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How to Teach English with the PPP Method

By Mehrdad Sabir

Are you looking for a simple and effective way to teach English to your students? Do you want to help them learn new language points in a structured and engaging way? If so, you might want to try the PPP method.

The PPP method, which stands for Presentation, Practice, and Production, is a popular teaching approach used by many English language teachers around the world. It is based on the communicative approach to language teaching, which emphasises the importance of communication as the ultimate goal of language learning.

In this blog post, I will explain what the PPP method is, how it works, and what are its advantages and disadvantages. I will also give you some tips and examples on how to use the PPP method in your own classroom.

What is the PPP Method?

The PPP method involves three stages: presentation, practice, and production. In each stage, the teacher and the students have different roles and activities. Here is a brief overview of each stage:

Presentation: This is the stage where the teacher introduces a new language point, such as a grammar rule, a vocabulary item, or a function. The teacher uses a context that requires the use of the target language, such as a text, a dialogue, or a situation. The teacher elicits the meaning, form, and pronunciation of the language point from the students, or explains it if necessary. The teacher also checks the students’ understanding of the language point by using concept checking questions (CCQs).

Practice: This is the stage where the students practice the new language point in controlled or guided activities, such as drills, gap-fills, matching, or ordering. The aim of this stage is to help the students use the language point accurately and fluently, and to correct any errors they might make. The teacher monitors the students’ performance and gives feedback.

Production: This is the stage where the students use the new language point in freer or more creative activities, such as role-plays, discussions, or writing tasks. The aim of this stage is to help the students use the language point in a meaningful and communicative way, and to personalise it to their own needs and interests. The teacher facilitates the students’ communication and gives feedback.

How to Use the PPP Method?

The PPP method can be used to teach any language point, such as grammar, vocabulary, or functions. However, it is important to follow some guidelines and principles to make the most of this method. Here are some tips and examples on how to use the PPP method effectively:

Choose a suitable language point for your students’ level and objectives. Make sure that the language point is relevant, useful, and challenging for your students. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense to intermediate students, you can choose a context such as talking about life experiences or recent events.

Provide a clear and engaging context for the presentation stage. Use visual aids, such as pictures or flashcards, to help illustrate the meaning of the language point. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can use pictures of famous people or places to elicit sentences such as “She has visited the Eiffel Tower” or “He has met Barack Obama”.

Elicit as much as possible from the students during the presentation stage. Avoid giving long explanations or translations of the language point. Instead, ask questions, such as “What tense is this?” or “What does this word mean?” to get the students to discover the language point by themselves. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can ask questions such as “When did she visit the Eiffel Tower?” or “How do we form the present perfect tense?”

Check the students’ understanding of the language point during the presentation stage. Use concept checking questions (CCQs), such as “Is it in the past, present, or future?” or “Does it mean the same as …?” to make sure that the students understand the meaning, form, and pronunciation of the language point. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can ask CCQs such as “Has she visited the Eiffel Tower before?” or “Do we need to say when she visited the Eiffel Tower?”

Provide a variety of practice activities for the practice stage. Use different types of activities, such as mechanical, meaningful, and communicative, to help the students practice the language point in different ways. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can use activities such as filling in the blanks, matching sentences and pictures, or asking and answering questions.

Provide clear instructions and examples for the practice activities. Make sure that the students know what to do, how to do it, and why to do it. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can say “Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb. For example, ‘She has visited the Eiffel Tower’.”

Provide feedback and correction for the practice activities. Monitor the students’ performance and give them positive and constructive feedback. Correct any errors that they might make, either immediately or later, depending on the type and purpose of the activity. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can say “Good job, you have used the present perfect tense correctly. But remember to pronounce the ‘ed’ sound at the end of the verb.”

Provide a variety of production activities for the production stage. Use different types of activities, such as role-plays, discussions, or writing tasks, to help the students use the language point in a realistic and creative way. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can use activities such as interviewing a famous person, talking about your bucket list, or writing a postcard.

Provide minimal guidance and intervention for the production activities. Let the students use the language point freely and naturally, without too much interference from the teacher. Encourage them to express their own ideas and opinions, and to interact with each other. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can say “Imagine that you are a reporter and you are interviewing a famous person. Ask them questions about their life experiences using the present perfect tense.”

Provide feedback and correction for the production activities. Monitor the students’ communication and give them positive and constructive feedback. Correct any errors that they might make, either immediately or later, depending on the type and purpose of the activity. For example, if you want to teach the present perfect tense, you can say “Well done, you have used the present perfect tense very well. But be careful with the spelling of some irregular verbs, such as ‘seen’ or ‘done’.”

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of the PPP Method?

The PPP method has some advantages and disadvantages that you should be aware of before using it in your classroom. Here are some of them:

Advantages:

It provides a systematic and structured approach to language teaching that helps the students learn new language points in a clear and effective way.

It provides a variety of learning activities that cater to different learning styles and preferences. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners can all benefit from the PPP method.

It fosters a positive and engaging classroom environment that encourages student participation and interaction. It allows the students to learn in a supportive and collaborative way, which can increase their motivation and engagement.

Disadvantages:

It can be too teacher-centred, too linear, and too artificial. It can limit the students’ autonomy and creativity, and reduce the opportunities for authentic and spontaneous communication.

It can be too rigid and inflexible. It can ignore the students’ needs, interests, and feedback, and impose a predetermined sequence of activities that may not suit the students’ level, pace, or objectives.

It can be too repetitive and boring. It can make the students lose interest and enthusiasm, and feel frustrated and demotivated.

Conclusion

The PPP method is a popular and effective way to teach English to your students. It can help them learn new language points in a structured and engaging way. However, it is not the only way to teach English, and it has some limitations and drawbacks that you should consider. Therefore, you should use the PPP method wisely and flexibly, and adapt it to your students’ needs, interests, and feedback. You should also combine it with other methods and approaches, such as discovery, feedback, and personalisation, to make your lessons more learner-centred, dynamic, and authentic.

BY: Mehrdad Sabir