methodology (met)
Advice for Beginning MET
A far-ranging discussion about starting this module.
Assignment Proposals
A CP having trouble deciding on a MET assignment focus gets feedback on
three different ideas.
Suggestion: To get more out of this discussion, try the
reflective task "Assignment
Help 2: Offering Feedback & Advice" before
reading it.
Carts & Horses
A detailed discussion on the merits of content-based teaching approaches.
Circumlocution
A discussion about teaching circumlocution with regards to helping Polish students speak more English.
CLL (Community Language Learning)
Experimentations and struggles with the Community Language Learning (CLL) approach.
Competition vs. Cooperation
The differences between competitive and cooperative tasks and the effect on the learner, especially in terms of motivation and the amount of anxiety created.
Competitive & Cooperative Speaking Activities
A comparison and analysis of cooperative and competitive tasks. Which is better? Which ones do CPs use? In addition, discussion about the debate between PPP and TBL approaches.
Consciousness Raising Techniques
An attempt at defining CR, as well as experiences of teaching it in the classroom. References are cited.
Continuous Assessment
How much assessment is healthy for students? A request for advice on dealing with a particular situation.
Correcting Answers
What's the best way to go about correcting incorrect answers from Japanese students in class while minimizing the loss of face?
Correcting Interlanguage
When interlanguage appears in learners' speech, should it be corrected? If so, how? Includes an informal, humorous test of Japanese-English interlanguage & a submitted article about "Konglish."
Data & Action Research
Reactions to two provocative quotes about the nature of data and its relation to action research.
Developing Listening Skills
Approaches, techniques, and ideas for helping students build their listening comprehension.
e-learning
A look at the practice of e-learning via the Internet. Includes several articles and links to e-e-learning resources.
Effective Listening Materials
What is effective listening material?
English Only in the Classroom
Opinions are given regarding the issue of productive L1 use in the classroom. Can L1 in the classroom be a useful tool for learning language or are teachers all a bit draconian in their insistence on English only?
Error Correction
A look into different forms of error correction, such as self-correction, teacher-corrected, and peer correction.
Fossilization
Advice for a teacher having trouble getting her students to break free of error habits which may or may not be a case of fossilization. A look into what fossilization is and how it can be remedied.
Fossilization Assignment
A CP doing a MET assignment on fossilization gets some feedback and advice.
Genre-Based Teaching & Literacy
Which genres should be taught at the primary and secondary levels? A long missive on this issue taken from the "Personalizing Classroom Activities" thread below.
Giving Homework
In response to an informal straw poll, CPs give their views and share experiences about giving out homework.
Initial Chatting Period (ICP)
Discussion about how to get students talking more during the warm-up stage of a lesson, technically known as the 'initial chatting period."
Japanese Student Participation
Why don't Japanese high school students participate in class very well? How can they be encouraged to participate more?
Language Instruction & Learning
Personal experiences about the effects that language instruction has on learning (in terms of intake).
Language Learning & Teaching
For anyone out there learning a language currently, how has this affected your teaching?
Learning Styles
Should we as teachers be adapting our methodology/techniques to our students' learning styles, or should we be 'manhandling' their styles to better suit our ideals?
MET Study Group
Several CPs who are currently working on MET decide to use the discussion list as a central meeting point for discussion of issues or problems that come up as we work through the module. Topics in this thread include self-introductions, social context and how it affects teaching, British vs. American English, ethnic & gender issues, and more.
MET Study Group: Bowers vs. Widdowson
Presentation and commentary about the debate between Bowers and Widdowson (MET tasks A1 & C1).
Methodologies Around the World
In this long thread, CPs examine which teaching methodologies are most prevalent in their home countries. Various approaches such as grammar translation, PPP, and TBL are discussed and analyzed from different cultural perspectives.
Method & Post-method
Notice of an article by David Bell, "Method and Post-method: Are They Really So Incompatible?" (TESOL Quarterly, 2003) that discusses both of the Kumaravadivelu articles from the FND and MET modules.
Multimethod
A link to an online English learning website that uses a unique "multimethod" approach.
Personalizing Classroom Activities
Some of the questions discussed in this tread include: How can students be encouraged to speak more about themselves and their experiences in class? What are the pros/cons of doing so? How do men and women differ when being asked to share personal information?
PPP vs. TBL
In this branch of the "competion vs. cooperation" discussion, the distinctions between the present, practice, produce (PPP) & task-based learning (TBL) paradigms are commented upon.
Repeating a Word in Japanese
A CP teaching Japanese students in the UK wonders why her students often repeat words, especially in writing. Discussion about the interrelationship between Japanese and English.
Self-directed Learning
Discussion of several publications regarding this topic. Links to relevant websites are also provided.
Self-study
CPs try to come up with the best ways to study English on one's own in response to a student's question: "How can I improve my English?"
Sports, Politics, and English
How do teachers handle controversial political topics in the classroom?
Stammering Student
Advice for how to deal with a student who suffers from stammering speech.
Summary Writing Resources
Recommendations for books regarding summary writing for EFL undergrads are given, as well as stories of how students in various countries go about this task.
TBL Textbooks
Links to various textbooks that incorporate a task-based learning approach.
Teacher to Whole-class Interaction
A straw pole comparing how much time teachers spend talking at their classes with the time students spend interacting amongst themselves.
Teaching vs. Academic Research
"So the divide remains intact: Academic research on one side, practicing teachers on the other. What Lewis says does count because he positions himself in the middle, aiming to disseminate research findings to teachers. But there have to be other ways..."
Test Instructions
Should instructions for a test be written in L1?
Textbook Choice
A CP faced with a choice of textbooks gets some advice.
The Power of Examples
Have your students ever picked up on words or phrases you use without realizing? Instances when this happened and what was learned from the experience. Includes commentary from former tutors Keith Richards and Steve Mann.
Thoughts on Task 2.2
Is it enough to engage learners in meaningful tasks and activities? Is it necessary to draw attention to, or explicitly practice, micro-skills and strategies? Is it necessary to draw learners' attention to language form? If so, how?
TOEFL Essay Writing in L1
When it comes time for students to write their essay for the TOEFL exam, should they be encouraged to write it first in their native language and then translate it into English?
Unplanned Lessons & Dogme
A long & detailed conversation about teaching unplanned lessons and "Dogme" theory.
US Terrorist Attacks
A discussion about how to appropriately treat the events of September 11th in an EFL classroom.
Using Word Frequency Lists
Links to lists of most frequent words and discussion on how to utilize them for teaching vocabulary to beginners.
What's a 'Tone Unit?'
Explanation of what tone units are and how to identify them.
Why Japanese Students Lack Confidence
Insights into why Japanese students seem to have so much trouble communicating in English. In addition, a look at Asian classroom dynamics and experiences teaching English in this region.
Writing Conclusions
Advice for improving the conclusions your students write. Includes some samples of student writing.
Written Writing Feedback
Comments on how to offer effective written feedback to students' writing.
with 
and 
