Temario de oposiciones

INGLS
Pura M Garca Prez

Temario de oposiciones de

ingls primaria
Pura M Garca Prez

ltima edicin 2016

Autora: Pura M Garca Prez
Maquetacin: Educlia Editorial
Edita: Educlia Editorial
Imprime: ULZAMA DIGITAL S.A.
ISBN: 978-84-92655-55-7
Printed in Spain/Impreso en Espaa.
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MUESTRA TEMARIOS

THEME 20
Foreign language subject in the official educacional curriculum. Criteria to
be reflected in the school educational project and in the school curricular
project.
0. Introduction.
1. Educational organisation in Spain.
2. Foreign languages. General implications and criteria to be considered in primary education.
3. Foreign languages. The common european framework and main
considerations to be reflected in the educational and curricular projects and in lesson planning.
4. Theme overview.
5. Bibliography.
Ver anexos CD
0. INTRODUCTION
When considering teaching foreign languages, findings on good practice show clearly that a large and
invaluable amount of activity is taking place in respect of:
Creating the conditions for good practice at transnational, national, local and individual levels.
Preparing students and teachers for good practice in teacher education.
Supporting and exemplifying good practice through the creation of a languagesfriendly environment at school and through a range of teaching techniques and materials.
Disseminating ideas on good practice and language teaching to a wider audience.
These include ideas for raising the profile of early languages learning in the public, political and educational mind. From the widely varying evidence, it is clear that good practice does not by itself constitute
one conceptual methodology, but is better viewed as a repertoire of measures on which teachers can
draw as appropriate.
The European Commission, in the Promoting Language Learning and Linguistic Diversity: An Action Plan
2004-2006 (2003), has expressed its intent to extend, consolidate and develop the early learning of one
or more foreign or additional languages in each of the EU member states.
Accordingly to the Council of Europe general orientations, the European Common Framework of reference for the teaching and learning of languages and the current Educational Laws in our country, some
important changes have been set into the official National Curriculum for Primary Education in Spain.
These changes and the main guidelines for improving the communicative learning of foreign languages
at compulsory educational levels will be widely described through this theme and linked to the curriculum contents and the curriculum documents which should be elaborated when designing the Primary
school program.

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1. EDUCATIONAL ORGANISATION IN SPAIN

1.1. THE SPANISH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Compulsory primary education in Spain lasts six years - catering for children aged six to 12 years.
Prior to the primary phase, pre-compulsory infant education is regarded as an integral part of the education system, although it remains optional for children. The 2002 Organic Act on the Quality of Education formalized pre-school education into the above two cycles.
The first cycle (for children up to three years of age) is concerned with the education and welfare of
children. The purpose of the second cycle (infant education for three- to six-year-olds) is to care for the
physical, intellectual, emotional, social and moral development of children, In Most places the infant
school is part of the primary school which allows a smooth transition to primary education at the age of
six.
There are four educational phases in the education system:
Phase 1: Pre-compulsory, infant (early years) education, to six years of age.
Phase 2: Compulsory primary education, aged six to 12 years.
Phase 3: Compulsory lower secondary education for 12-to 16-year-olds.
Phase 4: Upper secondary education, post-16.
In terms of education, the Constitution identifies a series of areas over which the State has exclusive competence and others for which the Autonomous Communities may assume responsibility. An Autonomous
Community assumes full powers over education when it takes over all the regulatory and executive
responsibilities not included within the States exclusive area of competence. Spain has recently completed this process of decentralisation; by December 1999, all 17 Autonomous Communities had assumed full powers over education, under the coordination of the, then, Ministry of Education and Culture
(MEC) at national level.
The Autonomous Communities, amongst others:
Oversee the implementation of the national standards defined at MECD level.
Exercise all regulatory and executive powers involved in administering the education system in
their respective regions, which have been devolved to them.
Establish, authorise and operate public and private educational establishments and administer
their personnel, construction, equipment, renovation and reform.
Further develop - at regional level - the national guidelines for curricula.
Conduct research.
Process and grant subsidies to private education establishments.
Administer scholarships and study grants.
Curriculum
There are three levels of control of the curriculum, as follows:
a. The official curriculum (or basic curricular design, Royal Decree 126/2014 of February 28th for the
National Official curriculum for Primary Education), determined both at the national and the Autonomous Community level. The official curriculum sets out objectives in terms of skills, methodogical
principles, and content and assessment criteria.
b. Curricular plans define the actual curriculum which is delivered in school. They must state the educational aims for each of the different stages and levels, the content to be taught in each of them, as
well as the methodological and assessment criteria.
c. Class programmes, in which the individual teacher adapts the schools curricular plan to meet the
needs of the children in his/her class. Every teacher has some discretion for setting concrete standards for his/her class.
Curriculum content
The statutory minimum core curriculum requirements specify that the following areas of knowledge
must be studied at compulsory primary level (children aged six to 12 years):

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 Spanish Language and Literature (and the co-official language and literature of the Autonomous
Community -Valencian Language and Literature.)
Mathematics.
Natural Science.
Social Science.
Foreign languages. (At least one)
Social and civic values or Religion.
Physical Education.
Artistic Education (Plastic arts, Music, Dance, and Drama).

1.2. FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND SPANISH PRIMARY EDUCATION

Under current reform proposals, the study of a foreign language will become compulsory nationwide
from age six and it can be added a second foreign language in the third cycle whenever the Autonomous Communities authorized it. In addition to foreign languages, special emphasis is also being placed
on the command of ICTs and cultural aspects both especially related to foreign languages area of
learning.
The current educational law proposes a foreign languages teaching approach based on the orientations
settled by the Council of Europe and the Modern Language Division in the Common European Framework of reference for learning, teaching and Evaluation of the Languages (2001)
The main objective of teaching foreign languages in Primary Education in Spain is to facilitate the acquisition of students communicative competence, an specific competence which includes not only talkative and expressive skills that are useful to communicate in a foreign language but rather they are also of
vital importance for any other social activity and for the students learning general process. This implies
considering approaches based on communication and focused on the acquisition and development of
communicative competence and the several sub-competences which are involved in it: grammatical
competence, discursive competence, sociolinguistic competence, strategic competence and sociocultural competence.
By means of developing their communicative competence, language learners are able to communicate and to interact. The area of learning of foreign languages contributes to the learners global intellectual and social development, to their development as persons and citizens members of a plurilingual
and multicultural society.
The basic principle derived of this position is the need to learn a language by using it in communicative
contexts which should be as much realistic as possible and meaningful for the learners. These communicative contexts should facilitate communicative language acts that imply the needing to communicate
something to others and to interact with them as a mean of socializing with a real purpose.
The learning contents are grouped into sections related with four learning contexts:
Section 1: Oral comprehension: listening.
Section 2: Oral expression and interaction: speaking.
Section 3: Written comprehension: reading.
Section 4: Written expression and interaction: writing.
ASSESSMENT
Generally, all children are continually assessed during compulsory primary education, by school-based
classroom assessment, and the individual institution, whether it is state or private sector, is responsible for
assessment, and for awarding any relevant certification.
The minimum core curriculum includes basic guidelines for assessment, which is regarded as an integral
part of the curriculum.
Assessment is expected to be:
Global: covering the entire range of abilities set out in the general objectives for primary education and in the assessment criteria for the various areas of knowledge.
Continuous: class teachers constantly gather information about the learning process of children.

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 Formative: designed to regulate and guide the education process by providing a continual flow of
information that enables improvements to be made both in the educational process and its results.
Assessment at this level should also serve to determine any special needs attention required by children.
The identification of any difficulties through assessment could result in the introduction of Individual Curricular Adaptations (ACIs) for some.

2. FOREIGN LANGUAGES. GENERAL IMPLICATIONS AND CRITERIA TO BE CONSIDERED IN

PRIMARY EDUCATION

2.1. A LANGUAGE IS USED IN SITUATIONS

The National Curriculum for the Teaching of English in Spain (Royal Decree 126/2014 of February 28th)
refers to the fact that learners need English both for educational, vocational and recreational purposes.
Spanish teachers/learners of English need therefore to be made aware of the importance of context for
language use and be prepared to adapt English to any given situation.
In situations of foreign language use, there is often communication between people from different cultures. The curriculum stresses the need for learners to develop an awareness of the `cultural context of
the foreign language, and to get new insight not only into the foreign culture, but also into their own
cultural background. Successful communication, it is said, depends not only on linguistic competence,
but also on the ability to communicate `across cultural differences.
According to the National Curriculum, the main goal for the teaching of English is to develop the students ability to use English, and to stimulate them to interact with people from `English speaking and
other cultures.
The focus in the curriculum on the cultural dimension of the teaching of English corresponds with an increased awareness internationally of the link between language and culture. Research on the role of
context for language use has led to the understanding that language and culture are in fact two sides
of the same coin, and that teaching one without the other is no longer a feasible option.
Focus has been put on the need for foreign language students to become aware of the cultural frames of
reference that always constitute the backdrop for language use, both in ones native and in the foreign
language.

2.2. THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Foreign language learning begins with the main aim of developing language awareness, a general
consciousness of linguistic phenomena (relationship with the native language or other languages present in the classroom environment). The focus here is on partial objectives concerned above all with an
individuals general competences (discovery or recognition by the school of the plurality of languages
and cultures, preparation for moving away from ethnocentrism, relativisation but also confirmation of
the learners own linguistic and cultural identity; attention paid to body language and gestures, sound
aspects, music and rhythm, experience of the physical and aesthetic dimensions of certain elements of
another language) and their relationship with communicative competence, but without there being a
structured and explicit attempt to develop this specific competence.
The first foreign language starts with the emphasis on basic oral communication and a clearly predetermined linguistic content (with the aim of establishing the beginnings of a basic linguistic component,
primarily phonetic and syntactic aspects, while promoting elementary oral interaction in class).

2.3. ASSESSMENT

Assessment is described in this section in the sense of the assessment of the proficiency of the language
user. Evaluation is a term which is again broader than assessment. All assessment is a form of evaluation,
but in a language programme a number of things are evaluated other than learner proficiency. These
may include the effectiveness of particular methods or materials, the kind and quality of discourse actually produced in the programme, learner/teacher satisfaction, teaching effectiveness, etc.

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 Achievement assessment is the assessment of the achievement of specific objectives assessment

of what has been taught. It therefore relates to the weeks/terms work, the course book, the syllabus. Achievement assessment is oriented to the course. It represents an internal perspective.
Proficiency assessment on the other hand is assessment of what someone can do/knows in relation
to the application of the subject in the real world. It represents an external perspective.
Continuous assessment is assessment by the teacher and possibly by the learner of class performances, pieces of work and projects throughout the course. The final grade thus reflects the whole
course/year/semester.
Fixed point assessment is when grades are awarded and decisions made on the basis of an examination or other assessment which takes place on a particular day, usually the end of the course or
before the beginning of a course. What has happened beforehand is irrelevant; it is what the person
can do now that is decisive.
Formative assessment is an ongoing process of gathering information on the extent of learning, on
strengths and weaknesses, which the teacher can feed back into their course planning and the actual feedback they give learners. Formative assessment is often used in a very broad sense so as to
include non-quantifiable information from questionnaires and consultations.
Summative assessment sums up attainment at the end of the course with a grade. It is not necessarily proficiency assessment. Indeed a lot of summative assessment is norm referenced, fixed-point,
achievement assessment.

3. FOREIGN LANGUAGES. THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK AND MAIN CONSIDERATIONS TO BE REFLECTED IN THE EDUCATIONAL AND CURRICULAR PROJECTS AND IN
LESSON PLANNING

3.1. THE COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK

The Common European Framework, which has been elaborated by the Modern Languages Division of
the Council of Europe (2001), provides a common basis for the elaboration of language syllabuses, curriculum guidelines, examinations, textbooks, etc. across Europe. It describes in a comprehensive way
what language learners have to learn to do in order to use a language for communication and what
knowledge and skills they have to develop so as to be able to act effectively. The description also covers
the cultural context in which language is set. The Framework also defines the levels of proficiency which
allow learners progress to be measured at each stage of learning and on a life-long basis.
The Common European Framework is intended to overcome the barriers to communication among
professionals working in the field of modern languages arising from the different educational systems in
Europe. It provides the means for educational administrators, course designers, teachers, teacher trainers, examining bodies, etc., to reflect on their current practice, with a view to situating and co-ordinating
their efforts and to ensuring that they meet the real needs of the learners for whom they are responsible.
By providing a common basis for the explicit description of objectives, content and methods, the Framework will enhance the transparency of courses, syllabuses and qualifications, thus promoting international co-operation in the field of modern languages. The provision of objective criteria for describing
language proficiency will facilitate the mutual recognition of qualifications gained in different learning
contexts, and accordingly will aid European mobility.

3.2. PLURILINGUALISM

In recent years, the concept of plurilingualism has grown in importance in the Council of Europes approach to language learning. Plurilingualism differs from multilingualism, which is the knowledge of a
number of languages, or the co-existence of different languages in a given society.
The plurilingual approach emphasises the fact that as an individual persons experience of language
in its cultural contexts expands, from the language of the home to that of society at large and then to
the languages of other peoples (whether learnt at school or college, or by direct experience), he or
she does not keep these languages and cultures in strictly separated mental compartments, but rather
builds up a communicative competence to which all knowledge and experience of language contributes and in which languages interrelate and interact. In different situations, a person can call flexibly

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upon different parts of this competence to achieve effective communication with a particular interlocutor. For instance, partners may switch from one language or dialect to another, exploiting the ability of
each to express themselves in one language and to understand the other; or a person may call upon
the knowledge of a number of languages to make sense of a text, written or even spoken, in a previously
unknown language, recognising words from a common international store in a new guise.
From this perspective, the aim of language education is profoundly modified. It is no longer seen as simply to achieve mastery of one or two, or even three languages, each taken in isolation, with the ideal
native speaker as the ultimate model. Instead, the aim is to develop a linguistic repertory, in which all
linguistic abilities have a place. This implies, of course, that the languages offered in educational institutions should be diversified and students given the opportunity to develop a plurilingual competence.
Furthermore, once it is recognised that language learning is a lifelong task, the development of a young
persons motivation, skill and confidence in facing new language experience out of school comes to be
of central importance. The responsibilities of educational authorities, qualifying examining bodies and
teachers cannot simply be confined to the attainment of a given level of proficiency in a particular language at a particular moment in time, important though that undoubtedly is.

3.3. AN ACTION-ORIENTED APPROACH

A comprehensive, transparent and coherent frame of reference for language learning, teaching and
assessment must relate to a very general view of language use and learning. The approach proposed
by the CEFRL, generally speaking, is an actionoriented one in so far as it views users and learners of a
language primarily as social agents, i.e. members of society who have tasks (not exclusively languagerelated) to accomplish in a given set of circumstances, in a specific environment and within a particular
field of action. While acts of speech occur within language activities, these activities form part of a wider
social context, which alone is able to give them their full meaning. We speak of tasks in so far as the
actions are performed by one or more individuals strategically using their own specific competences
to achieve a given result. The actionbased approach therefore also takes into account the cognitive,
emotional and volitional resources and the full range of abilities specific to and applied by the individual
as a social agent.
Accordingly, any form of language use and learning could be described as follows:
Competences are the sum of knowledge, skills and characteristics that allow a person to perform
actions.
General competences are those not specific to language, but which are called upon for actions
of all kinds, including language activities.
Communicative language competences are those which empower a person to act using specifically linguistic means.
- Context refers to the constellation of events and situational factors (physical and others), both internal
and external to a person, in which acts of communication are embedded.
Language activities involve the exercise of ones communicative language competence in a
specific domain in processing (receptively and/or productively) one or more texts in order to carry
out a task.
- Language processes refer to the chain of events, neurological and physiological, involved in the production and reception of speech and writing.
Text is any sequence or discourse (spoken and/or written) related to a specific domain and which
in the course of carrying out a task becomes the occasion of a language activity, whether as a
support or as a goal, as product or process.
Domain refers to the broad sectors of social life in which social agents operate. A higher order
categorisation has been adopted here limiting these to major categories relevant to language
learning/teaching and use: the educational, occupational, public and personal domains.
A strategy is any organised, purposeful and regulated line of action chosen by an individual to
carry out a task which he or she sets for himself or herself or with which he or she is confronted.
A task is defined as any purposeful action considered by an individual as necessary in order to
achieve a given result in the context of a problem to be solved, an obligation to fulfill or an objective to be achieved. This definition would cover a wide range of actions such as moving a wardrobe, writing a book, obtaining certain conditions in the negotiation of a contract, playing a game
of cards, ordering a meal in a restaurant, translating a foreign language text or preparing a class
newspaper through group work.
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3.4. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE PROCESSES

Act as a speaker, writer, listener or reader; the learner must be able to carry out a sequence of skilled
actions.

3.5. ERRORS AND MISTAKES

Errors are due to an interlanguage, a simplified or distorted representation of the target competence.
When the learner makes errors, his performance truly accords with his competence, which has developed characteristics different from those of L2/FL norms. Mistakes, on the other hand, occur in performance when a user/learner (as might be the case with a native speaker) does not bring his competences properly into action.
Different attitudes may be taken to learner errors, according to the European Common Framework:
a) Errors and mistakes are evidence of failure to learn;
b) Errors and mistakes are evidence of inefficient teaching;
c) Errors and mistakes are evidence of the learners willingness to communicate despite risks;
d) Errors are an inevitable, transient product of the learners developing interlanguage.
e) Mistakes are inevitable in all language use, including that of native speakers.
The action to be taken with regard to learner mistakes and errors may be:
a) All errors and mistakes should be immediately corrected by the teacher;
b) Immediate peer-correction should be systematically encouraged to eradicate errors;
c) All errors should be noted and corrected at a time when doing so does not interfere with communication (e.g. by separating the development of accuracy from the development of fluency);
d) Errors should not be simply corrected, but also analysed and explained at an appropriate time;
e) Mistakes which are mere slips should be passed over, but systematic errors should be eradicated;
f) Errors should be corrected only when they interfere with communication;
g) Errors should be accepted as transitional interlanguage and ignored.

3.6. SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS (SEN)

In the field of foreign languages a major emphasis within the acquisition of communicative competence
is educational provision for all which leads towards each citizen having some competence in at least
two Community languages. Access to educational opportunities in foreign languages is part of the social dimension of European integration, and a means for the individual to benefit from occupational and
personal opportunities. In addition, access to foreign language learning at school is directly linked to the
promotion of lifelong learning and European citizenship. Individuals are protected from any discriminatory practice on grounds including disability and genetic features, which would exclude them from such
access Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union 2001, Article 21.
Thus, we may assume that all young people in the European Union, whatever their disability, whether
educated in mainstream or segregated schools/streams, have equal rights to foreign languages education according to provision of opportunity and resources in their respective environments. Ensuring full
access to foreign language learning is fundamentally an issue of responding to diversity. Scientific knowledge on cognition and learning, and insight into individual learning styles, has advanced considerably
in recent years. In addition, the teaching profession has focused on designing methodologies so that
language learning suits a range of diverse language learning styles.
The foundation of good foreign language teaching practice rests on responding to the diverse language learning styles of the individual. This applies to all learners regardless of age, ability or disability.
Recent good practice in SEN has led to the development of Individual Educational Plans (IEP). The IEP
has been given special prominence during the shift towards inclusion of SEN pupils into mainstream
education. The IEP allows those responsible for the individual, and the individual him/herself, to design
an adapted educational plan specific to the persons abilities and disabilities.
Quality foreign language teaching practice for pupils with SEN requires methodologies which are equally
good for non-SEN pupils alongside specific interventions according to the profile of attitudes, aptitudes,
and needs in the individuals IEP. Across the board, these methods require enhanced multi-sensory input
and adaptive support.
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The aim of teaching foreign languages to pupils with special needs goes beyond preparing him/her to
have a specific level of communicative competence in order to use a target language in professional
and personal life. SEN pupils can and do achieve high levels of foreign language competence, but
there are those who do not. However, these lower level achievers are able to achieve other benefits,
relating to personal and educational development, alongside possible modest linguistic achievements.
To encourage a pupil to bypass foreign language learning because of low foreign language communicative performance expectations is to deny him/her access to these benefits which link directly to
European citizenship.
Pupils with special needs are only one part of the diversity jigsaw to which the foreign language learning
systems will need to further adapt leading to benefits for all.

4. THEME OVERVIEW
In Spain, after the proposals derived from the latest educational reform and from the Council of Europe
educational orientations, some changes have been made into the primary curriculum to implement the
importance of beginning to learn foreign languages at early ages, officially in the first cycle of primary
education, although in infant education they have the first contact with the foreign language.
If children are to pick up English in a natural way, their early classroom experience should be essentially in English and language should ideally be acquired in a similar way to the bilingual child with the
teacher taking a similar role to the bilingual parent.
This means learning the foreign language through the learning process itself in a communicative way. At
primary stage, according to the National Curriculum, children are learning:
to communicate / to learn
to live with others in harmony / to interact confidently
to know about the world and life
to respond to stimuli / to control their responses
to use their different forms of intelligence creatively
to play and to work together in harmony
The KEY to primary FL learning is:
Knowledge: of language and linguistic culture songs, rhymes, games, routines, social skills, etc
of how children acquire language and of the general curriculum in all areas;
Experience and Enthusiasm: of early-learning in general; your own, your colleagues and your pupils;
Young Learner Friendly Environment: both physical classroom and equipment and affective a
teacher who brings confidence, affection, security, interest and enjoyment to learning and who
respects each childs learning process and rhythm.
Finally, we can list the items which characterize a good elementary school in foreign language teaching:
The foreign language is used (almost) exclusively.
Classroom activities involve meaningful and purposeful language use.
The environment is child-centred and instructional experiences are developmentally appropriate.
The content of the elementary school curriculum is integrated with language learning.
The target culture is an integral part of instruction and is coordinated with the social studies program.

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5. BIBLIOGRAPHY
PROMOTING LANGUAGE LEARNING AND LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY. Commission of the European communities (at EURYDICE Network)
CURRICULAR CHANGE: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE.
Referencias legislativas:
THE ORGANIC ACT OF EDUCATION (Ley Orgnica 2/2006 de 3 de Mayo de 2006, de Educacin LOE)
THE ORGANIC ACT ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION (8/2013 of 9th of December)
The Royal Decree 126/2014 of February 28th, which stablish the curriculum in Primary Education
Webgrafa:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/doc/com596_es.pdf
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/CADRE_EN.asp
http://www.eurydice.org
http://ibe.unesco.org/publications/prospects02_05.htm

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THEME 21
Programming in the foreign language area: planning units. Criteria for sequencing and scheduling contents and objectives, selecting the methodologhy to be used in learning and evaluation activies.
0. Introduction.
1. Models for planning efl teaching.
2. Planning efl lessons.
3. Guidelines for planning lessons.
4. Categories which form the organization of the plan.
5. Curriculum and lesson planning.
6. Evaluation, assessment, testing and primary efl students.
7. Theme overview.
8. Bibliography.
Anexos (opcionales: ver cd)
0. INTRODUCTION
Move a child into a foreign language environment surrounded by adults and other children using the
same foreign language and that child will quickly pick up the foreign language. Comprehension will
come first but production will soon follow, starting with one word responses and utterances. The childs
comprehension will develop and her production will become more complex until, after just a few years,
she will use the foreign language in much the same way as native-speaker children of her age group.
If children (and, to a lesser degree, adults) can acquire a foreign language without the need for formal
instruction, why do we need to give lessons?
The child described in the first paragraph will have massive exposure to the foreign language - ten hours
each day or more! The child also has a very strong survival motivation to acquire the new language.
Only through that language can she eat, drink, make friends and play games.
In our normal schools, we cannot reproduce those conditions. If we cant reproduce the conditions of
natural acquisition, we are forced to adopt a system of graded exposure to the foreign language, and
a similar graded presentation and explanation of the systems of the new language. In fact, we have to
develop a language learning syllabus.
The language learning syllabus is made from a series of language learning events (lessons) which, traditionally, are equal in duration, take place at fixed times and locations and follow a regular weekly
pattern.
Through this theme, we will describe the main steps for planning EFL lessons and some important considerations that teachers should take into account when planning their language lessons.
Finally, we will explain the main characteristics of assessment, evaluation and testing all three concepts
related specially to young EFL learners.

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1. MODELS FOR PLANNING EFL TEACHING

1.1. COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING

Communicative language classrooms, according to Wesche and Skehan (2002), are characterized by
the following traits:
Activities based on interaction between learners to solve problems
Use of authentic texts linked to real world concepts, with an emphasis on multimedia modes of
presentation
Feature learner-centred approaches to teaching that consider individual backgrounds, needs, and
goals
Allow student input into instructional decisions
Within these classrooms, the emphasis is placed on creating opportunities for communication. Interaction, real-world concepts, and individualized instruction all promote additional opportunities for communication that may not exist in a standard classroom setting.
Wesche and Skehan also provide some explanation as to the avenues in which teachers can approach
these aims. To summarize:
Design lessons to emphasize group or pair work
Regularly review learning goals and objectives with students
Increase opportunities for students to learn and use language in context with the learning process
Link communicative tasks with curricular goals as the central organizing theme of lesson and unit planning
Include content from other disciplines whenever possible, as a vehicle for language development.

1.2. PLANNING MODELS FOR USE IN EFL CLASSROOMS

In this section, we will focus on four lesson planning models for use in second/ foreign language classrooms: Presentation-Practice-Production (PPP); Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT); Harmers EngageStudy-Activate (ESA); Bilashs Second/Foreign Language Instructional Model (B-SLIM). Each of these
models has their benefits and drawbacks, yet all have utility and application in the second/ foreign
language classroom.

1.2.1. Presentation, Practice, Production (PPP)

The most commonly used method of lesson planning in second/ foreign language teaching.
Based on the Grammar Translation method.
PPP does not accommodate for Krashens Natural Order Hypothesis (1982). Students are given
concepts for mastery as opposed to acquiring them naturally in a predetermined order
At the same time, PPP retains functionality for instructional situations that require an explicit focus
on form.
a. Presentation
Introduce the language and form(s) to be studied
Explain concepts, provide definitions
b. Practice
The students practice using the language and/or form(s) introduced by the teacher
De-contextualized drilling, rote repetition
Accuracy emphasized over fluency
c. Production
After students demonstrate successful use of language and/or form(s) in practice phase, the students are given an opportunity to use what they have learned in a less controlled setting

1.2.2 Task-based language teaching (tblt)

Based on the assumptions of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), theories that suggest language use promotes development

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 SLA Research suggests interlanguage development is a natural process; the use of tasks that promote language use encourages this process
Activities Vs. Tasks:
- In Tasks, meaning is considered the primary aim
- A relationship exists between the task, and a comparable, real-world context
- Tasks contain an information gap that must be resolved
- Learners learn to construct their own meanings
The TBLT Framework (Willis 1996):
- Pre-Task Phase
- Task Cycle Phase
- Pre-task
- Planning
- Report
- Language Focus Phase
- Language Practice
- Language Analysis

1.2.3. Jeremy harmers engage-study-activate (esa)

Stages (ESA)
Engage
- Arouse student interest by involving their emotions
Study
- The main focus in this stage is the construction of language
- Can be explicit or implicit
Activate
- Activities or exercises used with the aim of getting the students using the target language
as freely and communicatively as possible
During the Engage phase, the teacher tries to arouse the students interest and engage their emotions. This might be through a game, the use of a picture, audio recording or video sequence, a
dramatic story, an amusing anecdote, etc. The aim is to arouse the students interest, curiosity and
attention. The PPP model seems to suggest that students come to lessons ready motivated to listen
and engage with the teachers presentation.
The Study phase activities are those which focus on language (or information) and how it is constructed. The focus of study could vary from the pronunciation of one particular sound to the
techniques an author uses to create excitement in a longer reading text; from an examination of
a verb tense to the study of a transcript of an informal conversation to study spoken style. There
are many different styles of study, from group examination of a text to discover topic-related vocabulary to the teacher giving an explanation of a grammatical pattern. Harmer says, Successful
language learning in a classroom depends on a judicious blend of subconscious language acquisition (through listening and reading, for example) and the kind of Study activities we have looked
at here.
This element describes the exercises and activities which are designed to get students to use the
language as communicatively as they can. During Activate, students do not focus on language
construction or practise particular language patterns, but use their full language knowledge in the
selected situation or task.

1.2.4. Bilashs second language instructional model (bslim)

a. Planning and Preparation
Plan activities
Prepare and adapt materials
Plan for all learner styles and ability levels
Break learning into manageable pieces

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b. Comprehensible Input
Build on what learners know
Presents new information in accordance with Millers Magic Number (7 +/- 2 chunks)
Use multiple senses, multiple modalities
This stage requires teaching and modelling to be effective
c. Intake Getting It
Repetition, practice, review
Structure activities for success
Balance fluency and accuracy
Involve 3-5 activities that become progressively more difficult and demanding as the learner
progresses through this phase
d. Output Using It
Focus on fluency, not accuracy
Meaningful
Criterion-based and timed
Personal and relevant to individual
Develops spontaneity and automaticity
e. Assessment & Evaluation
Formative (throughout)
Summative (at the conclusion)
Provide personalized feedback

2. PLANNING EFL LESSONS

According to C. Robertson, planning is one of those essential skills of the competent teacher. Every lesson and class is different. The content depends on what the teacher wants to achieve in the lesson. However it is possible to make some generalisations. Students who are interested in, involved in and enjoy
what they are studying tend to make better progress and learn faster.
When thinking about an English lesson it is useful therefore to keep the following three elements in mind
- Engage - Study - Activate
Engage. This means getting the students interested in the class. Engaging students is important for the
learning process.
Study. Every lesson usually needs to have some kind of language focus. The study element of a lesson
could be a focus on any aspect of the language, such as grammar or vocabulary and pronunciation.
A study stage could also cover revision and extension of previously taught material.
Activate. Telling students about the language is not really enough to help them learn it. For students
to develop their use of English they need to have a chance to produce it. In an activate stage the
students are given tasks which require them to use not only the language they are studying that day,
but also other language that they have learnt.

2.1. WHAT IS A LESSON PLAN?

A lesson plan is a framework for a lesson. If you imagine a lesson is like a journey, then the lesson plan is
the map. It shows you where you start, where you finish and the route to take to get there.
Essentially the lesson plan sets out what the teacher hopes to achieve over the course of the lesson and
how he or she hopes to achieve it. Usually they are in written form but they dont have to be. New or
inexperienced teachers may want to or be required to produce very detailed plans - showing clearly
what is happening at any particular time in the lesson. However in a realistic teaching environment it is
perhaps impractical to consider this detail in planning on a daily basis.
As teachers gain experience and confidence planning is just as important but teachers develop the
ability to plan more quickly and very experienced teachers may be able to go into class with just a short
list of notes or even with the plan in their heads.Whatever the level of experience, it is important that all
teachers take time to think through their lessons before they enter the classroom.

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2.2. WHY IS PLANNING IMPORTANT?

One of the most important reasons to plan is that the teacher needs to identify his or her aims for the lesson. Teachers need to know what it is they want their students to be able to do at the end of the lesson
that they couldnt do before. Here are some more reasons because planning is important:
gives the teacher the opportunity to predict possible problems and therefore consider solutions
makes sure that lesson is balanced and appropriate for class
gives teacher confidence
planning is generally good practice and a sign of professionalism

2.3. DO WE NEED TO PLAN IF WE HAVE A COURSE BOOK?

Many teachers will find themselves having to use a course book. There are advantages and disadvantages to having a course book - but although they do provide a ready made structure for teaching
material, it is very unlikely the material was written for the teachers particular students. Each class is different and teachers need to be able to adapt material from whatever source so that is suitable for their
students. A course book can certainly help planning, but it cannot replace the teachers own ideas for
what he or she wants to achieve in a class.

2.4. WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING?

Aims - considering realistic goals for the lesson, not too easy but not too difficult. You may find the
following checklist useful:
- What do the students know already?
- What do the students need to know?
- What did you do with the students in the previous class?
- How well do the class work together?
- How motivated are the students?
Variety - an important way of getting and keeping the students engaged and interested.
Flexibility - expect the unexpected! Things dont always go to plan in most lessons. Experienced
teachers have the ability to cope when things go wrong. Its useful when planning to build in some
extra and alternative tasks and exercises. Also teachers need to be aware of what is happening in
the classroom. Students may raise an interesting point and discussions could provide unexpected
opportunities for language work and practice. In these cases it can be appropriate to branch away
from the plan.

Effective lesson planning is the basis of effective teaching. A plan is a guide for the teacher as to where
to go and how to get there. However - dont let the plan dominate - be flexible in your planning so that
when the opportunities arise you can go with the flow.

3. GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING LESSONS

Here are some pointers which help teachers to plan their EFL lessons:
a. Identify the potential pitfalls. Since you know your students, and you know what they have covered
in your class, you are best situated to identify problems they are likely to encounter.
b. Prepare the students for the main task. Once you have a fix on the potential problems, try to think
of ways you can help the students surmount them while performing class activities. There are essentially two ways for you to do that: you can focus on the problems in a concentrated fashion by, for
example, having the students do a contextualized exercise, or you can structure the whole sequence
of activities in such a way as to require systematic repetition and review.
c. Put the students on task. After you have decided how to prepare the students for the lesson that
awaits them, design activities that require them to do something even while you present new material. For example, you might want to distribute a list of five statements about the topic (which may also
contain key vocabulary, by the way), then you go over these sentences with the students before you
introduce the new material. Tell them to decide, while they are listening to your presentation, whether
each statement is true or false. In that way, you are providing a focused listening exercise while asking
students to absorb new material critically.

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d. Be concrete. As we have indicated, make use of realia, diagrams, illustrations, lab equipment,
and the like in presenting new material. In general, students are more likely to absorb new concepts
inductively from an example or a demonstration than from a series of abstract propositions.
e. Do listening/speaking before reading/writing. Build in time for the students to talk as well as listen,
and give them an opportunity to talk about what they have learned before you ask them to read
about it.
f. Integrate work on the language. As suggested above, insinuating language activities is largely a
matter of anticipating the students problems and devising activities that require repeated attention
to problem areas. With enough examples and encouragement, most students simply fall into this pattern without having to pay much attention, if any, to the formal properties of the structure.
g. Maximize student-student interaction. Students need to spend as much time as possible practicing the language -and, incidentally, getting the lessons key concepts straight and comfortably encoded in the appropriate language. Therefore, take advantage of the presence of other students
to create opportunities for them to talk to each other. Show them how much confidence you have in
them as learners by letting them field each others questions.
h. Pay attention to form and function.
i. Use a variety of stimuli. Consider, for example, how you can get key concepts across by taking a
demonstration approach (i.e., by demonstrating what you want students to learn in an experiment
or small group activity). Bring objects into the classroom that can be used for that purpose and put
them to use.
j. Set time aside for summary and review. Needless to say, it is always useful to tie off what is covered in
a lesson, and to do that in every class as a matter of routine. Sometimes, simple discussion is enough;
sometimes, a more structured activity is needed. In any case, it is important for the students to come
up with the information with minimal prompting.

4. CATEGORIES WHICH FORM THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PLAN

To begin to organize the plan, ask yourself three basic questions:

Where are your students going?

How are they going to get there?
How will you know when theyve arrived?

Then
begin to think about each of the following
categories
which form the organization of the plan.
While planning, use the questions below to guide you during each stage.
GOALS
Goals determine purpose, aim, and rationale for what you and your students will engage in during class
time. Use this section to express the intermediate lesson goals that draw upon previous plans and activities and set the stage by preparing students for future activities and further knowledge acquisition. The
goals are typically written as broad educational or unit goals adhering to National or Autonomic curriculum standards.
What are the broader objectives, aims, or goals of the unit plan/
curriculum? What are your goals for this unit? What do you expect
students to be able to do by the end of this unit?
OBJECTIVES
This section focuses on what your students will do to acquire further knowledge and skills. The objectives
for the daily lesson plan are drawn from the broader aims of the unit plan but are achieved over a well
defined time period.

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 What will students be able to do during this lesson? Under what conditions will
students performance be accomplished? What is the degree or criterion on
the basis of which satisfactory attainment of the objectives will be judged?
How will students demonstrate that they have learned and understood the
objectives of the lesson?
PREREQUISITES
Prerequisites can be useful when considering the readiness state of your students. Prerequisites allow
you, and other teachers replicating your lesson plan, to factor in necessary prep activities to make sure
that students can meet the lesson objectives.
What must students already be able to do before this lesson? What concepts
have to be mastered in advance to accomplish the lesson objectives?

MATERIALS
This section has two functions: it helps other teachers quickly determine a) how much preparation time,
resources, and management will be involved in carrying out this plan and b) what materials, books,
equipment, and resources they will need to have ready. A complete list of materials, including full citations of textbooks or story books used, worksheets, and any other special considerations are most useful.
What materials will be needed?
What textbooks or story books are needed? What needs to be prepared in
advance?
LESSON DESCRIPTION
This section provides an opportunity for the author of the lesson to share some thoughts, experience,
and advice with other teachers. It also provides a general overview of the lesson in terms of topic focus,
activities, and purpose.
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
This section focuses on ensuring that your students have arrived at their intended destination. You will
need to gather some evidence that they did. This usually is done by gathering students work and assessing this work using some kind of grading rubric that is based on lesson objectives. You could also replicate some of the activities practiced as part of the lesson, without providing the same level of guidance
as during the lesson. You could always quiz students on various concepts and problems as well.
How will you evaluate the objectives that were identified? Have students
practiced what you are asking them to do for evaluation?

5. CURRICULUM AND LESSON PLANNING

Tanner (1975) defined Curriculum as the planned and guided learning experiences and intended learning outcomes, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences, under
the auspices of the school, for the learners continuous and wilful growth in personal social competence.

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6. EVALUATION, ASSESSMENT, TESTING AND PRIMARY EFL STUDENTS

As S. Ioannou-Georgiou and P. Pavlou explain, the terms evaluation, assessment and testing are often
confused and used interchangeably. They do not, however, mean the same thing. Testing is just one
part of assessment. Assessment and evaluation are more general, more global processes which are
deeply described by Ionnou-Georgiou and Pavlou in their book Assessing Young Learners:
EVALUATION. Evaluation is the process of gathering information in order to determine the extent to which
a language programme meets its goals. Relevant information can be teachers and parents opinions,
textbook quality, exam results, and childrens attitude. Some of the tools of the evaluation process are
tests, questionnaires, textbook analysis, and observation.
ASSESSMENT. This is a general term which includes all methods used to gather information about childrens knowledge, ability, understanding, attitudes, and motivation. Assessment can be carried out
through a number of instruments (for example, tests, self-assessment), and can be formal or informal.
TESTING. Testing is one of the procedures that can be used to assess a childs performance. A test has a
certain objective, for example, to see to what extend a child understands a written text. The tests then
checks whether the child has achieved this objective. Testing uses tasks or exercises and assigns marks
or grades based on quantifiable results.

6.1. TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT

Teachers are accountable for childrens progress first to the children themselves, also the parents, the
head teacher, the school authorities, and others. Consequently, teachers need evidence of the childrens progress. Resorting to traditional tests, although they are widely accepted and generally considered objective, is not the ideal solution for children.
Children are different from other groups of learners. Traditional tests can have negative effects on their
self-esteem, motivation, and overall attitudes towards learning and the target language.
According to Ionnou-Georgiou and Pavlou, the recognition that children have special needs has led to
the development of effective teaching methodologies that take into account childrens creativity and
their love of play, songs, rhymes, activity and role-play. These methodologies also recognize childrens
limitations in terms of their short attention span, their cognitive development, and their specific areas of
interest. As these methodologies have been introduced into classroom teaching, classrooms have become more learner-centred and child-friendly.
Assessment, on the other hand, although an integral part of teaching that should reflect and complement the methodologies used in class, has not developed in the same way. This problem has long been
recognized but only recently addressed.

6.2. WHY ASSESS YOUNG CHILDREN?

As suggested by Ionnou-Georgiou and Pavlou, assessment may at first sound threatening and not suited
to a childs nature, but it is a necessary part of teaching and learning. Assessment can serve the following purposes:
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-To monitor and aid childrens progress. A teacher needs to be constantly aware of what children
know, what difficulties they are experiencing, and how best to help them. On the basis of assessment
outcomes you are able to give individualized help to each child.
-To provide children with evidence of their progress and enhance motivation. Assessment results give
children tangible evidence of their progress. Learning a language is a long process. Achieving shortterm goals (for example, knowing the colours, being able to tell the time) can boost childrens motivation and encourage them to persist in their efforts.
Assessment can also help children to focus on areas that need more work before they can achieve
a short-term goal. Becoming aware of the progress expected of them within a given time-frame can
motivate children, as they see themselves getting closer to their goal. This makes them try harder to
achieve their goal.
-To provide information for parents, colleagues, and school authorities. Many other people, besides
the children and the teacher, need to be kept informed on the childs progress. Parents, for example,
need to know whether their childrens efforts and the schools/teachers language programme are
yielding satisfactory results.

6.3. WHAT DO WE ASSESS?

Ionnou-Georgiou and Pavlou describe the following skills and attitudes which should be assessed:
Skills development. Although language often involves the use of all four skills in an integrated way,
in assessment we may want to consider each skill separately, so that we can examine the childrens
progress and/or detect problems in that particular skill.
Listening is an active skill that includes the use of many sub-skills such as predicting content, inferring
meaning from content, listening for gist, and listening for detailed information. Children are able to
use the basic sub-skills in their own language. Some of these sub-skills, such as inferring meaning and
predicting content, should also be practised in the FL classroom. T
Speaking also consists of a number of elements such as pronunciation, intonation, and turn-taking.
But the overall aim of speaking is to achieve oral communication, i.e. to be able to convey messages.
Reading involves various sub-skills similar to the ones in listening: reading for detail (intensive reading), reading for gist (skimming), reading for specific information (scanning), predicting content, and
inferring meaning from content and context.
Writing is considered the most difficult language skill, since it includes so many other elements such
as handwriting, spelling, syntax, grammar, paragraphing, ideas, etc. For this age group the most
important writing skills are mastering the Roman alphabet, copying, handwriting, spelling and basic
sentence formation.
Integrated skills. Assessing skills separately may be justified for assessment purposes but often it does
not reflect real-life and rarely used in isolation. For this reason, they should also be assessed integratively.

7. THEME OVERVIEW
Lesson Planning

Objectives

Activities

Materials

Timing

Lesson Plan

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While planning a lesson, a teacher should think about each of the following categories:
1. Goals: Think about (1) broad objectives of the course, (2) goals of the particular lesson, (3) what
students should be able to achieve after the lesson.
2. Objectives within the lesson: Define what your students will do to acquire further knowledge and
skills and how they will be able to demonstrate that they have learned.
3. Prerequisites
4. Materials: What will be needed, e.g. what is available (make a list/bibliography) and what will have
to be prepared.
5. Lesson Description: Describe the general focus of the lesson and include thoughts to share with
other teachers. May include learning level.
6. Lesson Procedure
7. Assessment / Evaluation: Define how you will assess students learning. Also evaluate if students
engaged in suggested practice.

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY
HARMER, JEREMY. (1998). How to teach English. Longman.
LARSEN-FREEMAN, DIANE. (1986). Techniques and principles in language teaching. Oxford University
Press.
RICHARDS, JACK C. & RODGERS, THEODORE S. (2001). Approaches and methods in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.
WESCHE, M.B. & SKEHAN, PETER. (2002). Communicative, task-based, and content-based language
instruction. In R.B Kaplan (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Applied Linguistics. Oxford University Press.
WILLIS, J. (1996). A framework for task-based learning. Addison Wesley Longman.
IONNOU-GEORGIOU, S.; PAVLOU, P. (2005). Assessing Young Learners. Oxford University Press
Referencias legislativas:
THE ORGANIC ACT ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION (8/2013 of 9th of December)
The Royal Decree 126/2014 of February 28th, which stablish the curriculum in Primary Education
Order ECD / 65/2015 of 21 January, the relations between the competences, content and evaluation
criteria of primary education, compulsory secondary education and high school are described.
Webgrafa:
http://www.teacherplanet.com/guidelines.php
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p2_5

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