SMALL GROUP WORK (USUALLY 4 OR 3)

 Small group work ( usually 4 or 3 )

Aim: Collaboration and interaction in understanding a written text.

Pupils work together on a text and help each other with vocabulary instead of using the teacher all the time ( or a dictionary). They must stay in their target language which necessitates the use of synonyms, antonyms, mime  etc.... The teacher should only intervene when nobody can find the answer and we encourage pupils from one group to go and explain something to another group.

Activities

Maybe just silent reading, or gap-filling, reformulation, putting paragraphs in order, finding headings for each paragraph, writing a recap (individually or per group), making a definition. of something from the text that the teacher has asked for... 

Use of a different text for each group (but on the same subject) enabling a sharing of all the information at the end, imagining the end of a story, preparing a debate, filling in a grid etc... some things can be continued at home.

Advantages

The advantages of this method are that everybody is interacting and pupils feel useful and valued when they help the others. It is less stressful for pupils to work together on a text (especially a long or complicated one) and makes understanding easier as the pupils open up and discuss things together. The can aslo exchange their ideas and their interpretations of the text. ( often coming up with things that the teacher may not have thought of )

Pupils learn to develop their own methods : highlighting, finding proper nouns, using any images, headlines, etc....

The weaker pupils can help others and in doing so remember more themselves, and the weaker ones often prefer being helped by other pupils instead of the teacher.

Sharing is important to grow together.

Media used

QR codes, internet, newspapers, websites.

Requirements

Photocopies, teacher preparation for theme, texts etc...

Evaluation

Firstly there can be formative evaluations such as crosswords to test vocabulary, or battles ( where the class is divided into 2 or 3 groups and each group prepares questions for the other groups which they have fun asking and the teacher keeps score ) why not use mimes for fun to explain words or sentences or some aspect of the text.

Pupils will also be ready to be able to face a final evaluation on the text such as a reading comprehension or a written essay ….

Evaluations can be envisaged individually or in groups or pairs.

Pupils can evaluate each other or use self evaluation using a grid prepared by the teacher. (or in an ideal world a grid prepared by themselves )