The Role of Groupwork and Pairwork in English Language Classroom

【Abstract】This paper argues the role of groupwork and pairwork in language teaching and language learning in language classroom based on visiting and observation in different language classrooms of schools in London by comparing the current situation of ELT between UK and China.

【Key words】Groupwork Pairework Language teaching Language learning Language classroom

【中圖分類號】G642 【文獻(xiàn)標(biāo)識碼】A 【文章編號】1674-4810(2009)12-0021-03

British linguist， Harmer defines groupwork and pairework as ‘Groupwork is a cooperative activity: five students， perhaps， discussing a topic， doing a role-play or solving a problem. In groups， students tend to participate more equally， and they are also more able to experiment and use the language than they are in a whole-class arrangement’(Harmer，1999:21). And ‘Pairework is mathematically attractive if nothing else; the moment students get into pairs and start working on a problem or talking about something， many more of them will be doing the activity than if the teacher was working with the whole class， where only one student talk at a time’(Harmer，1999:21).

1.Advantages of groupwork and pairwork

For students: students can work without the pressure of the whole class listening to what they are doing. In groupwork and pairwork， the possibility of an individual’s learning preference being engaged is corresponding increased. Groupwork in particular is potentially dynamic， in that there are a number of different people to react to， to share ideas with and exchange information depend on task set. Each student has proportionally more chance to speak and therefore to be involved in language use. Furthermore， the more varied the types of activity， the greater the variety in types of language use. Groupwork can promote a positive atmosphere or affective climate(Long and Porter，1985)， as distinct from the more public and potentially threatening performance environment of the lockstep classroom. Motivation， too， is often improve if learners feel less inhibited and more able to explore possibilities for self-expression. And for teachers: different task can be assigned to different groups or pairs alternatively， a teacher working with a mixed proficiency group may have the flexibility to allocate activities according to learners’ levels.

2.Role of groupwork and pairwork

Groupwork and pairework have become increasingly popular in language teaching since they are seen to have many advantages (Harmer，1999:21). Since the aim of a communicative activity in class is to get students to use the language they are learning to interact in realistic and meaningful ways so “Group work is often considered an essential feature of communicative language teaching”[citing from Brumfit，1984;(Ellis， 2000:598)].

Groupwork and pairework is an effective method to organize variety interactive language activities for students to improve their language competence in language class. Because an important feature in the language classrooms I observed in different schools of London was that students did not study as one big class. Rather students are broken down into groups of different sized. Groupwork and pairwork were viewed as a part of teaching method that was used in all language classrooms I visited in the UK. I also noticed that in groupwork and pairwork， the emphasis was on student-centeredness over teacher-centeredness and the role of the teachers in these language classrooms played as an organizer， consulter or a director. Students were able to learn the language with guidance of the teachers. They were active in study rather than passive in study.

3.Observation in London’s language classrooms

For example， I observed that in the language class of Skola International School， students took an active part in groupwork and pairwork with the guiance of the teacher. What the students performed in groupwork and pairwork gave me a deeper impression and made me believe that doing groupwork and pairwork really could offer opportunities for students to use the target language in real communications. Because in doing the groupwork， students could use the target language freely express their thoughts and ideas.

It was by doing groupwork and pairwork that they got the chance to speak out such beautiful sentences: “I would like to go the war in the future”; “I would like to go back and chair my country”; “I would like to travel around the world”. It was in such interactive climate that the students could loose their fear of embarrassment and were willing to express themselves and it was the interactive activities that helped the students to have chance to change the language knowledge they learned into the knowledge with life.

4.Anxiety can be ignored by groupwork

Groupwork could reduce anxiety caused when students participate in the language activities before the whole class， motivate students to learn the language actively and creatively and provide more time and opportunities for students to use the language. Groupwork and pairwork were an activity that could be conducted by accomplishing a task. Thereby， in the groupwork and pairwork， students could interact each other and exchange ideas， experiences and feelings. It also helped students reach the purpose of using the language in actual communications.

Furthmore， by doing groupwork and pairwork， each student

could have equal opportunity to practice the language， especially for those who do not like to open their mouths to speak in a plenary class because of shyness. Groupwork and pairwork offered them a good chance to do practice because they could work without the pressure of the whole class watching and listening to what they were doing.

For another example， I found that the adult students in the language class of Working Man College and in the language learning center of London Metropolitan University were unwilling to give their voice before the whole class because of losing face. They attached more attention to self-image than teenaged students in other language classrooms I visited， but when they did pairwork， they volunteered to give their voice freely. So working in small groups， such embarrassments and diplomas cold be avoided， and they could be given opportunities to use the language. Groupwork and pairwork could give the teacher opportunities to work with individual students who need special attention while others are doing one task. ‘One stone could shoot two birds’.

In short， to create a real language environment for students to use the language they are learning and get them to learn the language in a real， actual or natural way is a successful language teaching. Because teacher’s talk in the classroom does not mean students’ learn， by implement what the teacher taught does not mean what the students learned from it. Teaching should not separate from practice. If so， students merely know some language rules but cannot use it into actual communications. People cannot help asking what the use of learning a language is?

So， the problem the language teachers facing now for Chinese English teachers is how to handle with the relationship between teaching and learning， practicing and using. A better solution is to operate groupwork and pairwork. Because groupwork and pairwork are right used to bridge the gap between teaching and learning， to bridge the gap between learning grammar structure and meaningful language use， to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to bridge the negotiation between teachers and students or students and students. “Small-group work provided more opportunities for language production and great variety of language use in initiating discussion， asking for clarification， interrupting， competing for the floor， and joking”[citing from Long， Adams， 1976;(Ellis， 2000:598)].

5.Impression for language classroom

In the observation of these language classes in different four schools in London， I noted that the teachers in these language classes had a common characteristics was using English to conduct their classes， in other words， through English teaching English. In so doing， the students were allowed to be exposed to a large quantity of authentic materials in the target language. “The role of the teacher was to guide the students to learn the rules of this complex metalinguistic game through which the essential skills for both foreign language classroom communication and learning can be learnt.”(Gil， 2002:278)

The classroom layout was arranged to resemble as a banquet that enables the students to have a face-to-face talk by which students would concentrate on speaking to others or listening to others and they would communicate interestedly and vividly. Teachers in these language classes could provide a relaxed， harmonious and enthusiastic learning atmosphere to encourage the students to use the target language as much as possible， build up their confidence and get them enjoy in what they were doing. Classrooms that offer these possibilities are probably a better environment for learning， as the distance between teacher and learners is reduced(Gil， 2002:278).As this result that most students would lose fear of embarrassment and were willing to voice their thoughts and opinions.

6.Context of language classrooms in China

In contrast， things are quite different in China. English language teaching and learning in language classrooms in China is dominated by a teacher-centered， book-centered， exam-oriented and grammar-translation method. In most English language classrooms， usually， students sit in orderly rows with total 50 to 70， the process of English learning and teaching is that the students read new words loudly by imitating the teacher and the teacher uses their mother tongue(Chinese)to explain the lesson contents， sentence by sentence， and analyzes some difficult grammar rules for the students without any interactions between students and students or between teacher and students. That is to say， students are not given any opportunities to practice the language they are learning. The students’ main task is sitting in the classroom， listening to the teacher’s talk and taking notes.

As a result， the Chinese students do not have sufficient opportunities for practicing what they learned and the amount of English input and exposure most Chinese students receive are very limited. In most cases， language classrooms become a place for students to learn grammar rules and vocabulary by rote and even some students believe that they will master English language completely if they know some grammar rules and have good vocabulary but the real fact is that in actual communications， they cannot open their mouths to speak English after many years’ learning English language.

On the other hand， in order to struggle with the grammar-oriented exams， teachers spend all precious class time explaining the techniques of how to do grammar exercises and testing skills. Not surprisingly， students can get high marks from the exams which focus on language mechanics but the teaching result is disappointing because most students still have many difficulties in using English in actual communications. As Ng and Tang point out: “They became almost ‘deaf and dumb’ and had little ability to speak and understand English”(Ng Tang， 1997).

As for the teaching process， it is rather mechanic， the classroom atmosphere is dull and tense. English language learning becomes a tedious dry-as-dust process and a lack of any contact with the real world in which language use is as natural as breathing.(Rivers， 2000:14).Under such teaching conditions， the filter blocked input， making it unavailable for acquisition as the students are stressed， tense， unmotivated and bored(Krashen’s affective filter hypothesis)because the students are not allowed room to interact to express their feelings， thoughts and needs to one another. Facing with such ineffective language classrooms， some parents have to pay extra money to send their children to private school which focus on listening and speaking and having many opportunities to practice the language at the weekend.

7.Achievement from visiting language classroom

After visiting and observing of these language classrooms in different schools in London， I became aware of that both groupwork and pairwork play an important and crucial role that should not be neglected in the language classrooms. Without groupwork and pairwork， language teaching and language learning will become an empty word because of mismatching between teaching， learning and using. By checking against the language teaching modes or styles in UK， I found that a big problem exists in China’s English language teaching is why English language teaching and learning in China is viewed as a warm kettle that will never be boiled. In other words， why Chinese students cannot open their mouths to speak English after many years’ studying?

8.Conclusion

By visiting and observing language classrooms in UK， now I can give a better answer to this question is lacking opportunities for Chinese students to practice what they learned into real situations. Because the aim of a communicative activity in language classroom is to get students to use the language they are learning to interact in realistic and meaningful ways. Therefore， I should say interactive teaching method may be the panacea to cure the ill teaching method and unsatisfactory teaching result in foreign language teaching of Today’s China.

References

[1]Brown，H.D.2000.Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. Addison Wesley Longman， Inc.

[2]Gil， G. 2002.ELT Journal Volume 56/3 July 2002:278

[3]Cheung Chi-Kim. 2001.ELT Journal Volume 55/1 January 2001:55

[4]Ellis， R. 2000. The Study of Second Language Acquisition. Oxford University Press. London

[5]Krashen， S. D. 1983. Second Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning. Pergamon Institute of English. England

[6]Lightbown，P. M. Spada，N. 2000. How Languages Are Learned. Revised Edition. Oxford. University press.Oxford

[7]Ng， C. Tang， E. 1997.Teachers Needs in The Process of EFL Reform in China-a Report from Shanghai. Perspectives. Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong.9/1.pp63-85

[8]Modiano， M.2000. ‘Rethinking ELT.’ In English Today 62，16:2， 28～34

[9]Rivers，W. M. 2000.Interactive Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press. London