Teaching secondary
school aged students

Do It Yourself

What and Why?

'Do it Yourself' is an important idea that occurs throughout CES. Encouraging students to do something themselves, rather simply using the exercises in the book, is to encourage them towards autonomy - the ultimate goal of education. This also allows students room for the own individual interests, needs and abilities. In Level 1, students are given the option of deciding what they want to do in each 'Decide' exercise. In Level 2, this is taken one step further, where the DIY exercises in the Language Focus units require planning for what they will do in the 'Open Plan' section at the end of the Revision and Evaluation units. In these exercises, the students must decide what they wish to do, in consultation with you. Initially, it is likely that the suggestions that students make for what they would like to do are not ones that you think are particularly valuable. This may not be a problem for a number of reasons. Firstly, one of the aims of allowing students to suggest something else to do is to bring about greater student involvement and a feeling of 'ownership' of what they are learning. Secondly, it is only through making decisions that students can become better at making decisions. The important point is that any suggestion they make and which they actually do is followed up by some kind of evaluation. This can be simply asking the students how useful they found what they did.

Practical ideas

• If students cannot think of something to do, you can propose something. Have a list of ideas ready. For example: choose something from the Exercise box, do some reading, look back through the previous unit, do something from the workbook, do a time to spare exercise, play one of the games in the book, write some grammar rules on a poster, prepare something for the Parcel of English, listen to a song.
• One or two lessons before the students come to the 'Decide' exercises, point out the option for them to decide for themselves. Encourage them to think of something they might like to do. Give them suggestions (see above).
• You will need to insist that what they decide to do is related to learning English!
• You could also allow some time for students to tell other students (either in small groups or to the whole class) what they have been doing.
• There are six Open Plan sections Level 2. You can, however, allow the students an open space more frequently. This needn't be a whole lesson. You could, for example, allow fifteen or so minutes every week or every other week. Build up a 'lesson plan' with them, on the board, a week or so before an Open Plan time.