Performance

The ability to effectively use new information in a productive manner.

Phonics

~ is an instructional strategy used to teach reading. It helps beginning readers by teaching them letter-sound relationships and having them sound out words. It is also a recognition of sound-spelling relationships in printed words.

Picture dictation

A classroom activity where the teacher describes a scene or an object and learners draw what they hear. See listen and do/draw/make.

Picture stories

Stories that are shown in pictures instead of words.

Portfolio

A collection of various samples of a student’s work throughout the school year that can include writing samples, examples of math problems, and results of science experiments. This collection of work can be used by a learner to show what he/she has done during a particular course. A purposeful document, regularly added to that may be part of continuous assessment. It may contain evaluative checklists (completed by the individual learner and/or others about him/her), samples of written work, examination results, certificates etc, and other evidence of learning (cassettes, software etc). All these elements are assembled in a portfolio as evidence of an individual’s performance. See portfolio assessment.

Portfolio assessment

A collection of materials designed to demonstrate progress over time.

PPP

An approach to teaching language items which follows a sequence of presentation of the item, practice of the item and then production (i.e. use) of the item. This is the approach currently followed by most commercially produced course books and has the advantage of apparent systematicity and economy. However, many SLA researchers would argue that it is an inefficient approach which creates the illusion of learning. They would say that learning an item takes much longer than this approach suggests and that far more experience of the item in communication is necessary for any lasting learning to take place. See language practice; SLA; language use.

Practice

• Controlled practice, restricted practice When learners use the target language repeatedly and productively in situations in which they have little or no choice of what language they use. The teacher and learners focus on accurate use of the target language. • Less controlled, freer practice, free practice When learners use the target language but have more choice of what they say and what language they use.