[ELTWeekly Volume 7, Issue 1 | January 5, 2015 | ISSN 0975-3036]
This paper presents two variations on a single lesson plan, which continues with an approach toward EFL pedagogy using self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) as a theoretical basis. These SDT based lesson plans are actually tasks – as in task-based language teaching (TBLT) – that can be used in a principled communicative language teaching class (CLT; For a recent article, see Dörnyei, 2009). Research has shown that activities are inherently motivating to the extent that the participants experience autonomy, competence and relatedness (see Deci & Flaste, 1996).
Therefore, let us examine what each of these three terms mean, and how they can be incorporated into the classroom and lesson planning. To do so, we will be using the attached My Dream Room activity as an example. The activity has proven its popularity over the last several years in a variety of schools. First, autonomy means giving students choice in creating the activity. Please notice the title of the activity; it is My Dream Room – not yours, my friend’s, nor the teachers. I, the student, am creating a fantasy room within which I can place anything. If I want a MosBurger™, there will be one. Do I want a train station? Why not? If I want an Olympic size swimming pool, it’s there!
On the other hand, competence requires that participants have the potential to master the material, from the vocabulary (lexical level), the phrases necessary to complete the activity (syntactical level), and the purpose of the activity in its entirety holistically. For vocabulary, this is made easier since the students choose what is in their own room. If they lack the required word, they can consult a dictionary, a friend, the Japanese teacher of English (JTE), or the assistant language teacher (ALT). With a large class, I often walk around to check on student progress and will help put katakana labels into English, or at least Romanize them to the extent possible. The necessary speech to carry on the activity can be taught via demonstration between the JTE and ALT. The purpose of the activity as a whole can be explained via pre-teaching; this is what we are going to do today, and this is why we are doing it.
Now the third component, relatedness, requires that the students have a friendly, almost personal relationship with their classmates, the JTE, and the ALT (Yes – The ALTs active role is crucial in EFL learning contexts!). So, to provide the necessary proximity for a feeling of relatedness to occur, the rules of the activity must include one such as: You must describe three features of your Dream Room to the ALT and receive his or her signature. Please see below for specific advice on how to conduct the activity. Finally, this is a great way to lower students’ affective filter (Krashen, 1982). The activity is presented below in the same format as a My Share activity commonly found in The Language Teacher.
Quick guide
Keywords: Young learners, TBLT, CLT, pair-work
Learner English level: Beginner
Learner maturity: JHS 1st grade
Preparation time: One hour or less
Activity time: 20 – 30 minutes
Materials: My Dream Room handouts
Preparation
Step 1: First, design a handout to emphasize with of the four skills you would like to emphasize. If you would like the students to spend more time speaking rather than writing, use a handout with more spaces to receive signatures (see Appendix A). If you would like the students to spend some more time on writing, you cans use the version found in Appendix B, which has fewer spaces for receiving signatures, and more space for writing.
Step 2: The teacher prepares the My Dream Room handout on A4 size paper. Make enough copies for the students plus the ALT and JTE if desired. Alternatively, the JTE and ALT can be listeners only and sign each student’s sheet after the student explains their Dream Room with three sentences using like, play, and have.
Procedure
Step1: For first year JHSs, the emphasis should be on allowing the students to be as creative or wild and crazy as possible with the first step of drawing their own Dream Room in Part 1 of the worksheet.
Step 2a: Second, the rules are explained. First, have the students stand up and find a partner. Second, do a variation of janken, such as “Yes, we can!” The winner then makes three statements about their handout while showing their partner their Dream Room. The three sentences should be one each using like, play, and have in a statement. For example, “I like sports. I play baseball. I have a baseball stadium in my Dream Room.” The speaker then asks their partner for a signature in one of the sign spaces in Part 2.
Step 2b: Then it is the other partners turn to describe their Dream Room with three statements using like, play, and have.
Step 3: Have the students continue the activity until they get as many signatures as possible in the time allotted. The more communication, the better!
Step 4: Also, in order to encourage relatedness with the students, make it a rule that the students must communicate at least three sentences about their Dream Room to the JTE and ALT and receive their signature, too. If the JTE and ALT also completed a handout, they can describe their Dream Room to the students, too.
Step 5: When the students have communicated with enough people to have filled in Part 2 completely with signatures, the students can sit down and begin Part 3, the writing section.
Variations and Conclusion
Variations: 1) The next partner must be of the opposite gender to prevent boys from clustering in one corner, and girls in another. 2) As an incentive to communicate with a native speaker, the students must ask the ALT one question (no janken would be necessary).
It is hoped that the three basic premises of autonomy, competence, and relatedness – the three strands of self-determination, are evident in this activity. Adding autonomy requires a little more effort on behalf of the teacher(s) to allow the students the opportunity to essentially create their own worksheet. The students are provided the opportunity to demonstrate competence by designing and labeling their Dream Room (written language skills) and completing the activity (speaking and listening skills), and relatedness by interacting with the classmates and teachers, these two facets of SDT are readily apparent. Believe me, once you give this activity a try, you will understand how much your students actually enjoy using English to finish the task.
References
Deci, E. L., & Flaste, R. (1996). Why we do what we do: Understanding self-motivation. New York: Penguin.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.
Dörnyei, Z. (2009). Communicative language teaching in the 21st century: The ‘principled communicative approach’. Perspectives, 36(2), 33-43.
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54-67.
Appendix A.
The My Dream Room worksheet with more interview spaces and less writing space
Appendix B.
The My Dream Room handout with fewer interview spaces and more writing space
