The activities developed in this plan are related with some aspects of different approaches; this plan is based on learners-centered and students interact with and analyze samples of language that are relevant to students’ needs as the notional –functional syllabus do. The plan demo uses problem solving tasks as in the process syllabus; the natural approach and the plan are related because the language classrooms promotes communication in the target language rather than focus on its structure and error correction should focus on meaning, not grammatical form; the plan is related with the procedural syllabus because students learn language by communicating; and the language learning is contextualized and purposeful as in the context based approach.
In this plan cross-cultural perception is presented, students will not only use the target language-English- but also the different connotations of words and different behaviors of the target culture. They can analyze the advertisement in target culture, common phrases and slogans that enterprises use to sell products according to the target market.
Various changes that can be done to improve the teaching-learning process are the matching activity can be turned into a listening practice; students can listen to different advertisements and guess from which product it is. In the slogan activity, the students could watch different advertisements’ videos and say the slogans. The teachers can facilitate pictures to do the storyboard, in cases that students cannot draw. The follow up activity suggested may be appealing for students (after students finished the storyboard, they create a video and their classmates can vote it) because they use the computer facilities to improve their knowledge and put in practice their creativity.
Some limitations found during the development of this plan are the large number of students that can cause disorder during the activities, the students’ ability to draw- students can complain because they cannot perform; and the probable lack of computer laboratories, tape recorders, or televisions in educational institutions.
This plan’s activities are based in learner centered; they are in charge of the developing all the activities with the teachers’ guide. It develops the students’ creativity, because they can draw, color, use technology and increase their imagination. Students develop analytic thinking due to the analysis of some pictures in order to create their own explanation of the storyboard advertisement. It could be risky because students should walk around the classroom and be talking with the classmates, so it can disorganize the class, students can forget the objective of the activity and talk about other things that are not related to the topic.
Students develop critical thinking because they should use their knowledge by giving opinions and evaluating different aspects to develop the activities, they should analyze the information and pictures. For example, in the first activity students have to match the ad with its corresponding blurb, so they should identify some details and think what it refers to in order to guess the product. Then, when they develop the activities related to the storyboard, they should use their critical thinking to answer questions, create an ad and the sentences for it.
The activities are top down because they increase their difficulty during the development of the class. For example, in the first activity students should read an ad and guess what the product is, it is easy for them to match the description and the blurb, but the last activity is more difficult, they should create their own ad, think about a product, and analyze what they want to communicate and how to do it. So, they start with an easy exercise and finally they develop a complex activity.
It could be a multiplier effect because teachers can adapt these activities to different topics taking into account students’ interest and local problems. Also, teachers can share their ideas in order to innovate the teaching-learning process; so they can use this plan as a guide to improve. This plan has some activities that are developed by local teachers, for example, the matching, the practice in which students should fill in the blanks and the use of pictures.
Related to socio-cultural factors, two main issues should be taken into account, age and context. Student age is a very important social factor that could affect the objectives of the activities, due to the perspective and the interpretation that people of different generations can have of a certain video. Context plays a very important role too, if a person does not know certain cultural aspects presented within the activities, understanding of the material would be affected. Because of these reasons, the material chosen for different activities should match with students’ age and context for ensuring the achievement of the objectives.
The plan could be appealing to students’ interest because of the real context it provides. Students may enjoy watching the videos and creating their own advertisement. These activities, mainly the advertisement creation, allow students to express their thoughts developing and demonstrating their creativity and personality.
Learners-centered is a characteristic of this plan since students are the ones in charge of their learning, while the teacher assumes the role of guider and facilitator. The successfulness of the activities depends on the attitude of students toward them as well as the motivation the teacher could promote. Both, external and internal motivations are very important.
The activities proposed provide the opportunity to students for communicating; they have to negotiate meaning and share ideas as well as understanding written language. But all this does not mean that in a regular class, based on our classrooms reality, students will use the target language. Generally speaking, students are kind of afraid of talking in English, being a limitation to the usage of the target language.
The plan is based on analytic capability, because according with the abilities of an intermediate level from the European Language Level, the students are able to understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc, they can understand the main point of many radio or TV programs on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear, also they are able to understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language. Also they can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life, as well, they can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions, they can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans, narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe reactions; finally they can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest and write personal letters describing experiences and impressions. Moreover, “to analyze something is to ask what that something means. It is to ask how something does what it does or why it is as it is” (David, 2003), therefore, the activities of the plan are based on their analytic capability.
Some of the material can be changed or modified in order to suit your objectives, topics or students´ interests, but the activity where a screen is needed and all the equipment to watch a video can be difficult to find in all the institutions or schools.
The materials and activities are content based because “a content-based curriculum integrates target language learning and content learning. Therefore, it is based on the content of a subject and on the use of authentic materials, and takes into consideration the students’ linguistic needs and learning styles” (Ma Jose, n.d). Some of the materials used in the plan are authentic like the TV commercials; also the activities try to integrate language learning by using different types of content or topics.
“Language form refers to the surface features of language and how these are arranged according to the grammar of the language. As a means of connecting sound with meaning, it incorporates morphology, syntax and phonology.” (Graham, 2010). The plan is not based on the morphology, syntax or phonology per se; it is more focused on to understand advertisement storyboard, commercials and subjects related, but there is some syntax implied when they have to write a description of dome pictures, also there some phonology implied when they have to present their story orally and give description orally.
The plan develops a way of solving problem by using marketing in which the student would be motivate due to advertisements used are common in the daily life. The four skills can be linked with this technique to solve problems because the student is constantly involved around ads.
It is affected by ethical and systematic constraints probably due to several ads affect the cultural and behavior of a specific society. Not all the ads can helps us to represent and classify a systematic culture. Teacher must supervise and observe the ads applied in class for the reason some of them could not be suitable for a specific occasion.
Students are free of choosing an ad to performance a determined topic and skill. This promote an innovate way to increased the knowledge and a better acquisition of a second language. Students can give personal and critical reaction based on their experience they have lived. This improve a superior concept of relationship between culture and language.
The activities in the plan are innovating due to the globalization and new brands have increased the knowledge and have internalized the concepts based on marketing as second language learning. Students around the world can easily understand different ads because it is promoted by different ways such as internet, TV, newspaper, etc.
References
David, R., Jill, S. (2003). Writing Analytically: Third Edition. Boston, USA: Michael
Rosenberg. Retrieved from http://www.indiana.edu/~bestsell/1.pdf