Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other's learning

Five key elements of Cooperative Learning

1. Positive Interdependence: Group members must realize that each person's efforts benefit not only that individual, but all other group members as well.

2. Individual Accountability: The group must be accountable for achieving its goals, and each member must be accountable for contributing a fair share of the work.

3. Face To Face Promotive Interaction: Students need to do real work together in which they promote each other's success by sharing resources and helping, supporting, encouraging, and praising each other's efforts to learn.

4. Interdependence and Small Group Skills: Group members must know how to provide effective leadership, make decisions, build trust, communicate, and manage conflict, and be motivated to do so.

5. Group Process: Groups need to describe what member actions are helpful and unhelpful and make decisions about what behaviors to continue or change.

Sample of Cooperative Learning lesson plan 1

lesson plan 2

CALL (Computer-assisted language learning program)

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is often perceived, somewhat narrowly, as an approach to language teaching and learning in which the computer is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive element. Levy (1997:1) defines CALL more succinctly and more broadly as "the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning". Levy's definition is in line with the view held by the majority of modern CALL practitioners. For a comprehensive overview of CALL see ICT4LT Module 1.4, Introduction to Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL): http://www.ict4lt.org/.

Using computers in language learning is, contrary to popular opinion, not a new phenomenon. It dates back to the early 1960s, although it was confined in those days mainly to universities with prestigious computer science departments. By the early 1980s, however, CALL was in evidence in a large number of schools in the UK and the rest of Europe - and, of course, in the USA and Canada. A potted history of the early years of CALL can be found in (1995) contains a collection of anecdotal articles written by pioneers in CALL covering the period 1965-1995. Davies (1997 - updated 2009) covers the period 1976-1996, reflecting on his personal experiences, and he reminds us that there are many lessons that we can learn from the past that might help us avoid mistakes in the future.The updates in Davies's article highlight some of the major and often unexpected changes that have taken place in the meantime. Two more articles, and Davies (2005 - regularly revised), take another a look at the history of CALL and attempt to predict where it is heading.

Unit: Occupation Topic: Future Career
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

Unit: Science and Technology Topic: Solar System

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning)

CLIL involves students learning subjects such as science or geography through the medium of a foreign language. Other related terms include ‘Content-based instruction', ‘English across the curriculum', and ‘Bilingual education'. CLIL is sometimes referred to as dual-focused education as lessons have two main aims, one related to a particular subject or topic and one linked to language.

According to Do Coyle, an effective CLIL lesson combines elements of:

• Content - Progression in knowledge, skills and understanding related to specific elements of a defined curriculum
• Communication - Using language to learn whilst learning to use language
• Cognition - Developing thinking skills which link concept formation (abstract and concrete), understanding and language
• Culture - Exposure to alternative perspectives and shared understandings, which deepen awareness of otherness and self.

The perceived advantages of adopting a CLIL approach for learners include:

• Increasing motivation as language is used to fulfil real purposes
• Introducing learners to the wider cultural context
• Developing a positive ‘can do' attitude towards learning languages
• Developing student multilingual interests and attitudes
• Preparing students for further studies and work

Some of the advantages for teachers adopting a CLIL approach may include:

• The use of innovative methods, materials and e-learning
• Individual and institutional networking oppportunities and professional mobility
• The development of good practices through cooperation with teachers in other departments, schools and countries
• Higher levels of job satisfaction

For many teachers CLIL offers a number of challenges as it requires a rethink of the traditional skills and knowledge of the language teacher, classroom practices and resources. Some educational reformers may underestimate the difficulties involved in implementing CLIL, and may introduce innovations without ensuring that all of the necessary resources are in place. For example, teachers might not have a language level appropriate to the demands of the content. Teachers might not receive the necessary re-training to carry out their revised roles effectively and suitable classroom resources may not be available in all subjects at all levels. Notwithstanding these difficulties, the twin trends of europeanisation and globalisation are likely to lead to CLIL becoming a growing component of educational systems throughout the world.

Sample for CLIL teaching material: Invisible Ink , Color Changing Milk Part 1 , Part2

Sample for CLIL text, vocabulary

Sample for CLIL teaching

Writing skill

Writing is to communicate to other by using text or alphabet. Its aim is to convey the idea from writer to reader, rather than focused on use of word or grammar. In other word, writing focus on fluency than accuracy.

However, teaching writing skill should begin with writing system from controlled writing, less control writing, and finally, free writing. In teaching writing for beginner, teacher must pay attention in providing students with information about the vocabulary, grammar pattern and content. These can guide the students to think and write.

The teaching writing skills at this level may not exactly teaching for communicate. Instead, it is practicing writing skills in a correct systematic way. It is a fundamental of effectively communicate in the following high-level. If teachers have knowledge and ability in teaching writing for the students, students will have effectively writing skills in English.

Sample clip of teaching writing plan
Power point

Sample teaching material

Reading skill

Reading has 2 styles



1. Silent reading consists in looking at sentences and understanding the message or the meaning they convey, that is ‘making sense’ of them.



2. Reading aloud is a very different activity. Its purpose is not just to understand the meaning of a written text, but also to convey the meaning to another person. It also focus on accuracy and fluency.



It is important that teacher should understand what is involved in this reading process so that we become more efficient readers ourselves and also help our students become good readers.


Example clip for teaching reading plan: reading.mp4

Sample reading teaching material

Speaking skill

Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information (Brown, 1994) It is a productive skill because speaker is the one who give information or sender. The receptive skill is reading and listening.

Teaching speaking mean helping students to understand voice, vocabulary, grammar, or linguistic competence. Speaking lessons can follow the usual pattern of preparation, presentation, practice. The teacher can use the "preparation" step to establish a context for the speaking task. In "presentation", the teacher can provide learners with a preproduction model that furthers learner comprehension and helps them become more attentive observers of language use. "Practice" involves learners in reproducing the targeted structure. (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997; Carter & McCarthy, 1995).

Speaking is key to communication. By considering what good speakers do, what speaking tasks can be used in class, and what specific needs learners report, teachers can help learners improve their speaking and overall oral competency.

Example clip for speaking teaching plan: speaking.flv

Sample speaking teaching material

Listening Skill

Listening is an activity of paying attention to and trying to get meaning from something we hear. To listen successfully to spoken language, we need to be able to work out what meaning the speaker / speakers are trying to convey. When speakers use words, they are using particular words in particular ways on particular occasions, and not simply to understand the words themselves.

Casual listening
Casual listening is to listen with no purpose in mind or any particular aim. We do not pay much attention and we are listening without much concentration. For examples, we listen to the radio while we are doing homework; chatting with a friend without any purpose or aim in casual talk, listening to TV news or other programmers without paying much attention to what we are listening to, and many others. While we are listening casually, we do not listen very closely.

Focused listening
Focused listening is listening with concentration. At a period of times, we listen for a particular purpose, to find out information we need to know. For example, we might be listening to important news on the radio or TV about election results, or weather forecast etc. We might also be listening to someone explaining how to cook food, or the teacher giving important instructions about an examination. All of these, we listen much more closely and we also try to listen for the most important points or for particular information. In this kind of listening, we know what we are listening for (the things we want to know- names, figures, numbers, amounts, etc). This helps us to listen in a more focused manner.

Listening, in many cases, is described as a passive skill (like reading). But in reality, it is not. People feel that while listening, we are passively "hearing" what others are saying and then responding mechanically.

Example clip for teaching listening plan: listening.flv

Sample listening teaching material