Teacher Training Materials of Professor Dr David Ngin Sian Pau
Topic-based or Story-based Teaching Method
Some textbooks these days are topic-based. The emphasis of the lessons is on a subject, a topic or a theme, and the contents of the book are arranged around these topics.
Why do topic-based method work?
· When you are concentrating on a particular topic, it is easier to relate the lessons to the experiences and interests of your pupils.
· When working on a topic, children can associate words, functions, structures, and situations with a particular topic.
· Topic-based teaching allows you to go into a subject in depth and brings out reactions and feelings in the pupils which are not
covered in the textbook.
Choosing a topic
Usually, the teacher will decide which topic to work on. If you are working in an infant or primary school, have a look at what the pupils are doing in other classes. For example, if they are doing “growing” in Nature Study, then you could do some of the activities in English - measuring and comparing, for example.
What should we write in the lesson?
For example, let’s say that you have people in their second year of English, and the text book is doing “pets” and has some guided writing activities on these structures:
“Have you got a pet? Yes, I have. No, I haven’t .
“Has she/he got a pet? Yes, he/she has. No, he/she hasn’t .
What pet has Anna got?
And then ask the students this question; Everyone tells the class about a pet they know. I’ve got a grey cat . Her name is Muppet.” Or Akiko has a dog. He barks.”
Other related topics
Playing with a pet,
Visiting a pet shop
Favorite pets
Asking parents for a pet
Zoos
Feeding your pets, etc.
Some textbooks these days are topic-based. The emphasis of the lessons is on a subject, a topic or a theme, and the contents of the book are arranged around these topics.
Why do topic-based method work?
· When you are concentrating on a particular topic, it is easier to relate the lessons to the experiences and interests of your pupils.
· When working on a topic, children can associate words, functions, structures, and situations with a particular topic.
· Topic-based teaching allows you to go into a subject in depth and brings out reactions and feelings in the pupils which are not
covered in the textbook.
Choosing a topic
Usually, the teacher will decide which topic to work on. If you are working in an infant or primary school, have a look at what the pupils are doing in other classes. For example, if they are doing “growing” in Nature Study, then you could do some of the activities in English - measuring and comparing, for example.
What should we write in the lesson?
For example, let’s say that you have people in their second year of English, and the text book is doing “pets” and has some guided writing activities on these structures:
“Have you got a pet? Yes, I have. No, I haven’t .
“Has she/he got a pet? Yes, he/she has. No, he/she hasn’t .
What pet has Anna got?
And then ask the students this question; Everyone tells the class about a pet they know. I’ve got a grey cat . Her name is Muppet.” Or Akiko has a dog. He barks.”
Other related topics
Playing with a pet,
Visiting a pet shop
Favorite pets
Asking parents for a pet
Zoos
Feeding your pets, etc.
Copy Right©Professor Dr David Ngin Sian Pau
3
Summer 2007© Shanghai Education International Ltd.