Microsoft Word Glossary March 2011 doc

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Aim 
What the teacher wants to achieve in the lesson or in the course.
The main aim is the most important aim, e.g. the teacher’s main aim in a lesson could be to teach the 
present perfect or develop listening skills. 
A stage aim is the aim or purpose of a stage, step or short section of a lesson, e.g. to provide controlled 
practice of the present perfect or to develop listening for gist. 
A subsidiary aim is the secondary focus of the lesson, less important than the main aim. It could be the 
language or skills learners must be able to use in order to achieve the main aim of the lesson or a skill or 
language area which is practised while focusing on the main aim. 
A personal aim is what the teacher would like to improve in his/her teaching, e.g. to reduce the time I spend 
writing on the whiteboard 
 
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Alveolar (ridge) 
The ridge at the top of the mouth between the teeth and the hard palate. Several sounds e.g. / t / , / d / are 
made in this area.
 
Analysis 
noun,
 Analyse 
verb
 
To examine or think about something in detail in order to understand it or get to know it better, e.g. analyse language: 
what the form of the structure is and why it is being used in this way in this situation. Teachers also analyse learners’ 
style or performance. 
 
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Anaphoric reference 
Reference to something that occurs earlier in the text; often achieved through use of pronouns or lexical chains 
e.g. in the text ‘Singapore is on the sea. It shares a border with Malaysia’, It refers back to Singapore. See 
cataphoric reference and exophoric reference. 
 
Anticipate (language) problems 
When teachers are planning a lesson, they think about what their learners might find difficult about the language or 
skills in the lesson so that they can help them learn more effectively at certain points in the lesson. They may also 
think about how learners’ previous learning experience may affect their learning in a specific lesson.