For your classroom: ‘A self-determination theory based lesson plan that works! Tapping student utilizing autonomy, competence, and relatedness’ by David Ockert

[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 17 | July 14, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]

This paper presents a self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2000) based lesson plan or task that can be used in a communicative language teaching (CLT) class. First, it must be noted that “(r)ecent studies on SDT-based motives have shown that games are primarily motivating to the extent that players experience autonomy, competence and relatedness while playing” (Ryan, Rigby, & Przybylski, 2006, p. 2). The authors investigated the impact of game play on participant psychological well-being based on these three basic psychological needs, which games are presumed to satisfy. Second, the “results show that SDT’s theorized needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness independently predict enjoyment and future game play” (p. 1). While some educators may argue against the use of the term ‘game’ for an in-class exercise, the terms ‘activity’ or ‘task’, as in task-based language teaching (TBLT), will be used in this paper.

The well-known game of bingo can be played in several different ways since it words wonderfully as a CLT activity. In fact, bingo may be the perfect TBLT activity ever created due to its amazing versatility and adaptability to student ability levels. For teachers working with junior high school students (JHSs), there are several very creative ways to make bingo an integral part of a principled CLT course (Dörnyei, 2009). (more…)

Continue ReadingFor your classroom: ‘A self-determination theory based lesson plan that works! Tapping student utilizing autonomy, competence, and relatedness’ by David Ockert

News: Loveland teacher leads efforts to innovate language learning

[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 17 | July 14, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]

Bryce Hedstrom might start with five words such as cat, girl, like, give and has.

He give an action for each word and makes up silly stories about the girl who has a cat and gives it to another girl.

He adds in other words like “what” and “there” and adds on to the story. The students respond to his questions about who has the cat and what the girl has.

And by the end of the lesson where he has repeated the base words 70-100 times, the students are having conversations in Spanish with each other and understanding them. (more…)

Continue ReadingNews: Loveland teacher leads efforts to innovate language learning
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