Written Assignment One: Focus on the Learner

(Cover Sheet)

Name: Janette Giovanna Nina Rojas Date: 03/07/2016

Assessment criteria
a. show awareness of how a learner's background, previous learning experience
and learning style affect learning
b. identify the learners’ language needs.

c. correctly use terminology relating to the description of language systems.

d. select appropriate material and/or resources to aid the learner's language

development

e. provide a rationale for using specific activities with a learner

f. find, select and reference information from one or more sources

g. use written language that is clear, accurate and appropriate to the task.

Tutor comments:

❑Pass ❑Resubmission
Tutor signature: ________________________________________________

Last date for resubmission: ______________________________________

I have read this assignment and agree with the assessment: ___________________(2nd Tutor)

Comments on Resubmission:

❑Pass ❑Fail
Tutor signature and date: ________________________________________
1. LEARNER PROFILE

Isis del Pilar Matta Vilchez is a 34 year-old Peruvian student whose first language is
Spanish. Currently, she is unemployed and she has worked as a secretary for different
companies. However, she is not into being in an office for long hours; that is the reason
she decided to quit her last job and start a new career in the bakery industry. Also, she
is doing a course in traditional medicine, especially the one related to India. Isis has
studied English and finished the intermediate level, however, she found only grammar
lessons really challenging and demotivating; she would rather attend more speaking
focus lessons.

As Isis is deeply interested in her new career, she has started doing more research in
that field; naturally, that information is provided in English which motivates her to learn it
properly. What is more, Isis learns English to have fun and to get to know people; she
has made a friend from Austria who has agreed to help her to improve her English.
Apart from that, Isis´s opportunities to boost her level of English outside the classroom
are little: she does not study in a language centre but enjoys making friends from
abroad, watching films or TV shows in English, even TED talks. Therefore, she has not
a fixed schedule to spend on studying English; it will depend on the films or shows
available online. Finally, Isis prefers speaking activities because she wants to develop
her fluency.
2. LEARNER’S SKILLS NEEDS

The observations made regarding Isis’ interaction and learning in the lessons she
attended are as it follows:

Receptive Skills:
1. Reading: depending on the level of the text and its length, Isis may struggle with
grasping the main point of it. If it is not challenging, she can scan or read for detail at
ease as it happened in my TP2: she was given a short description of a person I know
and asked to look for adjectives for personality, which she could complete on time.

2. Listening: I have observed that Isis shows difficulties when following instructions so
she relies on her partner to confirm or ask for further details to do the activity requested.
This happened on 28/06 during Karina and Magaly’s TP.

Productive Skills:

1. Speaking: during the interview on 28/06, I observed that Isis can produce simple
connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. She was quite fluent
and explained briefly her reasons for learning English, there was little hesitation, she
uses limited range of words and she made few vocabulary and pronunciation mistakes
(such as: Europe films instead of European films).

2. Writing: During my TP on 26/06, Isis wrote a description about her mother and the
range of vocabulary shown was limited: for instance, the linkers used were only ‘and,
but, so’; and she tended to include the verb ‘to be’ mostly. Also, she struggled with
some adjectives taught previously; however, her text was clear and coherent.
3. LEARNER’S LANGUAGE NEEDS

Error Corrected version Reason for error

Learner struggles with use

1. She like to read. She likes to read. of the third person in
Simple Present. (Grammar)

Learner fails to include the

2. She could very She could be very
verb after the modal.
impatient. impatient.
(Grammar)

Learner confuses the noun

3. I watch Europe films. I watch European films. form with the adjective
form. (Vocabulary)

Learner overgeneralises
4. She like to watch TV She likes to watch TV the plural form and does
series about crimes. series about crime. not identify the uncountable
noun. (Vocabulary)
Learner struggles with
5. I helped a friend with I helped a friend with
identifying the ending for
/ed/ /d/
voiced regular verbs.
Spanish. Spanish.
(Pronunciation)
6. I feel comfortable in this
Learner’s L1 interferes in
/ / I feel comfortable in this
the recognition of weak
class. /ft/
sounds in the word.
class.
(Pronunciation)
4. SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES & RATIONALE

A. Language needs: Grammar.

Even though Isis’ written description of her mother is clear and easy to follow, I notice
that she struggles with the use of the third person in Simple Present:

She like to read.

It can be stated that this is an example of a fossilized error, which is defined as “(the)
one that has become a permanent feature of a learner’s interlanguage.” (Thornbury,
2006) Therefore, this grammatical problem is best addressed by raising awareness of
when and how to form a verb in the third person (Present Simple), which is present in
the activity suggested.

Activity suggested.
The chosen activity is form Macmillan English Grammar in Context (Intermediate), from
the Simple Present section. To set up this grammar activity, I will test the learner first by
writing some sentences in Simple Present on the board with the verbs to be completed
in third person. It would be better if the learner has a partner to compare answers before
being elicited. Afterwards, I will decide what needs to be taught in the Feedback in
Open Class stage. Finally, I will use the gap-fill exercise to consolidate the target
language.

B. Language needs: pronunciation.

During the interview, it could be observed that Isis struggled with articulating the right
pronunciation of the endings of the regular verbs in Simple Past. She tended to add the
sound /e/:

I helped a friend with Spanish.

/ed/
Spanish speakers are used to speak as they write (L1 interference); unfortunately, this
does not apply when it comes to English. The activity I have selected will push Isis to
move forward in her interlanguage.

Firstly, Isis will be given 9 lexical cards with regular verbs in past simple so she can
identify what they have in common. After some thinking time, she will categorise the
verbs:

/d/ /t/ /id/

Isis will listen to me and check. I will ask her to put a finger on her throat and pronounce
the verbs endings (e. g. help) so she can notice the voiced and voiceless sound, and
recognise when to use the right sound (/d/ or /t/). The /id/ will be introduced too. Finally,
she will practise stress in a sentence level.
APPENDIX
APPENDIX ONE
APPENDIX TWO
PRONUNCIATION ACTIVITY

Lexical cards

finished loved hated

decided travelled lived

studied helped practised

 PRONUNCIATION HANDOUT

1. Listen to the pronunciation of the regular verbs and write them in the correct group.

helped, loved, decided, finished, hated, lived, travelled, practised, studied

/d/ /t/ /id/

2. Write the verbs from the chart (/d/ or /t/). Which verb endings are…
a) Voiced?
b) Voiceless?

3. Are the verbs in the right place?

a) /d/ = finished, lived

b) /t/ = travelled, hated
c) /id/ = helped, studied

4. Listen and repeat:

a) When I was a child, I lived in the countryside but I hated the mosquitos.
b) Yesterday, I helped my friend with homework and we practised regular verbs.
c) I finished my report really late last night.
d) I studied at university and I travelled outside Lima on my holidays.
 PRONUNCIATION HANDOUT KEY

1. Listen to the pronunciation of the regular verbs and write them in the correct group.

helped, loved, decided, finished, hated, lived, travelled, practised, studied

/d/ /t/ /id/

helped loved decided

finished lived hated
practised travelled studied

2. Write the verbs from the chart (/d/ or /t/). Which verb endings are…
a) Voiced? helped, finished, practised
b) Voiceless? loved, lived, travelled

3. Are the verbs in the right place?

a) /d/ = finished, lived

b) /t/ = travelled, hated
c) /id/ = helped, studied

4. Listen and repeat:

a) When I was a child, I lived in the countryside but I hated the mosquitos.
b) Yesterday, I helped my friend with homework and we practised regular verbs.
c) I finished my report really late last night.
d) I studied at university and I travelled outside Lima on my holidays
BIBLIOGRAPHY

BROWN, H. Douglas. Teaching by Principles. San Francisco State University. 2001

HARMER, Jeremy. The practice of English language teaching. Pearson, 2015
PARSONS, Jenny. Speak Out. Pearson, 2012
THORNBURY, Scott. An A-Z of ELT. Macmillan Education, 2006
VINCE, Michael. Macmillan English Grammar in Context Intermediate. Macmillan
Education. 2008
UR, Penny. A course in language teaching. Cambridge University Press, 1996

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WORD COUNT: 1000 words.