Pair Work
It’s February and Valentine’s Day, a time when couples celebrate
togetherness, is upon us. I can think of only one appropriate method to cover this issue,
pair work! Of course we know that pair work can be useful, especially while trying to
implement a communicative approach to English Language teaching in lessons. In the
communicative classroom, students ultimately have to use the language, productively
and receptively, in unrehearsed contexts (Angelis and Henderson 1989). To take this
a step further, let’s look at the deeper methodological reasons pair work can be
beneficial to both students and teachers in the EFL classroom.
Students benefit through using pair work, particularly before a whole
class discussion, when their processing or “think” time is increased. “In most
classrooms, students are typically given less than one second to respond to a question
asked by a teacher. Research shows that under these conditions students generally give
short, recall responses or no answer at all rather than giving answers that involve
higher-level thinking (Ridgway, Titterington & McCann 1999). With this in mind,
teachers often become upset or frustrated because the students “just don’t
understand” or, are “slow.” Another re-occurring situation is, one “clever”
student answers all the questions allowing other students to fade in the background.
A teacher should allow at least three seconds for students to process
after asking a question. Language learners need extra time, not only to formulate answers
in their native language, but also to translate into English in order to present to the
class. Waiting this long may make you feel uncomfortable, like you’re wasting time. Try
saying, “discuss this with your partner for 15 seconds” then ask for responses and you
may be pleasantly surprised with what students can come up with (and not only the
“best” student who too often dominates).
And, of course, pair work used correctly can really maximize student
“talk time” and facilitate communicative techniques in your classroom. It gets
everyone in the classroom speaking and listening at the same time. For example, if a
teacher were to spend three minutes talking individually to each student in a class of
twenty students, the whole procedure would take an hour. Working in pairs, those twenty
students can get the same amount of practice in six minutes and you will have time to
address many other language aspects.
Also, mixing students of different ability levels can be useful and it
might be helpful to explain this concept to the students. For low students, it gives them
time to listen to their classmates and learn new vocabulary, pronunciation, and perhaps
even gain motivation to work harder. Stronger students can play the role of the teacher,
which will be of great benefit. As the proverb goes, “The best way to learn is to
teach.” Although lecture continues to be the most widely used method in the
classroom, countless studies indicate that students retain the most by teaching others,
practicing by doing and discussing in groups (Sousa 1995).
We can’t deny there are also some complications associated with pair
work. First, the teacher must give up some control of the class for a few minutes and more
than likely the students will be…noisy. If pair work is successful, it’s probably
noisy, but remember, it will only last for a few minutes. Try thinking of it as beautiful
music of actively engaged students. (If it’s a “glass half full” day!) One simple
and positive way to control noise level in the classroom is to put a “noise meter” on
the wall, next to the blackboard. If you think the students are too noisy, move the meter
level up so students know they need to lower their voices. When the class is aware of this
practice, you don’t even need to say anything.
Many teachers also steer away from the concept of pair work, as
students might get off task and start speaking their native language. This is only natural
and students should not be to blame. The key is, to keep the time allotted for each task
short and offer a variety of open-ended questions (without right or wrong answers) to keep
students engaged. Also, have students switch partners often and talk to a variety of
people. This way, they aren’t only speaking with their friends (whom they would most
likely talk about weekend plans with). Early work by psycholinguist Lily Wong Fillmore
(1979) suggests that the desire to make friends motivates children, and that friendship
scaffolds their language acquisition. In addition, her work also suggests that teachers
should create classroom environments that support social interaction, using strategies
such as buddies, pair shares, and cooperative grouping (Wong Fillmore 1979).
Here are two examples of “student centered” activities, as opposed
to “teacher centered,” where the teacher asks a question and has students answer one
by one. A great benefit, more student “talk time.” As always, these activities are not
intended to replace the curriculum you’re required to teach in class. The goal is to add
to lesson topics in order to create a more rich and engaging learning environment.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
I. Conversation Wheel
I’ve used this at many different levels with Russian students. The
first couple of times takes some coaching on behalf of the teacher. After a little
practice this will become second nature for your students and the teacher’s role will
shift to “facilitator” of the activity.
Instructions: Divide your class in half. One half of the
students stand up and form a large circle facing inwards. The other half of the students
forms a smaller circle within, facing someone in the outside circle. This should look like
a round wheel with an inside and outside circle, students facing each other. If the number
of students is odd, then the lucky teacher participates!
Give the students a question or statement to discuss for about one
minute. It can be light hearted and fun or something pertaining to your lesson. Then,
after about one minute (this is where it takes some training), the outside circle
doesn’t move and the inside circle (students) move one person to the right so they are
now facing a new partner. Give them a second to say hello, then, propose another question
to discuss for about a minute. Then switch again. Use “cues” like “STOP” and
“inside circle, move one person to your right” to make sure your expectations are
clear. (I guarantee you a few students will move to the left the first couple times, but
that too, is a “hidden lesson” on left and right!)
Some examples of topics or questions are:
If you are studying the education of Great Britain and the United
States the question could be:
If you were asked to explain the best aspect of Russian education to a
foreigner, what would you tell them?
If you are talking about famous people:
If you had the choice to be rich for one day, or famous for one day,
which would you choose? Why?
If you want fun, “warm up” questions just to get kids involved:
If you were making your favorite salad, what ingredients would you need
and how would you make it? (first partner)
If you made a great salad, who would you invite over to your house to
eat it with you? Why? (new partner)
If the person you invited over to your house to eat salad was President
Putin, what would you take him to do or see in (your city) after finishing lunch? (new
partner)
Would you ask President Putin to help you do the dishes? Why or why
not? (new partner)
Methodological Benefits of the Activity:
Students have the opportunity to speak to a variety of people
High and low level students mix
Some pairs will work well, others won’t but with only one minute
with each partner, it’s okay. Keep them moving!
Authentic English communication is facilitated
If the teacher participates, this serves as a great form of informal
assessment to see how students communicate. *Remember, assessment doesn’t only have to
be a pencil and paper exam!
Students feel less intimidated than speaking in front of the whole
class, therefore, more participation takes place
Students get to enjoy using the language in a non-threatening way
Students might speak Russian at times but once again, keep them
moving and continue giving new, interesting conversation topics.
Can be used with students of all ages and abilities
Meets the needs of kinesthetic learners (those who learn better by
body movement and doing)
II. Think, Pair, Group and Share:
Kagan, 1989
Objectives
Increase student involvement, regardless of language level
Encourage speaking and listening
Encourage students to build on previous knowledge
Increase “wait time” and allow students-time to process
Introduce “topic of the day”
Directions: Make sure students are in pairs and identify who is
student A and B or “Pencil” and “Pen.” Something funny and silly – even for
older students – will simply add enthusiasm. (superstar and cosmonaut)
Pose a “warm up” question to your class pertaining to your lesson on Valentine’s
Day, for example. What would you consider the perfect Valentine’s Day? or Does eating
a big bowl of worms sound more appealing and why?
Tell students to think of their answer silently for 10–15 seconds (maybe even close
their eyes and really think hard). Next, give student “A” 30 seconds to answer, then
student B “30” seconds. Use clear teaching cues such as “Superstars, go” and
“Superstars, stop – Cosmonauts, go.” Next, this pair turns to another pair and in a
group of four the students discuss their opinions for about one minute (two or three
minutes if the majority are on task and engaged and you have time). Always try to stop the
students while they are still discussing so they will want to continue the conversation.
Last, as a whole class, students share what they have discovered. You can always leave the
last, “group of four” part out, if you are lacking time or you simply don’t think it
will work well with a certain group of students. One key to great teaching is flexibility!
Methodological Benefits of the Activity:
Students have more “think time” and an opportunity to formulate a
good answer before having to share with the whole class
Students practice communication
Students have the opportunity to ask one another “How do you say
________ in English?” or look up words in the dictionary
Shy students will be more willing to talk to a smaller audience
Students will have the opportunity to practice giving their answers,
first, in pairs, then in small groups, making them more likely to be willing and confident
to share in front of the whole class
Students share their opinions on the topic, stimulating interest in
the lesson to follow
Students have time to draw out previous knowledge which they can
expand on
These “warm up” activities will take no more than five minutes,
longer if you wish. They will increase student interest and motivation and help introduce
the topic you will discuss for the day, without disrupting the curriculum that must be
covered. By giving students time to discuss different topics, they will be pulling out
previous knowledge on the subject, which they can build on throughout the lesson, not only
in speaking and listening but reading, writing and grammar. In addition, all students will
have the chance to practice their listening and speaking in a less threatening
environment. Much easier than in front of the whole class and teacher! Try one of these
and you’ve carried out a great, student-centered “warm up” activity.
References
Angelis, Paul and Henderson, Thelma. (Editors). 1989. Selected Papers
from the Proceedings of the BAAL/AAAL Joint Seminar “Communicative Competence
Revisited.” Applied Linguistics 10 (June 1989).
Kagan, Spencer (1989). Cooperative learning resources for teachers. San
Juan Capistrano, CA: Resources for teachers.
Ridgway, J.S., L.Titterington, & W.S. McCann. “Best Practices in
Science Education.” ERIC Review, 612 Fall 1999.
Sousa, David A. (1995). How the Brain Learns. Reston, VA: National
Association of Secondary School Principals.
Wong Fillmore, L. (1979). “Individual differences in second language
acquisition.” Rpt. in Meeting the Needs of Second Language Learners: An Educators
Guide. Detroit: ASDC. Lessow-Hurley, J., 2003. 28–29.
By Stephanie Funderburg,
the Sr. English Language Fellow in Novosibirsk
for the 2006–2007 academic year
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