PPPP and TPTPT
This post is in reply to Andy Mallory’s comment/ question about adding vocabulary to speaking tasks in the post below, so might be a bit quick and dirty even though it’s something I’ve put quite a lot of thought into.
You were probably thinking the last thing that PPP needed was another P, but I beg to differ. And the P it needs is…
pause
No no, I meant “pause” is the other P, not pause before reading on because it’s so dramatic…
I came across this idea through the classic beginner TEFLers mistakes of 45 minute warmers in a one hour lesson with a rushed grammar point at the end. Actually, I more became aware of it when I stopped doing that and started fitting PPP into one lesson as I was CELTAwashed to do and suddenly found it didn’t work half as well as presenting at the very end of the lesson, letting them do controlled practice and generally sleep on it for homework, and doing the spoken controlled practice and such like in future days, weeks or even months.
With Test Teach Test the pause is even more obviously necessary, as the New Newer Newest Headway trick (starting the lesson with a test that can’t possibly affect what you do from then on because you’ve already planned the class and are hardly going to skip the whole unit because the test shows that they know that point) is a total sham. What you need to do is test it at the end of a lesson, use that to really change what you teach, give them a decent amount of time to absorb it, and then test it again. Ditto with task based learning- which is basically the same thing as TTT, in my humble opinion.
Back to Andy’s question, I would not give any language input before a speaking task, unless they are so unconfident that they really can’t do it without. After the task, I’d present some language they could have used, but not do a similar speaking task to let them use is. This is partly because there is a lot of evidence that that version of TBL doesn’t work if the students think they achieved the task the first time (and with most of our classes we can hardly make them fail!) and partly from personal experience of that effect. Instead, I’d do some different controlled (mainly speaking) practice of that “could have used” language, with a similar speaking task following a week or two later. The secret then is to get them used to that cycle so that they know the language is important and you are not going to let them forget it.
Anyone else use PPPP and TPTPT? Any other unpleasant acronyms of your own? Any other answers to Andy’s question? Have your say below:
January 29th, 2010 at 6:29 am
I apologise for not being strictly germane here, but could you expand on your point that TT and TBL are basically the same?
In terms of getting students used to recycling the language they could have used, have you tried Natural English? I’m not a big fan, but, to be fair to them, each unit is structured around this premise.
January 29th, 2010 at 6:32 am
Wow, that was the quickest comment ever! The TTT TBL thing might have to be a whole other post. As to Natural English, like Cutting Hedges the terrible content makes it very difficult to judge the (interesting sounding, if logically flawed) theories by. Here’s my MET review of Naturally Uninteresting, although you have to be quite diplomatic with reviews there so can’t remember if I slagged it off as much as it deserved
http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/reviews/gen-eng/review-natural-english-int-and-upper/
January 29th, 2010 at 7:04 am
Thanks for the quick and dirty reply – will respond later.
January 29th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I want to add another dimension to Alex Case’s plea for the extra “pause” which is to just generally add more pauses throughout lessons. I too have seen too many rushed classes, with especially the final speaking bit rushed “cos we got bogged down in the grammar”. Or class discussions that end up being quick fire questions between teacher and largely silent class. Allowing pauses, literally silence, a little more in lessons is a good thing IMHO.
In today’s hyped up, super quick media culture any plea for a pause should be welcomed. And with that, I’m going to pause right now and have my second coffee!
January 29th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Ha! My pager buzzes me every time you publish a new piece of wisdom and I drop everything there and then to scrutinise it. As for your review of Natural English – you were very diplomatic, as it sounds like you’re recommending it.
January 29th, 2010 at 9:22 am
If I ever did publish a piece of wisdom, that would be worth buzzing your pager for!
I’ve had three reviews for MET turned down because I couldn’t think of anything positive to say, so I guess I got too damn diplomatic. If only I’d known how much you can lay into things in ELTJ back then, but it always scared me off even reading it let alone reviewing for it until about last year… Having said that, I tested it on teenagers and it isn’t half as bad with them as it is with adults
I think Lindsay’s comments could tie in with mine. If you don’t have to do all the Ps in one lesson, and in fact have been told not to, you have as much time as you like to pause
January 29th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Interesting – I’m using it with adults at the moment and it’s like setting fire to my teeth – something I’d rather avoid. To be fair, the students seem to like it. Sadly/happily, I would never get to teach it to teenagers because they are all doing English for exams.
Have you reviewed Global yet, by the way?