Elicitation is a technique that teachers use to get learners to provide information rather than telling them directly. It is widely used in the EFL classroom for various purposes, such as teaching vocabulary, grammar, skills and topics. In this blog post, we will explore what elicitation is, why it is beneficial, and how to use it effectively.
Elicitation can involve asking questions, giving clues, using visuals, miming, modeling language, or providing contexts that prompt learners to come up with the target language or information.
For example, if a teacher wants to teach the word “apple”, they can elicit it by:
- Showing a picture of an apple and asking “What is this?”
- Writing the word on the board with some letters missing and asking “Can you complete the word?”
- Saying “It’s a red fruit that you can eat. It starts with A. What is it?”
- Holding an apple in their hand and miming eating it.
Elicitation can also be used to teach grammar rules, functions, or skills. For example, if a teacher wants to teach the first conditional, they can elicit it by:
- Giving some examples of sentences using the first conditional and asking learners to identify the structure and the meaning.
- Writing a sentence with a gap and asking learners to fill it in with the correct verb form.
- Giving a situation and asking learners to make a sentence using the first conditional.
- Asking learners to think of their own examples of sentences using the first conditional.
Elicitation has many advantages for both teachers and learners. Some of them are:
- It activates learners’ prior knowledge and helps them connect new and old information.
- It makes learning more memorable and meaningful by involving learners in the process of discovery.
- It creates a learner-centered classroom and a stimulating environment where learners are more engaged and motivated.
- It provides feedback for teachers on what learners know or don’t know, and helps them adjust their teaching accordingly.
- It reduces teacher talking time and increases learner talking time, which promotes communication and interaction.
Elicitation is not a simple technique that can be applied randomly. It requires careful planning and execution. Here are some tips on how to use elicitation effectively:
- Prepare your elicitation questions or prompts in advance and make sure they are clear, relevant, and appropriate for your learners’ level and needs.
- Provide enough context and support for your elicitation, such as visuals, gestures, examples, or models.
- Use a variety of elicitation techniques to cater for different learning styles and preferences.
- Give learners enough time to think and respond, and encourage them to work in pairs or groups if possible.
- Praise correct answers and provide feedback or correction for incorrect ones.
- Use elicitation not only at the beginning of a lesson, but also throughout the lesson to check understanding, review, or consolidate learning.
Elicitation is a powerful technique that can enhance your teaching and your learners’ learning. By using elicitation effectively, you can make your EFL classroom more dynamic, interactive, and learner-centered.