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
ans creation,
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.
Eliciting
(elicitation) is term which describes a range of techniques which
enable the teacher to get learners to provide information rather than
giving it to them.
Commonly,
eliciting is used to ask learners to come up with vocabulary and
language forms and rules, and to brainstorm a topic at the start of a
skills lesson.
The definition of the term in the Dictionary of Language
Teaching and Applied Linguistics, ‘Techniques or procedures which a
teacher uses to get learners to actively produce speech or writing',
suggests that there may be wider applications.
Principles and advantages
Eliciting is based on several premises:
Collectively,
students have a great deal of knowledge, both of the language and of
the real world. This knowledge needs to be activated and used
constructively
The teaching of new knowledge is often based on what the learners already know
Questioning assists in self-discovery, which makes information more memorable.
Eliciting
helps to develop a learner-centred classroom and a stimulating
environment, while making learning memorable by linking new and old
information. Eliciting is not limited to language and global knowledge.
The teacher can elicit ideas, feelings, meaning, situations,
associations and memories.
For the teacher, eliciting is a powerful
diagnostic tool, providing key information about what the learners know
or don't know, and therefore a starting point for lesson planning.
Eliciting also encourages teachers to be flexible and to move on rather
than dwell on information which is already known.
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.
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?
Types of questions and what to elicit:
Ask sensible questions.
Not multiple part questions. Not trivial questions. But sufficiently
challenging questions that are possible to answer from either prior
knowledge or the content of the lecture.
Allow plenty of time –
simply wait. Students need time, on their own, to make notes and think.
Most new teachers feel they have waited an age for students to answer
their question when in reality they may wait only a second or two.
Having the confidence to pause – perhaps for ten seconds – allows
students to formulate an answer they would be prepared to voice.
Ask a particular student, who cannot hide.
Allow students to discuss the question
in pairs or threes – then ask the groups to report back. If students
are still reluctant to speak in public, ask the pairs to write down an
answer and collect several to read out before commenting on them.
This
can be particularly helpful for students whose native language is not
English, who will have an opportunity to share their ideas but may not
themselves have to be the person who expresses them to the class as a
whole.
Offer alternative answers
and ask, "Who thinks this is the best answer? Raise your hands. And who
thinks this alternative is the better answer?" This can be achieved
very effectively, with high levels of student engagement, using
technology. This is explored later in the chapter.
Responding to students' answers
There are a number of good techniques that can be
used to respond to students' answers during a lecture (the video link
in the 'Optional activity' on this screen provides a very good example).
As far as possible always try to be conversational, enthusiastic and
non-judgemental; try to pitch what you say to encourage further answers
(e.g. "That's interesting: I hadn't thought of that! What else?").
Dealing with 'wrong' answers
Never just say 'Wrong!" It humiliates the student
and deters anyone else from offering answers in the future. If an
answer is wrong, try the following strategies:
Ask several people and elicit several
answers before offering your own answer or comments, and then do so in a
general and depersonalized way. For example, "So we have a range of
views here. Let's look at these answers and examine them", rather than
"John and Felix are wrong and Raul is right."
Offer alternative answers of your own –
some more plausible than others – so that everyone in the room is
thinking about which the better answers are. Look round the room and
alight on eager faces, using open hand gestures to invite additional
comments or alternative answers.
Tools for eliciting
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 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?
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 learners know rather than to lead them to a conclusion which
only the teacher knows.
Learners can elicit from each other, during brainstorming activities.
At lower levels, more guided questioning is needed.
