A Lesson or a Menu?

Daniela Villani

Daniela Villani has been teaching English in Italian schools for 26 years. She is currently teaching at Scuola Media "G. Cassano" in Trecate. Co-author of various English books for Primary and Secondary School, among others LIVE, a textbook for Scuola Media published by ATLAS Bergamo in 2004. A freelance teacher trainer and the local coordinator of LEND - Lingue e Nuova Didattica. Has produced materials for the INDIRE e-learning programme and written articles published in various language magazines like English Teaching Forum and Lingue e Nuova Didattica.
E-mail: borando@libero.it/p>

Menu

Imagine a meal
A few suggestions

Imagine your language class as if it was a meal - not a quick meal you eat in a hurry, but a proper one that you eat sitting at the table of a good restaurant, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
You are the host, the students are your guests.

First thing they find on the table is the menu. They want to know what they're going to have and what to expect next. Sometimes they will have a chance to choose what they like best from the menu, sometimes they will have to make do with what the kitchen staff provides - "soup of the day", kind of.

Well, a menu usually starts with an appetizer. An appetizer should make you hungry (if you're not already), wanting to start your meal. It should be savoury and enticing. In the same way, a lesson appetizer should get your students into the right mood for starting the lesson, if not exactly eager to learn new things. What can a lesson appetizer consist of? Something light and quick, possibly something funny - a joke? a tongue twister? a word game? a drawing on the board? - or maybe something curious or unexpected you take out from your "magician's case".

Well, have you enticed your students' appetites? That's good. Next comes the starter (prawn cocktail, grapefruit salad, tomato soup…). It's the so-called warm-up phase of the lesson, when you introduce a new topic - be it a visual, some realia, a quiz, a brain storming, anything... provided it's not always the same prawn cocktail - some students may not like crustaceans!

And then comes the main course. It may be either meat or fish, but don't forget to provide a vegetarian choice from time to time. You have come to the point when the new language material is being introduced - it may be a story, a song, a dialogue or an article… no matter what it is, remember to dish it out with a nice garnishing!

And don't forget the side dishes to go with the main course - reflection on the language, skill practice, cultural references and lots more.

After that, your guests will want to choose a dessert, to many the most mouth-watering part of the meal. It is the stage of the lesson where the students use the language more creatively and can appreciate its full flavour.

Last but not least, how about a cup of Italian espresso to make it all "go down"? A little bit of homework for the next class!

A few suggestions to the chef and waiter all in one - to you, the teacher.
- You cannot have the same entries on the menu every day or your guests will be bored - and maybe decide to leave your restaurant. So try and vary the menu whenever possible.
- Use fresh stuff from the market, seasonal fruit and vegetables, rather than pre-cooked food. Your students' experience and what happens in the class usually provide good ingredients for a successful lesson.
- Remember that some people eat more than others, some eat less. Some are greedy, others are just not so interested in food.
- Some take longer than others to eat up their food - do not snatch their plate off them before they have finished (that wouldn't be nice, would it?). Some will eventually leave some food on the plate, but not because you're hurrying them along!
- Most want to eat their own food, you do not need to spoon feed them ever so often. Just stand by the table and provide any help whenever you're asked to.
- Do not get them to eat "all the food they can eat" at one time - you'd better let them leave the table not completely satiated. This way they may want to come back!
- Want to surprise your guests? Why not turn the menu upside down for once? Just for a change, start with the coffee - give them the homework assignments first - and end up with an appetizer. They might appreciate that...

Well, enjoy your meal! - your lesson, I mean.

Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Humanising Large Classes course at Pilgrims website.