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In Unit 3, I learned about the different methods and techniques which are used to teach English. The different methods are grammar, Audio, Presentation, Practice, and Production, Task-Based Learning, Communicative Language Teaching, Community Language Learning, The silent way, Suggestopaedia, and The Lexical Approach. Each type of method has its positives and negatives. And choosing which type to use depends on the teacher?s personality, as well as the culture and needs of the students. No matter which method is used, it?s important for students to have exposure to the language, input from the teacher, encouragement to discover language for themselves, and to be in a relaxed environment. It?s important for the students to have input from the teacher, a low stress level, high exposure to the language, and encouragement to self discover the language. In order to include these important factors in the classroom, Jeremy Harmer?s method of ESA can be used. ESA is short for Engage, Study, and Activate. It is important to engage the students, as students will learn better when involved and interested. To engage the student a teacher can use games, pictures, music, and stories according to the lesson. The engage stage is intended as a warm up before the actual teaching starts. The study aspect of this method refers to focusing on the construction of the language and practicing. This should always start with elicitation and includes checking for pronunciation and understanding. Teachers should include different types of eliciting during the lesson. When eliciting it?s important to remember cultural differences, the student?s language level, and to be positive when giving feedback. The Activate stage is when students use the language learned. This can be through role play, story writing, speaking games, and debate. The engage, study, and activate stages should be used together in most lessons. There are three types of ESA lessons, differing in the order of stages. These are the ?Straight Arrow? ESA lesson, Boomerang ESA lesson, and Patchwork ESA lesson. I learned many wonderful activities to include in the different phases and how important it is to give feedback to the students for their improvement. If the student makes a mistake it?s better to help them self-correct before making the correction for them, this allows the student to think more and to have better remembrance. When a student is speaking, it?s best to wait until they are finished before making corrections. Also, less corrections should be made during the engage and activate stages, but more so in the study phase. Even if mistakes are made, it?s important to give a lot of positive feedback to the students.
