Handbook

Copyright 2003 Auralog S.A. All rights reserved. 10
TELL ME MORE
®
Pedagogical Handbook
How to use TELL ME MORE
®
efficiently
TELL ME MORE
®
is a teaching aid aimed at either replacing or complementing traditional language
learning materials (books, video cassettes, audio cassettes, etc.) that Tutors may use, for example, to
introduce a study theme and its associated vocabulary or to expand upon a grammar point. This section sets
out different ways of using TELL ME MORE
®
, whether it be for group work or individual learning. It also
explains how to introduce cultural topics, focus more on oral expression or even manage a class containing
students of differing abilities.
Group work with TELL ME MORE
®
activities
Here are a few suggestions for Tutors wishing to integrate TELL ME MORE
®
’s activities into their lesson
plans. This list of suggestions, organised around skills and linguistic knowledge, is by no means exhaustive
and does not aim to lay down one single use for TELL ME MORE
®
. Rather, it seeks to give a few tips.
Tutors are free to use the software in any way they wish.
Focusing on oral comprehension
• Video and Questions
Having watched the whole video, Tutors can ask students to summarise and describe orally what they saw.
This activity tests students’ comprehension of the language as spoken by a native speaker. Tutors can also
print and use the multiple-choice questions (available from Tutor Tools). Students must then try and answer
the questions using the key vocabulary from the video.
• Dictation
Tutors can play sentences from the dictations in TELL ME MORE
®
, making students write them out, and
thus developing students’ oral comprehension and written expression. Tutors can also ask students to write
each of the sentences on the board and then pronounce them, thus involving the group in the correction
process. The Tutor can then point out mistakes to avoid, and highlight spelling, grammar and syntax errors.
Just like the Video and Questions exercise, the Dictation uses authentic material spoken by native speakers
with differing accents.
Focusing on written expression
• Written Expression
As with the Video and Questions activity, Tutors can display the Written Expression source material
(image or video) and then ask students to give an oral or written description. This activity helps develop
spoken and written expression and students’ ability to summarise. It is also an ideal way of checking that
students have learnt vocabulary linked to a specific theme and are able to use this vocabulary correctly when
constructing sentences.
• Text Transformation
This multi-faceted activity allows students to work on their written comprehension and expression as well as
their grammar skills. Tutors can display the text to be transformed using an overhead projector, allowing
students to complete the exercise. Then, when the class corrects the exercise together, each student takes it in
turn to read out one of the sentences. This activity develops students’ expression (particularly written
expression) and their knowledge of the grammar point relating to the exercise.
Focusing on vocabulary
• Crossword Puzzles
Tutors can project the crossword grid onto a screen and ask individual students to translate the word shown
into the target language. This activity allows students to revise vocabulary and pronunciation, as well as
spelling in a foreign language.
• Picture/Word Association
The aim of this activity, which can also be adapted for group work, is to find the word corresponding to the
picture. Each exercise can be displayed without the answers (by modifying the Picture/Word Association
options in the Lesson Workshop in the Free-to-Roam Mode), allowing students to then take turns to say the
answer corresponding to the photo.