Elicitation is a technique by which the teacher gets the learners to give information rather than giving it to them.

Teacher in India talking to young learners

It is a learner-centred technique for teaching grammar and vocabulary.

Example
A teacher elicits the rules for the structure of the first conditional by asking learners to look at some examples, then writing 'We make the first conditional in English with…?' on the board.

In the classroom
Elicitation is an important technique for various reasons. It helps develop a learner-centred dynamic, it makes learning memorable as learners can link new and old information, and it can help produce a dynamic and stimulating environment.

Further links:

https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/eliciting-vocabulary-writing-narratives

 

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