Methods
The type of classroom interaction you employ will largely depend
on your own teaching philosophy and training. Some teachers stress the
grammar-translation method and teach English through the students'
native language. Other teachers use a more communicative method in which
grammar constructions are not overtly explained or drilled. Community
Language Learning (CLL) is another strategy for language teaching. A CLL
teacher avoids lecturing and allows students to correct and learn from
each other. Some teachers advocate "the Silent Way," a strategy where
the teacher says as little as possible and the students are encouraged
to "discover" the language on their own.
Considerations
Most teachers do not strictly stick to one teaching method or
strategy, but rather combine different aspects of several strategies to
create effective classroom interaction. Students need input from a
source who knows the target language, which is why "the Silent Way" is
not a very effective teaching method. Students will not learn to produce
a language without input and exposure, and both vocabulary and grammar
are important tools for language learners. In addition to exposure,
students perform better when they have motivation to communicate. First
and foremost, you should enforce an "English only" policy in the
classroom. Beyond this, you can create motivation in the form of
interactive games or activities where the students need to communicate
in order to complete a task--also known as a "task-based" activity. An
example of this type of activity is a "gap fill"; one student has the
information that his partner needs to fill in the blanks.
Types
There are different types of classroom interaction you can use to
vary your lesson plan. Teacher-centered activity is when the teacher
controls the group. This can consist of lecturing, explaining a new
grammar concept on the board, having a whole-class discussion, choral
drilling or asking individual students questions. Alternatively,
students can work individually, in pairs or in groups. You can even have
the entire class working together on a project or game, with you as the
teacher simply in the role of facilitator. At times you can assign a
student to be in charge of running a game, and you can sit with the
class and be a participant. Mixing up the types of classroom interaction
used in your ESL class can help students stay attentive and interested.
Focus
Before deciding on what type of classroom interaction you want to
use for a particular lesson activity, think about whether the goal of
the activity is fluency or accuracy. In fluency-oriented activities, you
will want the students to be able to speak without much interruption.
The point of fluency activities is to encourage the students to use as
much language as they know in order to communicate fluidly without
halting. The point of accuracy-oriented activities is the opposite. You
want students to focus on a particular point, usually grammar or
vocabulary, and focus on getting it right. In accuracy exercises, the
flow is not as important as pronouncing or saying the target vocabulary
or grammar correctly.
Feedback
Another key part of classroom interaction is teacher feedback. In
order to improve, students must get feedback and correction. During
accuracy exercises, you may choose to correct students right away, while
during fluency exercises you may want to simply listen and jot down any
glaring mistakes. You can give feedback orally or in writing. Sometimes
you may want to correct an individual student in front of other
students, while at other times it is better to offer general suggestions
and corrections for the entire group. When giving feedback, always bear
in mind the cultural context, as some students may not be comfortable
receiving individual correction in front of their peers.
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