The 3 Ps (present, practise, produce) describe the ingredients of course and lesson design that are common to most EFL course books. Evidenced in a series of discrete yet linked stages, the 3 Ps draw on a number of teaching methods.
The presentation stage of most lessons involves introducing the language to be taught in a realistic context making use of dialogues, texts or pictures. The context serves to aid understanding of the language in use and attract learners’ interest. This need for realistic context and focus on meaning is derived from the communicative approach.
Once meaning has been presented, the language is then practised through a series of activities aimed at promoting repetition of the new form (e.g. drills) and understanding of the rules/processes which underpin the form (e.g. gap-filling or sentence transformation). It is not difficult to see that these emphases on repetition and rule acquisition are heavily influenced by audio-lingualism and cognitive methods respectively.
The need for the learner to personalize and make real use of the new language is addressed in the production stage. In this stage the learner is encouraged to use the language freely and fluently in a real context (e.g. in a role-play, discussion or game). This focus on production revisits the communicative approach in which it is assumed that learning occurs by completing tasks that are real to learners.
Much remains to be debated, however, regarding the relative importance of each of the 3 ingredients. In recent years, course books have tended to stress practice and production over presentation and downplayed the importance of a thorough presentation taking account of the varied learning styles to be found in the classroom. It is not difficult to see that language inadequately presented or presented too rapidly will lead to faulty acquisition and errors in the following practice and production stages.
Theoretical foundations aside, the 3 Ps offer new or inexperienced teachers a useful road-map for lesson planning.
Find out more about the principles that underpin teaching at www.teachingenglish.org.uk The Teaching English website is a central point of reference for information about English language teaching products and services from the UK.
