[MUSIC] English for Teaching Purposes. Giving Instructions. >> Have you ever met a teacher who doesn't give instructions in class? Thought so, neither have I. Whether you're giving homework, or organizing lab practice, instructions are essential to have students perform processes that are natural in the classroom. Instructions are like treasure maps, they are intended to lead students through the learning task until they reach the final goal. Good news, the instruction language is very simple. Bad news, they can get tricky sometimes. Nothing to worry about though, we will show you on this video, a very few tricks you can follow to give instructions like a pro. Let's get to it. [MUSIC] Instructions are step-by-step directions to complete a task or procedure. [MUSIC] We can formulate instructions as orders. As in read pages ten to 25. Analyze graph two or write a four page essay. This is by far the most widely used formula, which relies on imperatives. Next, Heinrich, Serva gives homework to a group of students of discourse analysis using imperatives. >> Read carefully the instructions of the, of the task. Isolate, for example all the tweets a subject has posted during a day, during a week, during a month. Don't forget to bring your data, your, your sample, the sample you have chosen. >> A second option is the use of suggestion and obligation language. Teachers commonly use the formula, you should. But they may also go for you must, you have to, and even you want to. Like, you should control exposure time. Or, you want to prepare all of the instruments beforehand. Another possibility is to use more inclusive language. Language that suggests. That both the teacher and the students have a common endeavor and they are working together to attain it. This is more typical in spoken utterances. Especially when the teacher and the students are both performing the same action together. Like when you're solving problems on the board. Brief instructions are typically headed by the expression let's, as in let's analyze the remaining results. Teachers also favor the use of inclusive we. Although only the students are supposed to perform the actions. Expressions of motivation and encouragement are also commonly used by teachers. When there are very long or difficult tasks on site. Let's see how it's done. Now organizes an activity with her management class. She will use many of the expressions mentioned before. >> Okay, let's get in groups of four people each. So, what we want to do now is to select three attitudes all of the members of the group agree with. Next, you should add three attitudes you think are important be a successful leader. >> But perhaps the most important feature of giving instructions, is using sequencing language that somehow indicates the order in which things are supposed to happen. To mark the beginning, you can use expressions like to begin or start with, or first of all. Ordinal numbers like first, second, third, or their adverbial versions, firstly, secondly, thirdly, also come in handy from the start. But using only ordinal numbers can induce profound sleep on your listeners. To prevent students from dozing off. Add some variety using expressions like next, then, or later. Sometimes we'll need to use expressions of simultaneity, like meanwhile, in the mean time or while. Similarly, sometimes students will need to finish small component actions before completing the final task. To express this, use beforehand, earlier, or previously, or prior tot this. To introduce a final action use expressions like finally or lastly. [MUSIC] We should always try and give instructions that can be actually understood and followed. The following dos and don'ts will help you do that successfully. Before getting started, make sure students are listening to you. Always allow for some time so students can settle down before you begin. Try to stick to the step to step order. Long instructions usually relate to processes. It is important to break them into the smallest chunks possible. There is one rule that can help you do that. One action, one sentence. Instructions should be clear. Precise language is important here. Make sure not to include too many details. Don't rush over the instructions. Slow down. Give the students time to take in the message. If the instructions are complex, you may want to write a task analysis. Task analysis are basically detailed lists of all the stages of a process and the actions required to complete them. Obviously there is no place for a task analysis if you're performing very simple actions. Now, if you intend for students to run experiments or analyze data in a particular way you might need to analyze the steps taken to do that. When giving complex instructions, make sure to give some sort of written support. Prepare a simple hand out to take away and don't forget to read it aloud with them. Always check for comprehension after delivering instructions. Open a round of questions. Ask students to tell you your own instructions. Remember, it is the student's responsibility to make an effort and understand what you're saying. But it is your responsibility to manage instructions in a way that is efficient for both the student and you. Prepare. Avoid improvising complex instructions. Prepare long in advance. And if necessary, rehearse. Practice does make perfect. Put your common sense to work. Don't ask students to perform actions even you would have trouble with. Make sure you have all the language you need. It may sound absurd, but you will need, both the language to present the instructions, and the language to paraphrase them. Have some notes handy in case memory fails. Try to predict possible problems and prepare to face them. If you're telling your students how to perform very complicated tasks, it is quite normal that they have both questions and practical problems. Prepare to solve those potential problems. Troubleshooting guides are fantastic tools and they are easy to compile. As you teach a subject over and over again, write down every single problem you encounter. At some point you can put together all the problems and prepare a troubleshooting guide that you can make available to your students. They are going to love you. Oh, and some final advice, prepare. Had I mentioned that? I forget. [MUSIC] Need to make sure your instructions are okay? You can use many methods before you present them in front of a classroom full of people. Record your classes. Try and follow your own instructions while you listen to the recording. See how well you can do it. You might want to change a thing or two after that. You can also have someone completely unrelated to your class follow your instructions, observe their performance, and identify the changes needed. Ask a colleague to observe you. Listen to yourself while teaching. Try and train, you will see that it is incredibly helpful. [MUSIC] Add some spice to the routine act of giving instructions. Try out some of these activities, and you'll see how it eases the whole process. We'll start with some handout based activity. Whether printed or electronic, instruction handouts are greatly appreciated by students. There are some pitfalls to them though. If you pass around a handout without giving directions students may disconnect and ignore your explanations. There are some ways to allow your students to listen to your explanations and use a handout in a useful way. Here's how. [MUSIC] Before giving directions, organize students in groups. Give each group a cutout set of instructions and have them organize the different stages. A similar activity consists in giving out each group a couple of slips of only one handout. The groups will need to negotiate among themselves to be able to organize the full set of instructions. Here's another one that works really well with small groups. Give each student a slip of the cutout instructions. Ask them to stand in the right order once they have figured it out. [MUSIC] Blackboard activities are easy to improvise, and that's why we love them! If you're lucky enough, and you have two big blackboards in class, you can ask two students to come to them and write along while you give instructions. The students can decide which set of instructions is more accurate. You can do the same activity with only one student writing on the board. [MUSIC] Here's one of my favorite note taking activities. Count the steps needed in your instructions. Assign a number to each student. Ask them to write down only the step that corresponds to the number they were given. Present the instructions and don't forget to number the steps. Once you've finished the students should read what they wrote down. This activity gives you a great opportunity to get feedback on your directions. [MUSIC] The next activity is a little more complicated. And a bit riskier as any and all error spotting activities. Its fun anyway, prepare handout and alter some parts of it. Before passing around the copies, make sure to insert a number of flawed copies in the stock. The students sometime to read their handouts, they can't be worried about the mistakes. Clearly state that the students should stop you whenever they spot discrepancies between your instructions and their handouts. This activity works best in small groups, or with classes that have been going for some time. Of course, it relies on the students feeling comfortable to stop the teacher while or she's speaking. [MUSIC] Memory activities keeps students on their toes. Warn students that they cannot write the instructions you'll be giving them. Present the full set of instructions. Have students recall and rephrase them aloud. An alternative to this exercise is choosing three students at random, or asking for volunteers. Give them the instructions, and a few minutes to prepare. They should then take turns to re-tell the instructions to the class. Students take a vote to choose the best version. This activity works wonders if there's a silly award involved, like a lollypop, a pin, or a free invite to a conference. There are, for sure, many more activities that you can improvise in no time to liven up your instructions. These are only a few to get you enthused. [MUSIC] Before we go, I'd like to invite you to adapt some of the activities presented in the video to your own classes. First the main class. Make all the necessary changes and file them until next time. Instructions offer you a great opportunity to get students acquainted with professional routines and practices. Analyze your classes to find out what kind of instructions you supply when you ask students to replicate such practices. Are they accurate? Would they enable students to perform the same tasks in the future? It is something to think about until we meet next time. [MUSIC]
