Gaining Students Fluency and Achieving

Flexibility through Group – Work

• by Tatiana Korinenko Cherkassy Specialized School 172013

• Learning is the discovery that something is possible.

Fritz Perls • Teaching demands not just desirable

personality attributes, but specific skills. Skills are not ends in themselves, they are necessary took.

Jacob S. Kaenin

Why they don't use English.

Peer pressur

e Lack of motivation

.

Lack of support.

Attainable goals.

As with most techniques concerning teenagers, it's important not to give up! For all concerned, the task is not easy but it isn't impossible either. The aim is simply to try and increase the amount they speak English - this could be from 20% of

the class to 40%, but it could also be from 0% of the class to 0.5%. Either way, you have had a

positive effect on their oral English - so recognize it.

Why student to student interaction is desirable.

ParticipationMaximizing practice timeCollaborationSocializationMotivation

Problems we face when trying to increase

interaction

Student resistance

Self-consciousness

Mixed abilities

Lack of motivation

How we can promote an increase in

student interaction

Pre-teaching task language

Giving preparation time

Providing support

Providing a supportive atmosphere

Varying the interaction and repeating tasks

Having different levels of task

Providing a reason to interact

Group discussion skill

Groups work is useful for almost all areas of classroom practice – for grammar and writing tasks, for reading and taking notes while listening. Group work is excellent for speaking and listening – because in groups students can practice simultaneously – so instead of only one or two people practicing the language and everyone else just listening, with group work everyone gets a chance to be active.

Why teach group discussion skills.

Sub-skills needed to effectively participate in

group discussions

Control emotions

Use functional language

Analyze

Persuade

Setting up group discussions

• There are several key things to consider when setting up group discussions in the classroom to ensure that they run successfully.

• Choose topics which you are confident your students will find interesting.

• Get them to brainstorm some ideas for discussions they would like to do and use this as a starting point

• Ensure a balance between input and practice• Use a variety of styles / types• Vary group size and procedure• Encourage group discussions outside class time• Giving and encouraging feedback

Some interesting ideas of regrouping your students.

Fire:AriesLeo

Sagittarius

Earth:TaurusVirgo

Capricorn

Air:Gemini

AquariusLibra

Water:CancerScorpioPisces

Group activities• My own

story• What

happened?• The story• The story in

pictures.• Finding the

way out

Group discussions can take a variety of formats and are

useful for all types of students.

REFERENCES1. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk Using Group

Work in Large Classes.2. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk Group Working

in Practice.3. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk Group Discussion

Skill.4. Eckrsley C.E. Essential English, (2)(3) books- Roslit,

1994.5. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk Getting learning

talking.6. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk Student

interaction.7. Skomkin V. P. Communicative exercises – Prosvita,

1996.