Student Centered
The Student-Centered Classroom
Leo Jones
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA www.cambridge.org © Cambridge University Press 2007 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2007 Printed in the United States of America isbn-13 978-0-521-95368-9 paperback
Book layout services: Page Designs International
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1 2 3 4 5 6
Autonomous Learning Classroom Management Motivation 13
2 4
Fluency and Accuracy Teacher as Facilitator
18 25
Different Kinds of Activities 28
Conclusions
40 41
Further reading
Introduction
Some students say: J “Why do we have to do pair work and group work?” J “When I speak English, I feel stupid because I make lots of mistakes and don’t know enough vocabulary.” J “I don’t want to speak English until my English is much better.” J “I don’t want to listen to other students speaking incorrect English because I’ll learn their mistakes.” J “My teachers speak the best English. I want to learn from them.” This booklet will respond to those comments. We don’t want our students to become people who: J Can’t communicate in the real world J Panic when they can’t think of the right words to use J Are tongue-tied because they’re worried about making mistakes and losing face J Can’t survive without a teacher to help them and guide them J Look away in embarrassment when someone asks, “Can anyone here speak English?” A student-centered approach helps students to develop a “can-do” attitude. It is effective, motivating, and enjoyable. This booklet sets out to discuss how this approach can be implemented. It also deals with the problems that may
Leo Jones
cambridge university press
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA www.cambridge.org © Cambridge University Press 2007 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2007 Printed in the United States of America isbn-13 978-0-521-95368-9 paperback
Book layout services: Page Designs International
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1 2 3 4 5 6
Autonomous Learning Classroom Management Motivation 13
2 4
Fluency and Accuracy Teacher as Facilitator
18 25
Different Kinds of Activities 28
Conclusions
40 41
Further reading
Introduction
Some students say: J “Why do we have to do pair work and group work?” J “When I speak English, I feel stupid because I make lots of mistakes and don’t know enough vocabulary.” J “I don’t want to speak English until my English is much better.” J “I don’t want to listen to other students speaking incorrect English because I’ll learn their mistakes.” J “My teachers speak the best English. I want to learn from them.” This booklet will respond to those comments. We don’t want our students to become people who: J Can’t communicate in the real world J Panic when they can’t think of the right words to use J Are tongue-tied because they’re worried about making mistakes and losing face J Can’t survive without a teacher to help them and guide them J Look away in embarrassment when someone asks, “Can anyone here speak English?” A student-centered approach helps students to develop a “can-do” attitude. It is effective, motivating, and enjoyable. This booklet sets out to discuss how this approach can be implemented. It also deals with the problems that may