Conversation - Employees & Employers Negotiate (B2/C1)

One of the skills that I have most focused on in my classes is the oral one. Most part of the time, students want to SPEAK the language rather than just study its grammar (by answering some grammar exercises) in class.

Considering that speaking is developed by practice (that’s just my opinion), I developed some short activities that can be used by teachers in their EFL/ESL classes.

This one is meant to be used with B2 or C1 students.

PROCEDURE: Write the situation on the board

TIME: 30 to 40 minutes

TOPIC: business

SKILL: speaking

TEACHER’S ROLE: facilitator

Read the situation below and brainstorm with a partner a list of pints that both partners might want to include in a negotiation

Situation about the employees and employers:

IMAGINE A COMPANY. NOW, IMAGINE THAT THE COMPANY FINDS ITSELF IN ECONOMIC DIFFICULTY AND THEN EMPLOYEES HAVE ALREADY LOST THEIR JOBS. THE EMPLOYEES ARE UNHAPPY WITH EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY ISSUES.

Now, ask your students to reflect upon the following questions:  

WHY SHOULD EACH PARTY NEGOTIATE?

WHAT DOES EACH SIDE WANT TO ACHIEVE?

After the students have reflected upon the situation as well as discussed with their partners, ask them to share their thoughts on the topic. Then, divide the group into ‘employees’ and ‘employers’ and simulate the situation above.

Ask them to write short dialogues as well as practice them in pairs (or groups). Finally, when you feel that students should talk about negotiation, tell them to start a conversation in which they should use (some of) the structures/questions below:

I am willing to accept________ if ________.

I think we will have to agree with_________.

It would be an alternative to______________.

We can trade this against ________________.

Our intention is________________________.

I would like to_______________________.

We might like to____________________.

We must________________________.

Our main concern is __________________.

It is vital that __________________________.

We refuse to accept __________________________.

It is extremely important for us to include ____________.

How about ______________?

Do you feel that you can accept _______________?

How can we reach a compromise?

Could you tell us why you feel like that?

Shall we put this into a written proposal?

Can you offer us any other possibility?

And you can give them some production moment (I am considering the steps of the PPP approach) in which they are supposed to develop a role-play activity about negotiation (of any kind).

If you have enough time, you can ask your students to think about the last time they were involved in situation in which they were supposed to negotiate something.

HOW MUCH TIME DID THEY SPEND ON PREPARATION?

Ask them if they would prepare differently if they had to negotiate again.

  

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Learning English from Cartoons: Come on England!

This cartoon by Andy Davey from The Sun relates to the Euro 2012 football tournament, which is being hosted by Poland and Ukraine and starts today.

Two men are removing a diamond jubilee sign from the front of a pub somewhere in the heart of England (note the thatched roof) and replacing it with a Euro 2012 sign in support of the England team. One man says to the other, "The Queen lasted four days—how long do you give this lot?" Another sign says "Watch it all here", referring to the fact that matches will be shown live in pubs all over Britain.

VOCABULARY

You can refer to a specific group of people as a lot, often with negative connotations.

• I've never taught such a useless lot of students. In this case, it's the England football team the man is talking about.

EXPLANATION

The joke is that no-one expects England to go very far in the tournament, and they will do well to progress beyond the group stages.

From: http://www.englishblog.com/

So What Book Are You Using? How to Select (or Not Select) a Great ESL Textbook.

Often when in the teacher’s room, another teacher will ask me, “So what book are you using?” I used to smile at this: “What book are you using?” not “Who are your students?” or “What level of class do you have this semester?” It seemed a pretty shallow question.

However, through experience, I no longer view it this way: what book a teacher uses—or doesn’t use—reveals a lot about her teaching style and curriculum.

For example, a teacher who uses Azar’s grammar series, with its clear charts and explanations of grammar points, probably takes a rather traditional, structured approach to grammar. The teacher’s colleague who uses Molinsky and Bliss’s “Side by Side” series probably takes an audiolingual approach to language instruction, with a focus on oral language and repetition of patterned drills. If I’m not familiar with the textbook the teacher names, I can find out about from him, perhaps look over a copy if he has one, and I might decide to try it next semester for my own class. Traditionally, in fact, before the electronic revolution, the textbook was considered the cornerstone of a class, much of the curriculum and instruction based on it.

So how do you go about choosing an excellent textbook for your class? There is a process that will ensure picking out a strong, if not ideal, textbook.

How to Select (or Not Select) a Great ESL Textbook

ü  Get to Know Your Students

ü  Get to Know Publishers and Their Websites and Representatives

ü  Select Options

WRITTEN BY Stacia Levy.

Dr. Stacia Levy teaches writing and reading skills at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California to both native and nonnative speakers of English. 

She also has taught academic and creative writing at the University of California, Davis. However, she began her teaching career twenty years ago as an instructor ESL in adult education programs and still primarily defines herself as an ESL teacher. 

Publishing credits include two academic works based on her dissertation, several short stories, and a novel, California Gothic, a story of romantic suspense.

Read the full version by clicking here (LINK). 

ATIVIDADES DESENVOLVIDAS EM SALA DE AULA #2.

 ESL Dialogue: Introduction Words and Phrases.

veja o site desse vídeo >>

Essa postagem é do interesse de todos aqueles estudantes de idiomas de níveis iniciais. Para melhor aproveitamento da mesma, sugiro que tire um tempo para ler os textos e ver todos os vídeos. Como julgamos ter muita informação aqui, daremos um intervalo maior entre essa postagem e a próxima para que você, leitor, possa ler tudo. Obrigado, não deixem de curtir o blog. 

Se você está iniciando seu curso de idiomas ou está iniciando sua jornada no aprendizado de uma nova língua sozinho, lembre-se que não existe um período pré-determinado para aprender o idioma. O que quero dizer é que todos, ou pelo menos a grande maioria de alunos de cursos de línguas, sempre se faz aquela pergunta: “em quanto tempo que eu vou falar inglês?”. Aqui exaustaremos a importância da paciência e da repetição. 

No primeiro vídeo, temos uma demonstração de como se apresentar em inglês. É um bom exemplo para alunos iniciantes.

Transcript: ESL Dialogue: Introduction Words and Phrases

Hi, I'm Ellen Quish from the Adult Learning Center at LaGuardia Community College in New York City for About.com. Today, I'm going to teach you how to introduce yourself in English. To do this, you can use these words.

English Introduction Words and Phrases

·         Hi/Hello, my name is ____.

·         What's your name?

·         Nice to meet you.

·         Nice to meet you, too.

Nesses vídeos (vídeos #1 e #2) feitos em duas aulas minhas, os alunos fazem uso de suas habilidades linguísticas para se apresentaram. Lembro a todos que o fato de terem sido filmados fez com que os mesmos se sentissem nervosos e pressionados, o que pode ter diminuído a performance de alguns. Mas, no geral, as apresentações ficaram muito boas. 

(vídeo #1 - Starter - 2010.1 - Noturno) 

                     

(vídeo #2 - Elementary - 2011.2 - Turma da Tarde) 

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