Problem-solving activities in ESL

THE MINISTRY FOR SCIENCE AND EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

EAST – KAZAKHSTAN STATE UNIVERSITY BY S. AMANZHOLOV

 

PHILOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THEME: PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITIES IN FLT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 

                                                    FOREIGN LANGUAGES: 2 FOREIGN

LANGUAGES 050119                                               

                                                 STUDENT: KENESPAEVA NAZGUL 301

                                                    SUPERVISOR:       CHERNOUSOVA G.D

 

 

 

 

                              UST-KAMENOGORSK 2010

 

        Content

 

1. Introduction
2. Theoretical part:

1. What is Problem Solving and importance of using it in EFL classes

2. Problem Solving activities using Critical Thinking:

1. What is Critical Thinking?

2. How to use it in teaching process effectively?
3. Critical Thinking Strategies
4. Classroom techniques: Debates and Media Analysis.
5. Addressing Culture in EFL Classrooms
6. Social Studies

3. Practical part

4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
6. Appendix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Many EFL instructors are faced with the challenge of getting their students to participate in the language classroom. As language instructors, part of this challenge is creating interesting activities to increase students' motivation. "We must find out what our students are interested in" (Rivers, 1976, p.96). Part of providing conditions for language learning is building on existing motivations in order to increase students' knowledge of the new language (Rivers, 1976). When there is engaging content that will involve learners and in which those learners have a stake, students become intrinsically motivated (Stevick, 1996; Taylor, 1987). I have found that activities in which students use L2 as a means to solve a problem are not only meaningful to EFL learners but also increase their motivation, participation and use of the target language. The reason for this high interest and involvement lies in the fact that students have to use their cognitive skills and logic to arrive at solutions to problems relevant to their own lives. Students learn and acquire the target language by using it for critical thinking and problem solving.

I have chosen this theme as my term-paper, firstly, because I want to investigate the importance of using Problem Solving activities in order to make English classes more interesting and useful. When teacher gives any but interesting theme to discuss or situation everyone tries to share their opinion with their classmates, so everyone will have a chance to speak. Secondly,  it helps to set competitive atmosphere which will increase their endevour to get more and more knowledge about the world around us, as such kind of activity is set in English classes they will try to learn more useful English words used in everyday life and in magazines. It will help them to enlarge their word-stock.

Thirdly, there a lot of countries and every country has its custom and cultural values. Nowadays we go abroad a lot and how can we go to any country not knowing its culture? Moreover, our Government gives us such opportunities as studying abroad by some International Studying Programs. The students who are interested in this kind of opportunities should be told of the problems they will be faced with and knowing justly English or other languages is not the only main thing. So problem exists everywhere, even in classes too. From the very start when children are little they should be involved in solving them. It will increase Critical thinking which they will use in reasoning and showing their own way of arriving at the problem.

 

 

THEORETICAL PART

1. WHAT IS PROBLEM SOLVING AND IMPORTANCE OF USING IT IN EFL CLASSES

Problems exist everywhere, both inside the classroom and out, and their resolution is a popular source of conversation in all countries and cultures. Analyzing a somewhat complex problem like a city's poor public transport system can offer students a myriad of opportunities to analyze an issue critically. By asking students to look at pro's and con's and costs and benefits an instructor is forcing them to consider real world problems that impact their daily lives in a critical way.

Problem Solving describes the needs of students in our educational system today. It’s not justly important to teach students to solve a problem, it is also so vital. Because school students should or even must be given knowledge about how to deal with difficult situations in their further lives. I think English lessons are the very classes where pupils can require such opportunities.  Because, it has no theories to learn as it is in Physics. Math’s, or etc. At the lessons we can discuss variety of themes, talk about the topics, which we are interested in or even think and speak our ideas of how to our opinion we can solve Global problems, such as ecological, cultural,  international, health problems, etc.

 

When faced with problems unlike any they've seen before, many of students will be quick to give up. 'I don't know how to do this,' or 'I don't get it,' will be common comments. How does the teacher keep students from giving up prematurely, when they know all the content they need to solve the problem? It is certainly uphill battle, and one which cannot be fought overnight. 

One effective method is to engage students in competitions. These may be competitions internal to your classroom, or contests in which students compete against students in other schools. Competitions give students a reason to keep trying a problem in different ways. The idea of 'beating' another student can give students that extra impetus they need to keep working on a problem. 

It's also important to give students a good 'mix' of repetitive and 'challenge' problems. Students who have nothing but challenge problems will quickly get frustrated. But students who have nothing but repetitive, 'drill' type problems will not develop the ability to apply what they have learned to new situations. Giving your students a 'problem of the week' is a great way to help add to help maintain a balance of problems

2. PROBLEM SOLVING ACTIVITIES USING CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking, in its broadest sense has been described as "purposeful reflective judgment concerning what to believe or what to do."

Critical thinking is not an easy concept to define as it can mean quite different things to different people in different contexts and cultures.

Despite this fact, I believe that ESL/EFL instructors can greatly benefit both themselves and their students by attempting to understand and incorporate some of its key elements into their classrooms.

Generally speaking, to think critically about an issue is to consider that issue from various perspectives, to look at and challenge any possible assumptions that may underlie the issue and to explore its possible alternatives.

More specifically, when we think critically about a given topic, we are forced to consider our own relationship to it and how we personally fit into the context of the issue (Brookfield, 7-9). This type of thinking does not always come easy, but I feel well-informed instructors can help a great deal in encouraging its development in their students.

Two Things to Keep in Mind When Getting Started:

- Knowing the Interest of Your Students is Essential

Most experienced teachers recognize that the more you know about the backgrounds and interests of your students the more appropriate and engaging your classes will become. This element is even more significant for classes with a focus on critical thinking. Well it is true that an experienced teacher can create a critical thinking component in most any lesson, it is not true that students will respond to each various lesson or topic equally. Consider as an example a grammatical unit on the use of the future tenses. A teacher wishing to help promote critical thought in their class might ask a series of discussion questions on the ethical issues surrounding future increases in life expectancy. This lesson could be highly successful if it is appropriate to the students' age level, background knowledge, and language proficiency. More appropriate questions could certainly be found however for an ESP Engineering class or for a group of 12-13 year old boys and girls. The point is that tailoring lessons specifically to the interests of your students can go quite far in encouraging student engagement, an element that is essential to the development of critical thinking.

- Learning to Really "Discuss" the Discussion Questions

As a teacher it is essential that you understand and communicate to your students regularly the role of the questions they are being asked to answer. Virtually every language course book contains some form of "discussion questions" which are designed to give students some opportunity to practice language use. As a teacher trainer and observer however, far too often I see these questions being used simply as a tool, or even worse, as a kind of hurdle one needs to get over before moving on to the next grammar lecture or reading passage. It is true that these questions are often written in such a way as to almost discourage critical thought but teachers need to remember that they always have the ability to modify or adapt lessons to their own circumstances. Even the most overworked and underpaid of instructors, who claims to have no time for lesson planning, can make a difference here.

Teachers often cite the frustration of having to "retrain" their students to really think about the questions they are discussing in class. It is much easier of course, if the questions just pass by with the students simply regurgitating some information from a reading or listening passage, but think about the long term message this sends to our students. We are telling them, in effect, that the content is not really of any importance. We need to encourage our students to really interact with the texts and materials they are given and we need to do this repeatedly. Ultimately this will help students to better interact with the world around them and to become more self-aware and reflective thinkers.

Classroom Techniques

Once teachers grasp the concept and value of critical thinking skills development in the classroom they will begin to see opportunities all around them for encouraging their students in this area. I am now going to provide a brief overview of two techniques, but I would like to stress that these are only two techniques of many that are possible and it encourages teachers to develop techniques appropriate to their own situations. The two classroom techniques I am going to look at are debate, media analysisI have chosen these 2 in particular because I feel that they have a degree of universality and practicality that makes them almost immediately applicable to most teaching circumstances. I have used or seen these techniques used in large classes and small, in EFL and ESL, in levels ranging from lower intermediate to advanced, and generally in all manner of teaching situations.

1. Debate

Why it Works

Debate forces students to think about the multiple sides of an issue and it also forces them to interact not just with the details of a given topic, but also with one another. Also debates are versatile in the range of topics possible and the format that the debate may follow.

Debates allow students to focus on developing discussion skills and fluency. In addition, activities are designed to help ensure that all students participate equally in activities, instead of the situation found in many conversation classes where the most proficient, confident, or outgoing students dominate class or group discussions. All students participate, for example, by each student possessing a piece of information that the group requires to successfully complete a story or solve a problem.

I think that there is a clear connections between the skills of writing, reading, and speaking. So my classes will be based on the axiom "that having to write out our thoughts on paper forces us to reexamine, rethink, and recycle our ideas until we have a much neater package". I support the idea that if some time is spent writing down one's thoughts before speaking, it will make a real difference in both the quality and quantity of speech produced. For example, I can give students pre-discussion writing activities which students complete before participating in discussions. Short readings, which provide students with topic-related vocabulary and background knowledge, and lead into the writing and speaking tasks. These reading and writing activities help students cope with limitations they may have, such as lack of confidence in their language skills, lack of background knowledge and information, lack of interest, or lack of any opinion at all about the topic. They can be assigned as homework so students can come to class prepared, and as a result, allow valuable classtime to be spent entirely on discussion activities. There will be given tasks including both serious subjects such as AIDS, gun control, and endangered species, as well as lighter topics such as tipping, humor, and movies. Most tasks and exercises should relate to real situations, events, people, statistics.

The major types of tasks are listed as:

1. Problem-solving tasks require students to work together to solve a problem.
2. Finish the story tasks have students discuss together possible conclusions to unusual stories.
3. Speaking puzzles  require students to provide each other with oral clues that are needed in order to successfully complete a puzzle.
4. Role-play exercises, related to important themes.
5. Discussion and oral presentations require students to bring in outside materials to present to the class.
6. Charts and questionnaires also require students to work together to complete them.
7. Put the story together tasks. In this activity each student has a piece of a strip story and all students must work together in order to solve it.
8. Small group discussions.

The use of such a variety of activities helps ensure that students do not get bored with the text too easily.

How it Works

• Students must first be made aware of a debatable topic and of the variety of potential positions that can be taken on the topic. These topics can come from course materials, from classroom discussion, or from the local community.
• Students should then be given an opportunity to research the topic somehow and form their own opinions on the issue.
• Next pairs or small groups should be formed where like-minded students can share their opinions on the topic and gain information from others. During this step students should be encouraged to think about the potential arguments that will come from the other side and how they can respond to these arguments.
• Now some form of debate must take place where the two (or three or four) sides share their opinions and present their arguments. This could take the form of a classic debate, with opening and closing arguments from both sides and time for rebuttals all done as a class. Alternatively, it could simply be small groups or pairs sharing their differing points of view with one another.
• Then, the instructor should follow-up with a summary of the opinions and views expressed by all sides and an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses.
• In the final step, the class and instructor should be allowed to express their opinions on which side made the case most convincingly. This step is important in that it helps the students to understand that this type of thinking and debate process can lead to real results and provide some sense of closure on the topic.

Things to Remember

• The debate itself can take many forms.
• Students need to be allowed to form their own opinions rather than having the teacher assign "sides" to the debate.
• Choosing a topic appropriate to the interests of the students is essential.

2. Media Analysis

Why it Works

Analyzing various forms of media, either in an ESL or EFL environment, gives the opportunity for students to think about important issues like media bias and censorship. When students look at the types of issues that may bias reporting, they are also forced to think in terms of their biases and to reflect on these in detail. This is not to say however, that media analysis needs only to focus explicitly on issues of bias and censorship as any analysis of media has the potential to raise students' general awareness and encourage them to think about the issues that affect their lives.

How it Works

• A form of media and topic need to be chosen, either by the instructor or the students, that reflects the interests of the class and has the potential to encourage critical thought.
• Time for analysis (reading, watching, listening, etc.) must then be provided to give the students ample time to absorb the material they will be asked to work with.
• Class, small group, or pair discussions should then be undertaken on the content of the piece to give students the opportunity to work out any problems or questions they may have.
• Once the students are comfortable with the content of the piece, the instructor should then introduce questions designed to encourage critical reflection. Some possible examples are as follows:
• Who is the author? Why did they write or report this piece?
• Do you feel the facts are accurate? Why or why not?
• Is the author or reporter giving equal attention to all sides of the issue?
• How does this piece make you feel personally? How do you feel others (from other countries, cultures, political groups, etc.) would feel about it?
• Do you see examples of bias, either in the piece itself or in the language chosen?
• With ample time, a good follow-up to this activity is to ask students to write a response either to the author or an editor of the piece expressing their opinions.

Things to Remember

• The media is all around us and finding material for classroom use is just a matter of opening a newspaper or watching the news
• The focus of this type of activity does not need to be on traditional topics like bias and censorship
• Teachers must know their students and their interests in order to source appropriate material for classroom use
• Working with local media outlets may give the opportunity for real correspondence between the class and a writer or editor

Improving Deductive Reasoning Skills

Purpose: To enhance student problem solving strategies and increase student ability to solve deductive reasoning problems. To bring a sense of fun and accomplishment to math and science class problem solving.

Students will be able to:

1. Recognize problems that may be solved using deductive reasoning.
2. Develop aids to help them in solving deductive reasoning problems.
3. Successfully solve deductive reasoning types of problems.
4. Produce their own deductive reasoning puzzles for other students to solve

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:

1. Students are reminded of the deductive reasoning skills used by Sherlock Holmes to solve his mysteries. The teacher should read some exerts from Sherlock Holmes stories.
2. Students are divided into small groups and asked to solve a deductive reasoning type of puzzle. They are given no help as to how to solve the puzzle. After the groups have worked for a while, the class should be brought back together to discuss the strategies employed to solve the puzzle.
3. Once the better strategies have been determined, give the students another puzzle in their groups and allow them to work.
4. Over a time period of one or two weeks, give the students puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty. Allow them to use help charts (as provided in the Mind Benders materials) sometimes but have them develop the ability to produce their own charts to facilitate their problem solving.

Critical Thinking Strategies

This strategy is intended to help develop and evaluate the critical thinking skills of comparing, contrasting, and of analyzing similarities and differences. It is adaptable not only across the curriculum but also at any age level. It can be used to inspire small group work, writing assignments, inquiring lessons, and is also an excellent evaluative tool.

 

According to teacher education programs, workshops, seminars, and professional journals, improving the thinking skills of students has been a top priority of school districts across the country for at least the last twenty years. Teachers and school officials are well aware that in addition to acquiring the basic skills, students need to become better problem-solvers. Only then can we expect to increase the number of students who will develop into the responsible, caring adults mandated by the national goals. It is by directing more attention to mastering the critical thinking skills that will make the difference.

There have been differences of opinion over the years as to how these skills should be taught. Course offerings at the college level and some high school curriculums have taught critical thinking separately from the content areas. Debate ensued, with educators at both extremes, as to whether or not the subject might be better taught as part of the regular curriculum. In 1983 the National Commission on Excellence in Education stated the following in their widely publicized report entitled A Nation At Risk: . . . formal instruction in critical-thinking skills [must] be mainstreamed across the curriculum at all levels. Such curricular integration is especially important in middle schools . . . because students there are beginning the significant transition from concrete to formal cognitive operations.”

This indeed makes sense as it seems unrealistic to attempt to fill students with facts without showing them how to think about the facts that is, to fully comprehend, and be able to compare and evaluate ideas and information.

The National Research Center on Literature Teaching have found the best way to promote critical thinking . . . is to involve students in class discussions in which they have the opportunity to raise issues, clarify their thoughts, and test their ideas against their classmates. . . . Students need to be able to think critically. Literature can show them the way.

Most content area textbooks emphasize the need to merely recall data and information.

Language Arts

A good literature program in the middle school should expose students to a wide variety of genres, writing styles, and themes. If students are to improve their ability to make valid judgements about literature, they must experience good books, investigating and discussing what it is about books that make them memorable. Mysteries allow children to become involved in the solutions of devious crimes through vivid character descriptions and clues. Using the skills of observation, creative thinking, and imagination, students who become successful at solving these mysteries along with the clever detective, will come to enjoy this genre.

There are many ways of reasoning. But detective and scientific ways are the among them.

The detective, through the use of logic and reason, and his/her superior intelligence, intuition, or imagination, can and does solve a given crime before the police, or indeed the reader himself can solve it. When the student can be directed to relate his/her feelings and experiences to those of the victim, do a character analysis of the suspects, list and classify the physical evidence, note irregular details in the setting, anticipate the strategies of the detective, and express these findings both orally and in writing, comprehension is achieved and the critical thinking skills are fully engaged.

Science begins when you ask a question. Applied science is used to solve everyday problems. Students need to feel free to ask questions about their universe, their world and their own lives, and grope for answers. We must teach students how to use the scientific method and apply these science skills to answer the questions about life and the global community

Both the scientist and the detective use reasoning skills: both inductive and deductive. In that reasoning means solving a problem by thinking about it, the student is directed to investigate science problems by first putting together ideas and facts that have been learned in the past. In education theory, prior knowledge is considered key to not only generating interest but making the most of the information and experiences that surround the students. The scientific method links prior knowledge to new information to help students build an increasing sense of how it relates to their experiences. The detective, when embarking upon a case, looks at the initial evidence and analyzes it based upon what he already knows about human behavior and physical evidence. Students will study the behavior of the detective and relate it to that of the scientist becoming “Science Detectives.”

Addressing Culture in EFL Classrooms: The Challenge of Shifting from a Traditional to an Intercultural Stance  

Intercultural language learning has become an important focus of modern language education, a shift that reflects greater awareness of the inseparability of language and culture, and the need to prepare language learners for intercultural communication in an increasingly multicultural world.

Nowadays everyone should be tolerant and bear in mind that others will have another opinion about any given topic. People from one culture may not understand the other ones. But these times international communication and relationship is quickly requiring importance. So in my opinion, every teacher should teach their students to be aware of cultural differences and be open-minded of them.

Social Studies

As a child grows older, various outside influences begin to act a higher, shaping his/her picture of the future. Television and other media sources as well as the individuals who make up one’s family and extended community serve as powerful influences an the developing student. Juvenile literature should be given greater priority as a vehicle for the presentation of societal values to the young mind. Just as the well-informed parent tries to monitor the types of programs a child watches and questions the associations one has with the peers and adults around him, we must direct our children toward good literature that will guide and shape these values.

Children must be taught to critically evaluate what they view and read for obsolete information about society. Literature plays a strong role in helping us understand and value our cultural heritage. Developing positive attitudes toward our own culture and the cultures of others is necessary for both social and personal development. Children should read books set in many locations and times because if children read books that reflect their own views only, they miss the interesting diversity of the world. Social development includes becoming aware of and understanding issues of moral responsibility as well as the different social roles people play. One of the greatest contributions made by literature is the realization that both boys and girls of all racial and ethnic backgrounds can succeed in a wide range of roles. Books that emphasize non-stereotyped roles and achievement are excellent models that can stimulate discussion. Detective fiction can address these social and environmental issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRACTICAL PART

PROBLEM-SOLVING FUN EXERCISE

• Ideal for teenagers & younger pupils (ESL & Native Speakers)
• Ideal for telephone practice (ESL)

Overview of Lesson Plan + Classroom Management

• Section 1
• Class Discussion:  Make-up (brands, problems, etc.)
• Pre-teach new words from text
• Pre-teach constructions required for Sections 2 & 3
• Pairwork: Dictation to practise listening, pronunciation, writing & spelling
• Section 2
• Pairwork, then class discussion (using COULD + INFINITIVE)
• Regroup students for 2nd dictation to practise listening, pronunciation, writing & spelling
• Section 3
• Speculating, guessing, anticipating, hazarding a guess (using BE GOING TO + INFINITIVE or SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE)
• Regroup students for 3rd dictation to practise listening, pronunciation, writing & spelling
• Milling exercise in pairs to discuss the meaning of the final sentence
• Section 4
• Composition, or roleplay

NOTE

The dictation exercises are extremely worthwhile for all levels and they are not overly long; therefore, allow students to work at their own pace.  Do not hurry them, or attempt to shorten the exercise.  Early finishers should be given additional tasks to allow the slower ones to complete the whole exercise without pressure, because it is valid in a range of different ways. 

SECTION 1

CLASS DISCUSSION 

• GIRLS ONLY CLASSES: Ask if any of the girls use lipstick, or whether they know anyone who does.  
• Discuss how it is put on and blotted to stop smudging.  
• Ask whether it leaves a stain on glasses and their boyfriends' face.
• Ask whether they leave imprints on letters, or elsewhere
• BOYS ONLY CLASSES:  Ask if they have any girlfriends, or sisters who use lipstick
• Discuss their age and which colour they use
• Ask which brands they prefer and why
• Find out if the lipstick causes problems, e.g. allergies, stains, etc.
• MIXED CLASSES:  Ask if they know anyone who uses lipstick.  
• Ask if they are male, or female (actors? pop-stars? homosexuals? etc.)

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

• Divide students into pairs A & B
• Instruct students NOT to look at their partner's worksheet. ( The use of telephones is ideal for this exercise.)
• Give out the worksheets for students A & B
• Encourage students to spell out words if their partner cannot understand their pronunciation.

 

 

SECTION 1 STUDENT A WORKSHEET

A n_ _ _ _ _  of  _ _-year-o_ _  girls w_ _ _ beginning  t_  use  l_ _ _ _ _ _ _ and  w_ _ _ _  put i_  on  i_  the b_ _ _ _ _ _ _.  That w_ _  fine, b_ _  after t_ _ _  put o_ their l_ _ _ _ _ _ _ they w_ _ _ _  press t_ _ _ _  lips t_  the m_ _ _ _ _ leaving d_ _ _ _ _  of l_ _ _ _ _  lip p_ _ _ _ _. Every  n_ _ _ _  the m_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  man w_ _ _ _  remove t_ _ _  and t_ _  next  d_ _  the  g_ _ _ _ would  p_ _  them  b_ _ _.  Finally  t_ _  principal  d_ _ _ _ _ _  that  s_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  had  t_  be  d_ _ _.  

 

 

 

SECTION 1 STUDENT B WORKSHEET

A number o_  12-y_ _ _-old  g_ _ _ _  were  b_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  to u_ _  lipstick a_ _  would  p_ _  it o_  in  t_ _ bathroom. T_ _ _  was f_ _ _, but a_ _ _ _ they p_ _ on t_ _ _ _ lipstick t_ _ _  would  p_ _ _ _  their  l_ _ _  to  t_ _  mirror l_ _ _ _ _ _  dozens o_  little l_ _  prints. E_ _ _ _  night  t_ _  maintenance m_ _  would  r_ _ _ _ _  them  a_ _  the  n_ _ _  day  t_ _  girls  w_ _ _ _  put  t_ _ _  back.  F_ _ _ _ _ _  the  p_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  decided  t_ _ _  something  h_ _  to  b_  done. 

SECTION 2

• Instruct students to discuss in pairs possible ways in which the principal could solve this problem, using COULD + INFINITIVE (e.g.  Well, she could ban lipstick from the school, or she could threaten to ......)
• Allow 5 minutes in pairs, then encourage feedback as a class discussion.
• Regroup students so all the Bs move on to a different partner
• Give out the next worksheets for students A² & B²
• Instruct students NOT to look at their partner's worksheet.
• Most students will be keen to know what happens next and will tackle this exercise with enthusiasm.

 

 

SECTION 2 STUDENT A² WORKSHEET

S_ _   called  a_ _  the  g_ _ _ _  to t_ _  bathroom  a_ _  met  t_ _ _  there w_ _ _  the  m_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  man.  S_ _  explained  t_ _ _  all t_ _ _ _  lip  p_ _ _ _ _  were  c_ _ _ _ _ _  a  major  p_ _ _ _ _ _  for  t_ _  custodian  w_ _  had  t_  clean t_ _  mirrors  e_ _ _ _  night.  T_  demonstrate  h_ _  difficult  i_  had b_ _ _  to  c_ _ _ _  the  m_ _ _ _ _ _,  she  a_ _ _ _  the  m_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  man  t_  show t_ _  girls  h_ _  much  e_ _ _ _ _ _  was r_ _ _ _ _ _ _. 

 

SECTION 2 STUDENT B² WORKSHEET

She  c_ _ _ _ _ all  t_ _  girls  t_  the  b_ _ _ _ _ _ _  and  m_ _  them  t_ _ _ _  with  t_ _  maintenance  m_ _.  She  e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  that a_ _  these  l_ _  prints w_ _ _  causing  a  m_ _ _ _  problem  f_ _  the c_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  who  h_ _  to c_ _ _ _  the m_ _ _ _ _ _  every  n_ _ _ _.  To  d_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  how d_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   it  h_ _  been  t_  clean  t_ _  mirrors,  s_ _  asked t_ _  maintenance  m_ _  to  s_ _ _  the  g_ _ _ _  how  m_ _ _  effort w_ _ required.

SECTION 3

FUNCTION:  ANTICIPATING, GUESSING, SPECULATING, HAZARDING A GUESS,

(The following constructions have identical meaning, but only when speculating)

• I think the maintenance man is going to shout at the girls (I think + be going to + infinitive)
• I think the maintenance man will shout at the girls (I think + simple future)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Pre-teach
• Encourage students (in pairs) to anticipate what the maintenance man will do, using the above constructions for speculation.
• Ask for feedback as a class discussion.
• Regroup students so all the Bs move on to a different partner
• Give out the next worksheets for students A³ & B³
• Instruct students NOT to look at their partner's worksheet.
• Most students (even the unmotivated) will be very keen by now to know what happens next and will tackle this exercise with great enthusiasm.
• Finally, ask students to mill and discuss the meaning of the final sentence with other pairs

 

 

SECTION 3 STUDENT A³ WORKSHEET

H_  took  o_ _  a  long-h_ _ _ _ _ _  squeegee,  d_ _ _ _ _  it  i_ the  t_ _ _ _ _  and  c_ _ _ _ _ _  the  m_ _ _ _ _  with  i_.  Since  then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.  Since t_ _ _,  there h_ _ _  been  n_  lip  p_ _ _ _ _  on  t_ _  mirror.

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T_ _ _ _  are t_ _ _ _ _ _ _ and  t_ _ _  there  a_ _  educators. 

 

 

 

SECTION 3 STUDENT B³ WORKSHEET

 

 

He t_ _ _  out  a  l_ _ _-handled s_ _ _ _ _ _ _, dipped  i_  in  t_ _ toilet  a_ _  cleaned  t_ _  mirror  w_ _ _  it.  S_ _ _ _  then,  t_ _ _ _  have b_ _ _  no  l_ _  prints o_  the  m_ _ _ _ _.

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There  a_ _  teachers a_ _  then  t_ _ _ _  are  e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

SECTION 4

Composition, or Role-play

COMPOSITION SUGGESTIONS

• Write about the story as if you are one of the girls who used to kiss the mirror
• Write about the story as if you are the caretaker
• Write about the story as if you are the principal
• Vary your composition by: 
• Creating a different problem
• Creating a different ending
• Changing the setting, problem & characters

CREATE A ROLEPLAY using the following characters:

• Girls playing with make-up and lipsticks, comparing and admiring lip shapes, etc.
• Caretaker, complaining to the principal after trying to complain to the girls
• The principal, discussing the matter with the caretaker and trying to decide the best course of action.

The above text was received as a joke email.  Many thanks to the unknown person who first wrote it and to my daughter Ellie for sending it to me.

Inquiry, Problem Solving, and Podcasting:

The content learning is either business-based or involves some kind of awareness of current events such as news, social awareness (the environment, etc.), art exhibits, or even entertainment. I believe some of the role plays (with an information gap or two opposing goals for each "actor") or research for the purpose of creating and giving a business presentation or for an in-class debate would count as an inquiry. As far as critical thinking skills go, these activities would include: distiguishing fact from opinion, assessing the accuracy of a statement, detecting bias, and/or distinguishing relevant from irrelevant information. Also, through some map-based activities students are to plan various routes, solve specific problems like budget or what to do when a specific problem arises.  Another problem-solving activity is when I take my students to the imaginary grocery store, and ask each small group of a different level within the classroom to solve a problem or find some information. For example, beginners have to find fruit that is like the fruit they have in their home countries and compare the names and prices of fruit, and the most advanced group has to think of shopping for a week for their family within a given budget, and give reason for any unusual choices they make (so they have to persuade their group to concede to buying more expensive brands and so on). 
 
I’ll also give students some in-depth lessons involving field trips to an art exhibit, an outdoor public park, or a concert, where they are given several things to notice or observe (in the exhibit/show or in the crowd and environment), then are asked focused questions to get them to recall information. Then the students share the information to come up with a complete list or story to answer all the questions (summarizing and synthesizing) or they compare and contrast their observations with each other's and with a third set of facts/opinions (for example, with their home culture or with the classroom). 
 
Because podcasting is available on a wide array of topics, podcasts can very easily fit into an inquiry and/or problem-solving activity as a source of information. The end goal of a lesson could also be to have the students create and edit a podcast to broadcast over the web. I know from my own publishing experience that simply creating and editing something for mass consumption can be a detailed problem-solving activity. Plus, they would have to collaborate and decide what content goes into the podcast and what doesn't. Plus, podcasting seems really fun; I think students will love it.