10 Suggestions for Successful Scaffolding

The idea of scaffolding is simple: If a student wishes to master a learning objective or outcome (say, understand and be able to use Simple Past Tense) then the instructional facilitation should offer graduated ‘scaffolds’ so that they can reach this goal, step by step. Instead of pointing to the mountain top of the educational objective, which can seem daunting and discouraging, best to take ‘small steps.’ This is called scaffolding because a scaffold is a temporary structure that is raised as a building is constructed and then removed when it is finished. This way students have a series of linked successful experiences and then, aha! They get to the top and ‘know’ it!

Scaffolding is the heart of most every modern teaching curriculum, it doesn't matter where it is, the age of the students or what is being taught. The theory and implementation was created by J. Bruner and was inspired by the pioneering work on developmental education by Vygotsky. This Wiki give a rather thorough background on the theory and practice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instructional_scaffolding

Here are some suggestions for implementing this process in a TESOL classroom, though it is applicable to most any other class as well:

Test and verify the importance of your objective.

Before you begin the process of scaffolding for a particular outcome or goal of learning, make sure it is relevant, important and leads to substantial useful or critical skills. Creating scaffolded learning plans that are varied, focused and interesting takes a lot of time. Some learning objectives are difficult for a young or lower level learner but easy to master for older or more experienced learners. Teaching a set of idioms to an advanced learner likely doesn’t need much scaffolding if any. Teaching the Alphabet to a pre-literate beginner does. Keep this in mind; How high is THIS mountain to MY students? Remember, more difficult a goal, the more time and more scaffolded steps required.

Know your students, their backgrounds, previous language learning as well as their cultural schemas.

This leads us to the really common and crucial axiom of ‘know your students.’

In terms of scaffolding, it is even more important that you really know them, what their skill-levels are (including vocabulary, previous grammar knowledge, speaking, reading, writing and listening ability, pronunciation issues and so on) as well as their cultural schemas. Some languages only have four tenses. If one of them is Simple Past (most all) then that will be an easy lesson scaffolding chore. However, a tense not in their native language (like Past Perfect)  will require many more steps because it isn't even in their linguistic schema! So building schema for this point will be a whole level of scaffolding unto itself! Age, experience and prior knowledge is important.

Think about the students linguistic ZPG (Zones of Proximal Development)

In many ways this is part of knowing your students, but it is a bit tricky with a culturally mixed or mixed-level class!  A student’s ZPG is what they know/somewhat know/don't know. The point of scaffolding is hitting that ‘sweet spot’ of mentoring the student about something they ‘kind of’ know’ and helping them get their hands around it and master it. A scaffolded task is a focus on one or more ZPG areas using instructor mentoring and/or cooperative learning with peers that is appropriate. For example, a student may know how to use the copula AM and ARE (‘I am Shinji. We are a class.’) but not the other TO BE forms. This is a great place to bring in a mentoring student and assign a pair task so that a student who doesn't know can get holistically led into using and acquiring and so really knowing all the TO BE forms.

Plan well- break your scaffolded objective into modules or steps that are engaging, collaborative and do-able.

Whiteboards or big sheets of paper are great for planning scaffolding steps. Think creatively and with an open mind. Start with the goal of, say, mastery of Simple Past tense. Knowing that the past tense form of the verb is only used in the statement form means that the other three forms will need more focus in some ways and will be weird for students who don't know the do/does helper verb thing. (Thanks Anglo-Saxon!) Therefore starting with statements and working on past tense is great, but the other aspects will take a bit more development in terms of use and meaning and engagement. Engaging means that they are immediately applicable and comprehensible for the students. Having students do a series of tasks that involve real past events in their lives and offering chances for them to explore many ways of presenting and sharing these will keep it fun and engaging and thus successful.

Make sure interactions are really collaborative to be effective.

The key to working with students with a focus on ZPSs is to make the right fit in terms of collaborative work, that is, pair or group work that ‘raises all boats’ and where no one slips through the learning cracks. Knowing your students, again, is the key. The shyest student could be a wiz in X but needs more oral/aural interactions in Y. Matching students with different strengths, knowledge bases and schemas is exciting to watch. The instructor needs to constantly circulate and be the ‘floating’ mentor to monitor the process and to step in and gently nudge or add information or extensions into what is happening. Sometimes students should be moved around to find the right fit! This is not an exact science, so be flexible.

Make it fun and interesting, every step!

This is the key. When a teacher says ‘oh this is so boring how will I teach them?’the whole class is DOA! Even the dullest scaffold, like memorizing past participles as a step in mastering present perfect, can be MADE interesting by making the activities different engaging and unexpected. Past participles can be ‘drilled’ by utilizing word puzzles or relay races or find-the-errors competitions. Remember, your actual scaffold-goal need not sound exciting, but reaching it needs to be!

Vary learning modalities and aspects of the outcomes so as to push skill retention

Keep in mind the concept of Multiple Intelligences and keep an eye open to your students and what their strengths and weaknesses are regarding this! Then spice things up. A reading or writing objective need not be all reading and writing. Think of kinesthetic, visual, natural, and mathematical ‘learners’ and not just the verbal/linguistic ones. Adding scaffolded sections that involve problem solving, visual-add-ons, presentations by groups, spelling bees and so on will engage the students and help them achieve mastery of each step so that even the ‘not exciting’ goal at the top the mountain is reached with engaging activities that let them use the learning styles and natural ‘intelligences’ that are comfortable while challenging some that may not be.

Help students see what the eventual goal is and why it is useful

Some meta chats are great re: scaffolding, even with low level students. When young learners are discouraged with, for example, about reading accuracy and how important it can be, show them traffic signs or misleading ads or something that relates directly to their lives where understanding the encoded messages delivered via letters is important, useful or fun! We learn and retain things when they are relevant and applicable. Keep that in mind when interest flags. Put down the whiteboard marker and step away from the objective for a bit and explain/show them WHY this goal is important. I turned a grumpy TOEFL test class around by showing my students TOEFL scores necessary to get into 10 local colleges and universities and we took a break from the dreaded BOOK and had a discussion about their academic goals. They realized they didn't have to have perfect scores, but they also GOT why a higher score gave them more choices, a great discussion that really empowered the class.

Make sure students understand assigned assessments of each stage and vary them

Don't fall into the habit of assessing every stage of advancement in a scaffolded class the same way. 6 multiple choice quizzes?! Deadly! As a rule, rubrics and modes of assessment should vary and get more profound as you get closer to what you trust will be mastery. Don't avoid project grades, group collaborative assessments and so on. Remember, simply writing or reading a grammar form correctly is not mastery if they cant hear and speak it. Fluency means integrated acquisition. Integrate those skills and use cooperative learning to do so.

Praise mastery but praise cooperation and mentoring more

Yes, students who ‘get’ each step in your module deserve a lot of specific support and praise. Much of what we do with scaffolding (and teaching in general ) is to build student confidence of course. If student believe it is HARD then it will be, if they know they CAN master it, then they can. But. It is the mentored/cooperative nature of each activity, whether it is between you and the students or, more often, between students themselves, that is the key ingredient in making scaffolding work. Praising patient, helpful and invested student-mentors is key to making this the norm in the class. Sometimes changing partners or stepping in and gently encouraging patience, focus and complete communication is important. If students see that their helping of other students is crucial, important, praiseworthy and (!) graded, then scaffolding will work.

Make sure to move it forward so that the next scaffolded goal or outcome is logical.

Once a specific topic, module or unit is successfully completed, use that completion as a springboard! Ask students questions like ‘OK class! We have finished studying X. What do you think we need to learn next? What do you think is the next thing we need to master?’ Getting students to use logic, predict and reexamine what they've just accomplished does many things. It is a good review (repetition rocks) it gets them engaged in the long-arch process of the class and it makes them stakeholders in the scaffolding process! Continuing with this is also useful. Have them look at the next chapter or grammar point or test section and discuss it in groups. What should we learn first? After that? Where will it be harder? Easier? Who knows about X? Y? Who doesn't? Not only are the students now part of the scaffolding process but it will help you learn who your ‘experts’ are and who would be appropriate to work with who. Then, when you dive into the next unit, students will be ready, and if you did it right, motivated.

They say a mountain is climbed one step at a time, do your best to make every single step rich and engaging and your scaffolded lesson plans will rock.

HOW TO TEACH A TOEFL OR IELTS CLASS Crucial Advice for ESL or EFL Teachers

General Rules For Teaching TOEFL or IELTS Exercises:

Avoid lecturing unless you are practicing ‘listening to a lecture.’

The students must learn to succeed at the test on their own, the more they can figure things out on their own, the better. Memorization wont solve most things.

Your job is to guide, instruct and facilitate skill building.

As a rule ask lead questions, don't ‘tell’ things.

All the material they need is right in the textbook, your job is to make it comprehensible and as interesting and motivating as possible.

Set Tasks for students to do and let them do it.

Avoid having students do things alone, unless it is a test exercise or self-assessment activity. Pair or group work is crucial to the success of this class.

It is all excellent speaking and listening practice. Peers acquire more language and language skills from each other than from the teacher.

When possible, practice activities in an enjoyable manner.

In groups students can compete at listening, speaking reading or writing tasks. Gentle competition and ‘games’ are useful strategies for fluency and learning skills.

The canned digital audio chunks are useful on many levels, but give some listening practice by actually speaking sections yourself.

Such speech is more natural and students can practice listening for phonemic differences and intonation patterns better.

Constantly encourage students, they will feel overwhelmed.

Your students need to learn how to relax

Yes TOEFL is a serious endeavor, but stress is debilitating and is the primary cause of test-failure. Your students need to learn how to relax a bit while being focused, intent and well practiced. Make sure humor and periods of relaxation are part of the class. Even “Every one stand up! Stretch!” will be a welcome diversion.

Have students sit in different seats every day.

Every student has many things to teach every other student. Since pair and group work is a major part of the class and of the process, make sure they all have a chance to benefit from the skills and knowledge base of each other.

Stay on track but be flexible.

The curriculum is set up so that all major components are covered but there is a a lot to cover. As you progress, feel free to cut some activities or add others. Walk that thin line between getting everything important in but not overloading the students.  If students show real strength in one area or skill, move on to a skill or task they are weak in. Your task is to work most intensely where they are weakest.

Start with a warm-up.

Always start every class with a ‘warm-up’ activity germane to that day’s focus, a useful, enjoyable listening activity for example. You can work on such skills without mentioning TOEFL and it will get them motivated, in the right mental framework and ease them into the ‘serious’ part of the class.

End every class day with ‘wrap-ups.’

This means helping the students bring key information learned together. Such-final wrap-up activities can be oral or written and should be focused but light hearted. A board game reviewing prepositions or an ‘exit ticket’ of summarizing a paragraph are good examples.

No matter what, always put important information, examples and final projects on the board or distribute copies.

In this way what was studied and accomplished will be reinforced and will ‘stick’ with students and they can take notes or handouts and study them later. Some students do better with quiet personal reflection.

Always review what was accomplished the previous class.

Remember, these students have a break in between each class and two days off for the weekend. A review of the previous class and the wrap up/takeaways that ended it will bring them back to the focus and keep the continuity.

Insist that students do their homework and practice the tests and test exercises assigned.

It is the crux of the class! If students arrive without doing them, consider setting them in another room to do the test work they didn't do. The point is that if they don’t do the test work assigned, they will not be in sync with the class and the lessons and will detract from the other students learning.

Always end each day on a positive note.

Be sure to say something positive to each student about their progress. Remember, TOEFL test success is about confidence as well as preparation. Helping students gain that confidence is crucial to their success. Always remember to have some fun every class. Being serious and strict all the time actually inhibits learning!

10 Useful Takeaways from a Variety of ELT Methods

Methods were all the rage in the TESOL world in the past, from the hoary Grammar Translation method that goes all the way back as far as one can go in linguistic history to Computer Assisted Language Learning CALL and the not-quite-a-full-method Lexical Approach. The venerable Diane Larson Freeman (whom you should know about if you’re reading this) says we are in the ‘post-methods era’ as do other luminaries in our field such as Jack Richards. All well and good, our profession has evolved enough to accept that learners are quite individual and unique and no one-size-fits all method will work for everyone. Yet all these methods offer some takeaways and ideas for practices in the communicative ESOL classroom and there is no sense tossing out the baby with the bathwater! Here are some useful takeaways from several current and past language learning methods and ‘approaches.’

Grammar Translation

Primarily self directed, it is more or less what it sounds like. I took Latin for years this way and, as a dead language, it made sense. Not so much for, say, French. Yet an activity now and then that focus on GT will connect with many students prior experiences (it is still used a lot abroad) and it helps reinforce writing, reading and dictionary work with a clear focus on form and structure. Having students jigsaw an article, then translate it in small groups and then put it back together in English also adds oral and aural skills and a lot of useful vocabulary work. It can be fun. Make it so.

Direct Method (Situationalist)

This classic in-your-face method,is a great example of output based methodology. It’s a repeat-after-me-and-get-it-RIGHT procedure for language memorization and pronunciation accuracy. It offers little or no overt writing, reading or explicit grammar instruction. I suffered, I mean studied under this method in Japan for three years. It is terribly stressful for many but others liked the immediate phonemic correction modeled by the teacher with lots of individual practice. It can, however, be a bit boring for the rest of the class who has to watch the other struggling students. Takeaway? While the theory is somewhat discredited, it works well for short reinforcing activities within a more varied class. It works well when teaching pronunciation, especially with minimal pairs, and, if done with some relaxed compassion, offers a formal minimal conversation practice structure that some students, especially beginners, may find familiar and supportive.

Cognitive Code

I'd like to pull this one off the dustheap of discarded methods for a minute. Everything has some sort of use, right? This method tried to bridge the gap between grammar-centered methodology, which data showed wasn't getting our students to fluency in the 1970s. CC moved forward without quite knowing what the next paradigm would be in terms of fluency objectives, such as Notional/Functional competencies. Instead, these curriculum designers chose ‘themes’ with a rather disjointed grammar assessments thrown in. However, this integration of language tasks, whether they are grammatical or functional, continues to this day in Task Based Methodology and CLT. It reminds us that when teaching students who don't have a lot of time, choosing a theme like ‘traveling’ and offering discourses and work with those themes and the language they offer can be integrated. To sum up the takeaway, students really don't need to know what is functional and what is grammatical all the time. Such activities like out-of-class research, posters, interviews, free-form discussions can generate all kinds of interesting language that might not be part of the set curriculum, grammar objectives or functional objectives. If the teacher pivots to the grammar used in context of the theme, then it works as such.

Audio Lingual Method

OK, truth in advertising here. I took French in high school with this and hated it so much even writing about it could be considered therapy. That being said, my universal condemnation of ALM was tempered by a night-class student who challenged me on its utility. He led a demonstration in class using it for Chinese and he convinced me. Why? Forget the behavioralist origins of this rather Brave New World-ish method that tries to mass indoctrinate whole classes. It originally put students in Skinner Boxes (that’s what a listening lab is, folks) and offered rote repetition and substitution drills until all are brain dead. So why continue this torture? The takeaway is all about  tonal languages. Thai, Chinese, Lao and other languages are tonal. This means the same ‘word’ pronounced are actually different words. This means that the pronunciation = a different word = a different meaning. Focusing on rote repetition in this context makes sense so you don’t call a HORSE your MOM (MA and MA). In your English classroom, the issue is more on fixing intonation. Students get confused between ‘Get out here!’ and Get OUT of here!’ English is a hyper-contextual language and intonation can make the difference between a compliment and a complaint. Add slang and idiomatic phrases and non verbals into the mix and we have a lot of confusion. Focusing on these things in the class using some ALM techniques helps the students acquire the right intonation for the right meaning.

Silent Way

Cult or not a cult? Discuss. Let’s just say that there were a lot of true believers who could be rather...intense about the importance of this method. Created by Dr. Gattegno, an Egyptian mathematician, it is very regimented but offers some important aspects of language learning. I have sat through a number of demonstrations in this method. It IS intense and a bit stressful. No low affective filter here. The basic idea is that we need to minimize transfer errors when someone moves from L1 to the L2 they are studying. This is caused by students trying to use the linguistic schema of their L1 to use the L2. So, for example, since Japanese has no plural forms, a Japanese student would keep missing this when using English. The solution was to break the target language into the smallest units, phonemes, and assign each a color. Students were then directed to recreate the new language from scratch using color codes to memorize and apply the new phonemes without the mental block of ascribing the sounds to something familiar. Why? Because the whole system, phonetics and so on of the target language was utterly different. By giving students nothing to ‘hang on to’ we avoid transfer errors. In practice, the goal is for the teacher to elicit the target language from the students while remaining silent using the color chart, props and so on with repetitive drills. Takeaways? Teachers can and should be silent more. This forces the students to cognate more, to work harder, to create the right target language. I used to drive my class crazy when teaching ‘giving instructions’ by putting a CD player in front of them and having them give me clear instructions on how to use it with no prompts. Not as easy as it sounds! Using color coded rods for syntax grammar teaching while eliciting the changes is an activity derived from SW as is the use of colored markers to write discourses (red= verbs, blue= nouns, purple = adverbs etc.) and so implicitly teach such forms to beginner ELLs. This is practiced by the GLAD program.  When teaching pronunciation, simply using colored paper to represent troublesome phonemes (L/R for example) often bypasses the stress students feel when seeing those dreaded letters as well. Try it!

*Silent Way Diagram at top of page

Total Physical Response

Laid out by Dr. Asher in the 70’s, this method still works well in helping beginning students acquire lexis and some basic grammar through ‘body memory’ (somatic memory) by linking actions and language. It works. I joke that every good ESOL teacher uses TPR every day, and Im not wrong. When teaching beginners, TPR reminds teachers, especially shy non-kinesthetic teachers,  to loosen up and MOVE! If Im teaching long and short, big and small, body parts, directions and so on I can't imagine not moving my hands, arms, body, and having my students do the same and so on to make it all comprehensible! If this is not natural to you, write ‘TPR stage directions’ into your lesson plans. TPR also shows us that with meaningful linked gestures connected with teacher generated commands and vocabulary, students can understand the messages through actions, they can receive the new language in context and this aids SLA as any of us who have traveled and watch carefully to grasp meaning know. Teaching prepositions is a snap using TPR by having the students actually moving their pen above, below, under, on, in, infront of their book several times. SHOWING is always more effective that telling, and if students DO it, they'll remember it.

NLP

Neuro Linguistic Programming is neither neuro nor linguistic, but aside from that, and the fact that it has been all but forgotten, it has some valuable takeaways for teachers in the  opinion of Richards and Rodgers and myself. I was somewhat trained in NLP when working at a group home for incarcerated juveniles in 1981, some of whom had ‘anger issues.’ The goal was to diffuse issues and tempers without violence and to subliminally manipulate interactions to create a better situation. It also has techniques for understanding when someone is stressed, lying, upset, not listening and so on. Sounds like weird culty stuff, right? So I thought, until the techniques actually stopped clients from punching me several times. Without sending you to the library, what are the takeaways for you?  First, NLP reminds us that you get back what you give in terms of non-verbal signals. As a teacher you need to become a lot more self-aware of the unconscious signals, tones, gestures and so on you present to your class. A good NLP exercise is to take a minute or two before class to ‘reset’ yourself, consciously eliminate the irritating drive, daily squabbles, worry about a bill or the impending dentist visit. Push. it. aside. Reset yourself mentally, emotionally and physically. Then enter the class wholly focused on your tasks and on the well being of your students. ALL your unconscious signals influence others, from your face, especially eyes, to how you walk, talk and so on. If your class is bored or crabby, NLP asks; What signals are you sending out unconsciously that may be eliciting this negative behavior? How can you your non-verbals to change the mood? A big part of NLP is called ‘mirroring’ meaning how you act, look at someone, gesture, raise or lower your tone, all directly affect the subliminal behaviors of others. Using this lens to monitor my students, I am often aware that they are becoming bored, confused, excited, or upset even before they are aware of it. Do that and you can shift things. Something to think about.

The Natural Approach

Yea, yea, I know. Krashen. He has become a favorite scapegoat and yet let us honor him for a few things while taking a pinch of salt. Without his and Tyrell’s work, we likely would not be using the term SLA as we do and even the biggest Krashen-hater admits to the importance of acquisition and it’s preeminence. After all, we Americans acquired almost all of our grammar, right? Think about it. No one taught you adjective order or gerunds. His focus on reception, comprehensible input, before forced output, has stood the test of time and is a cornerstone of most ESOL programs. So is his focus on authentic or real language communication and low affect, meaning students who enjoy the lessons and so are motivated and so learn a language better and faster. I could go on, but if you haven't read his simple, easy-to-grasp book THE NATURAL APPROACH do so, it is a seminal work all should know.  

So, takeaways?

There is nothing wrong with teaching grammar, but work with communicative reception and production tasks first so you can know what grammar to teach! Why teach something, say gerunds, if the students have already acquired it? Communicative work will let you know, then you can target those specific grammar problems that call for explicit grammar instruction. Also, let students practice fluency activities WITHOUT CORRECTING GRAMMAR unless a student can not be understood. Honestly, some teachers simply can't stop nagging! Let accuracy GO at times. The goal is communication, not perfection. Remember, if you are an ESOL teacher, you are either teaching fluency/automaticity or structure, depending on the metaphorical glasses you are wearing. CHOOSE. Do you want them working on speed and real communication or are you building up the monitor focusing on accuracy. When you offer free conversation and then correct, they shut down. Who wouldn't?! Mistakes don't always ossify, usually we shift strategies and often naturally correct errors, relax. Have more fun. And take this into grammar class; let the students figure out the form and structure together from the guiding questions you are asking. Finally, DON'T force your students to produce something you've just introduced without taking time for them to hear and see you model it. Take time to discuss new vocabulary, and letting them read it silently. Give them time to absorb it before moving them to production and they will be more confident and move on faster.

Lexical Approach

Oh how I love you O Lexical Approach. Here are some fun words to to throw around. First, ‘lexis’ is, a fancy way to say ‘words’ and ‘corpus’ or body means a group of words and their collocations, words that ‘stick together’ and which have been compiled by computers analyzing our language. So, this method is based on Corpus Linguistics, the statistical analysis of all the contemporary spoken and written English language that could be grabbed and crunched in massive computers. There are sub-corpii (really) like academic corpus, medical ESOL corpus and so on. It is the most awesome thing since sliced bread to us old-school pre-computer ESOL teachers (whaaaat?!) Why? Because now we know what the most common collocations, phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions and so on ARE and this really helps students. Takeaways? Never again should vocabulary be seen as single words floating in space. All vocabulary should be taught in context to other words and meaning. Students love to learn how to use collocations and patterns for which adjectives tend to link with wanhat nouns and what are appropriate prepositions for each situation. This is not grammar, but lexical patterns we have created. Why do we get ON a bus but IN a car? No logical reason, they collocate, they stick together. The whole thing is so awesome I can hardly stand it.  So, when talking about politics (yes, I know, hush) have students find collocations (Political______; Party, animal, operative, ad etc.…) and link concepts and words and show how words shift in meaning when they collocate. I made it up (lied) is not I made up the bed, right? Making friends is not making a cake. Best purchase recommendation? A good collocation dictionary! And some software! Finally, many new textbooks will be moving solidly into lexical approach so get on board!

Immersion

Well if you are reading this and it is your native tongue, you know all about immersion. It is how you acquired your language in a rich-language environment, yes? The concept is simple, one immerses the students within an environment where the target language is surrounding them. A homestay comes to mind. And, by watching, listening and then accomplishing all the things one must do, to like, shopping, getting directions and so on, one acquires the language. I have met many immigrants who never took a single ESOL class but who were basically fluent, with some accuracy errors. So it works, right? Yes but. Here are some of the rules for this as a method. First, it helps if the instructor is at least somewhat bilingual so that the student can revert to their L1 when they need to even, if the teacher always uses the L2. Message and comprehension are key to making immersion work. Most of us, however, are not bilingual for all of our students if we are teaching in an English speaking country. Another strategy I saw used in Guatemala at an ‘immersion school’ and which I've heard of happening elsewhere, is called ‘supported immersion’ or ‘blended immersion’ and this is the big take away. In this program, students of Spanish studied with the teacher in the morning, focusing mostly on one theme, like shopping or going out to dinner. The teacher teaches some vocabulary and some dialogs in reception first and then has them practice, use realia and so on to prepare the student for the shopping excursion that THEY KNEW is happening that afternoon. Thus they are focused, motivated and excited. In the afternoon, they are taken to the Market to go shopping and they have to do it all themselves, the teacher sits somewhere having a coffee in case the students needed them. This is exactly what I used to do with my ESOL students, I’d wrap lessons or several days of lessons around a ‘real’ field trip to go do something.. It was remarkably effective and retention was phenomenal and the impressions made stuck. If you can't take your students out, assign it for what we call ‘extension’ activities, not homework. Teach them how to order at a restaurant then after school have them go DO it, write down all the language used and bring it back to class. You'll see increased retention, motivation, interest, understanding and they’ll come back with a bunch of new words, idioms and slang for everyone to enjoy.

Task Based Methodology often uses this sort of project as a final evaluation, and it works.

Our goal is to make our students independent language learners. They need to be able to be flexible, acquire new language, use language in difficult situations to accomplish goals and to learn how to self correct and add to their language ability. We are just a springboard. Using all these methods, or more accurately, activities derived from these methods, can help them attain these goals!