Cambridge DELTA Module 3

Assignment
Teaching Monolingual Students

Name: Raghdah A. Al-Madany

Centre No: SA102
Candidate No: 10
Word Count: 4577

Statement of Originality
Plagiarism is defined as submitting as one's own work, irrespective of intent to deceive, that which derives
in part or in its entirety from the work of others without due acknowledgement. It is both poor scholarship
and a breach of academic integrity.
University of Cambridge statement on plagiarism (2011), retrieved 24.10.2014
from:http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/plagiarism/students/statement.html
I confirm that I have read and understood the University of Cambridge definition of plagiarism. I confirm
that this submission is my own work and that all sources used are properly referenced.
Name: Raghdah Al – Madany
Date: 4/06/2015

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Contents
Part one.........................................................................................................................................4
1.1Introduction...........................................................................................................................4
1.2 Literature..............................................................................................................................4
1.2.1 Monolingual versus multilingual classrooms.....................................................................4
1.2.2 Shared mother tongue......................................................................................................5
1.2.3 Motivation for L2...............................................................................................................6
1.2.4 Issues for the teacher in the monolingual classroom........................................................6
1.2.5 Using English outside the monolingual classroom............................................................7
Part 2 Needs Analysis & Results...................................................................................................8
2.1 Needs Analysis....................................................................................................................8
2.2 The Findings of the Needs Analysis....................................................................................9
2.3 Diagnostic testing.................................................................................................................9
2.4 Results of the diagnostic test.............................................................................................10
Part 3...........................................................................................................................................11
3.1 Aims and Objectives..........................................................................................................11
3.2 Syllabus..............................................................................................................................12
3.3 Contents and course constraints.......................................................................................12
3.4.1 Scaffolding......................................................................................................................12
3.4.2 Learner’s Autonomy and interactive tasks......................................................................12
3.4.3 Linking words and academic collocations.......................................................................13
Part 4...........................................................................................................................................13
4.1 Assessment........................................................................................................................13
4.2 Monitoring progress...........................................................................................................13
4.3 Evaluation..........................................................................................................................15
Part 5...........................................................................................................................................16
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................16
Reference....................................................................................................................................17
Course Books/ Material............................................................................................................18
Website Based Material...........................................................................................................19

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Appendix 3- Needs Analysis and Interviews - Main Findings......................................................20
Appendix 5 – Weakest Areas in English......................................................................................21
Appendix 6 – Writing Techniques to Be Developed....................................................................21
Appendix 7 - Topics of Interests..................................................................................................22
Appendix 9 – Diagnostic Test Findings.......................................................................................23
Appendix 10 – Course Plan.........................................................................................................24

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Part one

1.1 Introduction
I have chosen the Monolingual Class as my specialism as I have been teaching
monolingual classes in Saudi Arabia for the past three years as opposed to multilingual
classes. Another reason for my choice is that as a non-native speaker and a language
learner myself, I understand the difficulties my learners go through when learning new
vocabulary, making sense of things in a different language, and coping with different
skills. As indicated by Wechsler ‘Learners cannot escape the influence of their first
language’ (Wechsler, 1997). Also, ‘No matter how good the students are… the majority
keeps mentally translating’ (Kavaliauskiene & Kaminskiene, 2007:133). Having said
that, monolingual classes are somewhat easier to teach than other classes, students
share the same culture and aspirations. To an extend most monolingual students also
make the same mistakes helping the teacher plan in a more focused manner to address
what they need
Many concerns relating to delivering language to monolingual learners will be discussed
throughout the assignment.

1.2 Literature
1.2.1 Monolingual versus multilingual classrooms
According to the Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics
(Richards & Schmidt, 2002), monolingual has two definitions; the first, a person who
knows and uses only one language. The second, a person who has an active
knowledge of only one language, though perhaps a passive knowledge of others,
suggesting that a monolingual person can be bilingual even with the knowledge of other
languages. Shorter Oxford Dictionary describes monolingualism as a monoglot meaning
‘That speaks, writes or understands only one language’. Whereas in multilingual classes
this is a person who knows and uses more than one language. A multilingual speaker
does not necessarily use all the languages to the same level. For example; the
multilingual person may use one language at home and another at work, and may
speak or write well in one language only (Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching &
Applied Linguistics: Richards & Schmidt, 2002).
There are advantages and disadvantages in both of these classes. I can empathise with
students from both classes, because I am originally from Saudi Arabia, and have
worked in England with multilingual students. Multilingual classes have a number of
advantages which have implications for the monolingual class;

 The learners get opportunities to practice English in the classroom during pair
work and group work, and also outside the classroom when doing simple tasks
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 like shopping. Whereas in monolingual classes, the teacher has to encourage the
practice of English inside and outside the classroom. The teacher has to use
techniques and equipment to teach the language to the students, for instance
audio with examples of authentic language.
 The learners are able to bring different cultures and backgrounds to the
classroom, which according to Schumann’s theory of acculturation (1978),
reduces the distance in language learning. However, the same cannot be said for
the monolingual class, where the teacher’s role has to be very inventive. The
teacher has a lot of responsibilities, and has to find many ways of making the
classroom activities fun and interactive.
 The rewards of the multilingual classes are clear. However, the monolingual
class comes with many advantages in itself. It is difficult to decide which is better.
It all depends what sort of learner you are dealing with. Sometimes a mixture of
both multilingual and monolingual teaching methods can aid the students to
acquire the language. (Atkinson,1993)

1.2.2 Shared mother tongue

Using the mother tongue (MT) is a natural tool for anyone learning a language. Along
with other teachers in the EFL field, I agree that the mother tongue helps towards the
acquisition of L2 (Schweer, C 1999). Advocates of mother tongue usage in the
classroom such as David Atkinson (1987) and Ferrer, V (2000) support the benefits that
come along with L1, for example using the mother tongue with caution in the classroom
can save time and allow the teacher to devote more time to other priorities. A teacher
should however, integrate a principled approach to the use of the mother tongue and
clearly know when it needs to be used and when not to be used in class. The older
lower level English learners may rely on the mother tongue, especially if they do not
know another language. Late learning tends to increase the reliance on the mother
tongue and it is a natural tool when learning a language that has been ignored in the
field of language learning.
However, normalising the use of the mother tongue in the classroom can also be a
distraction to the teacher as the students might rely on their MT too much (Swan and
Smith 2001)

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1.2.3 Motivation for L2
According to Harmer (2001) Motivation is ‘Some kind of internal drive which pushes
someone to do things in order to achieve something’. Motivating monolingual students
to speak in English can be quite difficult, given that they find it very easy to
communicate to each other using L1.There are two types of motivation when acquiring
a second language as defined by Gardner and Lambert (1972).
Motivation can be either integrative or instrumental. Integrative motivation is usually
observed with learners who acquire the language out of love and admiration for its
culture and to become integrated to a particular society where the language is used
(Falk, 1978), whereas an instrumental motivation learner is normally concerned with
achieving social respect, better jobs or to pass an exam (Hudson, 2000).
Many writers such as Dornyei (1994) have emphasised on the importance of motivation
in second language acquisition. Dornyei proposed that second language teachers can
develop their students by providing them with topics related to the students & their
culture. In light of what Dornyei suggested, I look to facilitate motivation by giving them
ownership of their own development and empowering them to develop themselves.

To increase the motivation of my students, I look at different tasks such as, self and
peer correction to give them the chance to analyse their own work. I also encourage the
students to read different styles of writing and then give them the chance to brainstorm
the pros and cons of each style, so they can find ways of improving their own writing.
Guthrie & Humenick (2004) speak about the importance of encouraging teachers to
provide students with a large selection of written texts, as it will have an influence on the
learners’ motivation.

1.2.4 Issues for the teacher in the monolingual classroom

Monolingual classrooms are normally found in countries like South Korea and Spain
where normally the immigration rate is high from Eastern Europe and Morocco.
Monolingual classes are also more popular in the Middle East, one of them being Saudi
Arabia where I teach at the moment. There are disadvantages and advantages for the
teacher in a monolingual class:
The advantages include; for beginners monolingual students will find it difficult and
unnatural to speak in a different language other than their own, therefore, creating an
English speaking environment inside the classroom and in the building is a challenge for
the teacher. This will involve persuasion and motivation as the students need to buy into
this new language being learnt in a natural way. However, the advantages of
monolingual classes are many; students share the same problems such as phonological
problems, transfer of similar items from mother tongue, false friends which make writing
skills easier making it like a monolingual class, and the sharing of the same culture
which helps when choosing subjects of interest. (Swan, 1997)

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One disadvantage in a monolingual classes in that they are being taught in the student’s
own country like my course where the course is compulsory to progress to a different
level which is very limiting to the student’s motivation and desire to learn the new
language by choice.

1.2.5 Using English outside the monolingual classroom

According to Shin (2007) ‘The classroom has to be a place where language is taught in
a meaningful way, this is helped by creating contexts that mirror real world discourse’.
Because learners have limited exposure outside the classroom, teachers need to
provide authentic material (reading and listening skills) to help them connect with the
outside world, and to ensure the acquired language is used outside the classroom, in
real life situations (Harmer, 2007:273). When choosing educational materials, there are
certain things to bear in mind such as needs of the learners and cultural sensitivity, not
forgetting that the classroom is the place for rehearsal (Krieger, 2005)

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Part 2 Needs Analysis & Results
2.1 Needs Analysis
In relation to the topics discussed in Part 1, I will use several methods to assess the
needs of my students. This will help me in ‘collecting and assessing information relevant
to course design; it is the means of establishing the how and what of the course’
(Hyland 2006:73).
I will use various methods of needs analysis tools including questionnaires, surveys and
interviews, to collect information about the students’ preferred needs (David Nunan,
1998). A needs analysis has to be carried out throughout the course as it is a
systematic and ongoing process (Graves, 2000).
Nunan (1988) suggested that language syllabus designers need to break needs
analysis into two parts ‘learners’ analysis and task analysis’. The learner analysis
approach for data collection is what I will use as it will collect relevant language learning
data.
To assess the learning needs and expectations of my students, I will use an adapted
VARK learning style questionnaire (Fleming, 2012) (Appendix 1&2). The questionnaire
will allow me to collect factual and objective information about the learners. (Nunan,
1988 & Graves, 2000).
As well as collecting preferred learning styles, the NA will also help me collect
information about the learners’ ‘interpersonal skills’ and the learners’ ‘context’ (Graves,
2000) including information about the learners’ physical and social context.
To form certain learning stages and build a better picture of the learners understanding,
I will observe the learners in an informal setting in order to gain understanding of the
students’ natural attitude towards learning the English language. I will also gather
information about their interest for using English, as they do not have an opportunity or
a need to use it outside the classroom. This will allow me to personalise the course
proposal to what they need and make them ‘more engaged’ (Graves, 2000)
I will follow this by a diagnostic test (Appendix 8) to assess and analyse the exact
needs of my students.

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2.2 The Findings of the Needs Analysis
My group studies general English 5 days a week for 3 hours a day at the preparatory
year of King Saud University Riyadh (KSU). The class is made up of 22 monolingual
intermediate level (IELTS 5) female students between the ages of 18 and 21. I share
the class with a co-teacher who teaches the speaking and listening track, while I teach
reading and writing. We teach 1.5 hours each for five days a week.
The main findings are divided into the following:
Result Percentage % Reasons for the given results
Learning styles 95% Variety (VAK)
Previous negative experience 92% Because it was teacher-centred
Writing programme 85% No writing programme available
Teacher-centred classes preferred 83% Cultural reliance on the teacher for
everything
Teacher correction 88% Preferred teacher correction only
Peer correction 18% The class is not used to this method
A need for academic writing 90% To pass exams and to progress to majors
Weakest language skill 75% Writing is the area where most students
wanted help with.

(For more details, see Appendix 3)

2.3 Diagnostic testing
Diagnostic testing can be carried out in the form of formative assessment or summative
assessment (Brindley, 2001). Baxter (1997) says that diagnostic tests are designed to
test the strength and weakness of the learner. After analysing the findings of the
questionnaire, I realised that the main areas of weakness in relation to the 2 language
skills that I am teaching is the skill of writing. To put this into perspective and to
diagnose the learners ‘linguistic lacks’ (Hutchinson and Waters, 1987), I decided to test
the students’ writing abilities. The students were asked to write 120 words in 30 minutes
with the title of ‘The importance of preparatory year (PY) at King Saud University’
(Appendix 8). The test was set under exam conditions. McNamara (2000) calls this
type of testing an ‘integrative test’ as it would require the learners to use a range of
skills to complete the test. This format of testing will highlight the learners’ strength and
weakness. The test is a ‘direct test’ (Mcnamanr, 2000) as it tests the skill of writing, and
has ‘content validity’ (Macnamanr, 2000). The test and the rubric for marking (Appendix
8 &18) was adapted from the student’s reading and writing book as they will be tested
from materials they are familiar with and are suitable for their level.

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2.4 Results of the diagnostic test
Writing strength
Some learners have demonstrated good use of vocabulary in their writing, for example;
‘The importance’, ‘The PY will make you sophisticated’, and ‘PY will prepare you’
(Appendix 9). About 20% of the class had clear ideas and good use of grammar.
Writing weaknesses
The main weaknesses were found in the structure and organisation, as paragraphs
were not present in the students presented work. The students were also unable to
address the style and register in a correct manner. At this level, the majority of the
students should have good control of linking words, which was not present in their work
causing it to be less cohesive. Although, they showed some coherence (Appendix 9).
Again, there was a clear lack of academic phrases and collocations. Most of the
students’ spelling was quite poor and some minor grammar errors were made.
The course proposal will give priority to the following:
 Use of paragraphing to encourage coherence and cohesion.
 Organisation and structure skills so that the paragraphs are linked.
 The use of suitable style and register.
 Use of linking words and academic collocation.

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Part 3
When proposing a course, it is important to have a flexible syllabus that will
accommodate learners’ needs and deal with any issues that may come up during a
proposal ‘conceptualises content’ (Graves 2000). Richards refers to course plan as the
‘what’, the ‘why’, and the ‘how’ of a course. (Richards 2001)
After analysing areas of strength and weakness of my students, I have found that
reading is a strong skill across the class therefore, I will concentrate on their most
needed area of improvement which is writing. I have chosen this skill as it was the skill
that they struggled with the most. (Appendix 5) According to Richards and Renanadya
(2002) ‘Writing is the most difficult skill for L2 learners to master’. The students also
need help with their spelling, which falls under the sub-skill of writing, Richards (2001)
In my opinion, not to be able to communicate through writing is quite disabling and can
hinder students in reaching their goals and positions of power (Tribble, 1996).
3.1 Aims and Objectives
Aims and objectives are the backbone of a curriculum and it is ‘the framework’ of a
curriculum (Finney in Richards and Renanadya, 2003).
Graves (2000) discusses that ‘through objectives a goal is broken down into learnable
and teachable units’. Krashen and Terrell (1983) highlight the importance of defining
goals before even deciding on the materials of a course. ‘A decision on the methods
and materials to be used in a course is possible only once the goals of the course have
been defined’ (Krashen and Terrell, 1983). The course I am proposing is a ‘mixed-
focused model’ (Richards and Renanadya, 2003).

By the end of the proposed course, the learners will be able to

Ob1 Develop learner autonomy and strategies to become more independent in and
outside of the classroom.
Ob2 Students will be able to write coherent and cohesive paragraphs.

Ob3 Students will be able to recognise different types of texts and styles.

Ob4 Students will be able to develop their academic collocation and linking words.

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3.2 Syllabus
The syllabus will follow on from the university’s skill based syllabus which will help with
the needs of my learners addressing certain skills such as; linking words and academic
collocations as discussed above, as well as the skill based syllabus. I will be using a
mixture of a product-orientated syllabus and a process-orientated syllabus (Nunan,
1988). A product-orientated syllabus focuses on what the learners have to learn by the
end of the course, and the knowledge and the skills which learners should gain as a
result of instruction (Nunan, 1988). The second syllabus which is the process-orientated
syllabus focuses on ‘the how’ (Jordon, 1997). The students will learn the skills needed
to write academically by the end of the course. The process-syllabus is a ‘means to an
end’ (Jordon, 1997) which will help me to accomplish my course objectives. This will
also help in the motivation of the learners as they will achieve a sense of success of
their learning.
3.3 Contents and course constraints
I am constrained by the syllabus that the university has set for the course which Q skills
5 for success reading and writing by N. Caplan and S. Douglas and for this reason, I will
be using and adapting from this course book. Also, the students were positive about
using this book during the questionnaire. I will be developing objectives one to four with
the students using this book, which will ‘activate organic learning principles’ (Nunan,
2004)
3.4 Principles / methodology
3.4.1 Scaffolding
Most monolingual learners find themselves embarrassed when writing academically as
it is an area they are not comfortable with due to limited vocabulary and weakness in
areas such as; spelling and academic collocations. Hyland (2006) encourages the use
of scaffolding techniques to ‘build their understanding of texts and their linguistic
competence to create them’. Scaffolding is also important when trying to produce a
coherent and a cohesive writing and for that Nunan (2004) highlights that scaffolding
should be introduced to students either explicitly or implicitly’

3.4.2 Learner’s Autonomy and interactive tasks

The success of the proposed program will allow the learners to take ownership of their
writing (Raimes, 1983). During the questionnaire, the students showed interest for
interactive language games and task-based writing activities. I will use the
communicative tasks which will help the learners find their own style of writing. The
students will be asked to discuss topics they will be interested in and will be given tasks
in small/pair groups to encourage collaborative learning. The students will also be
encouraged to take the teacher’s role when reviewing certain answers and playing
interactive games. This will take them away from the traditional teacher-centred style.
These tasks ‘require learners to negotiate with each other’ (Graves 2000).

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3.4.3 Linking words and academic collocations
During the writing test I have set for the students (Appendix 8), it was very apparent that
my students struggled with producing long sentences and word combinations, lacking
the use of cohesive devices such as linking words and collocations. I will explain the
importance of collocations to my learners as this will help them understand vocabulary
and how it is associated together in context, as supported by Nation (2004) collocations
are ‘naturally associated in context’. The students will learn words in combination
rather than isolated vocabulary memorisation, and understanding the importance of
discovering how words go together. Wallace (1982) indicates that through
collocation, learners will have the ‘ability to use it with the words it correctly goes
with, i.e. in the correct collocation…’ making their writing more natural and cohesive.
Having discussed the importance of collocation, it is also important for the students to
realise the importance of cohesive devices (linking words). The significance of using
linking words will be highlighted to the students, using various activities during the
course plan.

Part 4

4.1 Assessment

Assessment is necessary to measure the success of any course. As language teachers,

we constantly have to assess methods and theories to evaluate what works best for our
learners and to measure the effectiveness of a course by achieving the objectives set.
Graves (2000) states that objectives are ‘The benchmarks of success for a course. The
course can be deemed successful and effective if the goals have been reached’.
Assessments can be categorised to formative and summative, both needed hand in
hand during any course, to both teach and test/or assess.(Hyland 2006) Formative
assessments are ongoing and find out what is working well, and what is not, and what
problems need to be addressed (Richards, 2001). While summative assessments
assess ‘What the students have achieved with respect to what they have been learning
in the course’ (Graves, 2000)

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4.2 Monitoring progress

To assess the success of my course, I need to use both methods. I will use both formal
and informal assessment to check the progress and to achieve all my objectives.
Informal assessments will be carried out for: Ob1 - Develop learner autonomy and
strategies to become more independent in and outside of the classroom. Ob2 -
Students will be able to write coherent and cohesive paragraphs. Ob3 - Students will be
able to recognise different types of texts and styles. Ob4 - Students will be able to
develop their academic collocation and linking words.

The informal assessment will be carried out during the whole course carrying out
different activities such as; writing cohesive and coherent paragraphs with appropriate
topics (Ob 2 & 3). Group tasks where the students will be put into groups to make
decisions of how to rearrange paragraphs in the right order (Ob 1). Also, the students
will be provided with writing checklist and error correction symbols (Appendix 13 ) where
they have to self and peer correct ‘encouraging them to reflect upon their own learning’
(Harmer, 2007). This will allow the students to develop learner autonomy and the
students to work with each other to achieve their goal overcoming barriers of shyness
and language issues. ‘To measure students knowledge and ability’ (Harmer, 2007) for
collocation, I will carry out a discreet/point test to evaluate how much they know and
what have they learned so far. Students will be given tasks where they have to discover
repeated use of collocations and linking words and the absence of them. (Appendix 15
& 16)

Alongside the assessments, I will be conducting weekly meetings to determine ‘how

well the course is meeting their needs’ (Graves, 2000), during this time, I will give the
students the opportunity to discuss what went well and what needs to be adjusted to
achieve the course goals.

To test the achievements of goals after the course has been carried out, I will use
summative assessments (Ob 2, 3 and 4) ‘to test the overall achievement and
effectiveness of the course’ (Graves, 2000). This will provide the necessary feedback
for both myself and my students. Using the university’s rubric (Appendix 18), I will set a
writing test to assess how much of the skills they have been learning throughout the
course have been developed. The test will require students to use collocations, linking
words, paragraphing and styles to write short essays. This will set a clear criterion of
what needs to be measured in terms of the learner’s performance (Jordan, 1997)

The writing test is a direct test as it will test exactly what it says it will test (writing
coherently and cohesively) ‘to perform the communicative skill which is being tested’
(Harmer, 2007). The test also has ‘face validity’ and ‘content validity’ because it is
similar to tests that have been used before, assessing what is tangible. The test is also
reliable as it is based on the university’s previous tests. The test has ‘construct validity’
testing the writing skill itself. Although, the test is subjective, the rubric is designed with
simple guidelines making the test more objective. The students are familiar with the

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university’s rubric (Appendix 18) which was provided for them at the beginning of the
course. The rubric makes them aware of what is needed and what they are being
marked against. This helps with their confidence as they know exactly what is expected
of them, giving them ownership of their learning.

4.3 Evaluation
Evaluation is an integral part of the course as it measures and assesses effectiveness
of the course. Evaluation ‘is concerned with evaluating the effectiveness of the overall
course or programme’ (Thornbury, 2006). As highlighted by Hutchinson and Waters
(1987), a course can be evaluated at any point. I will evaluate my course using the
following methods:
 Informal discussions - students will have an open class discussion at the end of
the lesson brainstorming what was good and bad about the activities of the
lesson and how to improve it.
 One to one interview - students will keep a journal where they have to write about
a topic every day (to get them used to free writing, without any judgements).This
could be about food they liked, a lipstick colour or how much they slept. During
the interview, we will discuss their writing and how it’s improving, giving me and
the students a time to reflect. (Appendix 12)
 Self and peer correction - where the students will use a checklist where they will
be given the ownership of correcting their work and their peers, they will be using
error correction symbols to help them with this task. (Appendix 13)
 End of course questionnaire - this will be provided at the end of the course,
giving the students a chance to reflect. The students will be asked questions that
will encourage them to highlight what went well in the course and what changes
can be made for the future. (Appendix 19)

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Part 5
Conclusion

I feel that my course proposal meets the needs of my students (the skill of writing
coherently and cohesively and developing learner autonomy). The course enables the
students to take responsibility for their own learning preparing them for the years to
come in their chosen major at King Saud University. Improving their writing
academically will also help accomplish their writing needs in their degrees and future
employment.

Limitations of the course

Sticking to the course book set by the university is a constraint which has limited the
outside world experience. A fuller immersion with variety of topics, would have been
more beneficial. Also, the time constraints of just over two weeks can limit what the
students can learn. Adjusting to new techniques such as; self and peer correction can
be a constraint that will hinder learner autonomy.

Benefits of the course

The course is designed to meet needs of the students which will provide them with
adequate practice in writing, using academic collocation and linking words and building
their self-confidence and taking ownership of their own learning. The course is student-
centred helping the students overcome barriers and obstacles leading to autonomous
learning. The feedback sessions, the journal and self/peer correction makes the
students feel in control and the teacher is only involved when support is needed. The
questionnaire of the needs analysis allowed the learners to think for themselves and
independently notice the areas that required development from their strengths. The
learners will also learn how to work with other people and be part of a team. Although it
is a monolingual class, the learners are able to use as much English as possible to
complete their tasks successfully using tools such as, checklist and the error correction
symbols (Appendix 14 &18) the course will help my learners gain a deep understanding
of the language and discover new language as they go along.

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Hudson, G. (2000). Essential Introductory Linguistics. Blackwell Publishers.
Hutchinson, T., and Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes: A learning-
centered approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hyland, K. (2006). English for Academic Purposes: An advanced resource book.
Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

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Jordan, R. (1997). English for Academic Purposes. Cambridge. Cambridge University
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for specific purposes, Kalbotyra, 57(3), 132-139
Krashen, S. & Terrell, T.D. (1983). The Natural Approach, Pergamon.

McNamara, T. (2000) Language Testing. Oxford University Press.

Nation, I.S. P. (2004). Teaching and learning vocabulary. Benijing: Foreign Language
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Richards, J.C. & W.A. Renanadya (eds.) (2002). Methodology in language teaching: An
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teaching (6th Ed.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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Swan, M. & Smith, B. (Ed.) (2001). Learner English, Cambridge: CUP.

Thornbury, S. (2006). An A-Z of ELT. Oxford: Macmillan

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Website Based Material

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www.teacenglishworldwide.com/Articles/Ferrer mother%20tongue% 20in%20the
20classroom. Pdf

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English Teaching Forum 43/2 2005

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44/1 2006

Swan, M. (1997). The influence of the mother tongue on second language vocabulary
acquisition and use. Retrieved 5 October 2011
from http://www.mikeswan.co.uk/elt-applied-linguistics/influence-second-langauge.htm

Wechsler, R. (1997). Uses of Japanese (L1) in the English classroom: Introducing the
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Retrieved May 15, 2008 from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Weschsler-UsingL1.html

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Appendix 3- Needs Analysis and Interviews - Main Findings

1. Talking to the students during the initial interviews 93% of the students had
difficulty with writing. This is because the educational institute did not provide
writing programs. The only time they wrote English is when they had to write an
answer to a question or simple sentences such as my name is.
2. Although the students were clear about the topics they wanted to write about
(entertainment, travelling, shopping and cooking), the majority of them wanted to
learn all the techniques of writing in the list and when I tried to discuss this in the
individual interview, the response was that they thought it was important to know
types of writing required for the final exam at King Saud University. That in mind,
it was apparent that writing an academic essay was an important choice for
about 85% of the students.
3. Nearly all of the class did not enjoy studying English previously. The reason for
this bad experience was due to the fact that the English classes were teacher -
centred and all the answers were being fed to them as well as the teacher using
Arabic to teach English at all times.
4. If the PY year was not compulsory, 65% of the students would still attend it as
they are motivated to learn English and see it as an important language to
acquire for future employment and studies.
5. Preferred learning styles – although about 30% of the students showed a mixture
of preference. The overall preferred styles were auditory and visual. The majority
of the students preferred to work in small groups rather than in pairs as they
believe that more efforts and brains work together better, making their own
positions strong.
6. About 72% of the students preferred teacher – centred classes as their previous
experience and classroom culture got them accustomed to this. Although, when
speaking to the students, they were more confident but just needed reassurance
and development of critical thinking and ownership of their learning.
7. 68% of the students preferred teacher correction rather than self or peer
correction. This is also due to the cultural sensitivity of their previous learning and
the teacher being the only source of knowledge in the classroom.
8. There was one thing clear about the students preference for games, almost the
whole class wanted to be challenged with games and competitions during class
activities 93%.

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Appendix 5 – Weakest Areas in English

Weakest Areas in English

14

12

10

0
Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Appendix 6 – Writing Techniques to Be Developed

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 Types of writing
16

14

12

10

0
Letters & Emails Application forms Academic Writing Free Writing

Appendix 7 - Topics of Interests

Topics of Interests

Sports

Cooking

Reading

Travelling

Entertainment

Shopping

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Appendix 9 – Diagnostic Test Findings

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 After completing the test, the following points were found in the students writing
(out of 22 students):

1. 14/22 students did not show good use of academic collocations and linking
words.
2. 7/22 students – although I understood what they meant, simple grammatical
mistakes were made including: subject – verb agreement, mixing of tenses
and minor spelling mistakes.
3. 19/22 students did not show any organisational skills, as their writing was all
over the place and did not use paragraphing to separate ideas and topic
sentences.
4. 15/22 students did not show understanding of style, as they did not write a
particular group and mixed between formal and informal styles

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 Appendix 10 – Course Plan
Course Objectives

Ob1 Develop learner autonomy and strategies to become more independent in and outside of the
classroom.

Ob2 Students will be able to write coherent and cohesive paragraphs.

Ob3 Students will be able to recognise different types of texts and styles.

Ob4 Students will be able to develop their academic collocation and linking words.

Week 1 /Day Course Objectives Aims and Objectives of activity Lesson stages Materials
W1 Ob1 The students will be told about the  Power point presentation of Power point presentation
Ob 2 course and what they should the course. Student journals
Sunday Ob 3 expect of the course and what is  Open class discussion
Ob 4 expected of them. about achieving course
aims and objectives
 What they think they will
learn and how it will benefit
them in the future.
 Writing journals will be
handed. Students will be
told that this is for free
writing that they can discuss
it at the weekly interviews.
 H/W bring pictures to
personalise the journals
Monday Ob 1 How to encourage learner  Students will discuss what it PP – presentation
autonomy and how to take means to take ownership of Journal
ownership of your learning learning Video
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  What steps can you take to
make it happen? (pairs)
 Students will decorate their
journals
 Students will write/draw a
map of steps of becoming a
good writer and the skills
needed to become a good
writer.
 Students will write their own
objectives in the journal
 T will show a short video
about happy memories
 Students will discuss their
own memories
 T will ask students to write
about ‘a happy experience’
 Learners will read each
other’s work and discuss
what they read and ask
questions of things they did
not understand or get a full
picture of while reading.

Tuesday Ob 1 A breakdown of writing stages and Writing process; Smart board

Ob 2 skills  Teacher will model Presentation
Ob 3 Mingling activity brainstorming ideas and A3 papers
organising it to stages then Mind maps
students will discuss it in
groups
 Teacher will give out cut out
ideas
 Students will stick it on A3
papers and add to it
 Students will fill out an
empty mind map with the

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 ideas making their first draft
ready with the topic of
‘education and its
importance’
 Students will from other
groups with checking for
organisations
 Students will give 2 reasons
for why the draft was
organised or not organised

Wednesday Ob1 Recognising linking words used in  Students will read short Headway Academic
Ob2 academic writing /rephrasing paragraphs about cancer in skills reading and writing
Ob 3 groups level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob 4  Students will mind map the Task 1 page 14
difference and what was Error correction symbols
said in each paragraphs
and what is the difference
 Students will discuss that
the paragraphs said the
same things using different
words
 Students look at a summary
page 14 and replace the
underlined words with
suitable synonyms
 Teacher will ask students
to organise an article and
choose the best synonyms
to stick in the gaps
 Students will use symbols to
check their peers work
 Students will go around the
room to read different article
and chose the best
paragraph with reasons

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Thursday Ob1 Recognising academic vocabulary/  A video about insomnia Video Headway
Ob2 rephrasing continued  Discuss what the video Academic skills reading
Ob 3 Use a jumbled up activity to choose about and writing level 3. Sarah
Ob 4 topic sentences  Students will discuss what Philpot teachers
Developing Learner autonomy topic sentences are photocopy Bale materials
 Students will read the Page 66
paragraph and match them
with correct topic sentences
page 66
 Students will read to self-
correct then read others
work and peer-correct
 Students will discuss how
topic recognise sentences
their importance for
organisation
 Students will rewrite the
paragraphs rephrasing the
bold words with synonyms
 Students will check their
work using the writing check
lit
 Students will match words
in the table with their
synonyms

Week 2 Ob1 Review topic sentences  Learners will brainstorm Headway Academic
Sunday Ob2 Linking words - coherent and ideas about organisation skills reading and writing
Ob3 cohesive paragraph and structure of academic level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob4 Developing Learner autonomy paragraphs Page 16/17
 Students will prioritise the
importance of topic
sentences and linking words
 Students will complete the
blanks with suitable linking

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 words
 Students will look read
study skills explaining topic
sentences, body sentence
and a concluding sentence.
 Students will complete task
2 with suitable topic
sentences
 Students will put task 3 in
order and write a paragraph
with a topic sentences
 Students will
 Students will complete task
5 to write the final
sentences
 Students will self-correct
and peer correct
Monday Ob1 The importance of academic  Students will read a short Headway Academic
Ob2 collocation paragraph about healthy skills reading and writing
Ob3 The difference between formal and diet level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob4 informal styles  Students will discuss what Page 19
Review topic sentences they read and highlight who Teachers own materials
it was written for and the
language difference for both
paragraph, although they
spoke about the same topic
 Students will be handed
features of formal and
informal styles
 Students will stick the
features under the headings
of formal and informal
 Teacher will provide the
answers for peer correction
 Students will ask students
to look at the topic

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 sentences- task 2 and
match them with correct
paragraphs
 Students will underline
collocations and linking
words and in the
paragraphs and discuss
them
Tuesday Ob1 Learning the process of comparing  Students will watch a video Video
Ob2 and contrasting and an academic comparing 2 countries Headway Academic
Ob3 essay  Students will discuss what skills reading and writing
Ob4 Encourage learners autonomy the video was about level 3. Sarah Philpot
 Students will brainstorm Page 7
language for comparing and Teachers own materials
write it under the heading of
‘similar and difference’
 Students will read the text –
task 1, and discuss if they
show similar or different
things
 Students will write the
difference between the two
countries using bullet points
 Students will use phrases
of comparison, such as on
the other hand, whereas, to
make the bullet points into
paragraphs
 Students will self/peer
correct using writing
checklist and error
correction symbols
Teacher will set homework – write
an essay comparing the weather
between The UK and KSA
Wednesday Ob1 Review language for comparing  Students will discuss what Headway Academic

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 Ob2 and contrasting they remember about skills reading and writing
Ob3 Self/peer correct to encourage comparison language level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob4 learner autonomy  Students will complete task Pag3 7
Write and arrange an academic 2 – skim the text and Page 22
paragraph for coherence and underline language for Teachers book page 65
cohesion comparison
 Students will use the words
they found to complete task
4
 Students will self/peer
correct
 Students will Scan a text
 Students will work in pairs
to rearrange the text in the
right order/introduction and
main body so that its
coherent and cohesive
 Students will discuss how
they came to answer and
which language helped
them to put the paragraphs
in order
 Students will complete task
1 – teachers book, to
practice language needed
for comparing and
contrasting
 Using the same structure,
with linking words and
comparison, students will
write an academic essay -
comparing two cities in
Saudi Arabia- Riyadh and
Jeddah
 Students will use the check
list self/peer correct

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Thursday Ob1 Taking ownership of learning  Students will talk about their Headway Academic
Ob2 Proof reading and editing – self best technological invention skills reading and writing
Ob3 and peer correction  Students will match pictures level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob4 Running dictation with the right technology Teachers book page 74
 Read the article and Teachers own materials
discuss: technology has
negative effects as much as
positive. Do you agree?
 Is the article well
structured?
 Running dictation: there are
6 different errors outside the
classroom, as fast as you
can read the error, come in
read the article and tell me
and your group the answer.
The same person is not
allowed to go out again
 When you finish, read the
article and correct any
mistakes with your group
 The correct answers are
under your chair/check and
edit any mistakes
Week 3 Ob1 Organising and writing an  Students will have different Headway Academic
Sunday Ob2 academic essay words, e.g. catch skills reading and writing
Ob3 Review academic vocabulary and  Teacher will elicit the words level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob4 lining words to produce more that can go/collocate with Page 26
natural- sounding written work this verb, e.g. catch a cold Task 1
Develop learner autonomy-  Students will discuss the Page 27 1
self/peer correction with importance of collocation
constructive feedback for peers and how it helps your
writing
 Each group will have 5
different words that they will
find the collocation for

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  Students will read about
Guritiba in different
sentences, and underline
the collocations task 1
 Students will complete a
gap fill with nouns/verbs
that collocate
 Students will brainstorm the
features used to create a
cohesive and d coherent
paragraphs
 Students will rearrange
jumbled up paragraphs task
1
 Students will discuss ways
that show continuity
between paragraphs
 Using linking words and
collocation from the text
students will write and
academic essay with the
title of how Urban planning
helped KSA develop in the
last 10 years
 Students will use check list
to self/peer correct, giving
feedback to their groups

Monday Ob1 Review linking words to produce a  Students will look at Headway Academic
Ob2 coherent and cohesive writing pictures of the holy mosque skills reading and writing
Ob3 Write an essay indicating reason in Makkah level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob4 and result using linking words  Students will be asked to Teachers book page 70
Developing learner autonomy describe each picture and
why are the people in the
mosque doing what they are
doing and what is the

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 benefit of their actions
 Students will discuss things
they do in their daily lives
giving a reason and a result
of the action
 Students will read an
adopted text from the
teacher’s book task 2 and
underline reasons and
result words
 Students describe the
reason Luxor temple was
built and what it resulted in
 Students will complete task
3 – matching words
expressing reasons and
results with the correct
linkers
 Students will self/peer
correct
 Students will write about
places to visit in Saudi
Arabia giving reasons or
result with appropriate
linkers
 Students will read each
other’s work to see if they
agree with the reasons and
results sating why yes or
not
Tuesday Ob1 Use writing skills and structure  Students will watch a video Headway Academic
Ob2 learnt in the course to write a about persuasion skills reading and writing
Ob3 persuasive essay  Students will discuss the level 3. Sarah Philpot
Ob4 Learners will peer correct to sort of language and Teacher’s book page 67
provide feedback for their techniques used to
classmates persuade a person to do

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 something
 Teacher will tells students
that they have to write an
essay, persuading people
that cycling is good for them
 Students will plan the
information needed to write
a persuasive essay ,
 students will complete a
table about cycling to help
with the writing - task 2
 Students will write the steps
they need to follow, to make
the essay coherent and
cohesive.
 Students will check the list
with their friends and
compare answers, adding to
the list
 Students will write an essay
about the benefit of cycling
in the city
 Students will use the check
list to check their work and
their groups work, giving
them constructive feedback

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