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Date Posted: 19:08:29 07/23/03 Wed
Author: Carlos Gagliardi
Subject: task 12

Task 12


According to Littlewood (1981:39), functional communication activities place learners in a situation where they need to use language for a well defined communicative purpose.
Examine one textbook and choose a good communicative activity. Describe it and then classify that activity according to the types presented by Littlewood.
The activity presented below has to do with William Littlewood’s theory of Pooling Information to Solve a Problem and Social Interaction Activities.
IT IS DEBATABLE

AIM: to give fluency practice and encourage students to take part in a structured debate on some common social topics.

LANGUAGE: statements of opinion + language of disagreement.

PREPARATION: this discussion-based activity needs to be explained carefully. A debate is a contest of words; an objective judge (the teacher) must be convinced of the merit of a team’s arguments.

Choose a topic that needs to be clearly two-sided and to propose a change, for example, the minimum drinking age should be raised. Have students suggest possible topics. Write them on the board.

The debate requires two teams: the pros and the cons. The pros support the change and point to the problems in the status quo. The cons prefer the status quo and produce arguments against the pros’ reasons.

Divide the class in half. Pick one of the topics on the board and ask one-half, the pro team, for two or three reasons for change. Write these on the board. Then have the other half, the con team, argue against these reasons. For example, the pro team might say, too many health problems are caused by teenagers drinking. Teenagers who drink often drive, thus causing deaths. The con team must take each point in turn and disprove or deny it. For example, there are no health problems caused by teenagers who drink. Teenagers are physically active and have no money for alcohol…

After the denial, the con team offer new reasons NOT to change. For example, raising the minimum drinking age will not stop teenagers from drinking. The pro team must then disagree directly with this point and so on.

The second stage is The Plan, the way to implement the change. the pro team must put forward points stating clearly how and when the change will take place, who will be affected and how to pay for it. The con team then attacks each point of the plan, arguing that it will not or cannot work, and why. The con speaker then offers any final comments that he or she may feel are important.
FURTHER PRACTICE: encourage students to find some support for their reasons from newspapers, magazines, internet, etc. repeat the same debate but this time using some evidence instead of just opinions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

KURT SCHEIBNER, Ready-made English, vol 1 multi-level activities, Heinemann publishers, 1995.

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