Been a while since I've posted but my MA has taken over things for a little while. I've been a lot on Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1996) which has given be cause to really start to think about 'how' my learners interact and communicate in my classrooms.
Some of the major features of the Interaction Hypothesis are:
Negotiation of Meaning
Negative Feedback
Pushed output
Modified output
Basically, these features point towards our learners pushing themselves to provide the next level of output, whilst using feedback (from either other learners or the teacher) to modify that output, and in turn notice gaps in their existing knowledge. Such noticing will enable them to revise their existing hypotheses regarding language use.
A good overview of this, and how it applies to your classes, can be found here:
The Interaction Hypothesis: What it is and How it Naturally Occurs in the ESL Classroom
To work towards providing such an environment I decided to employ some of the "Spot the Difference" style tasks that I'd been reading about in the literature.
If you're not familiar, these work as follows:
1) Learners pair up
2) Each learner gets one picture from the "spot the difference" pair of pictures
3) Learners then have to use oral language to find the differences (WITHOUT SEEING EACH OTHERS' PICTURES!!!!)
I was very surprised at the amount of language this generated. I had otherwise quiet learners engaging in 20 minutes of solid English speaking. Not only that, it required them to engage in deeper-processing of what their partner was saying, as well as seeking clarification from them.
So, where can you find some of these?
A good source is Penny Ur's book Discussions that Work (1989). It's part of the excellent Cambridge Handbooks For Language Teachers series.
Or, you can simply Google "Spot the Difference" and use pictures that come up.
Would love to hear from some other teachers as to how they generate high-quality interaction amongst their learners or from anyone who has tried similar tasks.
Thanks
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How may just looked at the pictures?
ReplyDeleteSorry BigEll, Not sure I understand your question...
ReplyDeleteSorry for not being clear. I tried this with a class of junior high students who are high basic learners. I explained the activity and handed out the sheets. I modeled it with one student.
ReplyDeleteIn every pair they quickly glanced over their picture and then changed pictures with their classmates. They found the differences (circled them) and handed the picture back. They made no effort to speak in English. They were more interested in completing the tasks quickly rather than correctly. I think they wanted to get back to chatting with their friends.
I find this typical for lower level learners who would rather not speak to finish exercises with their partners. They pass the information sheets/worksheets to each other and write the answers. I am lucky if they speak a few sentences and they only do this if I am constantly pressing them to speak.
The interaction hypothesis is ridiculous. Isn't it obvious that if you practice a skill while getting input from a teacher or partner that in fact you are learning that skill. Isn't this the whole point of learning.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but an integral part of the input received from a teacher or partner is actually 'noticing' the feedback and recognizing it as feedback on an error. Very often recasts (repeating what someone has said) are viewed by the speaker as simply confirmation or general conversation, not as feedback on an error.
ReplyDeleteIn my book, the essential component of the Interaction Hypothesis is negotiation of meaning and feedback on errors. This requires training learners to become effective negotiators and providers of feedback in this area. Otherwise, they simply end up reinforcing their own errors or else not providing feedback on an error...