LCB-TTC – Taller didácticoTeacher: Gladys BayaStudent: María Pérez Armendáriz

ObservationManaging classroom communication:

patterns of interaction1

Date: October 2, 2008.No. of students: 10.Age: 16.Level: Intermediate Book: Challenges 3, Longman Pearson.

BackgroundThis task is concerned generally with how communication takes place in a classroom setting, and specifically with the patterns of interaction that provide the vehicle for communication.

Observation notesReference:X open question from teacher_________ Volunteered response_________ Interaction in pairs, or nominated question_________ Question asked by student_________ Interaction between students without being directed

1 Topic taken from Classroom Observation Tasks, Ruth Wajnryb, (CUP, 1992).

LCB-TTC – Taller Didáctico – Observation 5 – María Pérez Armendáriz 1

NB: S2 / S3 and S9 / S10 shared course book; S8 arrived very late.

Analysis1. Analyse the notes you have taken and make some summary statements of the overall patterns of interaction. The teacher made many open questions which many of the students answered voluntarily. Some of them had to be prompted in order to have them participate. However, most of the prompted participations were due to an activity where the teacher asked students by name to provide an answer. Most of the interaction between teacher and students was located on the left side of the classroom (S1-S5), which happened to be where all the girls were seating. They participated slightly more than the male students, who had to be prompted more often.

2. If learning is all about re-appraising old concepts to accommodate new ones, to what extent do you think each of the types of patterns catered for in the diagram would be the most conductive to or facilitative of learning?I believe there is not one type of pattern; all of the types of interaction help in the process of learning. Interacting with peers to helps negotiate meaning, since they have to make a bigger effort to understand and get a message across. Interaction with the teacher is a way of exposing the student to a model of language as well as a source for information; this includes questions from students directed at the teacher out of need for clarification, further explanation or even plain curiosity.

3. Clearly any lesson will contain a number of types of interaction. Consider different phases of lessons, different teacher roles and different activities in terms of which type of interaction is most appropriate. Is it possible to correlate certain interaction patterns as most suitable for certain lesson or activity types? For example, what type of interaction pattern characterises a student-centred information-gap activity, or a teacher correction phase following a role-play activity?Certain activities require the teacher to participate, but for the most part, the students are left to do the work either in pairs or in small groups. For student-centered information-gap activities, the most suited patter would be pair or small group work. This allows for more participation from each students and better chances for negotiation of meaning. There may be some questions addressed at the teacher, but that is as far as she will be involved during the activity; monitoring and helping in case she is needed. In the case of correction of a role-play activity, the main participant is usually the teacher pointing out the mistakes and correcting them. However, the corrections should follow a pattern of open questions from the teacher, so as to avoid a bit of embarrassment from the part of the student who made the mistake but at the same time pinpoint a specific problem.

4. Much has been written about teacher-directed lockstep communication versus learner-based group work. Much has also been written about the value of group work. Apart from the obvious advantage of giving each student greater opportunity for 'air time', there are other advantages such as:a) A group of people is likely to be more reliable than any one individual when it comes to

completing a task or activity.b) A correction from a peer is more telling because it comes from someone who has had the

same amount of exposure to the language, and not from someone with professional qualifications.

c) At the same time a correction from a peer is generally less threatening both because the one doing the correcting is not the person who gives out the grades, and because the correction is less likely to come in a judgmental tone of voice.

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d) Competition between groups is less threatening to individuals than competition between individuals, and at the same time, equally exhilarating.

e) Group work requires risking and collaborating and is conductive to feelings of loyalty and group membership.

(This list is based on Stevick 1980:202) Can you add more?I think that the things I consider important about group work have been mentioned, those being the importance of negotiation of meaning, comfortable atmosphere among students, healthy competition between groups, and peer help. One disadvantage for students that Stevick cites is 'having (their) mistakes less dependably corrected'. Can you list other disadvantages of group work?Regarding the negative aspects of group work, we may find the fact that if the group is not chosen by the student and the members are not particularly friendly among themselves it may lead to lack of participation. No learning can take place when the student feels uncomfortable. At the same time, if the group is made up of a close group of friends who like to chat, then it is likely that they will not carry out the task as expected. Is there a compromise view that allows the teacher to marry the best of both lists?It is the teacher's choice according to the kind of group. Some negative aspects must be considered, turned to the advantage of the lesson and combined with some of the positive to reach a balanced and profitable lesson that allows the students both to work and to have a good time during the lesson.

ReflectionUsing this observed lesson as a mirror of your own teaching, what comments can you make about the patterns of communication that happen in your lesson? If there is anything you would want to change, how could you go about doing so?Since I am not currently teaching, I can only provide an idea of how I would like my lessons to be. First of all, I would try to make sure that most, if not all, of the students take some part in making the lesson as varied in voices as in topics of discussion. My greatest challenge would be to get all the students to want to participate and know that every interaction – whether among themselves or with the teacher – is a learning opportunity and that they should take every advantage of it. This lesson provided some good examples of simple ways to involve all of the students.

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