Elicitation
Definition:
Elicitation is a kind of deduction of answers for some questions that
are asked by the teacher to his learners. The method of induction is not
praised. The teacher lets the learner think and guess to share
participation with others positively.
Eliciting
or (elicitation) is a technique which enables the teacher to get
learners to provide information rather than give it to them.
The
teacher applies the process of deduction . Learners can deduct the
piece of information by himself through guessing, thinking, imagination
and so on.
What is Eliciting?
Synonyms: searching, drawing out, discovering, realizing,
understanding. Eliciting is a technique used by the teacher during the
lesson that involves the language learner in the process of discovering
and understanding language.
Uses:
1-The
teacher uses this method of teaching to enable his learners to get the
vocabulary, guess its meaning , use it in a sentence, give a synonym to
it and function it in his daily life.
2-The teacher uses it to brainstorm a topic at the start of a skills lesson.
3- The teacher uses it to get learners to actively produce speech or writing.
4-Eliciting is often used to pre-teach key vocabulary (words that will
appear in the study and activate stages of the lesson). In doing this
stage interactively, with the teacher and the learners collaborating and
negotiating language (teacher draws out, learners discover, and
together you arrive at understanding), the learners will more likely
hold onto the meaning of these words not only in the lesson, but beyond
it.
Its benefits:
Eliciting is based on several premises:
It activates the knowledge of the learners to be used constructively.
It supports the background of knowledge the learner has.
It assists in self-discovery and makes information memorable.
Eliciting helps to develop a learner-centered classroom and a stimulating environment.
It helps the teacher to elicit ideas, feelings, meaning, situations, associations and memories.
Eliciting also encourages teachers to be flexible and to move on rather than dwell on information which is already known.
Technicques for Eliciting:
Anything in the lesson can be elicited:
vocabulary, grammar, experiences, and ideas. The objective of eliciting
is to allow the learners the chance to participate in the learning
process by letting them express their acquired or intuitive knowledge,
and through critical thinking which will enhance their language
abilities by adding to what they already know.
To understand what effective eliciting is, it will help to know what it is not. Eliciting is not asking, “What does ________mean?” It is not a “you should know this” question similar to that used by a teacher in an academic setting. It is not a vague, trivia-based question in which the learner must provide some definition similar to a word game or puzzle. Eliciting draws out what the learners know through their relationship to the words they understand. But further than that, it allows the teacher to see what the learner knows, and so permits the teacher to add to their knowledge.
The key to successful eliciting lies in an artful interaction between the teacher and the learner. There is no special time for eliciting to occur during the lesson. It can be used as needed—during any of the engage, study and activate sections of the lesson.Eliciting Lexis (Vocabulary):
Let’s say that there is a text about the common cold. Let’s say you want to present this reading to your learners. How can you prepare them to wholly understand the text? By engaging them through eliciting, you can start talking about health in general and then more personally and specifically: For example, the teacher elicits:
What kinds of health problems are common in most people?
What kinds of common health problems do you suffer from?
Within text, you will need to determine the key lexis or vocabulary for this reading. You will decide on the key lexis based on your knowledge of your learners and what you feel is essential for them to understand, before they read, in order to get the gist of the text. Some of the words they may already know, some may be new to them. Whatever the case, you will try to get your learners to use these words in order to show they understand them. Otherwise, you can use them yourself interactively through discussion of the theme, by asking questions and using the key words in context.
Language and ideas cannot be elicited without some input from the teacher, and eliciting is certainly not an excuse for not presenting language in a clear context. Students also need prompts, associations and reminders in order to jog their memories.
Examples:
Often, the teacher provides stimulus using visuals or the board. When
working on the simple present for daily routines, for example, a picture
or drawing of a house and a clock combined with mime can be used to
elicit both the names of household items and common verbs:
T: Six o'clock. Where is she?
S: Bed
T: Yes, she's in bed, sleeping. Seven-thirty, every day?
S: Get up
T: Good, she gets up at seven-thirty. Eight o'clock, every day?
S: Eat. Breakfast
T: Well done. Listen: She has breakfast at eight o'clock.
The teacher may also model new structures or lexis before it is introduced as the target language:
T: Do you like oranges?
S: Yes (I do).
T: Do you like apples?
S: Yes I do
T: Do you like bananas?
S: No (I don't)
T: What's the question? Ask me.
A situational dialogue, example sentences or a listening/reading text
may provide the context from which the target language is elicited. In
this case, the teacher is asking the learners to notice how a particular
function is expressed, and eliciting is combined with concept
questions. In a text or dialogue about the future:
T: Is he talking about the past, present or future?
S: Future
T: Does he know about the future?
S: No
T: Right. It's a prediction. What verb does he use?
S: Will
T: Good. Can you give me an example?
Eliciting ideas and background information also requires input. This
may come from a teacher's anecdote or story, a text, pictures, or a
video, and involves the sharing of knowledge between teacher and learners.
Effective ways to elicit:
-
Ask, “What is another way to say ______?” For example: What is another way to say that you are very, very hungry? (I'm starving)
-
Provide a simple definition. For example: It is something that we drink hot coffee and tea out of. (a mug)
-
Act it out. For example: Wipe your brow and pretend to fall. Then ask, “What did I do?” (I fainted)
-
Ask, “What is the opposite of ______?” For example: What is the opposite of tall? (short)
-
Use a visual. For example: Shoe a picture of two people who look the same and ask, “What do we call two people who look the same?” (identical twins.
Tips for Eliciting:
Eliciting should be used regularly whenever it is necessary and appropriate.
Silence or incorrect answers suggest that input is required from the teacher.
Ask a variety of students to repeat a good answer.
Give feedback to each answer with gestures or short comments.
Eliciting differs from Socratic questioning in thaT IT IS DESIgned to find out what the learnersknow rather than to lead them to a conclusionwhich onlythe teacher knows.
Learners can elicit from each other, during brainstorming activities.
At lower levels, more guided questioning is needed.
View other resources:
1-CLT Method.
2-Mind-mapping.
3-Constructivism.
4-Discovery education.
5-Teaching Approaches.
7-Brain-based learning.
8-Teaching Unplugged.
2-Mind-mapping.
3-Constructivism.
4-Discovery education.
5-Teaching Approaches.
7-Brain-based learning.
8-Teaching Unplugged.