Minimizing chaos while using group work in EFL classes

Key words: Group work, collaborative learning, Techniques, participation, students, language classroom.

Introduction

       As we are all aware, active participation in learning plays a crucial role in education.  Learning Pyramid, which was developed by the National Training Laboratories reveals that students learn and absorb better  more from methods in which they are actively involved(teaching others, practicing doing, discussing) than when they are passive learners (listening to a lecture, reading, using audiovisual).Hence, there are many reasons for students to work in small group in any class, but “nowhere is collaborative learning and group work more important than in the language classroom” (Rhoades, 2013, p. 29).The teachers often argue that their class is too large for group work. They find it challenging as they believe that they will be unable to control the class. There are a number of problems which occur, when collaborative work is planned in a large classroom without taking into consideration a few techniques which will be discussed in my paper.

    First, let’s look at the teachers’ comments when they try to organize group work in a large classroom and as a result they only get chaos. ”I could not hear what all the teams were discussing”; “ I could not control  what language they were using”; “ I could not tell if one student had been doing all the talking or if everyone had the opportunity to participate.” The paper outlines a few techniques/practical ways to introduce group work into large classrooms and support cooperative learning. The experience tells us that “we learn language by using it”.

    How to form groups? Forming the groups is not such an easy task for a teacher. There are  a number of factors which should be taken into account. Research (summarized by Bennett, 1995),suggests “the ideal size for groups engaging in collaborative work is four - pairs are too small to generate lots of ideas, threes tend to form a pair and exclude the third member, and groups bigger than four become harder for the children to manage, and so it is less likely that everyone will be fully included.” Thus, with groups larger than four, it becomes harder for all students to hear and participate. Desk arrangement is one more point which is important when we are talking about forming the groups. As J.E.Ormond, J.E. (2006) states, “desk arrangement should actually be fluid.” Thus, it is important to arrange the desks in such a way to allow teacher move easily between groups and around classroom to monitor groups. This desk arrangement is better to be done before the class begins, to avoid taking up class time. It is said that it is more beneficial to create “mixed heterogeneous groups”.To do this we, teachers , should place students with the same interests, gender, goals, etc into different groups. One way to find out this information is to collect it from students on the first day of class. How can it be done? We can ask them to complete the information given on the cards. For instance: Name; Gender; Interests, etc. The information collected on the cards is vital to form heterogeneous groups and it also helps us to make connections among students. Keeping track of groups is also so important factor. This means to give learners chance to work with different peers and not always with the same  students. After introducing the cards, we can mark them, so I know who was in the previous group. This information helps us to quickly arrange students into new groups. For example, I put an “A” at the top of four cards for the first group and so on. In case of smaller class, students may need to work together more than once, but we should make sure they have not worked with at least two students in the group.

    Besides, these above mentioned ways how to form a group in a better way, now let’s move to the one technique which encourages learners to work collaboratively. Using colors to organize students, can support everyone’s participation into group work. This cooperative technique is known as Rainbow learning. What does it imply? It is more helpful to ensure that all students are participating and contributing to the class than assigning one student to be the spokesperson for a group. How does this technique work? We assign a color to each person in the group. It is better to use colors instead of numbers, because psychologically, having a number “1” may be understood as a superior. It is better to avoid having more than four members in a group, but sometimes it happens, so in that case one color can be shared by two students. The use of color works well with students who need some encouragement to speak and it also makes students who like to dominate the group to realize that they should let other colors to take their turns as well. Hence, all have the chance to contribute when their color is called. This way of organization helps us to make all students engaged in group activity. Of course , it might be boring to use colors all the time, we can use names of seasons, or just let them to decide what titles they want.

   One of the most important element in effective group work is “to set clear expectations of how students should act while they are in groups “. We should discuss expectations with students and decide together consequences, if an expectation is not followed. For example: what should we do if someone is not participating or what is the consequence if a group becomes too load? When they set consequences by themselves, they have higher sense of responsibility and do their best to follow the expectations.

    To encourage learners’ responsibility and leadership we can assign them roles. These can be some roles assigned to students. Topic monitor- This student has the role to keep the group to focus only on the topic and not start discussing other things. Volume monitor-  this member is responsible for keeping the volume of the group low. Participation monitor-this student has to make sure that everyone is participating. You can add some other roles as well, such a timer, writer, etc. We can switch the roles to students each time we do group work.

  The research was conducted at IBSU, where participated both students and educators. They were asked several questions concerning this issue. Their responses demonstrate that 37%  of survey participant have had some experience of working with a group in a large classroom, which might be a result of most(50%) educators view that they are not doing their job, if they are not lecturing and that’s why they allocate more time to teaching rather than students’ practice through cooperative classroom management. Half of the responders think that it is impossible to organize collaborative group work in a large classroom while other half disagrees with this statement. As 63% of participants think, it is more challenging to control the language students use  and the level of their participation, which only leads to chaos. Hence, it requires more organization to decrease the difficulties which might occur like noise level, concentration and level of contribution.

Conclusion

    The purpose of the paper was to show a few techniques how to organize cooperative work and the importance of it for language learners. The main objective of language class for students is to practice English during class time. They will not have this opportunity if their class is mostly teacher-centered. There is no verbal practice when teacher is leading and students are only passive recipients. But if we organize the group work with using cooperative techniques discussed in the paper, all learners will have a chance to practice their language in their groups. No matter age or objectives, teachers can use these techniques to minimize the chaos in their classroom and to encourage them to be learners who can learn from one another.

References

Rhoades, G. (2013). Minimizing the Chaos Through Cooperative Classroom Management. English Teaching Forum, 51(4), 1-46.

The Importance of Using Constructivist Approach in English as a Foreign Language(EFL) Classroom

Constructivism as a philosophy of learning was developed in the 20^th century by Jean Piaget. “Constructivism holds that learners learn actively and construct new knowledge based on their prior knowledge” (Sajna & Molly, 2015, p. 5).  In this approach learners are viewed as the knowledge constructors, who are actively involved in their learning process. Nowadays, constructivist approach is widely used by teachers in today’s English as a Foreign Language (Hence, EFL) Classroom  as it focuses on students engagement and autonomy.

  There are different reasons why we should use this approach in our language classrooms. “In the constructivist classroom, the focus tends to shift from the teacher to the students. The classroom is no longer a place where a teacher pours knowledge into passive students, who wait like empty vessels to be filled”(Westwood, 2008, p. 2). If we look at the constructivist classroom, students are actively involved in their learning process. Teaching is no longer transmission of  knowledge , it is more about to make students learn by themselves and the teachers never give students ready-made information, they lead students to obtain  this information by themselves. Peter (2008, p. 2) states that “the very nature of human learning requires that each individual create his/her own understanding of the world from firsthand experience, action and reflection, not from having predigested information and skills presented by a teacher and a textbook.” Thus, every method has different roles for teachers. According to constructivist approach  “knowledge is actively constructed by learners” (Arthur & Cremin, 2010, p. 47). For constructivists teacher role is facilitator. Students study from first hands-on  activities ,doing something and from being active.

Moreover, one of the goals,  teachers strive to achieve in constructivist classroom is to make students autonomous learners, which means encouraging them to learn by themselves and to be reflective ( looking at themselves what kinds of learners they are). “The goals for constructivist classrooms are to help children become reflective” (Westwood, 2008, p. 3).  One simply way how teacher can make them reflective is introducing  journals in EFL classroom, where students can write their feeling  about language  improvement.  Besides, creating constructivist classroom environment encourages students to be autonomous learners and to take ownership for their own learning, which makes them independent and self-motivated.

   We can implement different methods in our EFL classrooms to create constructivist environment. These methods are: discovery learning, project work, problem-based learning, etc. The implementation of those methods will enhance the students’ sense of independence in their learning and will make our students active participants. All these methods help teachers to motivate and engage learners. Let’s take an example of Project-based learning, as one of the effective ways, to make students construct their knowledge. Peter (2008, p. 17) believes that “ projects promote meaningful learning by connecting new information to students’ past experiences and prior knowledge and students are responsible for their own learning.” Here, teachers give students one topic and they find information and bring to class. They can prepare posters or presentations to present the information they have found. Thus, students are encouraged to think and reason independently. Projects are focused on real life issues, so with the help of this method they deep their knowledge and have a chance to work collaboratively.

     Besides of its advantages, this approach has some drawbacks. “Constructivist principles is no way guarantees that all students in the class will construct identical knowledge about a given topic”  (Westwood, 2008, p. 4).  We should not forget that “one-size instruction does not fill all” (Westwood, 2008, p. 5). There are students  who don’t have independent learning skills and are not self-motivated. So, for those students it is more suitable to use direct method, as they benefit  when they are taught directly.  “There is evidence that such students make better progress when they are taught explicitly and directly” (Westwood, 2008, p. 4). There are students, who need more guidance from teacher and minimal guidance is not enough for them. If we approach all students with the same method we may get the completely different outcome. That’s why it is so important to identify what kinds of learners we have and try to choose method which will benefit all learners in the classroom.

    To wrap up, introduction of Constructivist approach has changed the attitude toward teaching and learning. Here, the students have become the major participants of the learning process and teachers’ role is only to facilitate learners. Besides, teachers’ role is to create meaningful context which help students to construct their knowledge based on their own experience, so learning has become more meaningful for students. Constructivist approach helps to motivate and engage students by making them to take more active roles in their learning process and if we let them to do things by themselves they will learn better. “I hear, I forget;  I see, I remember; I do, I understand” (Arthur & Cremin, 2010, p. 49).

References

Arthur, J., & Cremin, T. (2010). Learning to Teach in the Primary School (2nd ed.). New York, The USA: Routledge.

Sajna, J., & Molly, V. A. (2015). Knowledge Creation in Constructivist Learning. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(1), 8-12.

Westwood, P. (2008). What Teachers Need to Know about Teaching Methods. Victoria, Australia: ACER Press.

The Importance of Learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for Young Generation (A Case of Georgia)

The concept of Global village and living in a globalized world has made English Language as a Lingua franca (hence ELF). “English as a lingua franca is used to refer to ‘any use of English among speakers of different first languages” (Mackenzie, 2014, p. 2). Well, English became the most widely used language in politics, tourism, business, education and in the media. “The emergency of English as the leading lingua franca of international business in the past two decades has been accomplished by a significant upsurge of scholarly interest in a range of issues relating to language choice and use in the rapidly globalizing business and professional world” (Evans, 2013, p. 228). Because of this reason new concept appeared in terms of teaching English. For those who need specific terminologies for a particular job, they are learning English for Specific Purposes(hence ESP).There are various Englishes, for example, English for business or for teachers. Moreover, Jennifer (2014, p. 23) states that “English itself has served as a lingua franca in the past, and continues to do so nowadays, in many of the countries that were colonized by the British from the late sixteenth century.” Thus, for some countries, such as India and Nigeria, English was and still is the second language and the concept of ELF is not a new phenomenon for them and  later for whole world time itself brought the necessity of learning English language in order to make us able to communicate with people from different sides of the world. After discussing the background of ELF, let’s shed lights on the importance of learning English. As English is considered as an international language, everyone feels the necessity of learning it. This is the language which broadens our horizons. It is also worth pointing out that while we are acquiring a language, simultaneously we gain cultural knowledge of the target language. “Teaching a second language means teaching cultural negotiation, whether directly or indirectly, and the ability to speak a second language also means at least being able to converse and work with people from cultures other than one’s own” (Lapadus, p. 51). Besides, learning English language enables people to be involved in international business and opens doors toward job market. If you look at an example of Georgia, we see how essential it has become recently to be fluent in English. Georgia, as a developing country strives to make connections to already developed countries. This of course makes many foreigners to come to Georgia for different purposes, so this is also one of the aspects why learning English language is crucial for citizens, especially for young generation. Besides, the facts that obtaining an international education is valuable and a vast amount of scientific information can be found in English on the internet made learning English language more demanding for people. Therefore, if you know English, you have more access to the world. To wrap up, English language has become so important for people around the world, as it is the most broadly used language in many spheres.

References

Evans, S. (2013). Perspectives on the Use of English as a Business Lingua Franca in Hong Kong. Journal of Business Communication, 50(3), 227-252.

Jenkins, J. (2014). English as a Lingua Franca in the International University:The Politics of Academic English Language Policy. Routledge.

Lapadus, A. (n.d.). Franca, Cultural Negotiation in English as a Lingua. TESL Reporter, 47(1-2), 51-66.

Mackenzie, I. (2014). English as a Lingua Franca. Routledge.

The Importance of Using Literature in EFL Classroom: Models of Teaching Literature

Content:

·         Introduction

·         Cultural Model

·         Language-based Model

·         Personal Growth Model

·         Integrated Model

·         Conclusion

Key words:

Approach, Literature, EFL classroom, Students, learner-centered, teacher-centered.

    First let me talk about the importance of using literature in the language classroom. There are different reasons why teachers use literature in EFL or ESL classrooms. The first reason is that it is good  method to motivate our learners. Besides, through using literary texts, students are able to acquire   knowledge about different issues, including history, culture, beliefs, the way people wore , etc. With the help of using literary texts in the classroom, teacher provides various information to students and also this supports them to improve their reading skills.

    There are different models to teach literature. These are common models used by teachers. First is cultural model. It sees literature as a product of historical and cultural circumstances and literary texts provide information about the target culture. This is traditional approach , mainly used in literature courses. The teacher who chooses this model, focuses on social , political background of the texts as well as characteristics of the movement and genre.  It is teacher-centered approach and it does not focus on language work, because of this reason this method is rejected in EFL teaching. Here, teacher only transmits knowledge about literature and provides students with information. Students are not active. Cultural model is seen as means of transmitting important feelings and ideas. Where students encounter different words and expressions. The teacher is the main source who provides students with information , lecturing and explaining some cultural aspects.  This approach has merits. Students have opportunity to learn about different cultures and appreciate them. They also get idea about that place where the story took place. As for drawbacks, it is teacher-centered and there is  little focus on language work.

     The second model is language-based.  This is quite common approach used in EFL classes. It is learner-centered, so students are active. Teachers focus students attention to the usage of language in a given literary text. Through observing the literary texts, students have opportunity to see how some grammatical points are used in the text. This approach raises students language awareness. Teachers use literature as a tool to teach certain vocabulary and structures. In language based model activities are learner - centered.  It focuses the way language is used and how linguistic forms convey literary meanings.  It focuses on grammar, structures, vocabulary, stylistics, etc. There are different activities teacher can apply in this model. It could be prediction tasks, summary writing, role play, creative writing, etc.

   Personal growth model is quite popular approach as well. Aim is to help students get pleasure in reading. It is student-centered approach. The purpose of using literary texts is to promote critical understanding and to give students a chance to discuss the issues given in the text.  Personal growth model , motivates students to select texts related to their personal experiences.  Students are encouraged to evaluate what they have read and to think about the merits of the work they read. While students are reading, they relate those issues to their personal lives. The text has no meaning , readers construct meaning based on their own experiences. This helps teacher to make students personally engaged in reading. Students become critical readers and they experience emotions while reading.

   Integrated model is the widest one. Here is the integration of linguistic, methodological and motivational elements. It improves cultural awareness as well as develops language skills and is good method for personal development. Here, teacher uses authentic texts and introduces different types and difficulties of English language. Besides, teacher provides students with strategies to involve them in both intensive and extensive reading. In this model, students are motivated and reading for enjoyment.

     To wrap up, these are common models used by teachers in EFL classrooms to make their students gain knowledge about culture, history and language itself. The literature is not only used for transmitting some information to students about the text. It has different aim as well. The purpose is to encourage students to interact with the text and connect their experiences , feeling and emotions with the literature. When literary texts are close to their lives, they feel more motivated and more involved.  For instance, the activity of listening the poem first and then filling the missing words in the poem, is the task which could be used in language-based model. With the help of this  kind of activity we make our learners to focus on vocabulary and its meaning. Other could be predicting what is the poem about, through giving students only the first lines of the poem. This will engage them in thinking process and will make them motivated.