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Class Structure Wilk

La estrucrtura de clase (PPP) según D.A. Wilkins

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Luis Ernesto Navarrete
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11 views6 pages

Class Structure Wilk

La estrucrtura de clase (PPP) según D.A. Wilkins

Uploaded by

Luis Ernesto Navarrete
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Class Structure According to Cambridge Standards

From Ernesto Navarrete’s Desk

The Cambridge Standards for teaching and learning are a benchmark in international
education, developed by the University of Cambridge. These standards emerged in
response to the growing demand for consistent, high-quality educational practices
that could be applied across diverse global contexts. Initially focused on assessment,
Cambridge expanded its influence to include pedagogical guidelines that assist
educators in effectively planning and executing lessons.

Context of Emergence

As more institutions adopted Cambridge curricula, the need arose to standardize not
just the content but also the instructional methods. The Cambridge Standards began
to outline key elements of effective lesson planning, such as the introduction,
sequence, pacing, closure, and activities, ensuring that all students receive coherent
and purposeful educational experiences. These standards are grounded in the belief
that well-structured lessons significantly enhance student learning by providing clear
goals, logical progression, and opportunities for active engagement.

Presentation-Practice-Performance (PPP) Model

he Presentation-Practice-Performance (PPP) model is a widely recognized


framework in the field of language teaching, particularly within the context of English
as a Foreign Language (EFL). The model is grounded in behaviorist learning
theories and emphasizes a structured, step-by-step approach to teaching that builds
learners' competence through gradual exposure and practice. This model was
significantly shaped and popularized by David Wilkins, a prominent linguist and
educator whose work in the 1970s laid the foundation for much of modern language
teaching methodology.
David Arthur Wilkins was born in 1923 and became a leading figure in the field of
applied linguistics during the mid-20th century. He began his career as an academic
and educator, focusing on the study of language and linguistics. Wilkins was
particularly interested in the way languages were taught and how learners acquired
new languages, a field that was still developing and evolving in the post-war period.

Wilkins was a professor at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, where
he contributed significantly to the development of language teaching theory. His work
was influenced by the broader educational context of the time, which was marked
by a shift from traditional grammar-translation methods to more communicative and
functional approaches. The world was seeing an increased need for effective
language instruction, especially as globalization began to take hold, and Wilkins was
at the forefront of these pedagogical changes.

David Wilkins is best known for his


contribution to the development of the
Notional-Functional Syllabus, which
emphasized the importance of teaching
language functions (such as requesting,
advising, and apologizing) rather than just
grammatical structures. His work in this area
laid the groundwork for the PPP model,
which sought to operationalize these ideas
into a practical teaching framework.

The PPP model was developed as a response to the need for a more systematic
approach to language teaching that could be easily understood and implemented by
teachers. Wilkins believed that effective language instruction required a balance
between explicit teaching (presentation) and opportunities for practice and
performance. His model was influenced by behaviorist theories, which posited that
learning occurred through repetition and reinforcement.
The Three Stages of the PPP Model

Presentation

This stage is the foundation of the lesson, where the teacher introduces new
language items, such as vocabulary or grammatical structures. The presentation is
typically teacher-centered and involves clear explanations, demonstrations, and
examples. Wilkins emphasized the importance of this stage in providing students
with the necessary input to understand and use the new language and more
importantly, this is the stage where the teacher creates the necessity for
learning. He believed that without a solid presentation, students would struggle in
the subsequent stages of practice and performance.

Practice: Once the new language has been presented, students move on to the
practice stage. This stage involves controlled activities where students apply what
they have learned in a structured environment. Practice activities might include drills,
gap-filling exercises, or sentence completion tasks. The goal of this stage is to
reinforce the language structures introduced during the presentation, allowing
students to become more familiar with them through repetition. Wilkins saw this
stage as crucial for helping students internalize new language forms and gain
confidence in using them.

Performance: The final stage of the PPP model is performance, where students are
encouraged to use the new language in more open-ended, communicative tasks.
This stage is student-centered and allows learners to demonstrate their ability to use
the language in real-world contexts. Performance activities might include role-plays,
discussions, or presentations. Wilkins believed that this stage was essential for
helping students transfer what they had learned into practical use, making the
language relevant and meaningful.

David Wilkins’ development of the PPP model had a profound impact on language
teaching, particularly within the framework of communicative language teaching
(CLT). His emphasis on the functional use of language and the structured approach
of the PPP model provided teachers with a clear and effective method for guiding
students through the process of language acquisition. The model’s simplicity and
logical progression made it accessible to educators, allowing it to become one of the
most widely adopted teaching frameworks in EFL and ESL classrooms around the
world.

Wilkins' work went beyond just the PPP model; his contributions to the Notional-
Functional Syllabus also influenced the way language curricula were designed,
moving the focus from grammatical correctness to communicative competence. This
shift was crucial in the evolution of language teaching, helping to make language
learning more relevant to the needs of learners who required practical
communication skills rather than just

David Wilkins' contributions to language teaching were shaped by the broader


context of educational reform and innovation in the mid-20th century. As the world
became more interconnected, the demand for effective language teaching methods
grew, particularly in the context of English becoming a global lingua franca. Wilkins’
academic background, combined with his keen interest in practical teaching
methods, allowed him to bridge the gap between linguistic theory and classroom
practice.

While Wilkins was primarily known for his academic and professional contributions,
he was also deeply committed to the practical application of his ideas. He spent
much of his career working closely with language teachers, helping them to
implement the PPP model and other innovations in their classrooms. His work
remains influential to this day, and the PPP model continues to be a cornerstone of
language teaching methodology.
Other Models for Lesson Sequencing

In addition to the PPP model, several other frameworks offer alternative approaches
to lesson sequencing, each contributed to by prominent educators and researchers:

1. Engage-Study-Activate (ESA) Model: Developed by Jeremy Harmer


(1998), the ESA model provides a flexible approach to lesson planning that
allows for a non-linear progression of activities. The Engage phase is
designed to capture students’ interest, the Study phase focuses on learning
and practicing new material, and the Activate phase encourages students to
use the language or skills in communicative contexts.
2. Task-Based Learning (TBL): Task-Based Learning is an approach within
communicative language teaching that emphasizes the use of meaningful
tasks as the central component of the learning process. Influential figures like
Jane Willis and David Nunan have contributed significantly to the
development of TBL. The approach focuses on learners completing tasks that
mimic real-life activities, with the language used naturally as a tool to
complete these tasks. Unlike more traditional methods, TBL emphasizes the
process of learning through doing, rather than the explicit teaching of
language forms.
3. Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL): Inquiry-Based Learning, influenced by John
Dewey (1938) and later expanded by educators like Bruce Joyce and Marsha
Weil (2000), encourages learners to explore questions, problems, or
scenarios relevant to their interests. The sequence typically follows stages of
asking questions, investigating, creating, discussing, and reflecting, fostering
critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) Model: The GRR model,
developed by Pearson and Gallagher (1983), is a scaffolding strategy that
shifts the responsibility of learning from the teacher to the student. It follows
the sequence "I do, we do, you do," beginning with the teacher modeling the
skill, followed by guided practice, and culminating in independent practice
where students demonstrate their understanding.
References

 Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education. Macmillan.


 Harmer, J. (1998). How to Teach English. Pearson Longman.
 Joyce, B., & Weil, M. (2000). Models of Teaching (6th ed.). Pearson.
 Nunan, D. (2004). Task-Based Language Teaching. Cambridge University
Press.
 Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The gradual release of
responsibility model of instruction. Contemporary Educational Psychology,
8(4), 223-235.
 Willis, J. (1996). A Framework for Task-Based Learning. Longman.
 University of Cambridge. (Year). Title of the relevant Cambridge publication
or standard.
 Wilkins, D. A. (1976). Notional Syllabuses: A Taxonomy and Its Relevance to
Foreign Language Curriculum Development. Oxford University Press.

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