Format Matters and Pepper

#4 – Format Matters

It’s not just what students say that matters but how they communicate it.  To succeed, students must take their knowledge and express it in the language of opportunity.

FORMAT MATTERS

Though I often use this technique with adult ESL, I didn’t use it much with my Read 180 students. Before reading TLAC I didn’t correct students much  when speaking. The “I be like….”  didn't warrant a pause. Now I don’t let a student error pass. One way to correct is to repeat student mistakes  and wait till they self correct.  Be careful not to over correct as students can become “gun shy”.

Require students to give complete answers, one or two word responses are not acceptable. Projecting your voice “loud and proud” is also important. Language precision is another aspect of this technique. The “thingie” is denominated for what it is. The imprecise use of the format of a unit is clarified (as in units of measurement in a math lesson). In the video I am correcting a student and asking another to speak clearly.

#24 – Pepper 

Use fast-paced, group-oriented activities to review familiar information and foundational skills.  (Different from Cold Call in that hands can be raised or not, questions are limited to review/recall, and should be about speed – keep the pace moving.)

PEPPER

The Pepper technique is one of my favorites. It’s fast-paced and sets an energetic tone at the beginning of the lesson. I’ve adapted it by making it a competition with a pride proclamation going to the winner.

I use it often for vocabulary review but most content works well. In the video I am going over our workshop vocabulary, parts of speech and definitions.