Presentation techniques
An important part of teaching English is to introduce students to new language. This could be a new grammar structure or
new vocabulary. The introduction of these features is often called ‘presentation’. There are many different ways of
presenting new language and it is important to use a variety of techniques in your teaching. Whichever technique or
method is followed, there are important elements of any presentation.
These are:
Context - the language needs to be illustrated in a natural context. Showing a realistic use of the language helps to make
the meaning clear for the students.
Clarification of meaning/form - the students need to find out how the language is actually structured and what it means.
Controlled practice - the language point is reinforced through activities which usually involve repeated use of the target
language.
The main aim of presentation is to introduce students to new language by exposing them to it in a natural context. There
are different ways of establishing and developing contexts. In Planning we saw a presentation based on the use of realia -
the teacher’s shoes in our example from page 10.
Realia is a very useful classroom aid, but it’s not the only way of providing a context. Also in Planning we saw a
presentation based on the use of pictures. In that example, the teacher used the students’ own words and ideas to build up
a description of the person in the picture. These words and ideas became the marker sentences which highlighted the
grammar point.
Picture presentation
Pictures are a good resource for the teacher and can be used in a variety of ways. Here are some guidelines for the
procedure of using a picture in a presentation:
• Setting the scene
Pictures can be used as prompts to help generate interest in a topic and help establish a context. Generally the teacher
uses the picture to elicit responses from the students. The type of details the teacher elicits will depend on the language
point to be taught.
Student 1
Have you been to England?
Student 2
Yes I have.
(writes down name) When did you go?
Last year.
How long did you ... ?
etc.
• Elicit/feed marker sentence
Using the picture as prompt, the teacher tries to elicit the marker sentence, through asking questions and asking for
descriptions, for example. If the students do not produce the marker sentence then the teacher supplies it.
• Check understanding
Using concept questions the teacher checks that the students understand the meaning of the structure.
• Model and drill marker sentence
The students get controlled practice of the pronunciation of the form. Notice that drilling is usually done before the
students have seen the written form.
• Write up and focus on form
Now the teacher writes the marker sentence on the board and highlights the form.
The lesson now progresses to controlled and less controlled practice exercises.
Here’s an example of a picture presentation showing how the different stages fit into the E.S.A. (Engage, Study, Acti vate)
model. Look at the following pictures. What structure do you think the teacher is trying to present?
Pictures like these could be used in a presentation for the present perfect continuous.
An important part of teaching English is to introduce students to new language. This could be a new grammar structure or
new vocabulary. The introduction of these features is often called ‘presentation’. There are many different ways of
presenting new language and it is important to use a variety of techniques in your teaching. Whichever technique or
method is followed, there are important elements of any presentation.
These are:
Context - the language needs to be illustrated in a natural context. Showing a realistic use of the language helps to make
the meaning clear for the students.
Clarification of meaning/form - the students need to find out how the language is actually structured and what it means.
Controlled practice - the language point is reinforced through activities which usually involve repeated use of the target
language.
The main aim of presentation is to introduce students to new language by exposing them to it in a natural context. There
are different ways of establishing and developing contexts. In Planning we saw a presentation based on the use of realia -
the teacher’s shoes in our example from page 10.
Realia is a very useful classroom aid, but it’s not the only way of providing a context. Also in Planning we saw a
presentation based on the use of pictures. In that example, the teacher used the students’ own words and ideas to build up
a description of the person in the picture. These words and ideas became the marker sentences which highlighted the
grammar point.
Picture presentation
Pictures are a good resource for the teacher and can be used in a variety of ways. Here are some guidelines for the
procedure of using a picture in a presentation:
• Setting the scene
Pictures can be used as prompts to help generate interest in a topic and help establish a context. Generally the teacher
uses the picture to elicit responses from the students. The type of details the teacher elicits will depend on the language
point to be taught.
Student 1
Have you been to England?
Student 2
Yes I have.
(writes down name) When did you go?
Last year.
How long did you ... ?
etc.
• Elicit/feed marker sentence
Using the picture as prompt, the teacher tries to elicit the marker sentence, through asking questions and asking for
descriptions, for example. If the students do not produce the marker sentence then the teacher supplies it.
• Check understanding
Using concept questions the teacher checks that the students understand the meaning of the structure.
• Model and drill marker sentence
The students get controlled practice of the pronunciation of the form. Notice that drilling is usually done before the
students have seen the written form.
• Write up and focus on form
Now the teacher writes the marker sentence on the board and highlights the form.
The lesson now progresses to controlled and less controlled practice exercises.
Here’s an example of a picture presentation showing how the different stages fit into the E.S.A. (Engage, Study, Acti vate)
model. Look at the following pictures. What structure do you think the teacher is trying to present?
Pictures like these could be used in a presentation for the present perfect continuous.
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