Working with Emergent Language: Ideas and activities for developing your reactive skills in class

Emergent language (EL) is any unplanned language item that arises naturally during lessons and is chosen by the teacher to focus on for clarification or modification. This pedagogy is gaining traction and is essential for language acquisition. This book provides a framework of teacher intervention types to help new and experienced teachers develop their skills with EL. It also offers awareness-raising, practice, and reflective tasks to help teachers develop their skills earlier in their careers. The final part of the book addresses common questions and issues about working with emergent language, dispelling common conceptions that it is difficult or inappropriate in some contexts and situations.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 09 February 2023
Publisher: Pavilion Publishing and Media Ltd

Emerging language (EL) refers to any unplanned language item that emerges naturally during lessons, which the teacher subsequently chooses to focus on for clarification or modification. This pedagogical approach has gained increasing popularity over the years. It originated from Dogme, a movement that advocated for not using coursebooks or set texts in class and instead relying on the students and the teacher's resources.

Emergent language incorporates lessons learned from Dogme and current teaching practices. However, working with EL is considered a challenging skill to master, particularly for newer teachers or trainee teachers. Consequently, it is often not included in training courses or discussed in detail in training manuals for teachers.

The goal of working with Emergent Language is to bridge this gap by enhancing teachers' awareness of what EL is and providing them with effective strategies for working with it confidently. This book begins by drawing on literature and the authors' personal experiences to establish the importance of working with EL for language acquisition to occur. Research and data from observations are used to explore how experienced teachers engage with EL at different stages of a lesson and why they do so.

To demonstrate how teachers work with EL, a new framework of teacher intervention types is introduced. This framework builds upon previous frameworks and includes the authors' own terms developed through extensive research. Transcripts and classroom commentaries from genuine lessons showcase how these interventions are implemented by teachers and the rationale behind their use.

Part two of Working with Emergent Language focuses on raising awareness, providing practice opportunities, and facilitating reflective tasks to help both new and experienced teachers develop their skills in working with EL. By incorporating these components, teachers can enhance their ability to facilitate language acquisition and create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment for their students.

Weight: 520g
Dimension: 176 x 228 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781803881287