PHOTOCOPIABLE KET
Paul Ashe
RATIONALE
This is the KET version of a series of photocopiable books for teachers of the Cambridge ESOL exams. I believe my proposal will help to satisfy the huge demand I have experienced in this area personally and have been made aware of by colleagues. There is a gap in the market for activities which guide possible candidates through these exams.
Market Age range: Language level: Institutions:
The activities would be suitable for both KET for Schools candidates and older. In 2004 56,000 candidates took the KET exam worldwide. The level of the activities will correspond to level A2 of the Common European Framework. The CEF is increasingly being regarded as the principal reference for language levels. KET is taught in both private language schools and state schools around the globe. The Italian government, for example, provides funding for school teachers who wish to take the KET exam while the Chilean Government has included KET into the state school system. The market will therefore include private and public education on an international scale.
Methodology The objective of these photocopiable activities is to provide KET-level (CEF A2) teachers worldwide with a variety of fun activities to develop their learners’ learning strategies and skills which will help them to continue improving their English long after they pass the KET exam. My belief in not only teaching the language but also the necessary skills to be able to learn outside the classroom is reflected in the Guided Instruction tasks for each part of the KET exam. These act as an introduction to the task type and trains learners in the skills required to complete the task. My belief in learner autonomy is evident in the activities being largely student centered. The tasks are generally designed in such a way so as to reduce teacher intervention to a minimum. This also reflects my opinion that learners can learn just as much from one another as they can from the teacher. The assumption that a language is learnt to be spoken and is best ‘acquired’ (Krashen’s definition) by speaking it is behind creating activities which can be done in pairs or small groups. This also increases the amount of student talking time in class. When communicating people bring with them real-life experiences and opinions and their language reflects these events. Many of the tasks have a humanistic aspect based on the belief that if learners can connect personally with the language they are more likely to acquire that language. Furthermore, by combining movement, visual aids and analytical activities the tasks cater for differing learning styles. From a teacher’s point of view I am tired of ‘Disposable Worksheets’. This is all the photocopiable material which requires one copy per learner, cutting up into several sections and then being rendered unusable with the same class and thrown away once it has been done once. The tasks, in this KET section on ONESTOPENGLISH, are designed so as to have multiple uses and avoid such a waste of time and effort on the teacher’s part. The Alternative Activities section, on the teacher’s instructions page, provides detailed explanations of how each worksheet can be adapted in several ways. I have organized the tasks according to the part of the KET exam it pertains to. Each task is preceded by a teacher’s instruction page which includes important information for the busy teacher such as number of copies required, time, the topic area, and the skills developed. All the activities have been tried and tested by several teachers on various classes at the school where I work. All activities were found to be effective in their objectives and any relevant suggestions for improvement have since been incorporated. The following pages include: • The contents page of the proposal • 3 sample tasks with the corresponding teacher’s notes. • A sample crossword (crossword 13)
pogs@supercable.es Calle Antonio Barroso y Castillo, 14, 4º-1, 14006, Cordoba Spain