Types of learner-centered activities

   It should be noted that the two categories proposed are not mutually exclusive. Learner – centered activities can be learner - focused (or not) and at the same time they can be learner – prepared (or not).Below I will give two more examples of learner – centered activities and show how the two criteria of learner – focused and learner – prepared can be applied to them. This activity is called “Find someone who..? ” It is a well known activity in which learners have a list of, say, life experiences.And they must mingle and ask each other questions to find learners who have done the sings on the list. It is interesting to see  how the activity can be adapted in different circumstances according to the two criteria. Teacher - prepared with a non – learner focus. Strictly speaking  this kind of activity is usually a learner - focused activity as the learners are obliged to find someone who has done a certain thing, can do a certain thing etc. However, if the teacher takes the questions from a photocopiable  resource book, it is highly unlikely that the question will relate much to the learners, given that learners are so fundamentally different around   the world and the questions are usually based on a typically western-cultured imaginary student.   

  Teacher - prepared and learner - focused. This time the teacher collects information about the learners. The teacher can ask them to write

down a few sentences about their life experiences, hobbies, abilities etc. The teacher takes in the sentences and prepares the 'find someone who' questions for the next lesson.

Learner - prepared with a non - learner focus. In this activity the teacher provides the topics of the questions e.g. visit Paris, drink Champagne etc.

The learners then write the questionnaire e.g. 'have you ever been to Paris? '. As in 1. this activity could be said to be learner-centered but if

the teacher has merely thought up what he believes are interesting 

topics then, once again, the question may have little in common with a lot of the learners.

Learner - prepared and learner - focused. In groups, the learners brainstorm sentences on a certain theme (things they have done, hobbies etc. which relate personally to the learners). Someone in the group writes down one sentence per person in the group. The sentences are cut up into individual sentences and then distributed among the other groups in the class.

The teacher at this point makes sure that each group has the same number of sentences. The groups then transform the sentences into questions which each learner writes  down. All the learners from all the

groups mingle to ask each questions and find positive answers (there 

may be more than one ) to their questions. The groups reform to share information.

    As you can see there are different ways of doing the same activity. However, not all activities can be made learner - focused or learner - prepared. This is especially true when it comes to making activities learner - prepared. However, there is a reason  why teachers should be particularly interested in how they can make activities learner-prepared.   

Information Gap Activities. When one person knows something that another person doesn't, we can say that there is a 'gap'  of information between them. Most real - life communication comes about because of such gaps of information (or of opinions or ideas, etc ). When someone knows something we don't, there is a reason for talking or writing/reading. By creating classroom activities that include such information gaps, we can provide activities that mimic this reason for

communication, and this may be more motivating and useful to

language learners than speaking without any real reason for doing so.

Another type of information gap is the traditional grid format information gap where two learners have half of the information and must ask specific questions to their partner to get the other half of the information. This activity is very easily made learner - prepared on the condition that the learners know exactly which information they have to provide. This can be done by providing the grid with half of the squares shaded or differently colored.

Once the subject is decided (for example personal information such as age, nationality, job, whether the person is married or not etc.) and the names are chosen for the people in the grid the learners can complete the squares which have been designated to them. One learner completes the non - shaded squares and the other completes the shaded squares. Now they have an original information gap to complete. There are many activities that we can make learner-centered. The question is how? To answer this we must always be on the look out for new ways and ideas of making activities learner - centered and be prepared to try out our ideas in the classroom.

    The aims of the next information gap activity is to encourage children to co-operate with each other. The children should work in

pairs. Each partner has a copy of the same picture, but with different parts missing. They describe their pictures to each other and draw in the missing parts.When the children have finished, get them to check by looking at each other's pictures. This kind of activity, where each child has part of the information and can only get the whole picture by asking his or her classmates, is known as an information gap activity[9].

Information gaps are useful as they are easy to prepare, versatile, and create a need to communicate the children. They can be based on pictures, maps, letters, personal fact files, stories, in fact just about anything. Games in the classroom help students to see learning English as enjoyable and rewarding. Playing games in the classroom develops the ability to co-operate, to compete without being aggressive, and to be a 'good loser'. I believe games are not only fun but help students learn without a conscious  analysis or understanding of the learning process while they acquire communicative competence as second language users.

 Many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers have argthat games are not just time - filling   activities but have a great educational value. Most language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning the correct forms. The opinion is expressed by Richard - Amato, who believes games to be fun but warns against overlooking their pedagogical value, particularly in foreign

language teaching. There are many advantages of using games. “Games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more likely” [ Richard-Amato ]. They also enable learners to acquire new experiences within a foreign language which are not always possible during a typical lesson. In the easy, relaxed atmosphere which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better. Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for any of these reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign language and not just problems.

 

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