Teaching language functions
- 2. 1-Introduction 2-what are Language Functions 3- How functions should be taught 4-Types of Language Functions 5-Stages of Teaching Language Functions 6-Some activities for teaching language functions 7-Developing other Language Skills 8-conclusion Content
- 4. 2-What are language functions • The purpose of language use. • The functional use of language is not only based on certain language structure or grammatical structures, but • On how we understand the context and the use of language.
- 5. 3- How functions should be taught • Remember that functional lge does not appear in isolation • Intonation is very important in spoken English when presenting lge functions • Remember the aspects of appropriacy: (formal/ informal) • Refer to the relationship between language and function
- 6. 4_ Types of Language Functions • 1- social functions: They involve expressing one’s thoughts or feelings: expressing agreement and disagreement, apologizing, complaining, asking for information... Etc • Rhetorical functions: The language functions used in academic spoken or written texts: defining, cause and effect, purpose, addition, and concession.
- 8. 5-Stages of teaching language functions Presentation(pre-communicative activity) Present the language function Discuss the exponents Determine the purpose Identify the participants Prepare them to use the language function
- 9. Practice Give them the opportunity to practice Let them work in pairs
- 10. memorize, learn the exponents and realize their meanings. Mechanical drills Communicative drills Manipulative drills
- 11. Production(communicative stage) o Focuses on using the function in real life situations. Richards(2006): ‘’students practice the new structures in different contexts, often by using their own content or information to develop fluency’’
- 12. o Work in pairs or small groups to discuss ideas. Mini exchange Role plays interviews Guessing games Oral games
- 13. Krashen and Terrell (1983) communication goals can be expressed in terms of situations, functions and topics. The teacher should: plan the situations . e.g: if the topic being learned is family and relatives then the situation may be introducing or visiting relatives. explain that there may be a large number of possible ways to fulfill each function of language. e.g: greeting an elderly lady on the street would differ from greeting a peer in their home.
- 14. Choosing the appropriate way in which to say something will partly depend on: 1. your social relationship to the person you are talking to. 2. how well you know that person. 3. who is listening. 4. the circumstances under which the communication occurs.
- 15. 6-Some activities for teaching language functions (Skehan 1996) indicated that the PPP is not enough for teaching language functions According to Doff (2010) there is a way to show meaning through situation Information gap activities: It is an activity in which a learner knows the information but other does not know. Discovering missing information, secrets
- 16. Pair work and group work:
- 17. Strip Story: It is a technique of presenting a story part-wise in a small slips paper called strips Students discuss interact think and share in pairs They use different language functions such as describing negociating meaning Students also develop problem-solving activity from this technique.
- 18. Communitive drill: It is a type of drill in which the type of response is controlled but the student provides his/her own content of information. Example Teacher: What did you do after breakfast? Student: ------------------ Say how you greet your teacher in the morning ----------------------
- 19. Problem solving: The teacher can provide a problem in groups so that they should solve it. Requesting, description, questioning, refusing etc.
- 20. Communicative games: Communicative guames are designed to provoke communicative activities among the learners. E.g : Oral games, guessing games, solving puzzeles. Motivation
- 21. Oral speech activities: (telling stories or experiences)
- 22. 7-Developing Other Language Skills Teaching Language Functions Listening Speaking Reading Writing
- 23. 8-Conclusion Tell me and I Forget, Show me and I remember Involve me and I understand
- 24. References • Doff, A. (2010). Teach English. New York: Cambridge University Press. • Doff, A., Jones, C., Mitchell, K. (1997). Meanings into words (teacher’s book). New York: Cambridge University Press. • Richards, J.C. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. New York: Cambridge University Press. • Ur, P. (2010). A course in language teaching. New York: Cambridge University Press.
- 25. Thank You