PLANNING REMEDIAL AND ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

REMEDIAL ACTIVITIES
Remedial activities are activities which are intended as a remedy for a problem in the classroom. They might need to be done when there are slow or even backward learners in the classroom or when the class is not able to meet the objectives of the lesson. It is the extra work that is carried out during class or after class which specifically focuses on the problem areas experienced by the students. It might be taught individually or in groups and targets academic weaknesses that may hinder learning.

 It can be regarded as a reinforcement or additional support given by the teacher to help students who are experiencing difficulties in specific subject areas. It can be done to correct the errors made in the classroom and to add the students present knowledge. It teach basic skills that are the foundation for learning a subject in greater detail, and such skills must be learned before students can develop a detailed understanding of the topic of study.

 In doing remedial exercises, errors are something that we have to deal with first. What we must make the students realize is that errors are a natural part of learning. Identifying those errors that they made should be viewed as a way to help them move forward. As teachers, it is a good idea to look at what commonly cause these errors in order to see how we can help the students to overcome their errors.

 Littlewood (1984) proposed three reasons: i. Overgeneralization of rules which is a developmental error. ii. Mother tongue interference. iii. Simplification by omission.

 There are a number of factors that should be considered by teachers when choosing materials, tasks and activities. Some of them are: i. The tasks that are chosen by the teacher should be preferably be in context. ii. The activities and materials chosen must have a purpose. iii. There should also ideally be room for feedback by the teacher or by the students and their peers. iv. For speaking, think of the number of speakers that will be involved in the task. v. For listening exercies, think of accents and the length of the listening text.

PURPOSE FOR CARRYING OUT REMEDIAL ACTIVITIES

To help learners overcome gaps and errors in their English, especially fossilized errors. To make learners notice their mistakes or errors and discover for themselves what is wrong and what is right. To reactivate, consolidate and clarify previously presented language items. To help students who are slow achievers in a particular area especially students who still cannot grasp the information that has been taught. To monitor learners errors, mistakes or slips.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR PLANNING REMEDIAL ACTIVITIES

How are students identified? Firstly, identify the students from their learning behavior in class, for example, their response throughout the lesson especially the response to the activities and work assigned throughout the lesson. If they consistently show lack of understanding in the lesson taught then they should be identified for remedial work.

The frequency of mistakes One of the steps is to check the frequency of mistakes the student makes throughout the lesson. The teacher should carefully study each mistake chosen. Then, try to find the reasons why the learners make the mistake and look at ways for re-teaching or correcting, using new techniques and procedures and a new way of looking at and explaining the problem.

The feelings of the learners If the learners are not really worried by the mistakes or they see no value in correcting them, remedial work will probably be unsuccessful. The learners should be able to see that it is possible to make great improvement and that they are really learning something useful. It should not be just a reminder of the learners past failures instead it should enable learners to see it as a way of getting the informed correction that they do not get outside the class.

The effect of mistakes on understanding Some mistakes are found frequently in a learners work but they do not make it difficult for anyone to understand what the learner is trying to say. But mistakes like the use of stress, vocabulary and sentence patterns make it very difficult for someone to understand what the learner is trying to say. These kinds of mistakes need to be addressed.

THE ADVANTAGES OF REMEDIAL ACTIVITIES

To help the learners learn basic skills To enable the learners to catch up with their peers and to participate equally in class To boost the learners self-confidence and self-esteem To arouse interest in learning that will lead to life-long learning

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES
Enrichment activities are activities that are done to enrich or improve the quality or knowledge of the students. These are language activities that require students to work individually, in pairs or groups. They offer an opportunity for hands-on, active learning and usually focus on fluency and /or accuracy. The main purpose is to provide opportunities and assistance to empower students with the language and skills necessary for academic and social success.

 In terms of language learning, there are some basic assumptions that are being made by the teacher when designing enrichment activities. The assumptions are mainly: i. The students have grasped the basic concept of what is being taught. ii. The students have mastered some basic skills that are required in the classroom. iii. The students are able to use the present knowledge as a base to acquire or learn more skills or concepts.

 In creating tasks and activities for language enrichment, teachers ought to think of ways to make their students to work at least a step outside of their comfort zone. Advanced learners sometimes get into a rut where they feel that they have accomplished enough to satisfy the given syllabus. They may perceive extra effort as irrelevant. So, teachers must encourage their students to take risks in language learning; try new things and generally work harder than they want to!

 The activities, tasks and materials that are chosen should be able to: i. Provide a stimulus for students to talk about or get clues from when they are listening. ii. Create opportunities by manipulating physical arrangements to promote speaking and listening. iii. Create opportunities to interact. iv. Enable the students to practice their language by providing them more individual talking time and perform a wider range of speech acts. v. Combine fluency and accuracy.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR PLANNING ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

How are students identified? Firstly, identify the students based on the accuracy of the task completed. Once the students have been identified the teacher gives strict instructions for the enrichment activities.

When are the activities carried out? The activities can be carried out after students completed an assigned task within the lesson. The teacher can ask the students for the enrichment activities to sit in a corner to prepare for the activity.

How can we determine which type of activity to be carried out? The teacher has to give specific instruction on the particular enrichment activity that can be carried out. The selection of activity depends on the specific area taught. Nevertheless, enrichment activities are suitable to reinforce all listening and speaking skills.

Amount of time available The type of enrichment activities to be carried out also depends on the time available. If there is time constraint then an activity which does not need a lot of time can be done. Students can also be given time to prepare for the activity and present it in the next lesson.

Examples of enrichment activities that can be carried out Storytelling Poetry recitation Jazz chant Nursery rhymes Problem solving activities Role play Vocabulary games, word puzzles

ADVANTAGES OF CARRYING OUT ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Keep students occupied with language activities As a reinforcement of language learnt Motivate students to learn more Further strengthen students language ability Boost self-confidence and self-esteem Learning satisfaction Promote learner autonomy

REFERENCES
Mohd Rosli Abd. Ghani, M. I. (2009). HBEL2103 LISTENING AND SPEAKING AND TEACHING OF LISTENING AND SPEAKING. Selangor Darul Ehsan: Open University Malaysia (OUM).