In a Flipped Classroom, teachers assign students lecture videos so that they can prepare at home for their classes in advance. These videos can be recorded in their native language or in English. *Sample videos are in Japanese. |
The interview activity allows students to produce the target grammar/expressions repeatedly to develop their fluency. In this activity, students first prepare their answers and then interview each other using the target grammar/expressions. During the interview, students take notes of their classmates' responses on worksheets. After the interview, teachers ask students to share with the whole class what they heard from their classmates during the interview. *This final step will motivate students to carefully listen to their classmates' responses during the interview. |
The BINGO game allows students to produce the target grammar/expressions repeatedly to develop their fluency. During this activity, students prepare their answers in their BINGO card and then ask their classmates questions based on what they wrote on the card. Students get signatures from their classmates if their answers are "Yes." Once students get four (or five depending on the card size) signatures in a row on their card, they call out BINGO! |
The card game allows students to produce the target grammar/expressions repeatedly to develop their fluency. Students in pairs spread a deck of cards on their desk with the backside up and take turns flipping them over. Based on the requirement written on the card, students create their own sentence using the target grammar/expressions of the lesson. When students create a sentence correctly, their partners give them a ★mark on their point card. Those who get the most ★ marks are the winner! |
This activity can be assigned as homework especially for beginner-level learners so that they will have enough time to create their speeches at home. Based on what they have learned from the lecture video (see the first content of this page), students create their own speeches using the target grammar/expressions. During the class, students take turns giving a speech in pairs repeatedly, with different partners. In a final round, students are encouraged not to rely on their notes. |
These activities are also designed for students to repeatedly produce the target grammar to develop fluency by communicating with their classmates in meaningful contexts. |
Well-designed rubrics are necessary for oral performances to avoid subjective grading. See my sample rubric for Grammar & Speaking class consisting of 4 criteria—Attitude, Fluency, Visuals, and Grammar—for students’ oral presentation. |
Motivation is crucial for language learning. But how exactly can we motivate our students? According to Dörnyei (2001), there are 35 motivational strategies that the teachers can implement in their classrooms, consisting of 4 stages: 1) creating the basic motivational conditions, 2) generating initial motivation, 3) maintaining and protecting motivation, and 4) encouraging positive self-evaluation. Click the link below to learn more about research-based motivational strategies. |