SCENARIO APPROACH PROTOCOL

 

1. GROUP WORK STRATEGY

 

WeÕre trying to evolve from a teacher-centered approach of English - in which  the teacher is the focus of attention and the student a mere puppet the former pulls the string of - to a student-centered one in which you are in charge. Your status has changed, and so has mine, but for both you and me, it means more work, sorry ! But the silver lining is that your work will be more interesting and that I will not be crowding you !

 

In a nutshell

 

Teacher-centered : active teachers / students passive

Student-centered : active students and teachers

 

But all that can only be possible on condition that you agree to respect some rules

 

į          the first one is to speak English ALL THE TIME, not only with me, but also with your peers. If I canÕt trust you on that, itÕs not even worth trying. The moment youÕre in room 234, youÕre on English soil, period. Never forget that the only way to improve your fluency is to increase your exposure to English, and that 80% of true communication happens among students. Otherwise, weÕre in a where-is-Brian-Brian-is-in-the-kitchen learning strategy. Just imagine that youÕre an  Erasmus student, as in  LÕAuberge Espagnole. What matters is to make yourself understood and to understand others.

 

į          Last year, when working on our first scenario, I was deeply shocked by the studentsÕ attitudes while their schoolmates were doing their presentations . It proves, beyond a doubt, that for you, all knowledge comes from the teacher or must be validated by the teacher. You reluctanly listen to each other, never takes notes although what is being said is important and worth noting down.,so letÕs see how you can change that :

 

o        Speakers and listeners, bear in mind that I will not recap what is being said, you can take my word for it !

o        Speakers, when  getting ready for a presentation, remember that if youÕre boring, speak in a monotonous tone, lacking in self-assuredness, your PPP is bound to be a flop, so see http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/wells/presentation.htm for tips.

o        Listeners, be active, donÕt hesitate to ask questions, never let anything go unexplained

o        We are workers, and  workers need tools. The only tool you can rely on is the dictionary, but are you really able to use a dictionary ? I mean,

¤          understand the symbols used,

¤          pronounce a word that youÕve never heard, which implies being able to read its phonetic transcription

¤          make the difference between an adverb and an adjective ?

¤          suck the entry dry of all its information ( sentence pattern for ex)

 

o        This type of approach is a unique opportunity for you to develop skills that will help you through high school and higher

 

 

 

2. MANDATORY STAGES

į          a glossary of the words, expressions, idioms, phrasal verbs you came across while working

o        in context : a simple word and its translation will not be considered satisfactory . The context can be that of the topic youÕve worked on or that given as an example in the dictionary entry

o        the phonetic transcription of new words ( crash course coming up) Its pronunciation (an .mp3 audio clip can be embedded ¸ link to http://www.answers.com)

o        hard evidence (.doc file, photocopy,  e-mail etcÉ) that youÕve worked on the mandatory tasks appointed to you.

 

€COMPULSORY PRODUCTION

The production can range from a simple sustained talk about a given topic to a complex PPP, but in any case, itÕs got to be

į          an interactive presentation (whenever possible) : interactive means that

o        there will be an interaction between you and the documents ( donÕt remain static, underline, circle etc É( see presentation skills below)

o        there will be an interaction between you and your peers ( deal out a glossary, circulate originals, questionnaire to be filled out etc É)

 

 

€OPTIONAL (bonus)

į          a Powerpoint presentation

o        a good powerpoint presentation consists of pictures, photos, diagrams and texts (not necessarily

o        a very good presentation includes sound (relevent recordings) 

į          a video montage (music, photos, texts)

į          a song

į          a theater production

į          a photo show

į          a brochure

į          etc É..

 

BY THE WAY, WHAT IS A GOOD PPP ? (powerpoint presentation)

 

DonÕts

Dos

-- Read whatÕs written on the slides

-- Keep your eyes riveted on your notes

 

*Always rehearse

* write an outline (gdes lignes) of your presentation

**Seek eye contact

**Add relevant external elements (maps, commentaries, documents that you will circulate)

**Underline, circle important elements on the board – go visual !

**Write new words and translate them if need be (give a list/pronunce the words)

***Ask the audience questions

***DonÕt stay put, move, use your body

**** Prepare a questionnaire that you will deal out so that your schoolmates can be active during the presentation

 

 

o        More here Presentation skills