Teaching What (very interesting)

By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
classroom management
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
Which is noisier: choral repetition or the noise from pairwork / groupwork?

choral repetition
noise
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
When students do choral repetition, can the teacher know what they are really thinking about? How?

No! Students seem focussed, but the teacher can`t read their minds!
noise
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
When students work in pairs or groups, can the teacher know what they are really doing? How?

Yes, by monitoring while students are working
noise
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
Which is more active: choral repetition or pairwork / groupwork?

pairwork / groupwork
noise
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
During a pair or group activity, can the teacher control all the language used?

No
students make mistakes
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
Should they try to do so?

No! Too much correction destroys students‘ confidence
students make mistakes
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
How can the teacher reduce students` mistakes during the drill or further practice?

by giving students enough preparation and doing the drill with the whole class first, then open pairs, then closed pairs
students make mistakes
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
Why do most teachers think the class looks out of control when students do pairwork / groupwork?

because it goes against the tradition that teachers should be the centre
difficult to control
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
Pairwork / Groupwork can get out of control when the activity is boring or exciting?

exciting
difficult to control
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
Why do students start to do something else or talk about something else instead of doing the activity in pairs or groups?

the activity is not well-designed e.g. the instructions are not clear so Ss don’t know what to do
difficult to control
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
What are the real problems?

Teachers` fear of trying something new
Teachers` unwillingness to make changes
Teachers` laziness
difficult to control
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
1. Pairwork
students work in pairs
non-confrontational
learning by doing
based on an information gap between partners to create the need to `co-operate`
work arrangements
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
Pairwork diagram
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
2. groupwork
students work in small groups
non-confrontational
a high degree of student participation
a good group dynamic
groupwork tasks are share and compare activities
work arrangements
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
groupwork diagram
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
3. cross-grouping (jigsaw)
students are put into the first group, then regrouped into a second group.
strong students are not able to dominate
there are no `passengers`
confidence-building
cross-grouping tasks are the same as groupwork tasks
work arrangements
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
jigsaw diagram
brainstorming
sharing results
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
4. pyramid
students work individually, then in pairs, then in groups, then with the whole class. A single final list of facts or ideas are built up by the end of the pyramid process which all ss have agreed on
one plus one is greater than 2.
students can learn from each other
work arrangements
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
pyramid diagram
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
5. mingling activities (cocktail)
all members of the class get up and move around - seeking information from the different students they `meet` as they mingle in a group
wake up drowsy, bored students
provide an opportunity for them to ask the same question again and again of different people without being ashamed of needing the repetition or reinforcement
work arrangements
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
cocktail diagram
By: DO TUAN MINH, CFL, VNU
More language practice
More learner-centred
Students feel secure and confident
Students help each other
Real communication
The Advantages of Pairwork and Groupwork