| How to avoid doing it: | | | | students will be faced with situations in which they will |
| 1. Get the students to read the exercise completely | | | | not know all the words and you won't be there to help |
| before starting to actually do anything. They can | | | | them. Then what will they do? (With any luck they will |
| underline the words they don't know, or (more | | | | be able to fall back on all the useful skills you've taught |
| positively) underline the words they do know. 2. When | | | | them in class.) |
| a student asks you to explain the meaning of a word, | | | | Explaining new vocabulary |
| don't. Ask the other students if anyone can explain it. | | | | As a last resort, give the students an explanation of |
| 2. You could put the students in pairs or small groups | | | | the new word or phrase in English. It's a good idea to |
| and get them to explain the words they don't know to | | | | give them an example sentence or two containing the |
| each other. This sounds daft but it's quite logical really - | | | | word or phrase so that they can see how to use it. |
| the words Gianni is having difficulty with won't | | | | You may find it useful to demonstrate or mime the |
| necessarily be the same ones that Marco is struggling | | | | word to convey it's meaning quickly. Or maybe a quick |
| with. (Beware of the students' tendency to translate | | | | line-drawing (of the "stick-man" type) would convey |
| the words. See TT17 for info on Translating). | | | | the meaning more quickly? Sometimes a synonym |
| 3. It's a good idea to get the students to try to guess | | | | (similar word) is useful (e.g. wealthy = rich) or an |
| the meaning of the word from the context it's in. (See | | | | opposite (e.g. wealthy = the opposite of poor). |
| TT6 for further information on "deducing meaning from | | | | Extra info: |
| context"). | | | | If a student still thinks I should explain all the new words |
| 4. Get the students to look the word up in a | | | | to him I refuse and explain like this: If you give a |
| (preferably English to English a.k.a. monolingual) | | | | starving man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you |
| dictionary, should such a thing be available (see TT20 | | | | teach him how to fish he can feed himself for life. (I |
| for further information about dictionaries). | | | | explain "starving" as "very, very, very hungry"). |
| Why to avoid doing it: | | | | In this case the "fish" is the explanation of a word, |
| 1. You are not a dictionary. You don't even look like | | | | given by you. The "how to fish" is the ability to guess |
| one, do you? | | | | words from context, the confidence to ask a peer (a |
| 2. There's a world of difference between telling | | | | classmate, a colleague etc.) if they know the meaning, |
| someone something (spoon-feeding students who | | | | and the ability to use a dictionary. |
| soon get into the habit of switching off, being passive, | | | | Learning English is like learning to play the piano/to |
| letting the teacher do all the work for them and not | | | | drive/to swim etc. When you want to learn to play the |
| bothering to try to remember a single thing) and | | | | piano/drive/swim is it enough just sit and watch other |
| teaching someone something (creating an environment | | | | people doing it or do you need to have a go yourself |
| and a set of circumstances in which someone can | | | | and make mistakes and practise a lot until you get it |
| actively learn, practise new skills, and develop | | | | right? Speaking together gives you that chance to |
| confidence in his/her own abilities). | | | | have a go yourself and the time to practice. |
| 3. One day, out there in the big wide world, the | | | | |