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Setting context

Importance of setting context when teaching language.

Teaching language in context is incredibly important, as it helps learners to understand how the language is used and what it means. Online teachers need to consider how they’re going to set context to convey meaning. They need to ensure that the method is appropriate for an online lesson.

Task

Watch Lindsay and Marie Therese talking about setting context in online lessons and answer the questions.

  1. When do teachers typically set context, according to Lindsay and Marie Therese?

  2. Which ways of setting context do Lindsay and Marie Therese mention? Choose from the list below.

A picture A drawing
A cartoon A short text
A film clip A video presentation
An anecdote or story Realia (props)
An avatar The learners

Check your answers

Reflect and share

What ways do you typically use to set context of language items in a face-to-face classroom? Do you think these will be easily transferable to a digital classroom? How might you need to adapt your method(s)? Share your ideas in the comments and reply to at least two comments by other participants.

This article is from the free online

Teaching English Online

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

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