Chris Roland is a teacher trainer, methodology writer and 'ideas man' based in Seville, Spain. He has worked in Spanish mainstream education and the private academy sector and held positions with the British Council in Barcelona and Damascus. He considers himself a 4x4 'all terrain teacher' covering all ages and levels and has published a number of methodology books through Pavilion Publishing & Media, UK, including Understanding Teenagers in the ELT Classroom (2018). Chris works with teachers on intensive methodology and language development courses, and tutors on the Trinity Diploma and Cambridge DELTA. He is particularly interested in classroom dynamics, personalising language tasks, and how we can help our learners remember key words and phrases.
Ponencia: Helping your learners to express themselves, in English, quickly
Sometimes we make the mistake of trying to teach English like it was a mysterious object, looking at it from a distance, or a tricky math problem to be solved with long explanations or complex board presentations.. We might not do this all the time, but maybe... some of the time. On the other hand, we know as language learners ourselves that sometimes you have to 'get in there' and have a go, try to say something, make a mistake, get it wrong then get it right, forget the word you need then remember it again, then maybe forget and remember various times more! In this session we will look at practical techniques to help turn our classes into mini-events where our learners get to do more of the things that we know will help them express themselves, in English. We shall do this through small adjustments that do not require any massive change in approach and do not require lengthy planning or preparation either. The techniques shown will work with large classes and will help you cover your course book or syllabus more easily and more effectively. The strategies demonstrated will work with classes of teenagers, young adults at college and university level, and groups of older more mature individuals. There will be examples and anecdotes from my own classes. The session will be suitable for new and experienced teachers alike.