Classroom Interaction ( English language Learning)..

To evaluate my assignment, click here2015-2016

Name: Baldaniya Vanita

Semester: 3

Roll No: 29

Topic: Classroom Interaction

Work: Assignment

Paper: Course No 12, (A)

English Language Teaching

Email id: vanitabaldaniya0806@gmail.com

Date:19/ 10/ 2015

Submitted By: Smt. S. B. Gardi,

                           Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji

Bhavnagar University

Department of English.

Bhavnagar.

    

                                Classroom Interaction

                                The term classroom interaction refers to the interaction between the teacher and learner and among the learners, in the classroom. Earlier studies of second language classroom interaction focused on the language  used by the teacher and learners. The interaction generated and their effected on L2 learning. There recent studies have began to investigate the underlying factor which shape interaction in the classroom.

                                E.G:

                                 teacher and learner beliefs, social and culture background of the teacher and learners,  and the psychological  aspects of second and Foreign language learning  providing further insights into the complexities of classroom interaction.

                                Second language classroom interaction research begun in the 1960s with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of different   methods in Foreign language teaching in the hope that the findings would show the 'best' method and its characteristics. The methodology adopted was strongly  influenced by first language classroom teaching research which was motivated by the need to assess objectively the teaching performance of student teachers during practical teaching.

                                These interaction analysis studies revealed that classroom processes are extremely complex  and that a prescriptive approach to ascertain the 'best' method would  be fundamentally flawed if the descriptive technique are inadequate.

                                Description of classroom  interaction focused initially on the language  used by the teacher, especially teacher  question and the learner responses elicited teachers feedback and turn allocation behaviour. The study of language and interaction in the classroom  is not peculiar to second language L2 classroom.

                                Features of talk at home which helped children to learn how to mean were identified, such as caretaker speech, scaffolding, exploratory talk and collaborative  construction of meaning. These finding s have provided insights for second language L2 classroom interaction research. It was felt that the unobservable in the classroom. Such as teachers and learners psychological states, including beliefs attitude motivations self perception and anxiety, learning style and cultural norms play an important part in shaping  classroom interaction. Approaches to analysing classroom interaction also moved from solely an observer's perspective to include a participant's perspective and using a variety of sources of data apart from classroom  discourse data.

                                Research on the observable aspect of classroom interaction pertain to three main aspect:

                                1) Input interaction  and output.

                                2) Input refers to the language used by the teacher.

                                3) Output refers to language produce by learners and  interaction refers to the language produce by learners and interaction refers to the interrelationship between input and output with no assumption of a linear cause and effect relationship between the two.

                                The research summarized above focuses primarily on what is observable in the classroom. This focus leads to a partial understanding of classroom processes.

                For example:

                                Studies on learner participation focused on observable turns taken by learners as the sole indicator of participation: However learners could participate by taking private turns or even mental turns which are observable.

                                Current research on classroom interaction has began to investigate observable aspect of classroom interaction observable interaction could be affected by a number of factors.

                For example:

                                Individual learning style while some learn better by

                           actively participating. others, learn better by listening and

                          interaction the input.

                                Jonson includes learners perception of classroom events as an important part of understanding classroom  processes. Until recently, L2 second language classroom research was drawing on insights largely from L1 and SLA research because of its focus on linguistic aspects of classroom interaction.

                                The way a teacher allocates tarns in the classroom can also affect student's classroom interaction. In classroom where, interaction is highly controlled by the teacher, as in many Asian  classroom, patterned of turn allocation is an important factors.

                                In a study of his own turn allocation behavior by recording the number of turns he allocated to which learner, a teacher found that, contrary to his perception of himself as allocating turns evenly, he frequently allocated turns to the same learners.

                                On reflection, he realized that these learners were those who could usually answer correctly, and that he subconsciously turned to these learners whenever he wanted to progress quickly. To ensure more even turn  allocation, he kept a class list and put a tick against a student whenever he allocated him or her a turn.

                                The above pedagogical practice to improve classroom interaction must be implemented with the teacher's awareness of L2 learning as a psychologically unsettling and potentially face threatening experience which can generate debilitating anxiety. The teacher needs to be sensitive to the psychological state   of the students and to be supportive and appreciative of any effort made by the students to learn the target language. Only then will the teacher be able to generate the kind of classroom interaction which will facilitate meaning fall and enjoyable learning.

                                For a new English as a second language teacher figuring out classroom interaction  can be tricky. A language learning classroom tends to run much differently from a typical lecture style classroom. No matter what the age of your students consider the type of classroom interaction that will be most beneficial for the particular lesson you are teaching.

                                 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 construction are not overtly explained or drilled community language learning 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 student are encouraged to "discover" the language on their own.

                                Most  teacher 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 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 need to fill in the blanks.

                                There are different type of classroom interaction you can use to vary your lesson plan. Teacher cantered   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 choral drilling or asking individual students questions.

                                Ultimately, student 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 type of classroom interaction used in your ESL  class can help students stay attentive and interested.

                                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 student 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 getting it right.

                In  accuracy exorcise, the flow is not as important as pronouncing or saying the target vocabulary or grammar correctly. 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.

                                This theme addresses how well students communicate with one another in class. Classes where students have opportunities to communicate with each other help students effectively construct their knowledge. By emphasizing the collaborative and cooperative nature of scientific work, students share responsibility for learning with each other, discuss divergent understandings and shape the direction of the class.

                                The pedagogy in action module on cooperative learning is a great place to learn more about structuring student-student interactions both in and out of the classroom. The cutting edge teaching method module on using concepts in the classroom also has tips for integrating think pair share activities into even large classroom.

                                Classes that have low interaction among students are more lecture focused, often well organized, and tend to present material   clearly with minimal text and well chosen images. The instructor is usually well versed in the content but teaches in a way that does not provide an opportunity for interactions among students.

                                In contrast, a more student focused class provides multiple opportunities for students to discuss ideas in small groups and may support a whole class discussion. One simple measure of this is the proportion of the class dedicated to students talking to one another. The quality of the discussion is also important, talks that have the potential for more than one answer can generate deeper thinking processes and may also skiff the direction of the lesson.

                                Successful discussions are  characterized by small group conversations that seek to give voice to all students and to provide sufficient time and opportunity to listen and  consider the ideas of others.

                                Classroom interaction research started off with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of teaching methodologies and the behaviors of effective teachers. Such investigations revealed that classroom processes are extremely complex and the research focus soon shifted from prescription to description from evolution to awareness raising. For  a long time, research consisted of largely quantitative studies focusing on observable and linguistic aspects of interaction conducted from an observer's perspective.

                                Recently there has been an increase  in classroom interaction research adopting an ethnographic approach . While such studies yielded interesting insight lacking in experimental and quantitative studies, it should be noted that the two approaches are not mutually exclusive paradigms. Classroom interaction studies have benefited and will continue to benefit from an open minded attitude to an eclectic combination of research methods as well as to insights from a number of disciplines.

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