Eliciting from Pictures

A very easy way to elicit new vocabulary is by the use of pictures. Look
at the picture below and decide what questions you might ask in order
to elicit new vocabulary from students.

Perhaps the picture is accompanied by a text and could be used to get

the students (S) thinking about the theme of the text before reading
it. Then the teacher (T) is very likely to use the picture to pre-teach
any new vocabulary necessary for reading the text. So when the
students read the text the new vocabulary will be clear and
understood.

T: Who are these people? Where are they?

S: Swimmers. They're at a swimming pool.
T: What are they wearing?
S: Bathing caps, goggles and swimming costumes.
T: What are they doing?
S: They're diving into the swimming pool. They're having a race.

Obviously, it is unlikely that the students would know all of the

vocabulary. Especially things like 'goggles' and 'bathing caps'. In which
case the teacher would give them the new words. By trying first to
elicit them the teacher is focussing the students' attention on them
and they will listen with more interest and so are more likely to
remember the words.

Guessing and Imagining

So far we have only considered eliciting factual information. It is, of

course, perfectly possible to elicit other things too. For instance, still
using the picture above, we could elicit that the event might be a
national championship or an Olympic trial. We could elicit things such as
what swimming stroke they might use or what the outcome of the race
will be. Questions like 'What happens next?' will elicit a response from
the students, which is based on their imagination.

Just Checking

Eliciting is also used to check students' knowledge of grammar

structures. This is done with questions such as 'Who can tell me the
form of the Present Perfect?' etc. If it is too difficult for them, write
an example sentence for them first.

Example:

T: (on board) I have taken eight pictures today.

S: Subject + Have/Has + 3rd Form of Verb
T: Writes this on board

Pre-listening activities

Contextualization is vital, students need to know some details of what they are
about to hear and why they are listening. Unfamiliar vocabulary should be
elicited/pre-taught. Tell students how many times they will hear the speech and
what they should be listening for on each play. Usually a listening activity is task
based, guiding the students with a set of simple questions and a gap fill exercise.

While listening

With more intensive listening tasks it is fine to listen three or four times,
because it is a good opportunity to focus on spoken structures in great depth.
The first time the listening is played set students a few gist questions. On the
second play the task needs to be more involved, such as completing gaps in a
dialogue or filling in a table. At this stage it is useful to get students to compare
their answers with a partner. The third time can be to check their answers. If
there are still discrepancies at this stage help by playing specific parts again.

Post-listening activities

Post-listening activities are as important as all the other stages. During

feedback, encourage students to give their opinions, or reactions to the
listening. Analysis of grammar structures and phrases can be done after, in
preparation for a speaking activity. Vocabulary and collocation work can also
extend the listening task.

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.

• 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 coffee?

S: Yes (I do).
T: Do you like tea?
S: Yes I do
T: Do you like milk?
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 / is he sure 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.
Information is often elicited onto a mind-map on the board, but it is
important that all the students have a record of collective knowledge, and
may find one of the many kinds of graphic organiser useful. Reading
lessons often begin with a photo or headline from the text which serves a
dual purpose in providing a stimulus for eliciting and a prompt for
predicting content. KWL charts are ideal records of what students
already Know, what they Want to know, and what they have Learnt by the
end of the lesson, and point to the conclusion that eliciting can take place
at any stage of a lesson and often indicates what should happen next.