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 )
