Contents Preface Introduction Monolingual classes ° ® e a a quiz multilingual and monolingual classes native and non-native speaker teachers advantages of non-native speaker teachers in monolingual classes questions and further activities references The LL in the classroom: some general points 9293830 2 a health warning the other side of the story the right balance a questionnaire Li problem clinics questions and further activities references The role of the Li in presenting and practising new language a ® ° a e e ° the importance of presentation and practice grammatical form, meaning and the L1 some common presentation and practice techniques the role of the Li getting meaning across questions and further activities references Pair and group work in monolingual classes 23933399 the importance of pair and group work organising a class for pair and group work making pair and group activities work the role of the L1 dealing with too much Li use conclusion: questions and further activities references iUsing translation activities some benefits of using translation activities some criticisms of translation what is a good translation? translation and fluency activities true cognates and false friends some translation activities for the classroom questions and further activities reference @eeeeaaae@ Making progress in the classroom e learner training @ setting and achieving realistic aims ® motivation and class control « dealing with discipline problems ® questions and further activities ® references Making progress outside the classroom homework reading listening and watching self-access centres speaking and writing questions and further activities useful addresses references e2ee999 88 ‘English only’ and bilingual dictionaries e ‘English only’ learner’s dictionaries « bilingual dictionaries @ questions and further activities « references Basic classroom English ® using the tables ® questions and further activities Appendix: 10 tips for teachers who don’t know their students’ languagePreface MOsT LEARNERS OF English can be found in ‘monolingual’ classes — classes where all the students share a common language other than English. Yet, much of the literature on language teaching nowadays tends to concentrate on the ‘multilingual’ situation, i.e. where students come from a variety of different backgrounds and can only communicate with each other and the teacher through English. This gap in the literature is unfortunate, because monolingual classes have their own special characteristics, and approaches which work well in a multilingual situation are not necessarily appropriate for teachers of monolingual groups. For example, there is the question of the students’ first language and the role it can play — does play, sometimes whether we like it or not! — within the classroom. A very common approach nowadays is to try to ban the first language (‘L1’) from the classroom completely, and to use only the ‘direct method’. In the direct method, all communication in the classroom is supposed to take place in English, or through gesture and mime. In fact, many teachers feel rather guilty if they allow the students’ L1 to be used at all. One of the main purposes of this book is to show how teachers can use a modern, communicative methodology which integrates selective and limited use of the L1, to answer the crucial question which is all too often avoided — When is it appropriate to use the L1? David Atkinson indicates not only situations when the L1 can be used, he also suggests that there are times when there are enormous advantages in using it — an acknowledgement that many teachers will welcome. At the same time, he also shows that use of the L1 can be abused, too. Focusing as it does on the use of the L1 and other issues which are particularly important in monolingual classes, this book will be welcomed by teachers whe feel the need for sound, realistic advice on teaching monolingual groups of learners. Neville Grant