8 Capitalize on learners’ existing knowledge. Especially if they have
previously learnt in a formal way, your learners will no doubt possess a
grammatical metalanguage which you can tap into. Find out how they
express the ‘rules’ that they already know, and work from there. Even if the
rules they know are incomplete, they are probably still useful for the
learners; so if you find you need to contradict them, do so sensitively.
9 Balance the conditions for grammar improvement. Meaning-focused
work, restricted practice, explanation and analysis all have a part to play in
building up the grammatical knowledge that learners have spontaneously
available. Different conditions will help different learners at different times.
So the important thing is to ensure that lessons or series of lessons contain a
good balance.
10 Keep on providing rich exposure. Even in a grammatically focused course
it’s important for learners to read and listen to texts where complexity goes
beyond the structures they have learnt about. Modify tasks to make texts like
this accessible. Subconsciously learners will start to get used to the
unfamiliar structures, and will be more receptive if the structures are focused
on again at a later point.20 Making good use of your coursebook
Very many of the English language courses being taught around the world are
based on coursebooks. The coursebook may have been chosen by the teacher(s),
or imposed from above; however it was chosen, it often becomes the linchpin of
the course. The suggestions that follow should help you to use your coursebook
creatively: to make the most of what it offers, without allowing it to restrict you
and your learners.
1 Use the coursebook as a management aid. The predictable shape of its
units offers a structure for your lessons and reassures learners, especially in
the early stages of the course. Once the structure is established, it can become
a platform for experimentation. Innovation is easier when everyone is
starting from the same place.
2 Be selective. No matter how appropriate a coursebook for your programme,
it is unlikely that all the activities, in the precise order presented, will be
right for your learners. Within the broad structure of the book, decide what
to use and what to leave out, replace, or come back to another time.
3 Use coursebooks as resource books. Many modern coursebooks include
free standing activities, or coherent series of activities such as a story in
episodes. Often they also include a grammar section, verb tables and a chart
of phonemic symbols. If you need supplementary material for your main
coursebook, then another coursebook could be a very good place to look!38 LANGUAGE WORK IN THE CLASSROOM