You may need to follow a coursebook or an imposed syllabus, but sometimes add in some of the freer, more individual tasks, where the motivation provided by the language content compensates for a potentially higher language level. We find that students frequently ask for grammatical explanations or help - which is when it is very easy to input whatever is required. We would like to suggest that sometimes you take an alternative approach and give unstructured meaningful input, eg taking a topical news item or a personal anecdote, where the content provides the stimulus to understanding. This section presents a variety of exercises which will hopefully encourage you and students to take a fresh look at language. It also gives ways of maximising students' potential to learn language with the minimum of effort.
Peripheral awareness Make use of students' peripheral awareness to enhance non-conscious learning.
Prepare examples of the target language area, eg newspaper headlines, stories, poems and jokes. Stick them up round the walls well before you start introducing the structure actively. As you gather information, students' work, grammatical explanations from other books and so on, add them to the wall display. Leave the material up for some time after the specific input and practice is finished. After a week or two, use the material as the basis of a revision quiz.