Eliciting Information

Eliciting information activates students. It also allows us to cut unnecessary teacher-

explanations, encouraging students to supply as much information in the class as
possible. Eliciting also encourages more Student Talking Time or STT. Unfortunately,
some teachers find it hard to trust their students fully because of some misconception
about the level and the abilities of their students. Commonly, the teacher just prefers to
be in control. These teachers are prone to doing the majority of the explaining in class,
wasting a wonderful opportunity to allow the students to show what they already know
and to teach each other.

Not trusting the abilities of the students is a mistake. It is clear that in any class of
students (except absolute beginners on the first day), at least one student may be able
to explain something about the vocabulary or grammar points or give examples of a
concept to some extent. It is always better to begin a lesson by asking your students
what they already know, so that you know your starting point as a teacher. You cannot
elicit information they do not know, so if no one can respond to a question, you know
your job then will be to explain or clarify the point. If, on the other hand, your students
can explain the concept, let them try. Again, they are the ones learning to use the
language. You already know it!

Eliciting in the ESL/EFL classroom basically means asking a question or presenting

information or a prompt in such a way as to get students to provide information in
response. This simple technique relieves the teacher of the burden of providing all the
explanation, allows the students to do most of the talking and, if they cannot answer,
tells the teacher what she has to teach. Good teachers can elicit vocabulary words; for
example, they can hold up a picture of a giraffe and say, “What’s this?” They can also
elicit structural concepts or grammar; for example, they can ask the students, “What am
I doing?” and then mime some simple actions. After this prompt, students may well
respond in the desired grammar tense: “You are sitting down.” “You’re standing up.”
“You’re talking on the phone.”

Here is an example with a slightly higher-level item. The students in an intermediate

class are reading an article that contains the sentences: “John only had three dollars.
He could hardly pay for his supper.” A student asks, “What does hardly mean?”

T: "Can anyone explain this word? Do you know it, Barbara?"

S: "Is it the same as hard or difficult?"

T: "No, it's not exactly the same."

T: "Anyone else? Tomas?"

S: “It means he can pay but only that much. Then he has nothing.”

T: "Exactly! So if you can hardly hear me…" (whispering)

S: "I can just hear you, but no more.”

T: "Now, Barbara, can you give me an example? It’s very dark, so I can…"

S: “It’s dark so I can hardly see you - just a little bit.”

T: "Very good."

The alternative to the technique above is a completely teacher-centered explanation of

the word when the students were perfectly capable of doing the job themselves.

Process for Eliciting

There are three simple steps to the process of eliciting:

Stimulus (Teacher)

The teacher asks a question or indicates a need. In other words, he provides some kind
of stimulus, which gives a clear context so the students have an idea of what the work is
about and how they need to respond.

Response (Students)

The students respond with answers, information, opinions, and ideas that are their own
but respond to the teacher's stimulus.

Feedback (Teacher)

The teacher responds with some kind of feedback to confirm whether the students are
on the right track or not and guide further eliciting into the subject. A simple "Yes" or
"That's right" is sufficient.
Tips for Effective Teaching
 

There are many ways to elicit information from students, and some prompts will be appropriate
for one situation but not another. Here are some effective strategies for this basic teaching skill.

 Give Instructions such as:  "Answer in the past tense."

 Use Gestures or Mime to elicit actions (running) or moods (excited).
  Use charts, graphs, and diagrams to show the meanings of some of, many of, and most
of as they relate to percentages because the math concepts are universal.
 Give Definitions (Communicative Language Training) such as: "If a man has no friends
or family and lives alone, away from people, what is he?"
 Use Synonyms and Antonyms (TPR): "What's the opposite of the word cheap?”
 Use Realia like bringing in a can opener and showing it to students: "What's this?" "What
do we use it for?" "How do we use it?"
 Use Visual Aids: show a picture of a can opener and ask the same questions. Use a series
of stick figures to demonstrate a series of actions. Show a video and freeze frame (pause)
a section asking, "What's he doing?" "What do you think will happen next?" "What do
you think has just happened?"
 Use Prompts:  "Monday is a holiday. Can you tell me about it? What will you do? How
do you celebrate this holiday?"
 Use Review Items from previous lessons:  Take items that have been taught before and have
students use them in role-play or other activities where they must show mastery of the teaching
point. Have students make lists of previously taught vocabulary for vocabulary bingo or
Pictionary.

Classroom Arrangement
Arranging students’ seating aids the organization of an efficient and effective class.
Whenever possible, we should aim for a seating arrangement that fosters the interaction
patterns (teacher to student, student to teacher, and student to student) that are
planned for our class. Furniture can get in the way of interaction between you and your
students. If there is a desk or a lectern behind which you sit or stand, it could be a real
barrier between you and your students. In addition, many learners are not comfortable
with making mistakes. As a result, some learners will speak or answer a question with a
quiet, low voice because they do not want their mistake to be heard. If the classroom
seating is arranged to place the learners and the teacher within close proximity of each
other, learners can answer at a comfortable volume, which will enhance student
participation. Sometimes a teacher has no choice about how to arrange the classroom.
The seats may be in an auditorium or fixed in place. In such cases, effective teachers
plan specific activities that promote interaction despite the seating arrangement.

Both teachers and students need to be able to move around the classroom for various
activities. There are several alternatives to the traditional rows of chairs separated by
aisles. The semi-circle is one of the easiest to work with and allows for easy movement
between seats and the whiteboard, for example. Sometimes you will just want to
rearrange the students' seats for one particular activity, (for example, a telephone call
role-play activity done in pair work with the seats back-to-back), and then afterwards re-
assemble everyone back into the regular configuration. Below are suggestions for
arrangements for both regular classwork and temporary activities.

Ideas for Consideration

You may have noticed that in the diagrams above students are represented by eight ovals. It
should be easy to extrapolate seating arrangements for twelve or fifteen students, but what can
you do when your class has fifty students? According to current international surveys, the
smallest class sizes tend to be in the wealthier countries in Europe, while the largest are in Asia.
Specifically China, Indonesia, and Korea average from thirty-five to fifty-five students per class.
As you read this module on class management, keep in mind that there are many variables
possible, and it is often the teacher’s responsibility to find creative ways to adapt best practice
teaching strategies to the physical reality. It is also possible that you will be assigned to a
classroom with chairs that are bolted to the floor or one that is open air with noisy construction
going on nearby. Consider how to apply the ideas given in this course to any environment in
which language instruction occurs.

Error Correction
We all make mistakes! But what does it mean when students make mistakes in the
classroom? Is it a sign that your students did not study, does it mean they are just
guessing answers, or that they simply forgot? Does it mean your students are not
learning? Does it mean the students are not actively trying to figure things out for
themselves?

Our attitudes about student errors have changed dramatically over the years. We have
moved 180 degrees from the point of view that mistakes represented a negative side of
the learning process, to a very positive point of view that errors are just a part of that
process. Errors, most teachers agree, show us that a student is taking risks with the
language in her efforts to communicate. Errors tell us, the teachers, where a student is
in her development, and they are key indicators of what needs to be worked on in class.
Furthermore, when helping students with mistakes, we want to aim the student towards
self-correction, a technique that raises her awareness about English, rather than
keeping the student dependent upon the guidance of the teacher.

In the process of helping students with their errors, we want to continue building the
self-confidence of the learners (always encouraging, never discouraging), making the
learners more aware of the language, recognizing the learners’ progress, as well as
helping the learners become more proficient in their use of the language.

Origin of Learner Errors

What are some of the causes of learners' mistakes in the ESL/EFL classroom? We
know through simple observation that learning a new language is a gradual process.
However, teachers can often gain insight by analyzing the types of errors that students
are making.

L1 Interference with Vocabulary and Grammar

This is where students use the forms of their native language (first language) and
translate them directly into English rather than selecting the slightly different vocabulary
word, grammar tense, or structure that should be chosen. These errors will reflect the
specific L1 of the learner since that is the language that is mirrored. Example Error: I
want to make a party for you. (I want to have a party for you.) Example Error: I am here
since Tuesday. (I have been here since Tuesday.) Example Error: She needs book
about irregular verbs. (She needs a book about irregular verbs.)

L1 interference with Syntax

We find many errors in the order of words or phrases of English language learners since
English is relatively inflexible when compared to many other languages. It often insists
on subject-verb-object. Example Error: Him I asked why he did that. (I asked him why
he did that.) Example Error: She’s wearing jeans blue. (She’s wearing blue jeans.)
Example Error: The ball to her kicked I. (I kicked the ball to her.)

L1 interference with Pronunciation

Some sounds are common in English but not used in other languages. In addition, some letters
represent different sounds in other languages than they do in many English words. Example
Error: Pronouncing hit with the sound of heat. Example Error: Dat is fine wid me. (That is fine
with me.) Example Error: Pronouncing frame with the sound of flame.

False Cognates

False cognates cause students to choose words that are inappropriate in English based on the fact
that they look or sound similar to L1 vocabulary. Below are a few examples of false
Spanish/English cognates: words that are similar looking in both languages, but which have
totally different meanings. embarazada means pregnant, not embarrassed;  pretender means to
intend, not to pretend;  actual means current, not actual; and lectura means reading matter, not
lecture.

Overgeneralization

Students misuse forms they have studied because they have not been completely internalized or
students do not know the exceptions or irregular forms yet. Example Error: Did you went skiing
last weekend? (Did you go skiing last weekend?) Example Error: I drived to the mountains. (I
drove to the mountains.) Example Error: Do you know who is he? (Do you know who he is?)

Lapses

Students just forget a form that they already know. It is easy to misspeak when you are
learning a language. Example Error from a tired intermediate student: I’m no feel good
today.

When to Correct Errors

Communicative Language Teaching stresses the need for student-to-student interaction as a

means toward language acquisition. Teachers using this method make a conscious choice about
when and how much to correct students’ errors. The alternative, correcting and refining every
statement until it approaches perfection, is both dull and inefficient. Therefore, our primary goal
is to notice all errors and make thoughtful, clear decisions about how best to respond to them. 

First, consider the purpose of the activity. There is a very good rule of thumb that when you are
working on accuracy in English (for example, when drilling or practicing a new grammar point),
you should correct immediately upon hearing the error. You want students to have a clear model
from which to work.  

On the other hand, when you are working on fluency, as when the students are
engaged in a role-play or a discussion, you should correct at the end of the task.
Why interrupt the flow of the activity when the students are working productively?
Take mental notes or write the mistakes down as notes and deal with them after
the activity is finished. A third option, if the correction is complex, is to set the topic
aside for the day and plan a future lesson to address the students’ needs.

How to Correct Errors

There are many ways to highlight an error. Ideally, teachers pick a technique that communicates
the problem and solution without wordy explanations and digressions. Here are some ideas:

 You can simply tell the student what the mistake was.
 You can elicit the correct form from another student and then ask for the correct form
again from the first student.
 You can repeat the sentence up to the error and indicate with your voice or a gesture that
the student needs to complete the sentence again because something is wrong.
 You can ask a question, e.g. “Was that one person or two?”
 You can show by a facial expression that something is not right.
 You can use a one-word question: Time? Future?
 Combine a gesture with a facial expression.
 Echo the sentence with stress on the error.
 Write the sentence with the error on the board.
  Write a timeline on the board.
 Use the phonemic chart to indicate the sound.

Using timelines and phonemic charts as tools in teaching is covered more in-
depth in the Educator Certificate course.
Assignment Prompt

Instructions 
 

Review the prompts below.

Choose 1 (One) and develop a written response that specifically addresses the instructions. 
You will either submit your answer using a file upload or by writing your answer directly into the submission
text box on the following page of the course. Please clearly name which prompt you chose.

(Word count: between 400 and 700 words.) Submit Only One!

NOTE: Module 3 content will become available when the Module 2 Assignment has been submitted. Your
tutor will provide a grade and feedback the next business day. 

Prompt 1: Classroom Arrangement

Why is the arrangement of desks and chairs important in the ESL/EFL classroom?
Are there learning activities for which the traditional classroom seating arrangement is the most
appropriate?

Choose two of the arrangements as shown in section 2.2. Explain the types of learning
activities for which they would be most appropriate. Compare and contrast.

Prompt 2: Eliciting Information

Take a look at the following vocabulary and decide how you would elicit information from your
students about these. What techniques would you use among those listed in section 2.4? What
other ideas do you have that were not in the module?

 1 - to climb
 2 - to make a decision
 3 - to apologize
 4 - a pineapple
 5 - a tape dispenser

 6 - to adjoin
 7 - jittery
 8 - a leopard
 9 - to crush
 10 - a sign
Prompt 3: Error Correction

Analyze the following sentences; each sentence contains a mistake.

Complete the following steps for each example.

1. Describe in detail the mistake you find.

2. Explain the origin of the mistake (e.g. Is it more related to L1 vocabulary/grammar, L1
syntax, L1 pronunciation, false cognate usage or is it some other problem?)
3. Support your explanation in #2 with details. 
4. Choose whether you would correct the mistake immediately or wait until after the
exercise .
5. Describe the technique you would use to correct the mistake.

 (During a vocabulary exercise you hear:) "I have a compromise to meet him at 6:00 this
evening"
 (During a discussion you hear:) "I go ski next weekend"
 (During a role play you hear:) "Give me one glass of water, waiter!"
 (During vocabulary practice you hear:) "Mexico City is the greatest city in Mexico with
almost 15 million people"
 (During a group class activity you hear:) "She leaves in a small house in town."
 (During a debate you hear:) "He can't play football because of his damaged leg."