Blocks to classroom communication

Despite the best intentions on the part of teachers, there are times when communication in the English classroom just doesn't happen as we had planned. Sometimes students talk in Vietnamese or worse, they don't talk at all!

Some of the blocks and possible solutions that came out of the provisional workshops are listed below.
 

	Blocks	Solutions
1	Ineffective instructions	Make instructions clear, directive and brief.
2	Too much teacher talking time	Use more pair and group work.
3	Discipline problems	Plan carefully and monitor constantly.
4	Problems with language	Using simple and easy language. Be ready to give help.
5	Problems with classroom atmosphere	Start a lesson with a warm-up. Use motivating materials.
6	Problems with timing	Keep a clock visible & make sure you're aware how time goes relative to your plan
7	Problems with group-work organization	Give clear instuctions before dividing the class into groups or handing out materials.

The way a teacher groups students can help or hinder classroom communication.

Below are some ideas from VTTN trainers for different ways grouping students in large classes. These have all been tried and tested so go on - have a go with your class! We are sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at the difference it makes to your lesson.

Combination of different types of pairs

Open pairs: The teacher works with a better student as a model in front of the class
Public pairs: Two students act in front of the class as a second model. They can be used for checking at the complection of an activity.
Closed pairs: All students are placed in pairs working at the same time.

Ways op grouping students

Buzz group: This type of group is used for brainstorming ideas on a certain topic. E.g. Students who are going to talk about seaside holidays are put into groups of this type to generate as many seaside activities as they can

Cross grouping: In this type, students are put into a first group and then regrouped into a second group. This type is good for sharing and comparing activities. In a share activity, students work on solving a different task and then share problems and solutions. In a comparing activity, all students work on solving the same problem and then compare the different solutions.

Promoting communication in reading lessons

Our textbooks are full of reading texts. These needn't be dull, uncommunicative lessons. By adapting tasks, we can make reading lessons a lot more interactive. Here is an example of how reading tasks can be adapted to give students more chance to interact and communicate with each other. This task is from Unit 7, page 97, Tieng Anh 10 (Sach giao khoa thi diem, Bo sach thu hai, NXB GIAO DUC, 2003)

Trainers and teacher relax in Quang Ngai

a) Read the following texts and complete the chart that follows

Grand Canyon National Park (USA), established in 1919, covers 4,931 square kilometers in northwestern Arizona. The north rim of the canyon has an average annual rainfall of about 2 feet 2 inches while the south rim has only about 1 foot 4 inches. The north rim has much colder temperatures than the south rim does because it is 1,200 feet higher than the south rim.
 

Grand Canyon       Kadadu
Year established
Country
Area

Kadadu National Park (North Australia) covers an area of 12,432 square kilometers in northern Australia. The park was established in 1979 to preserve the culture of the Aborigines and maintain a good balance in the ecology. The warm tropical climate provides good conditions for trees and animals to grow.

At present, there are about 300 Aborigines living in Kadadu National Park. A number of them are trained to become caretakers and managers of this park.

Procedure

1. Pre-teach vocabulary: canyon (n), rim(n), ecology (n), tropical (adj), rainfall (n)
2. Ask students to copy the adapted chart into their copybook.
3. Divide the class into two halves.
4. Ask one half to read the text about Grand Canyon National Park and the other to read the text about Kadadu National Park. Tell them that as they read, they have to fill in the table with the information from the text.
5. When they finish, get them to practise asking questions for each row. E.g, for Year of establishment, elicit When was the park established?. Do the same for other rows.
6. When students know how to ask, divide the class into pairs, with one student from one half and the other from the other half. Get them to ask and answer, and fill in the table.

Adapted chart
 

Grand Canyon      Kadadu
Year established
Country
Area
Climate
People

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