TEACH TO SUCCESS! — Lesson Handout

VOCAB SET 1

The Language of Teaching

to foster(v)

To encourage something to develop or grow over time.

"I try to foster a sense of curiosity in my students."

to facilitate(v)

To make a process easier without doing it yourself.

"My job is to facilitate discussion, not to give the answers."

scaffolding(n)

Support that helps a learner do something they couldn't do alone yet.

"I use pictures as scaffolding before we read the text."

corrective feedback(n phrase)

Any response that signals or addresses a student's error.

"I give corrective feedback through questions, not direct corrections."

to elicit(v)

To draw out an answer or language from a student rather than providing it yourself.

"Instead of explaining, I try to elicit the rule from them."

proficiency(n)

A high level of skill or competence in a language or subject.

"Her spoken proficiency improved significantly after six months."

structured / unstructured(adj)

Planned with clear steps (structured) vs. open-ended and flexible (unstructured).

"I use structured tasks for beginners and unstructured ones at higher levels."

autonomy(n)

The freedom and ability to direct one's own learning or decisions.

"Building learner autonomy means helping students learn without me."

VOCAB SET 2

Feelings in the Classroom

Vocabulary progression — emotional language

Basic

happy, sad, angry, scared, nervous

Intermediate

confident, overwhelmed, motivated, frustrated, rewarding

Advanced (today's focus)

apprehensive, daunted, absorbed, exasperated, invigorated, fulfilled, secure, validated, vulnerable

apprehensive(adj)

Mildly anxious about something that may happen.

"Students feel apprehensive before their first oral exam."

daunted(adj)

Intimidated or discouraged by a challenge.

"New teachers can feel daunted by large or mixed-level classes."

absorbed(adj)

Deeply engaged and focused — unaware of distraction.

"The class was so absorbed in the task I didn't want to stop them."

exasperated(adj)

Extremely frustrated or irritated — at the end of your patience.

"I felt exasperated after explaining the same rule five times."

invigorated(adj)

Energized and refreshed — full of new motivation.

"A lively discussion can leave both teacher and students feeling invigorated."

fulfilled(adj)

Satisfied because something is meaningful, not just successful.

"It's deeply fulfilling when a struggling student finally breaks through."

secure(adj)

Feeling safe, stable, and accepted — not at risk of judgment.

"Learners need to feel secure before they'll take risks with language."

validated(adj)

Feeling that your ideas, feelings, or efforts are recognized as real and worthwhile.

"Students feel validated when their contributions are taken seriously."

vulnerable(adj)

Emotionally exposed — open to criticism or judgment.

"Speaking a new language in public can feel deeply vulnerable."

DISCUSSION

Speaking Tasks

CARD A · Pairs · 6 minutes

Choose one of these questions and answer it out loud to your partner — as if filling in the survey. Try to use at least three words from Vocabulary Sets 1 or 2.

How do you think students learn a new language? What helps them most — and what gets in the way?
What does success look like for a student in your English class? How does your answer shape what you do as a teacher?

Your partner should ask at least one follow-up question:

"What made you think that?"
"Can you give me an example from your own classroom?"
"Has that belief changed over the years?"

CARD B · Groups of 3–4 · 8 minutes

Your group has one focus question. Discuss it together, then choose one person to share your key idea with the whole class in 2–3 sentences. Try to use at least two vocabulary words.

Group 1: What does a typical lesson look like, and what activities do you rely on most?
Group 2: How do you handle mistakes? When do you correct — and how?
Group 3: How do you support students who feel apprehensive or daunted about speaking English?
Group 4: What do you actually observe when your students work in pairs or groups?

CARD C · Whole Class · 8 minutes

Your teacher will read a statement. Show your level of agreement with your hand. Then explain your position in one or two sentences.

"Letting students use their own language in class helps them learn English."
"It's better to ask students a question about their mistake than to just correct it for them."
"I worry that students will pick up each other's mistakes if they practise together too much."
"When students feel secure in the classroom, they learn English more quickly."

LANGUAGE CLINIC

Useful Patterns for Discussion

When you want to…	Use this pattern	Example
Express a belief with some uncertainty	"I tend to think that…"	"I tend to think that correction should come after the activity, not during it."
Soften a disagreement	"I see your point, but…"	"I see your point, but in my context it works quite differently."
Refer to your own experience	"In my experience…" / "From what I've seen…"	"From what I've seen, peer work is most effective after about age twelve."
Invite a response from your partner	"Does that match your experience?"	"Does that match what you've seen in your own classes?"
Acknowledge that something is complicated	"It depends on…"	"It depends on the level, really — and on the individual students."
Contrast what you used to do with now	"I used to… but now I tend to…"	"I used to correct every mistake, but now I tend to wait until after the activity."
Name something difficult to put into words	"It's hard to put into words, but…"	"It's hard to put into words, but you can feel when a class is really working."

REFLECT

After the Lesson

Take a few minutes to write your thoughts.

One thing I believe about teaching English that I have never quite said out loud before:

Something a colleague said today that made me think differently:

One small thing I'd like to try differently in my classroom next week:

A word or phrase from today — from either vocabulary set — that I want to keep and use: