Teaching grammar creatively

Marisa Constantinides,
Teacher Educator - Director of CELT Athens
Teacher Development Centre

•Bisociative thinking
•The creative leap which connects two previously
unconnected frames of reference
(Koesltler, 1964)
•Lateral thinking
•From A going directly to Z
•Not following a linear path
(de Bono, 1962)
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr

@Marsa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr

• thrives within constraints
• benefits from the paradox
• is triggered by what is unusual
• dies when things get too normal
• is sparked off by humour
• is revived by exaggeration

Contextualised
paradoxicalMemorable content
Emotional
Beyond sentence level
Praised
Scaffolded
@Marsa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr

morning
explain
doing
typing
reading
stupid
came
letters
finished.
sir
three
which
A
minute.

BOSS: Catherine! (loudly)
SEC: ……………………
BOSS: Catherine!!!!
SEC : Oh! Good morning, sir! (headphones off)
BOSS: Would you please explain? What have you been
doing all morning?
SEC : Well, sir, I 've been typing, sir.
BOSS: Typing? You haven't been typing! You've been
reading that stupid
novel since you came in! None of the letters are
finished.
SEC: Well, sir, I've typed three sir.
BOSS: Oh, really? You have? Which ones?
SEC: D, E, and A, sir. I'm going to type R in a minute.

Ask YES/NO Questions only!

Only one correct
answer possible
Uniquely determined
by language material
fact
fact
fact
fact
factfact
fact
fact
Correct
Answer
Based on processing
of facts

Not totally determined
by language provided
Multiple answers
possible
Answer
2
Answer
3
Answer
4
Answer
1
Answer
5
Answer
6
Answer
6
Answer
7
StimulusVariety of correct
answers possible

Elements of
creative
behaviour
Relationship to
Language Production
Fluency Ability to produce large
numbers of ideas
Easy & ready flow of talk;
production of sustained
talk
Flexibility Ability to produce
diverse ideas (not the
same kind)
Ability to follow & respond
to changes in conversation;
Elaboration Ability to add on to and
embellish an already
existing idea
Ability to avoid simplistic
responses; ability to
improve set phrases and
embellish them; useful for
writing
Originality Ability to produce
uncommon, 'clever'
ideas
Ability to produce novel
utterances; avoidance of
clichés

Brainstorm as many
unsual uses of this
object with your team
You win if you have
more than the other
team but the uses
must be unusual!

How I met the
Queen!
Advice I was given
before I met the
Queen

fill
take
enlarge
manicure
cut
Check
Dry clean
pull out
wash
measure
test
Style
clean
perm
dye
What services can you get at each of
the following places? Use the verbs in
the box to describe them.
• hairdresser’s
• dentist’s
• optician’s
• photographer’s
• dry cleaner’s

You can have your teeth
enlarged at the hairdresser’s.

e.g.
a. Keep asking questions (to practise
Q forms)
b. Keep making statements
or
c. Avoid asking questions (reported
questions are OK )

BOSS: Catherine! (loudly)
SEC: ……………………
BOSS: Catherine!!!!
SEC : Oh! Good morning, sir! (headphones off)
BOSS: Would you please explain? What have you been
doing all morning?
SEC : Well, sir, I 've been typing, sir.
BOSS: Typing? You haven't been typing! You've been
reading that stupid
novel since you came in! None of the letters are finished.
SEC: Well, sir, I've typed three sir.
BOSS: Oh, really? You have? Which ones?
SEC: D, E, and A, sir. I'm going to type R in a minute.

List as many duties as you can for one of these jobs
• A secretary - A teacher
• A teacher - A student
Create a conversation between one of these people and
someone who checks their work
(e.g. Have you typed the…..? )
You can answer yes or no but give a good reason if not!!!

 Take opposing sides to a problem, e.g.
◦ for & against eating ice creams
Hold an argument contradicting each other for as long as
you possibly can.

You were seen chewing the
chewing the corner of a carpet in a
furniture shop
You were seen gluing apples to a
tree outside your house at
midnight
You were seen sticking knives and
forks into your front lawn
Choose a
predicament for
each member of
the opposing
team
Challenge them
with it
Best explanation
wins!

Hold a conversation with a partner – each one of you
has one of these two preoccupations – try to draw the
conversation to yours without interrupting in a rude
way.
Record your conversation on your mobile phone – use
video as well if you have it

Cut up
cards –
distribute
– each
student
must talk
for a
minute in
order to
get rid of a
card – the
winner is
the one
who
finishes
first

Choose one of the pairs of sentences. Create a situation – decide who you are, where
and what you are talking about – act it out for your friends
DO NOT TELL THEM WHAT YOU HAVE DECIDED - THEY MUST GUESS WHO YOU ARE

1.It's 45 minutes after your appointment and your friend hasn't
arrived yet.
(Comment angrily on this when she arrive- she does it all the
time!s)
2.Your classmate, who always borrows things, asks you for a
pen.
(Make a strong suggestion)
3. Brad Pitt was on TV last night but you were out with your
parents (Express regret or relief!!!! )
Choose one of the ideas and act it out with a friend

QUIZ SHOW
You work for a TV Quiz show in the
team that makes the questions! Ask
questions about the following:
e.g.
The Pyramids When were they built? Why were they built?
The Eiffel Tower
The Acropolis
The Mona Lisa
The Berlin Wall
The Internet
The Blue Mosque
Hiroshima
The Nobel Prize
J.F.Kennedy
Star Wars
… (add your own ideas)

Ss write/act out their
coursebook dialogue BEFORE
they hear it

• It’s important to increase % of creative as most class materials (and coursebook materials, notably) focus on Lower
Order Thinking Skills – LOTS according to Blooms (revised) taxonomyof educational objectives shown below
Creating
Evaluating
Analyzing
Applying
Understanding
Remembering

• Some online resources which respond well to the different educational objectives in
Bloom’s taxonomy
Ted talks, you tube, chats. twitter,
emails, ppts, prezis Pecha Kuchas
Facebook, twitter, forums, blog
comments
Google search, wikipedia, e-
books
Classroom Communication activities,
collaborative projects
Reading / listening comprehension/
picking language out of authentic date
Mnemonics, contextualisation, imagery,
associations, Bookmarking, Evernote
(summarising, Curating

My email
info@celt.edu.gr
My Twitter ID
http://twitter.com/Marisa_C
My Centre
www.celt.edu.gr
My Blogs
http://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/
http://celtathens.com/
More about me
http://www.celt.edu.gr/Marisa_Constantinides.htm

Teaching grammar creatively

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