Link 3.

Link 3 belongs to practice. It is very similar to the first two links because no communication is yet required. It may focus on one central linguistic challenge like link 1, or it might be like link 2, where several challenges can be overcome, but the difference is that a link-3-task requires a perfectly connected and smooth utterance. Rhythm is a must and therefore there must be no hesitation causes. Such tasks do usually not exceed the sentence level.

1. Reproduce an expanding sentence

2. Correct the teacher; reconstruct the word the teacher substituted “by mistake”

There are no factories in the centre of the city.

T: There are no parks in the centre of the city.

St: There are no factories in the centre of the city.

T: There are several factories in the centre of the city.

St: There are no factories in the centre of the city.

3. Say the same in a different way: “I’m fond of boating. = I enjoy boating.” “He is far from hardworking. = He is rather lazy.”

Exercises:

1. Fill in the beginning of the question:

… book are you reading? – My sister’s.

… are laughing at? – You, my silly girl!

The same exercise can be used twice in a lesson as a link 2 and a link 3 task. If you are afraid of a large crop of mistakes, you’d better draw the attention of the whole class to the challenges involved and to discuss it with the whole class.

2. Rhythm and grammar drill: use the right form of the verb observing regularity of rhythm:

I didn’t tell him where I had (tear) it.

She didn’t ask him what he had (choose).

At first I thought that I had (break) it.

3. Read the sentences aloud so as to render one of the following attitudes: calm and weighty, grim and cold, irritated and agitated, considerate and warm. Let the partner identify the attitude by your intonation.

Link 4

One of the most important. Link 4 is just like link 3 because it also focuses on one chief challenge. And therefore for the most part it works on the level of minimum utterances. But unlike link 3 the drill is provided with a communicative purpose. Here for the first time learners begin to divide their attention between what they say and how they say. Though the chief emphasis is on the “how”. Here you can use substitution tables which invite you to express your own opinion (“what” to say is suggested).

1. Agree or disagree with me, paraphrasing my way of saying it:

T: - Boating is not a pleasure: it’s hard work!

St: - Oh, no, boating never makes me feel tired. I love it.

2. Listen and answer that you do not know or remember it.

- Where did you buy this coat?

- I don’t remember where I bought it.

3. Listen and say what you think of such behaviour: (‘It is kind/selfish of her’)

1. She says she is going to stay with him as long as he is able to take care of himself.

2. She says she is going to stay with him until he is able to take care of himself.

Unfortunately link-4-tasks are practically absent from many text-books. That is why there remains a gap between formal drills and authentic improvised communication.

Link 5

Link 5 completes the stage of practice. It is like link 4 because it can be either truly communicative or pseudo-communicative (simulation). Unlike link 4 it always involves an utterance longer a sentence. After all one can make a monologue based on the same structure. The most important difference: in link-5-tasks the half-shaped skill is tested for its ability to withstand interference. We offer a speech purpose which necessitates the usage of both active and passive, of both direct and indirect questions, etc.

1. Вас упрекают в том, что вы не выполнили все дела, запланированные на неделю. Объясните, что вы многое успели сделать (уточните, когда именно) и скажите, когда вы планируете доделать остальное.

2. Talk your lazy friend into a camping holiday with you. Promise him he won’t have to work hard but will have lots of fun. Use the structure “You’ll have to…, you won’t have to…, you’ll be able to …”

3. Which of the speakers do you agree with? With both to some extent. Explain why.

In link 5 the “what to say” and “how to say” are equally balanced in the student’s mind. It becomes possible due to various “props” or “scaffoldings” (опоры). The teacher can insist that the given structures be used.

Link 6

In link 6 during the performance stage, tasks become really involving, they are always communicative and very creative even if the learner plays a part imposed on him or her. And scaffoldings can be offered but never imposed on the leaner.

At this or that specific lesson we need not necessarily start with link 1 or 2, because sometimes we are not explaining a new thing, we have a revision class and we start with link 3, but sometimes a lesson may seem illogical because you give a receptive task with a communicative potential. (“Listen a short text about Tula and raise you red cards if you can say it about Ryasan”)

Classification of exercises. Chief criteria of exercises.

1. Language exercises vs. speech exercises

2. Classification of ex-s in terms of the 6 “links”

3. Pre-speech ex-s (=links 1-5) vs. speech ex-s (link 6)

4. Non- communicative ex-s vs. communicative ones (subdivided further into pseudo – communicative and communicative proper)

5. Receptive ex-s vs. (re)productive ex-s (Or: receptive – reproductive - productive)

• A receptive – reproductive task (read a short text and reproduce all the facts concerning…)

• A receptive – productive task (listen to a dialogue and explain who the speakers are, what they want and how they treat each other)

• A receptive – reproductive – productive task (listen to the beginning of the joke, reproduce it and complete it in your own way)

6. The major skills involved: reading, listening, speaking, writing or any combination of these.

7. The major aspect of the language: grammar ex-s, lexical, ex-s in pronunciation, intonation, spelling.

8. The main intellectual (=mental interior) operation: recognition (identification = опознавание), decision-making, comparison (one class), analogy (different classes), choice (one among many), selection (набор, e.g. three among ten), substitution, transformation, classification, generalization (обобщение), specification (уточнение), addition (расширение)

It’s link 4, pre-speech exercise, pseudo-communicative, receptive – reproductive (reception is the centre), listening and speaking, intellectual operation: choice based on recognition.

Listen to the utterances and respond in one of the following ways:

It is very kind (unkind of him.

He’s fortunate (unfortunate).

He’s been given a bicycle on his birthday.

He’s ignored by all his friends.

ASPECTS OF TEACHING 21/10/09