2. Here are some of the potential problems with discussion activities, which we looked at in exercise 2:
Students make lots of mistakes
Not all the students participate
I would set the classroom in order to maximise each student’s participation, providing variety and grading from the least to the most emotionally demanding. I would then from individual preparation time, to pair work (making sure each student has the chance to work with different partners), group work, and finally speaking in front of the class. In group work, giving each student a specific role can help in having them all working.
Sometimes students aren't interested in the topic
I would run a survey (at the beginning of the year for instance) to see what the students’ favourite topics are, and I would pick the discussion topics from the most popular in the resulting list.
The students spend a lot of time speaking in their mother tongue
Students are more likely to communicate in English if they clearly see the aim of the communication. I would then set up the activity providing a very tangible reason for speaking. I would make sure that students have enough language to interact effectively, by practising the language beforehand.
What do you do to solve these problems?
3. Comment on the lesson plan in exercise 5. Would you like to teach this class? Do you agree with the points the teacher mentions in exercise 6? Is there anything you would like to say in response to this teacher?
I absolutely agree with the rationale underlying the lesson planning, in particular I like the idea of giving the students a very practical reason for speaking and listening (find different solutions and vote the best idea in the end). Being well-designed and tailored to the class specific needs, I would absolutely teach this lesson, because it’s likely to produce a lot of language, along with good speaking and listening practice.