DEAR STUDENTS
YOU WORK IN PAIRS AND GROUPS EVERYDAY IN THE CLASS. CLOSE YOUR EYES AND TRY TO THINK OF TWO OR THREE ADVANTAGES OF WORKING IN PAIRS!
JOT DOWN THE LIST AND COMPARE THE IDEAS WITH THE FOLLOWING:
ADVANTAGES
OF PAIR WORK
from A
Framework for Task-Based Learning by Jane Willis
From
the learner’s position, doing a task in pairs or groups has a number of
advantages. Bearing them in mind will also guide you in your role as
facilitator of learning.
·
It
gives learners confidence to try out whatever language they know, or
think they know, in the relative privacy of a pair or small group, without fear
of being wrong or of being corrected in front of the class.
·
It
gives learners experience of spontaneous interaction, which involves
composing what they want to say in real time, formulating phrases and units of
meaning, while listening to what is being said.
·
It
gives learners a chance to benefit from noticing how others express
similar meanings. Research shows they are more likely to provide corrective
feedback to each other (when encouraged to do so) than adopt each other’s
errors.
·
It
gives all learners chances to practice negotiating turns to speak,
initiating as well as responding to question, and reacting to other’s
contributions (whereas in teacher-led interaction, they only have a responding
role).
·
It
engages learners in using language purposefully and co-operatively,
concentrating on building meaning, not just using language for display purpose.
·
It
makes learners participate in a complete interaction, not just one-off
sentences. Negotiating openings and closings, new stages or changes of
direction are their responsibility. It is likely that discourse skills such as
these can only be acquired through interaction.
·
It
gives learners more chances to try out communication strategies like
checking understanding, paraphrasing to get round an unknown word,
reformulating other people’s ideas, and supplying words and phrases for other
speakers.
·
It helps learners gradually gain confidence as
they find they can rely on co-operation with their fellow students to achieve
the goals of the tasks mainly through use of the target language.
Questions for Assignment:
1. What are the advantages of Pair Work?
2. How does PW increase confidence?
3. What chances do the learners get from PW?
4. How does it engage learners?
5. What is meant by complete interaction?
6. What are communication strategies?
(Courtesy: ELF Programme)
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