Maximize student interaction in class

An important responsibility of an ESL teacher is to create an effective learning environment for learning to take place. This involves both the actions and the decisions of the teacher. Actions are those things that are done in the classroom, such as rearranging the chairs and desks. Decisions relate to how and when these actions are implemented. It is important how the ESL classrooms are distributed. The seating arrangement and various classroom options allow students to interact with different people in the class, as well as allowing a variety of different situations to be recreated within the classroom. Try to avoid arranging chairs and tables in the classic classroom format of neat rows. The horseshoe or circle layout is considered to be more effective for ESL classes. In this configuration, students can make eye contact with all students in the class and therefore can interact more naturally. This setup creates a greater sense of equality within the classroom. It is harder for weaker students to hide and for stronger students to dominate. Students also find it easier to listen to each other, which removes the temptation for the teacher to echo student responses.

Give instructions

Giving instructions in the ESL classroom is often problematic due to the amount and complexity of the language used. Complex instructions are very difficult for students to follow and can cause students to be unable to complete a task simply because they couldn’t understand what was expected of them.

• It’s a good idea to plan your instructions when you start teaching. This will ensure that you select simple and concise language and omit any unnecessary information. Give students only the instructions they need for the immediate task at hand. Giving instructions for all steps in a sequence will only lead to confusion.

• Make sure you have the full attention of the class before giving the instruction so that everyone knows what is expected of them. This will also save you from having to repeat yourself.

• Whenever possible, demonstrate by example rather than attempting a lengthy explanation. Developing gestures can be a good way to avoid repeating instructions.

• Always check that you understand. An easy way to do this is to ask some of the students to explain what they are going to do.

provoking

Students often know much more than teachers give them credit for. Rather than just passing information on to the class, it’s a good idea for teachers to involve students in the learning process. Teachers can do this through a question and answer process in order to move forward. This is done by provoking or extracting from students what they already know. By involving students in the actual results of the lesson, teachers can work at the students’ pace, uncovering areas of difficulty.

→ For Example: A teacher is working on prepositions. The teacher shows the students a book and places it on the table in front of the classroom. Then the teacher writes the sentence: ‘The book is ______ the table.’

Bug fixes and comments:

Error correction:

Students should be encouraged to take risks. The errors provide evidence that a student is, in fact, trying to experiment with the use of language. The way in which a teacher corrects errors is largely determined by the objectives of the activity in question. If the main objective of the lesson is to improve the correct use of the English language, immediate correction would be appropriate. If, on the other hand, the main goal of the lesson is fluency, then immediate corrections would interrupt the normal flow of ideas. There are several ideas available to the teacher to correct errors in the classroom.

feedback

It is essential that the teacher get feedback from the students after each set of tasks. This will give the teacher a clear idea of ​​whether the students have understood the language element and whether further explanation and practice is required. The teacher can simply select different students to answer homework questions or write the answers on the board. It is important for the teacher to explain difficult items and ensure students have a proper understanding before moving on to the next task. Students should be encouraged to mark their own work, taking notes if necessary.

Comprehension of exercises and verification

drills

Drills are a form of controlled oral practice of certain language elements presented by the teacher. Drills are often highly controlled by the teacher, but there may be variations presented with more communicative activities. These can be less controlled, allowing for more student creativity. The philosophy of the exercises derives directly from the behavioral theory of learning: habits are formed through a process of stimulation → response → reinforcement. This is done over and over again and is often called the audiolinguistic method.

The exercise is simple repetition:

checking understanding

We cannot simply assume that all learners have understood all things all along, no matter how clear the language focus stage may have been. It is important to make sure students understand

the instructions or the task that has been entrusted to them. Do not ask students “Do you understand?” Maybe you could ask, “Is everyone clear?” Most students will say they understand even if they don’t. Students don’t want to appear ‘stupid’ in front of the class nor do they want to appear ‘fake’ (particularly in Asian cultures). If you don’t check for understanding, students will often work on an exercise or task without knowing that they are doing it incorrectly. During the feedback stage of the lesson, students will realize that they have misunderstood, leading to a loss of confidence. Students who don’t understand are usually convinced that they are the only ones who don’t and won’t want to openly admit it.

Work in pairs and in groups

In English language teaching, we generally participate in the work of the whole class, individually or in pairs/groups. Pair and group work, when planned and well organized, is an excellent vehicle for promoting learning. Minimal intervention during pair and group work activities is known as an interactive approach to language learning. Mixing is an activity where the whole class gets up and walks around, like at a party, meeting and talking to different people, moving forward when necessary. There are many ways to organize pair and group work in the classroom.

Supervision of activities in the classroom

Monitoring is not only important but vital to assess how students cope with a particular activity. It also gives you a chance to take some notes on any area

pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar that may be causing difficulties. The teacher is seen simply as a supervisor, facilitator, and listener. While supervising a classroom activity, he can slowly walk around the room and listen to students’ conversations. Alternatively, he can sit near a couple or group being careful to stay in the background so that students do not direct their conversations towards you. Try not to intervene, but be prepared to add some vigor to conversations that seem to be fading, thus adding a bit of new life. You may want to make sure certain students don’t monopolize the conversation. You can offer some praise and encouragement when appropriate. You can write any pronunciation difficulties, vocabulary and grammar points on the white board for explanation and discussion at the end of the activity.

manage a class

The teacher’s job is to create a productive learning environment and to know their subject. Vital to doing a good job are:

1. Planning, that is, thinking about how you will run the class and researching what you are teaching.

2. Sensitivity to what happens in the classroom. Running a successful class involves consideration of the physical environment, the relationship with the students, and the student’s individual sense of belonging to a group and sense of progress. Asking relevant questions at the planning stage will allow the teacher to create a learning environment.

Potential problems in the classroom

There are several ways in which English teachers inadvertently restrict or impede the learning process. We are all guilty of several of these and it is only with conscious effort and over a period of time that we can avoid these common pitfalls.

• Teacher talk time (TTT). Teachers often talk too much, allowing fewer opportunities for students. When faced with a question in class, a student requires time to process what is being asked and prepare an answer. Give students plenty of time to prepare a response and don’t feel uncomfortable with long periods of silence.

• The Echo Effect. Teachers often repeat what a student says in class: the echo effect. This can have a negative impact on class interaction. Students, in many

cases, getting used to the teacher repeating everything in class and therefore stop listening to the other students in the class.

• Teacher completing sentences. Often, because students may need more time to answer a question, teachers can become impatient when a student pauses in the middle of a sentence. A teacher must resist the temptation to predict what a student is trying to say and thus complete the sentence for the student. Sentence completion is extremely counterproductive and students should be allowed to complete their own sentences, using their own words whenever possible and expressing their own ideas.

• Instructions that are complicated and unclear. Complex instructions are very difficult for students to follow and can cause students to be unable to complete a task simply because they couldn’t understand what was expected of them. Teachers must plan their instructions.

• Do not check the understanding of the instructions. Always check for understanding. An easy way to do this is to ask some of the students to explain what they are going to do.

• Ask ‘Do you understand?’ If you ask a student if she understands, in most cases she will answer ‘Yes’. This may be because they don’t want to look stupid in front of the rest of the class. Students must demonstrate their understanding by repeating directions or giving their interpretation of a given idea.

• Fly with the fastest. Often the strongest students dominate and are the first to speak or answer a question. In such a situation, it is easy to assume that everyone in the class has the same understanding. It is essential to get answers from many different students, which will give you a better impression of general understanding.

• A weak report. Fosters a friendly and relaxed learning environment. If there is a positive and trusting relationship between students and teachers, then there is a much higher chance that students will want to take risks.

• Lack of confidence in the students or in the materials used. Students may get bored in class if the materials used are too easy and therefore not challenging for students. Teachers must hold high expectations of their students to get the best out of them.