Idea — Mechanical drills (simple repetition or substitution) fix form; meaningful drills make learners choose words based on real information. Move from mechanical to meaningful so practice connects to actual use. Example — After substituting…
Idea — Drilling rehearses pronunciation and form through repetition: choral (whole class together, low pressure) before individual (one learner, accountable). It buys confidence before learners perform alone. Example — Model "I've never been to Spain",…
Idea — Fluency means communicating meaning without interruption; accuracy means using form correctly. Every speaking and writing task sits somewhere on the scale — and you design where. Example — A five-minute conversation task with…
Idea — An information gap means each learner holds something the other needs, creating a real reason to communicate. The gap forces negotiation of meaning, the engine of fluency practice. Example — Student A has…
Idea — Speaking serves two broad purposes: transactional (getting something done — buying, asking directions) and interactional (building rapport — chat, small talk). Learners need practice in both. Example — Ordering coffee is transactional; chatting…
Idea — Practice moves along a cline: controlled (drills, gap-fills) builds accuracy with heavy support; freer (role-play, discussion) builds fluency with little. Most lessons should travel from one to the other. Example — Drilling "I'd…
Idea — Accuracy work prioritises getting form right; fluency work prioritises keeping going. Mixing the two — correcting hard during a fluency task — usually kills the flow you were trying to build. Example —…
Idea — Speaking and writing are productive skills — learners generate language rather than receive it. Both need accuracy (correct form) and fluency (smooth flow), and good lessons build the two separately. Example — A…
Idea — Receptive skills (Days 152-180) share a core: activate knowledge, set a clear task, move gist before detail, and grade the task not the text. These principles serve both listening and reading. Example —…
Idea — Attitude tasks ask learners to infer how the speaker feels — interested, sceptical, enthusiastic — from tone, word choice, and hedging, not just from the literal content. Example — A speaker says ‘Well,…