Just go with the flow?Nick Bilbrough

Horizon Language Training, Totnes, Devon

Skehan P (1996) Second language acquisition research and task based instruction in Willis and Willis Challenge and Change in Language Teaching

(Heinemann 1996)

‘Fluency concerns the learner’s capacity to produce language in real time without unnecessary pausing or hesitation’

Scott Thornbury, An A-Z of ELT http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/f-is-for-fluency/

‘In fact, it may be that fluency is indeed a function of memory, and that the capacity to produce pause-free speech in real time is contingent on having a memorised bank of formulaic language “chunks”.’

Dialogues Familiers (Bellot 1586)Barbara: How now children, will you not

rise today?Peter: What ist a clock?Barbara: It is five a clock.Peter: I believe you not.Barbara: Rise quickely. It is time to go to

schoole. Your maister will jerke you if you cannot say your lessons.

Peter: Oure maister hath no roddes.Barbara: I will carye him som!

Dialogues Familiers (Bellot 1586)Barbara: How now children, will you not

rise today?Peter: What ist a clock?Barbara: It is five a clock.Peter: I believe you not.Barbara: Rise quickely. It is time to go to

schoole. Your maister will jerke you if you cannot say your lessons.

Peter: Oure maister hath no roddes.Barbara: I will carye him som!

A: You're still here? B: I came back. I thought that's what you wanted. A: Nobody wants you here! B: Really? A: My parents are right upstairs! They think you’ve left. B: So... surprise... A: I can call them... I can call my dad... B: But you won't...

A: You're playing a dangerous game here. If you're trying to blackmail me... it's not going to work.

from ‘The audition scene’ from the film Mulholland Drive by David Lynch

Michael Lewis (LTP 1997) Implementing the Lexical Approach

‘’Doing the same thing twice’ is still widely considered time-wasting and potentially boring. But research evidence shows the opposite is true; repeating certain kinds of activity such as summarising a text orally one day and again a few days later may be the most efficient way of improving learners’ language. This applies to both lexical and grammatical knowledge’’

Scott Thornbury (Macmillan 2001) Uncovering Grammar

• I saw a little film about a cat and a mouse and the cat would like to eat the mouse but the mouse disliked this and she escape and she run up the wall and there was a board who was covered over and over with plate and bowls.....

• I saw a very nice cartoon about Tom and Jerry and er the cat tried to catch the mouse the mouse run up to a ca.. to a cupboard cupboard and there were a lot of dishes....

One two three..I’d like a cup of teaFour five six..I’d like a plate of chipsSeven Eight Nine..I’d like a glass of wine

One two three..I could do with a cup of teaDoes anyone want a cup of tea?I could murder a cup of teaWhat I’d like is a cup of teaIs anyone making a cup of tea?

One two three..I could do with a cup of teaFour five six..I could do with a plate of chipsSeven Eight Nine..I could do with a glass of wine

8) I played the guitar for a few hours.9) I listened to some music while I had breakfast .10) I made a cheese and tomato sandwich for my lunch.11) I watched a great football match on television in the evening.12) I wanted to swim in the sea but it was too cold. 13) I cooked a really nice meal for everyone who lives in my house .14) I did some work in the garden and then came inside to have lunch .15) I tried to do some exercises in my grammar book but they were very difficult.16) I went for a drink in a cafe, with my brother and some of his friends. 17) I had a delicious bowl of soup in a restaurant and then read some of my book. 18) I took my little sister to school by car and then drove to my cousin’s house for breakfast.19)I was really hungry so I made lots of delicious pancakes and ate them all before everybody

came home.20)I cleaned my house for three hours on Monday because it was very dirty after the party at the

weekend.

Once there was a fish and his name was Tiddler.He wasn’t much to look at, with his plain grey scales.But Tiddler was a fish with a big imagination.He blew small bubbles but he told tall tales. ‘Sorry, I’m late. I was riding on a seahorse.’‘Sorry, I’m late. I was flying with a ray.’‘Sorry, I’m late. I was diving with a dolphin.’ Tiddler told a different story every day.

At nine o’clock on Monday,Miss Skate called the register.‘Little Johnny Dory?’ ‘Yes, Miss Skate’‘Rabbitfish?’ ‘Yes, Miss’‘Redfin?’ ‘Yes, Miss’‘Tiddler? Tiddler?’ ‘Tiddler’s late!’

‘Sorry I’m late. I was swimming round a shipwreck.I swam into a treasure chest and someone closed the lid.I bashed and I thrashed till a mermaid let me out again’

‘Oh no she didn’t!’ ‘OH, YES, SHE DID’‘It’s only a story,’ said Rabbitfish and Redfin.‘Just a silly story’ said Dragonfish and Dab.‘I like Tiddler’s story,’ said little Johnny Dory,And he told it to his granny, who told it to a crab.

From ‘Tiddler’ by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler (Scholastic 2007)

References• Bellot, J (1586) Dialogues Familiers• Bilbrough, N (2011) Memory Activities for Language

Learning (CUP)• Ding, Y. (2007) Text memorisation and imitation: the

practices of successful Chinese learners of English : System 35

• http://scottthornbury.wordpress.com/• Skehan P (1996) Second language acquisition research

and task based instruction in Willis and Willis Challenge and Change in Language Teaching (Heinemann 1996)