Role-play in English Language Teaching

What is role-play?
Role-play is any speaking activity when you either put yourself into somebody else's shoes, or when you stay in your own shoes but put yourself into an imaginary situation!

Imaginary people - The joy of role-play is that students can 'become' anyone they like for a short time! The President, the Queen, a millionaire, a pop star …….. the choice is endless! Students can also take on the opinions of someone else. 'For and Against' debates can be used and the class can be split into those who are expressing views in favour and those who are against the theme.

Imaginary situations - Functional language for a multitude of scenarios can be activated and practised through role-play. 'At the restaurant', 'Checking in at the airport', 'Looking for lost property' are all possible role-plays.

Why use role-play? 
It is widely agreed that learning takes place when activities are engaging and memorable. Jeremy Harmer advocates the use of role-play for the following reasons:

• It's fun and motivating

• Quieter students get the chance to express themselves in a more forthright way

• The world of the classroom is broadened to include the outside world - thus offering a much wider range of language opportunities

In addition to these reasons, students who will at some point travel to an English-speaking country are given a chance to rehearse their English in a safe environment. Real situations can be created and students can benefit from the practice. Mistakes can be made with no drastic consequences.

Tips on successful classroom role-play 
Prepare for success
Role-play is possible at elementary levels providing the students have been thoroughly prepared. Try to think through the language the students will need and make sure this language has been presented. Students may need the extra support of having the language on the board. I recently did a 'lost property office' role-play with elementary adults and we spent time beforehand drilling the structures the students would need to use. When the role-play began the students felt 'armed' with the appropriate language. At higher levels the students will not need so much support with the language but they will need time to 'get into' the role.

Copywriting vs. English Literature

Writing comes in all shapes and sizes. Copywriters come to the job with all sorts of writing experience, formal and informal. I’m an English Literature graduate, so when I started my job at Mantra three months ago I thought I knew at least a bit about the age old art of writing. Turns out, I wasn’t completely right.

Copywriting isn’t so much a steep learning curve as a steep learning Everest. I’m still finding my feet on its rocky terrain. For me, I feel those hours spent in university lectures were more of a help than a hindrance. But learning this new kind of putting pen to paper has proven to me that writing academically and copywriting are two very different beasts.

A few weeks ago, one of our copywriters harked back to his years as a seasoned hack, Copywriting vs. Newspapers. What were the differences? Did one come out on top? Inspired, I sat down and thought about the differences between writing copy and writing essays. What has getting out of the library and into the office taught me?

Feeling chatty? Go for it.

Four years of writing everything out properly and showing off my eloquent and erudite grasp of the English language (see what I did there) had me out of practice for writing less formally. Studying English, your work becomes about arguing your points with an unshakeable confidence of language, always showing off your well-developed vocabulary.

When it comes to copywriting, more and more businesses are keen to come across as their consumer’s friend rather than a lecturer. It’s all very well to be able to talk about epistemologies, discourse or narratology. But for most copywriting clients, the knack for writing friendly, chatty – and above all, readable – copy is a skill worth its weight in gold.

Tip for ex-students? You’re probably always writing more formally than you think you are. I’ve lost count of the number of times our senior copywriter has told me to get more casual in my copy.

achievement test                                                                                        diagnostic test 

1.a test designed to assess the                                                              1.a test designed to solve the 
    achievement in any subject based                                                        exact difficulty faced by learners 
on a set of objectives.                                                                                  in achievement test. 

2.wide content area.                                                                                2.focus on difficult area. 

3.complex items.                                                                                      3.simple items. 

4.total score is important.                                                                        4. no scoring. 

5.quantitative in nature.                                                                           5.qualitative in nature. 

6.no attention to minute details.                                                              6.attention to minute details 

7.fixed time limit.                                                                                        7.no time limit. 

8.follow norms.                                                                                          8. no norms 

9.specified number of test items                                                             9.test items repetitive. 

10. independent test.                                                                              10.always follows an t 
 
                                                                                                                     achievement test.

Assessment Tools

These tools are for immediate use with students in the classroom. They are suitable for use in many different contexts and are aimed at improving assessment practices. A range of schools across Victoria have used some of these tools and their feedback and suggestions for use are included.

The tools are grouped under the following headings:

Graphic organisers - tools to visually represent thoughts, ideas, knowledge and concepts. They help to organise thoughts and to promote understanding. This section contains sample graphic organisers and some examples of how they were successfully used by schools for various purposes.

Review and reflection tools - enable students to review and reflect on their knowledge, progress, and what they have learnt and achieved during a unit, topic or project. Some tools are specifically designed for early years students.

Feedback tools  - enable students to provide feedback on their work and performance. It also includes strategies for teachers to increase the wait time when asking questions in class.

Rubrics - printed sets of criteria for assessing knowledge, performance or product and for giving feedback. The following tools are examples of rubrics and how they are used in schools.

Tools for planning and auditing assessment practices

The following tools can be used by teachers and school leadership teams when planning and auditing their assessment practices:

Familiarisation and discussion tools - help develop a common understanding of assessment in a school and are designed to familiarise teachers with formative assessment and the purpose of assessment for learning, as learning and of learning.

Audit tool (PDF - 39Kb) - supports discussion on current assessment approaches in schools and audit these against the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS).

Teaher Support Resour

Autism

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with, and relates to, other people. It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

It is a spectrum condition, which means that, while all autistic people share certain difficulties, their condition will affect them in different ways. Some autistic people are able to live relatively independent lives but others may have accompanying learning disabilities and need a lifetime of specialist support. People on the autism spectrum may also experience over- or under-sensitivityto sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours.

Asperger syndrome is a form of autism. People with Asperger syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence. They have fewer problems with speech but may still have difficulties with understanding and processing language. Our website has more information about Asperger syndrome, or you can order a leaflet from our online shop.

How do autistic people see the world?

Autistic people have said that the world, to them, is a mass of people, places and events which they struggle to make sense of, and which can cause them considerable anxiety.

In particular, understanding and relating to other people, and taking part in everyday family and social life may be harder for them. Other people appear to know, intuitively, how to communicate and interact with each other, and some autistic people may wonder why they are 'different'.

About autism

Autism is part of the autism spectrum and is sometimes referred to as an autism spectrum disorder, or an ASD.

The three main areas of difficulty which all people with autism share are sometimes known as the 'triad of impairments'. They are:

• difficulty with social communication
• difficulty with social interaction
• difficulty with social imagination.

These are described in more detail on page 2.

It can be hard to create awareness of autism as people with the condition do not 'look' disabled: parents of autistic children often say that other people simply think their child is naughty; while adults find that they are misunderstood.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia has been around for a long time and has been defined in different ways. For example, in 1968, the World Federation of Neurologists defined dyslexia as "a disorder in children who, despite conventional classroom experience, fail to attain the language skills of reading, writing, and spelling commensurate with their intellectual abilities." The International Dyslexia Association offers the following definition of dyslexia:

"Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge."

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability in children and persists throughout life. The severity of dyslexia can vary from mild to severe. The sooner dyslexia is treated, the more favorable the outcome. However, it is never too late for people with dyslexia to learn to improve their language skills.

Dyslexia can go undetected in the early grades of schooling. Children can become frustrated by the difficulty in learning to read. It is important to note that other problems can disguise dyslexia such as a child may:

• Show signs of depression and low self-esteem
• Have behavior problems at home, as well as at school that often manifest
• Become unmotivated and develop a dislike for school, and their success may be jeopardized if the problem remains untreated

Causes of Memory Loss and Other Related Problems

Alzheimer's disease 

Sometimes I forget things. Should I be concerned?

Everyone forgets things. How many times have you lost your car keys or forgotten the name of a person you just met?

Forgetfulness tends to increase with age, but there's a big difference between normal absent-mindedness and the type of memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Normal aging and memory loss

Normal age-related memory loss doesn't prevent you from living a full and productive life. You just need more time to remember a name or make lists of things you plan to do. You're aware that you're forgetful and may even joke about it.

People with memory loss due to something other than normal aging may feel that something's not quite right, but they're unable to pinpoint what's bothering them. Rather than call attention to a memory lapse, they may become more withdrawn or try to hide their mistakes.

Alzheimer's disease and memory loss

Memory loss associated with Alzheimer's disease gets worse over time, but it certainly isn't the only symptom of the disease. Some of the earliest signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include:

• Asking the same questions over and over.
• Difficulty remembering common words when speaking.
• Mixing up words — saying "bed" instead of "table," for example.
• Being unable to complete familiar tasks, such as following a recipe.

Other early signs include:

• Misplacing items and putting them in the wrong places, such as putting a wallet in the refrigerator.
• Getting lost on familiar streets.
• Going through sudden changes in mood or behavior for no clear reason.
• Becoming less able to follow directions.

Causes of memory loss that can be reversed

Many other medical problems cause symptoms similar to Alzheimer's. That's why it's so important to consult a doctor if you've noticed memory failures or unusual mood swings in yourself or in someone close to you. Possible causes of reversible memory loss include:

Medications

Sometimes, a single medication causes side effects similar to Alzheimer's disease symptoms. Drug interactions, which sometimes occur in people taking a number of medications, can also cause confusion and forgetfulness. Medications that can affect your memory include:

• Pain medication
• Blood pressure medications
• Sedatives

Be sure to give your doctor a list of all medications you use, including herbal remedies and over-the-counter items.