Sitcoms as a Tool for ELT English teachers have been using videos in the classroom for decades and now sitcoms emerge in classr

In this section you will hear a mini-lecture.
    You will hear the mini-lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the mini-lecture, please complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. Make sure the word(s)you fill in is(are)both grammatically and semantically acceptable. You may use the blank sheet for note-taking.
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                        Sitcoms as a Tool for ELT
    Good morning, everyone. I, as an English teacher, wish to share with you some of my understanding of sitcoms, i.e. situation comedies, as a tool for ELT. Here, Since I come from Britain, I’ll mainly exemplify my points with examples of British sitcoms.
    English teachers have been using videos in the classroom for decades and, more recently, DVDs and online video clips from YouTube or Myspace. Sitcoms are an excellent classroom resource for a number of reasons. An episode generally lasts 30 minutes — so we don’t have to worry about students getting bored or losing the plot — as sometimes happens when we watch a feature film. Sitcoms are often repetitive too. Students who watch more than one episode become familiar with the characters and their catchphrases. As students begin to predict how a character might behave in a particular circumstance they will become more motivated and enjoy a sense of achievement.
    Usually, sitcoms provide us with authentic English in all its guises. The situations that the "sit" refers to are often situations that are universal. Students are already familiar with the basic setup — even though things are never quite the same in another country. "Dodgy Del Boy"(a character from the TV show Only Fools and Horses)characters exist all over the world although, rather than dealing in fake antiques or stolen perfumes, they might instead be involved in olive oil deals, pirated DVDs or bogus wine labels.
    In contrast, traditional English teaching videos that are specifically designed for the classroom lack a vital element that only authentic material can provide. The speech is often slowed down and laboured: the situations at best implausible, at worst banal.
    Very often, teachers underestimate the ability of their students to understand authentic language and so they shy away from real material in favour of these purpose-made recordings. Or worse, they don’t use any videos — thereby denying their classes the opportunity to get used to real English, spoken by real English speakers, in realistic situations. Students get listening practice with tapes and CDs, but we shouldn’t underestimate the value of the visual element a video provides. A large part of communication is non-verbal. Being able to see gestures and facial expressions helps students grasp the meaning of the words spoken and also any underlying insinuations. Sitcoms are always full of them.
    On the other hand, there is an indisputable fact that sitcoms are funny and everybody enjoys laughing. Watching a humorous video clip in class can be rewarding for students and helps to create a positive classroom atmosphere. This in turn can only have a positive effect on the learning experience. Even if the comedy isn’t all that funny it only takes one person to laugh and everybody else will soon join in. As the poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox said "Laugh and the world laughs with you". To watch, enjoy and understand a clip of an authentic British sitcom can be highly motivating. And if a teacher prepares their students effectively for what they are about to watch there should be few problems in understanding.
    Moreover, sitcoms are full of cultural references. Depending on the situation these references might portray regional differences throughout the UK, the British class system, family issues, religion, race and ethnicity, gender issues, social issues, politics and numerous others. Think about it! First think of an episode of your favourite sitcom. Now imagine watching it through the eyes of one of your students. Everything that passes almost unnoticed by somebody brought up in the UK will be picked up on and stored by your student: the clothes, the furniture, the velvet curtains or the three flying ducks on the living room wall.
    In sitcoms, students have many opportunities to taste varieties of English. Every successful British sitcom has its trademark English, like Del Boy’s Cockney accent and attempts at talking " posh". There are sitcoms from up north, down south and everywhere in between. This exposure to different varieties of English introduces the idea to learners that there isn’t just one standardised version of the language. All too often the only reference to spoken English that students have is the accent of wherever their teacher happens to come from or wherever their teacher’s teacher came from. How many times have we heard " I understand everything in class but when I went to the UK in the summer I didn’t understand a word" ?
    By watching those sitcoms, students will make comparisons between British culture and their first language culture. Students love watching videos that reflect Britishness. They like to see how British people live, what they eat, how they spend their free time. They love seeing typical British homes and institutions, British countryside and British weather. Our students like to confirm their perceptions of British stereotypes and they like to be surprised by aspects of British culture that they didn’t know about before. This is usually true for students of all ages and backgrounds. By learning more about the culture of the country they stop seeing English as a language in isolation but start to understand the wider implications of a language’s link to its culture(s). This is the same for learners of any language. The more we know about the culture of the language we are learning, the better our understanding of that language will be.
    If you haven’t used a sitcom as a classroom resource I’d recommend you to give it a try. Students will appreciate the opportunity to watch something that is so British. Whatever they think of the programme itself, they will have the chance to hear a variety of English accents and to pick up some new expressions. If they share the British sense of humour they will find the experience even more rewarding. And who knows? Thank you for your time!