What do you see? What name do you give to it? If I show you this in one context or another, does it effect its meaning? Does this mean different things to different people?
As you’re probably familiar with this example, you know the answers. But when teaching a foreign language, we encounter these issues continuously. Single words are interpreted according to the words around them, and the context in which they are spoken or written. Similarly, learners associate meaning and acquire language with the help of context.
This month at Springboard, we’re sharing practical ways to manage meaning and context when teaching. If you’ve learned about pragmatics or semantics in linguistics, this will be of particular interest to you. But it’s also meant as a basic introduction for teachers with no theoretical knowledge.
Come join us at Tibits – Bern, Gurtengasse (about 250 meters from the main station) at 8pm on 7th March or leave a comment below.
(photo: public domain, from https://commons.wikimedia.org)
ELT Springboard 
I love sharing perspectives at these meetings and this month was no different. I’d like to share with you some of the takeaways:
– When teaching the meaning of a language item, everyone agreed that context is crucial. Also, personalization, targeted use of learners’ L1 if possible, a constructivist approach, and a solid understanding of the needs of students were all important aspects.
– Also, in order to allow students to really learn meaning, teaching must involve context that is relevant and comprehensible to students. It should be something they can relate to.
For more reading on some of the more theoretical linguistic knowledge of pragmatics in TESOL, follow this link: https://bit.ly/2TmEeeg
What do you think? Add your comments below!
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