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Language for Teachers Task 4: Focus on the Teacher's Language

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ICELT
2012-2013
The Anglo Antonio Caso

Language for Teachers Task 4:
Focus on the teacher’s language

Name: Eduardo García Acevedo
Candidate number: 004
Centre Number: MX005
Date of submission: August, 30th 2013

In this paper, I analyze my language in the classroom in terms of its accuracy and appropriacy for teaching. I quote six utterances from an Elementary level (A1) with twelve adult students who work at an investigation institute. This lesson starts with a conversation about a woman’s vacation to Aspen in order to introduce the Idiomatic Future.

1. When checking a dialog from students’ book assignments, I asked a comprehension question to the whole class.

Accurate and appropriate: “What is the reason to buy two …show more content…

5. During the grammar and semantic explanation of the target structure on the board, a student asked about the difference between Idiomatic Future and Simple Future. I talked about the certainty or resolution that auxiliaries such as will and won’t convey.

Accurate but inappropriate: “You will die.”

Eventually, I conjugated this verb in the first person singular, both in Simple and Idiomatic Future. For each sentence, I provided a context illustrating their possible function. I wanted everybody to relate to this explanation and to remember it by providing enhanced input, not by presenting the language in a special form, but rather by providing a remarkable meaning. However relatable or remarkable these examples might be, now I think my discourse might have seemed a little disturbing for some people. Therefore, I could have used a different subject for such contrasting sentences, such as: “That tree will die, but it is not going to die soon.”

6. I sneezed, so some students said “Salud”. I modeled and wrote on the board “bless you!”, then I explained the difference with “God bless you!”

Inaccurate and inappropriate: “Using the name of the Lord in vain is a sin.”

Obviously, it was not my intention to preach to the students. Actually, I meant to portray the puritan heritage of English in

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