SUSTAINING INTERACTION THROUGH GROUP WORK Teaching by Principles H.D. Brown

ADVANTAGES OF GROUP WORK 1. Generates interactive language Closely related to the sheer quantity of output made possible through group work is the variety and quality of interactive language 2. Offers an embracing affective climate

ADVANTAGES OF GROUP WORK 3. Promotes learner responsibility & autonomy -Whole class activity gives sts a screen to hide behind -Group work places responsibility for action and progress upon each member of the group somewhat equally -difficult to “hide” in a small group 4. A step toward individualizing instruction

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK 1. The teacher is no longer in control: Teaching in an institution where the administrator in charge requires that you teach through a traditional, whole class methodology Teaching in a culture where “good teaching” is defined as students quietly working in orderly fashion, speaking only when spoken to by the teacher

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK Teaching very large classes where a plethora of small groups becomes difficult to manage Teaching a group of unruly students where discipline is a major issue NNESTs without the confidence to “let your sts go” in small group

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK With careful attention to guidelines for implementation of group work, administrative or managerial dilemmas should be avoidable If you are unsure of your own English language ability, take heart in the fact that you are still quite a few steps ahead of your sts

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK 2. Students will use their native language Impress upon your sts the importance of practice in the second language for eventual success Appeal to various motivational factors affecting them Try to home in on their intrinsic motivation to learn

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK Demonstrate how enjoyable the various small-group tasks and games and activities are Inform them of the security offered by the smaller groups Sts want to pass an examination only, remind them that people do better on tests if they dive into the language

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK 3. Students’ errors will be reinforced in small groups -Levels of accuracy maintained in unsupervised groups are as high as those in teacher-monitored whole-class work -As much as you would you like not to believe it, teachers’ overt attempts to correct speech errors have a negligible effect on sts’ subsequent performance

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK Errors are a “necessary” manifestation of interlanguage development 4. Teachers can’t monitor all groups at once Allow sts to give vent to creative possibilities

EXCUSES FOR AVOIDING GROUP WORK 5. Some learners prefer to work alone Language learning is not a skill where you can simply bone up on rules Related to the work style issue are numerous other learning style variations

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM Selecting Appropriate Group Techniques Differences between pair & group work Appropriate pair activities 1. Practicing dialogues with a partner 2. Simple question-and-answer exercise 3. Performing certain meaningful substitution “drills”

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM 4. quick brainstorming activities 5. checking written work with each other 6. preparation for merging with a larger group 7. any brief activity for which the logistics of assigning groups, moving furniture, and getting sts into the groups is too distracting

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM Typical group tasks 1. Games 2. Role-play and simulations 3. Drama 4. Projects An environmental awareness Ex) A: creates an environmental bulletin board B: develops fact sheets

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM C: makes a three-dimensional display D: puts out a newsletter for the rest of the school E: develops a skit 5. Interview 6. Brainstorming 7. Information gap Their primary attention to information and not to language forms

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM the necessity of communicative interaction in order to reach the objective 8. Jigsaw-strip story 9. Problem solving and decision making 10. Opinion exchange: Moral, ethical, religious, and political issues are “hot” items

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM Pave the way for more automatic, peripheral processing of language itself All opinions are to be valued, not scorned, and respected, not ridiculed

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM Planning Group Work 1. Introduce the technique: A statement of the ultimate purpose 2. Justify the use of small groups for the techniques 3. Model the technique 4. Give explicit detailed instructions

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM 5. Divide the class into groups Native language Proficiency levels Age or gender differences Culture or subcultural group Personality types Cognitive/developmental stages Interests Prior learning experiences Target language goals

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM 6. Check for clarification 7. Set the task in motion

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM Monitoring the Task A few don’ts Don’t sit at your desk and grade papers Don’t leave the room and take a break Don’t spend an undue amount of time with one group at the expense of others Don’t correct sts’ errors unless asked to do so Don’t assume a dominating or disruptive role while monitoring groups

IMPLEMENTING GROUP WORK IN YOUR CLASSROOM Debriefing 1. Reporting on task objectives 2. Establishing affective support