ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at organisational aspects of language teaching such as the size of groups teachers preferred to work with and the choice of materials employed in these sessions. It presents descriptive data based on teachers' accounts of the kinds of activity they tried to initiate among the children as a basis for language learning. In addition to language programmes, the teachers were asked to describe other materials used during language teaching sessions. By far the most frequently cited materials were symbolic toys or models of real objects, people and animals. The way in which pictures and picture books were used to encourage familiarity with objects, activities and associated verbal labels can be seen from the quotations which follow. The chapter also presents examples of the teachers' descriptions of classroom activities designed to encourage language and communication.
