Motivation and learning A learner-centred classroom can help our students feel more motivated and engaged in the language classroom. Following the think-pair-share model* gives our students thinking time, a chance to prepare and practise in pairs and small groups, before producing language with the wider group. This can help to reduce student anxiety, promote self-esteem, and increase motivation. Students working in groups need clear instructions and goals, with rules to follow, and group members can have specific roles. We also need to consider group size, and have activities at hand for early finishers. Here are some examples of learner-centred activities that focus on the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Speaking lines Students prepare questions or statement to discuss. Next, set up the classroom so that the students are in two rows facing each other. Ideally do this with two lines of face-to-face chairs but have students standing if you can’t move the furniture. With an uneven number have a student as a ‘listener’ at one end of a line. Students now have one minute to talk to the person directly facing them about their prepared questions or statements. They should take turns to talk. Remind students that they can respond I’d rather not answer that question if asked about something too personal. Stop them after one minute by raising your arm and shouting ‘Stop!’ Now, have students all move one place to the left so that they are facing a different person (and, with uneven numbers, there is a new ‘listener’). Repeat as before with new pairs talking. Monitor and encourage students to keep speaking English if necessary. Stop them again after about a minute. Repeat and continue in the same way. When you finish the activity, students can report the answers they have received to the whole class. Split students into two or more groups with a very large class. Speaking lines is described in this lesson plan: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/all-about-
me Back to back video Display the opening, static image of the video from LearnEnglish Kids: (http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/george-and-the-dragon ) or Teens: (http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/film-uk/zombie-school-survival-guide ). Ask students to predict what they will see in the video. Elicit useful vocabulary and write these words/expressions on the board. Students sit in pairs, back to back (or student B with eyes closed if you can’t move furniture). As you play the first section of the film, with no audio, student A describes what she can see to student B. Next, all students watch the same video section, again without audio. In pairs they can either predict what will happen next, or invent the script of the video so far. Next students watch the whole video with sound – they have a real reason to listen and watch now. After viewing, students compare their ideas (predictions or script) with another pair. Finally students can work in pairs to do the online or printable activities that accompany each video.