Teaching situation which illustrates another way of

sequencing questions.

We said last time that

communication is a two-way process.What do we mean

by this? Lina?

(finally stops)

I think . . .

(Draws a diagram on the board)

Let’s look at this diagram

on the board.

What do the two circles represent?

Lina?

The first circle stands for the speaker. . .

And the second stands. . . For. . .

(finally stops)

If this circle is for the speaker, what could the second

circle be for?

(silence)

If there’s a speaker there should be a. . .

Yes Lina?

A listener!

Very good! Why do we therefore

say that communication

is a two-way process?

Try to analyze the given situation.

What seems to be the problem of the teacher?

What does the teacher try to do then?

Initially, the teacher poses a question, the purpose of which is

to assess previous learning.Second, when the teacher fails to get

an answer, s/he concretizes the concept by way of diagram on the board; until s/he finally gets the

correct answer.This sequence of questioning is called funneling .

Open question (HLQ) specific question (HLQ) specific question

problem solving

Funneling can be illustrated this way:

Funneling as a sequence of questions lends itself strongly to a teaching situation where the teacher assists the learner to arrive at an answer. It begins with an open question and proceeds to specifics and then to problem solving.

What kinds of questions

did the teacher ask in

the preceding situation?

The teacher initially asked an open question (HLQ): “what do you mean by communication is a two-way process?”; then s/he proceeded to do something specific: “what do the two circles represent?”(which is a high level question); finally s/he asked the clincher question: “Why do we therefore say that communication is a two-way process?(once again this is a high level question.)

The teacher would like to go back one part of a lesson on Type 1 conditional. S/He then asks the following questions:

Yesterday, we said that there are four types of conditional and these are types 1,2,3, and 4. lets go back to the type 1

conditional.

Lets go back to the type 1 conditional.

What characterizes Type 1 conditional, class?

(No answer; there is complete silence)

What characterizes Type 1 conditional?

(no answer; there is complete silence)

Let me write this sample sentence in

the board

(She writes. . . )

If I come tomorrow, I’ll join you for lunch.

Let’s look at the sentence once again and divide it into two parts.Where can we divide the sentence?

Yes, Leo?

In the middle, ma’am.

Would you like to come to the board and show to the class how it is done?

(Leo goes to the front and divides the sentence)

If I come tomorrow/

I will join you for lunch.

That’s very good, Leo! Now which of the two parts sets the condition?

The first part; the if part, ma’am.

Okay. What about the second part, Myra?

It shows the effect. This

means that if the person comes

tomorrow something will

happen.

Very good, Myra. Is this thing likely to happen, class? Yes Molly?

Yes, Ma’am.

Okay. What then characterizes Type 1 conditional?

Look who’s doing the dirty work

There is definitely a change in the attitude of our young people towards work nowadays. Some years back, most of them wouldn’t be caught dead holding a broom or doing anything else associated with manual labor. But these days they’re fighting over jobs which call for who will wield the mops, peel potatoes, and clean out garbage bins in such places as McDonalds, Wendy’s, Jollibee, and other fast-food chains.

Getting the manual jobs in these establishments has become so attractive even among the preppies of elite, private schools where children of the upper socioeconomic strata of our society study. This summer, these students will be competing again for jobs at the fast-food chains particularly the multinationals.

The operations manager of McDonald’s says, “Our company no longer advertises opening in its outlets. Each time vacancies are announced, 500 to a thousand eager teenagers turn-up, giving the personnel department headaches. We just ask the kids who work here to refer their friends to us.”

Another young girl from a very affluent family, Alice Soria, a McDonald’s part-timer

explains the phenomenon.“Before it was low class, cheap, to work in a

restaurant. Now my friends, say: ‘wow,’ ‘Heavy!’ when I tell them to work at

McDonald’s.”Julie Solis, 19, a third year college student, says her friends at school all want to land

part-time jobs at Wendy’s where she prepares food.