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[neverheardofem]

Hi,

I would really appreciate help here: As a DELTA application task, they have asked how I would analyse a language point, e;g: Conditionals, and how I would structure a lesson plan on this. I have taught conditionals plenty of times in the past but I am not sure how to answer this! Do they want a lesson plans on all conditional forms, should my lesson be a general lesson on conditionals? Or should I just pick one type of conditional and describe how I would teach it?

Any opinions or advice would be great!

[Sashadroogie]

Without seeing the exact task, it is hard to say. But from what you say, it can be any language point, not just conditionals. I'd pick just one grammar point, and show how it would be presented, either a full lesson plan, or a brief description. Depends on their instructions. I'd make reference to the form of the structure, its meaning, phonological features, the context in which it is presented etc., what the learners would be doing with the structure in the lesson, materials used.
In any case, the purpose of such tasks is to weed out those who would deliver a lecture-style exposition, rather than a student-centred lesson.

Best of luck!

[peripatetic_soul]

Hi,
You can google a selected conditional you will teach. Try eslflow.com for instance. As Sasha commented, it should be an interactive activity to engage the students, not a lecture. You could present the conditional in a short power point and then prepare a guided activity for students to tap their understanding. To accommodate different learning styles, try to present it multimodally (auditory, visual and kinesthetic). Also, have you checked out Dave's corner on suggested activities? Good luck.

[golsa]

I don't have a DELTA and won't anytime soon, but here is my first thought....

Why don't you approach this like a good course book would? Have the students start the lesson by reading/listening to something that involves a third conditional and continue it with a reading/listening activity about the same situation. Pause the recording at appropriate times and have the students discuss in pairs what they would have happened if a doctor hadn't been on the plane? What would they have done if they'd been lost in a jungle instead of the speaker? What would have happened if Ryan became a pro surfer instead of a doctor? Resume play and repeat the above several times and then elicit the meaning of "If ..... had/hadn't x, ..... would/wouldn't have y" and its inverse.

Once they've worked out something about talking about a different past, tell them they're correct, quickly go over the basic grammar, give them a brief written exercise on writing about a different past, and follow up with further discussion about different pasts.

[neverheardofem]

Thanks for the replies guys, they've been really helpful.
The exact question asked is: 1)How would you analyse your chosen point for teaching purposes? 2)How would you structure a lesson around this point?

'Conditional forms' is one of the given points to choose from which is pretty general. What I am confused about is if they mean all an analysis and lesson on all conditional forms or just one? I've decided to just select the first conditional since I've never taught a lesson on all types together, except maybe to review. Do you think this is what they mean?
Should I write a full lesson plan or an outline?

[Sashadroogie]

Analyses of structure for teaching purposes is basically what I posted above about concept, positive/negative/question forms, phonological form(s) etc.

No point in presenting Present Perfect Simple without drawing attention to the fact that the aux. verb is have/has, and that in interrogatives this means that the aux. is before the main verb. Especially if your speaking activity is a "Find someone who has..." milling activity.

This is the kind of thing they are looking for. There is a large amount of stating the obvious involved here, yet a surprising amount of teachers are not so clear in stating what they intend to teach or how - no matter how obvious it may seem to themselves.

Step-by-step clarity is all the Delta people are looking for at this stage, I feel. The same goes for your lesson plan. Yes, I'd submit a fairly detailed plan, with each lesson stage clearly marked, and including stage aims, timing, learner interaction, materials used etc. Also include class level, assumption about learners, timetable fit, or whatever else you feel is relevant.

Pick a fairly straightforward structure from their list, and just exploit that. Do not go mad and try to 'teach' all conditional forms, for example. Or, worse, every possible use of the word 'have'. Keep it simple, and clear. Just like for the language learners you have taught.

Best of luck!

[golsa]

[D-M]

Step-by-step clarity is required with DELTA, but brevity is also quite important to them. Follow the instructions given of course, but being concise was something that was valued when I tried to do a DELTA last year. Flowery long-winded stuff was something they didn't like too much.

I would veer towards something brief but concise TBH ... but without seeing the question I could be wrong.

I would use text or audio to present the target language in context before highlighting a marker sentence from said context.

I would then take an inductive method of learning, asking my students to identify some functions of the marker sentence thereby forming their own rules of usage.

As a group we would look together at some phonology and establish how the structure might sound in natural speech.

When I am confident that we as a class understand the structure in form and function I would move into some brief controlled exercise before moving into a free and functional practice.

edit to add - Just scrolled up and seen the question posted. Id change tack then knowing they are asking how you would assess the structure. I would answer something like:

I would look at a standard marker sentence to note grammatical form in both negative / positive and question forms. I would check for contracted forms and sentence stress and note how this affects pronunciation with IPA transcriptions ready if needed. I would then identify function(s) and prepare a list of concept checking type questions to use ensuring students understand the function.

I would then prepare some activities that recognise my students age, needs and cultural backgrounds giving them a chance to use the TL in ways that are meaningful to them. This would ideally include both controlled and free practice.

[neverheardofem]

Thanks very much again for the advice - it was spot on. I started the course yesterday and received good feedback on the task. The tutor said she deliberately kept the question vague to see what we would do, and that she was really looking for brevity and concision in the answer. She also mentioned only one of us (not me) mentioned the phonological aspects, but that this was important.

[Sashadroogie]

Vague questions? Sounds very unDelta. But however... Best of luck on the course. Hope you get a lot out of it.