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MAKING REPETITION INTERESTING: 

MAKING REPETITION INTERESTING Penny Ur 2006

Repetition as a component of language learning: 

Repetition as a component of language learning I would argue that there are three major channels of learning in the FL classroom: Explicit consciousness-raising (explaining, talking ‘about’ the language) Communication (using the language purposefully to convey or receive meanings) Practice (focusing on repetition of target items)

Why repetition through practice?: 

Why repetition through practice? The ‘skill’ model: declarative knowledge transforms into procedural knowledge (the ‘strong interface’ model (Dekeyser, Johnson) The ‘frequency’ hypothesis (Ellis, 2002). Teachers’ professional intuitions Learners’ preferences

Effective repetition through practice: 

Effective repetition through practice Quantity Pre-learning Success-orientation Teacher assistance Heterogeneity Interest

Interim recap: 

Interim recap In this session we shall be looking at ONE of the components of an effective language teaching/learning program: repetition through practice… … and at ONE crucial feature of this component: interest.

1. The stages of learning new language items: 

1. The stages of learning new language items

a) From dependence to independence: 

a) From dependence to independence It’s not that learners move from ‘not knowing’ to ‘knowing’… …But rather from ‘not knowing at all’ to ‘noticing’ to ‘knowing if you remind and support them’ and finally to ‘knowing on their own’ (Vygotzky,1978).

b) From passive recognition to active production: 

b) From passive recognition to active production Learners normally achieve passive mastery (recognizing something when they see it, but wouldn’t have been able to produce it on their own) before they achieve active mastery. So, putting a) and b) together, we’re talking about at least four stages in the gradual acquisition of new language items:

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The learner perceives and ‘notices’ the new item, with help The learner can recognize it only if helped, can’t produce The learner can recognize it on his/her own, but can produce only if helped The learner can both recognize and produce it on his / her own

For example:: 

For example: Supposing you’ve presented the words ‘dog’ and ‘cat’ for the first time last lesson, using pictures, and now want to review them. Do you: 1) re-present the words yourself at the beginning of the lesson? 2) elicit the words at the beginning of the lesson? Do you: 1) Show the pictures and ask learners ‘what’s this?’? 2) Show the pictures, say ‘It’s a cat’ and get them to point to the appropriate picture?

2. The need for repetition: 

2. The need for repetition

Research:: 

Research: a) Adults / adolescents need between 6 and 16 encounters with a new word before they remember it (Zahar et al., 2001). Younger learners probably need even more. b) ‘Distributed’ practice is probably better than ‘massed’ (Baddeley, 1990).

What are the implications of a) and b) for practice?: 

What are the implications of a) and b) for practice? Probably we need to do an immense amount of deliberate re-cycling of new language (letters, sounds, words, ‘chunks’, grammatical structures). This recycling, or repetition, needs to be scattered (‘distributed’), not all in one go. So we should be leading constant ‘cumulative’ review exercises.

Interim summary: repetition at the various levels of learning: 

Interim summary: repetition at the various levels of learning 1. Noticing simple display pictures and explanation (significant) occurrence in a story (significant) occurrence within teacher-talk

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2. Recognition matching true/false classifying multiple choice drawing ‘bingo’

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3. ‘Scaffolded’ Production recitations dialogues learnt by heart (prepared) dictation games based on set basic patterns answering (lower-level) questions

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4. Independent Production (unprepared) dictation response to a picture answering (higher-level) questions discussion free writing

3. The problem of interest: 

3. The problem of interest

Interest-creating features: 

Interest-creating features Variety Purposeful meaning-making (communication) Success-orientation Visual focus (use of board, pictures …) Game-like tasks Personalization Entertainment (songs, jokes, drama, humour) Open-endedness (lots of right responses)

1. Variety: 

1. Variety Matching (recognition) 1. Format

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What’s your name? It’s six o’clock Where is it? Fine, thank you How are you? My name’s Elliot What’s the time? Over there! Can I … sit down! What’s the … understand! I don’t … help you? Please … matter?  happy  a clock sad  a cat  Matching 2. Content

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an ancient an aged an antique an old a mature house soldier student book dolphin woman

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Different ways we can vary the content of matching exercises:

2. Purposeful meaning-making: 

2. Purposeful meaning-making Information-gap exercises Picture dictations Guessing Filling in information on a grid Combining arrangement

Combining arrangement: 

Combining arrangement 1) 2) 3) 4) 1) 2) 3) 4) Student A Student B

3. Success-orientation: 

3. Success-orientation easy to get right more than one way of getting it right use of L1 to clarify choice between ‘success’ and ‘more success’ (rather than ‘success’ and ‘failure’)

Find at least three things to put in each column: 

Find at least three things to put in each column

4. Visual Focus: 

4. Visual Focus picture-based activities adding graphic components: joining-with-a-line filling-in circling changing

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Jackie Joe Mitch Dan Sid Chuck Jackie has a big hat. Mitch has a dog. Chuck has a bottle of Coca Cola. Dan is running to a house. Sid has long hair.

5. Game-like tasks: 

5. Game-like tasks Guessing-games (mime, what’s in my bag, I-spy, what’s the picture etc.) Beat-the-clock games Dialogue-based games (detectives, ‘wrangling’, acting)

6. Personalization: 

6. Personalization Preferences Ideas Experiences Opinions Feelings Ambitions

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What’s your favourite? Write in order. red, yellow, green, blue 1._______ 2.________ 3._______ 4._________ singing, dancing, reading, watching TV 1._______ 2.________ 3._______ 4._________ mangoes, oranges, apples, bananas 1._______ 2.________ 3._______ 4._________

7. Entertainment: 

7. Entertainment songs video stories plays humour drama

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What’s that? It’s a book! Come here! Go to the door! Sit down! What’s that? It’s a frog! What? It’s a frog? Yes, it’s a frog! Amazing! Come here at once! Who, me? Yes, you! What’s the matter? Be quiet!

8. Open-endedness: 

8. Open-endedness Two or more possible right answers Brainstorming: ‘sun-ray’ (e.g. words with ‘l’ in them; associations) how many things can you think of that … what can you do with a … what does a (cat, baby, teacher …) do?

To recap:: 

To recap: Repetition (review) of newly-learnt language is essential for learning. This repetition needs to be systematic and deliberate As repetition-based exercises proceed there should be a gradual withdrawal of ‘scaffolding’ (teacher support) … … and progression from ‘noticing’ to ‘recognition’ to ‘production’.

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In order for students to continue to attend, enjoy and progress, it is essential to make sure that repetition activities are designed to arouse and maintain interest. Some practical principles for making repetitive exercises interesting are:

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Variety Purposeful meaning-making Success-orientation Visual focus Game-like tasks Personalization Entertainment Open-ended cues