Comments on: Some provocative quotes on elicitation from the latest ETP http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/tefl/elicitation-quotes/ Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:17:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Alex Case http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/tefl/elicitation-quotes/comment-page-1/#comment-12711 Alex Case Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:29:48 +0000 http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/?p=6093#comment-12711 You seem to be echoing exactly what the writer said in the rest of the article, Andy. I still try to elicit so that I can take what they say as the starting point and so not say things they already know, but don't take offense if that is met by silence. Here's my take on it, from a couple of years ago http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/advantages-disadvantages-eliciting-in-efl-classroom.html You seem to be echoing exactly what the writer said in the rest of the article, Andy. I still try to elicit so that I can take what they say as the starting point and so not say things they already know, but don’t take offense if that is met by silence.

Here’s my take on it, from a couple of years ago

http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/articles/advantages-disadvantages-eliciting-in-efl-classroom.html

]]> By: Andy Mallory http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/tefl/elicitation-quotes/comment-page-1/#comment-12534 Andy Mallory Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:03:41 +0000 http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/?p=6093#comment-12534 Reading the point above about 'The Q&A Game' made me wonder how many normal people - not ust Japanese people - would participate enthusiastically in eliciation sessions. I think - while it's nice if you can involve the students and check what they do know - it's perhaps natural for students not to be so keen to join in. The Japanese (who are in no way abnormal despite what I imply above) are just an extreme case. Elicitation works if you have a cadre of experienced students who can show the others how to please the teacher by answering his/her stupid questions - and enough 'teacher pleasers' to take up the baton when the old hands move on. I.e. it works well enough in the (now disappearing?) world of Languge schools in English speaking countries. It's much harder to get this to fly if all the students are new. It's too easy to blanket all East Asian students as shy or 'quiet'. I could get Korean adults to do all sorts of roleplays, drama and some quite good presentations. Reading the point above about ‘The Q&A Game’ made me wonder how many normal people – not ust Japanese people – would participate enthusiastically in eliciation sessions. I think – while it’s nice if you can involve the students and check what they do know – it’s perhaps natural for students not to be so keen to join in. The Japanese (who are in no way abnormal despite what I imply above) are just an extreme case.

Elicitation works if you have a cadre of experienced students who can show the others how to please the teacher by answering his/her stupid questions – and enough ‘teacher pleasers’ to take up the baton when the old hands move on. I.e. it works well enough in the (now disappearing?) world of Languge schools in English speaking countries. It’s much harder to get this to fly if all the students are new. It’s too easy to blanket all East Asian students as shy or ‘quiet’. I could get Korean adults to do all sorts of roleplays, drama and some quite good presentations.

]]> By: Darren Elliott http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/tefl/elicitation-quotes/comment-page-1/#comment-12532 Darren Elliott Fri, 23 Jul 2010 03:24:08 +0000 http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/?p=6093#comment-12532 Yes, quite pithy that, isn't it? And I've just uploaded the pdf to my website in the 'Works' section, so you can read the whole article for free! http://www.livesofteachers.com/works/ But that Peter Wells article is great. Something I still struggle with, if I'm honest, and part of the reason I don't like textbooks. I hate coming up with new ways to check all the answers to those exercises with classes of thirty students and a chalk board! Yes, quite pithy that, isn’t it? And I’ve just uploaded the pdf to my website in the ‘Works’ section, so you can read the whole article for free! http://www.livesofteachers.com/works/

But that Peter Wells article is great. Something I still struggle with, if I’m honest, and part of the reason I don’t like textbooks. I hate coming up with new ways to check all the answers to those exercises with classes of thirty students and a chalk board!

]]>