Out of the Learner's Mouth - Rosemary Westwell

WORKSHOP "Out of a learner's mouth"

Rosemary Westwell (Cambridgeshire/Bournemouth)
Thursday 8th April, Harewood 1, 605-650 p.m.

What do students' comments really mean and what do they imply?
How can we satisfy their learning needs?

This workshop takes statements made by learners during their language lessons. Participants interpret the statements and devise approaches for the students. There is no right answer but endeavouring to find one helps us as teachers.
After the workshop has explored what lies behind a student statement and our consequent teaching priorities, excerpts from a supporting book are given. The book, written in diary form, is an amusing and no holds barred account of learning Spanish as a beginner.

EXAMPLE
If a student asks: “Which course is best for me?”, does the student want to know about the content of courses available or are there a number of constraints he/she needs to deal with first? If the student has few constraints, what is his/her competency, preferred topics, how much time and effort does the student want to apply,...? The list is endless.
We discuss our interpretation of the question and our teaching priorities.
Excerpts from a learner's diary in the book: "Out of a Learner’s Mouth" are interpreted and discussed.

Other questions are dealt with similarly in the time allowed (approx. 45 minutes)

contact: rjwestwell@hotmail.com
www.elyforlanguage.wordpress.com

Hope to see you there!