

Put up five to ten words on your chatboard like the following:
- name
- family
- home
- job
- hobby
- pet
- English
Ask your students to write general questions about each word to elicit more information. E.g.: What is your name? Where does your family come from? What is your home like?
Students should put up questions to the chatboard. Then, not surprisingly, they should answer all questions first.
Three important rules:
1. Always use the chatboard and put down key notes.
2. Always have students work: they write questions, and they answer questions – they work most of the time!
3. Sum up – close all talking sessions with a final round, to recall all relevant information.