English language skills – Plain language

Organisation piloting the Good Practice

High school of Economics “Mirko Vešović”, Podgorica

Country

Montenegro

Description of the good practice

From the material which was shared with the participants during the study visit to Helsinki in June 2024, the activity PLAIN LANGUAGE was piloted with SEN (Special Educational Needs) students as a try out for future teaching practice. The concept of plain language was applied to simplify the  grammar rules for basic English tenses by using descriptive grammar resources with SEN students: tenses were presented to them in forms of time lines and drawings for easier understanding of the tense formation and use. Later on, the students had a task to write a short story by using the grammar structures and familiar vocabulary on the topic of protection of the environment and endangered species. So the students connected words and phrases in order to form the sentences, then they compared their answers with the answer key. Afterwards, students ordered the correct sentences so that the story is made/written. Additional activities were: students read, translated, copied, wrote a similar story by changing one detail in each sentence.

Background

In the Montenegrin educational system, a huge number of SEN students are included in the regular schooling and the main concept of supporting students is reduction of the existing curricula, by adapting the material to fit their needs. Sometimes it is really difficult to implement this because our school profiles in Economics and Law, (quite theoretical education), and the SEN students are with a wide range of needs. So ideas 9 such Plain   Language is ) represents an excellent resource for teachers to develop further teaching activities and to differentiate their teaching.

Steps to take if you want to implement the good practice from planning to execution and evaluation if included

1. Planning

  • Defining of the goals : to consolidate grammar rules and vocabulary, to create a story, to develop personal and collaborative skills of students, to make teaching more engaging, to practice specific vocabulary.
  • Preparation of materials: handouts, copies , pencils.
  • Planning the activity: setting extra lessons with the scheduled timetable or organising parts of regular lessons.

2. Execution

  • Presenting information on English grammar and vocabulary.
  • Guide students through the activity and monitoring the progress.
  • Foster collaboration and creativity as students work together.

3. Evaluation

  • Collecting  feedback from students on what they learned.
  • Evaluation of the students’ engagement and their results.
  • Reflection  on  and keeping records of the effectiveness of this activity for future use in various situations and different purposes: additional lessons for SEN students, preparation of SEN students for taking the final MATURA exam, etc.

Target group/s of the practice

Primary target group: SEN students in High school of Economics “Mirko Vešović” Podgorica, Montenegro

Number of students involved

3

Benefits, impact on the students and learning outcomes

Benefits, impact on the students and learning outcomes

Students found it interesting and motivating.  SEN students are usually involved in group activities and it is really beneficial for them. But sometimes , it is interesting to involve them in something which is particularly designed for them so that they are aware that teachers give them full support . This is really important when teaching English , since we do not have textbooks , workbooks and grammar books designed for SEN students. They use officially approved books and those are UK  resources created for courses. Teachers often need to adapt the available material. 

Suggestions for future users of this good practice

It should be carefully  implemented with students , taking into consideration the degree of the students’ educational and emotional needs. Differentiation of the material used  is also really important. Since in our school system , SEN students are included into regular schooling, sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming for the teachers to create and /or adapt the teaching material. 

Other languages

Albania – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Kosovo – Montenegro

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