A Corpus-based Lesson: Authentic Language Oppurtunity!

 

Greetings everyone! I am back with another post. In our Current Issues in Teaching course this week, as groups, we were required to create a corpus-based worksheet as well as a lesson plan based on the ASSURE model, both of which I will explain later in this post. I grouped up with my friends Ahmet Alper Aydoğdu, Rabia Çimen, and Mihriban Çizme (feel free to check out their blogs as well!) for the completion of the assignment. At the end of this post you can see our lesson plan and worksheet!

Design Process

We were required to produce a lesson plan and a worksheet on corpus usage for our assignments. Both parts of the assignments were relatively easy as our instructions were clear, and we were also familiar with designing lesson plans because of our other classes in our department. 

The Corpus:

The first time I heard about this term was in my linguistics class back when I was a sophomore. A corpus is an extensive collection of language data obtained from newspapers, novels, even spoken language, and so on. It allows us to see how language is used in real life. So, for our assignment, we created a worksheet that requires the use of a corpus query tool. For our corpus tool, we have chosen Corpusmate as its user interface is very simple. As for our worksheet, we designed it with Canva because it had affordances such as accessibility, user-friendly design, and a wide range of templates.

ASSURE Model:

I have heard about the ASSURE model just recently. The class model allows teachers to systematically and efficiently apply technology in language classrooms. The term ASSURE entails analyzing learners, stating objectives, selecting and using the materials, ensuring learner participation, and evaluating each component. In the design process, we found this model to be very distinct from other lesson plans we had prepared for different courses. Although it was a new concept, we did not have any difficulty as we were already experienced with group work and also because the model was relatively easy to grasp. 

The Implementation Problems 

While I think corpus offers an excellent opportunity for authentic language input, it has some constraints. Firstly, it can be rather difficult to ensure that every student has access to technology in rural areas, for example. Moreover, teacher training on corpus is overlooked in most situations. As a language learner, I have been learning English for 15 years; however, none of my teachers have used corpus in my language classes.

Concluding Marks

Despite the problems that I have stated, I would definitely try to implement corpus-based activities in my classes. Because it basically makes students a language researcher. It makes learning more engaging as the learners are responsible for their own learning. What do you think? Do you like our designed lesson plan and our corpus-based worksheet? I would love to hear your opinions! Please feel free to share your comments below. I hope you have a wonderful day, and as always, until next time!

-EA out.

Corpus-based Worksheet:

This is only the first page, please click here to see the full version!

The ASSURE Model Lesson Plan:

You can view the actual file by clicking here!