The-Usage-of-Group-Work-in-English.doc

The Usage of Group Work in EnglishLanguage Teaching and Learning LU Lu Abstract: This paper is a brief introduction of what group work is and its usage in English teaching method. Generally speaking, group work is a good way to mobilize the enthusiasm of the students. With colorful contents and many varieties of forms, group work has been widely used by English teachers in English class. However, there are some problems. This paper mainly focuses on how to optimize group work teaching method and how to improve the efficiency of group work. Key words: group work; English teaching method; English teacher; English class; studentsI. Introduction As we all know, there are many methods in English teaching. The paper focuses on group work teaching method. With the development of Reform on New Curriculum, more and more people pay attention to independent learning. In recent years, learning through inquiry and learning through cooperation have become two popular learning styles. And they were used in English classes widely. Middle school students in Guizhou and many other provinces of China use the suit of booksGo for it as their textbooks. In the suit of the book, “pair work” “game” and other communicative activities can be finished by students in groups. This measure has been adopted by teachers and it has been widely used. As a new teaching method, group work unveils students abilities and enables them to exchange information and group work also allows students to interact with each other. Furthermore, group work enables students to celebrate achievements and appreciate the value of the combined effort. Students could learn better when they are actively involved in a group. Regardless of the subject matter, students working in small groups tend to learn more about what is taught and retain it longer than that of other instructional formats. Students who work in collaborative groups also appear more satisfied with their classmates. Group work teaching method has so many advantages that more and more teachers attempt to take it. However, it has some problems. If we try it blindly, the class may become chaotic. Before taking group work in English classes, we should know much about group work. If not, the class may also not be active and students may be absent-minded or doing nothing, or just gossip and do whatever they want. Through this way, group work changes its taste and losses its significance. To prevent this formalistic phenomenon from happening, we must have a better understanding on group work teaching method. This paper tries to analyze the problem of the current use of group work in English class and helps English teachers to make the most of group work, especially its positive impact on motivating students, promoting students interaction and alleviating students language anxiety. This paper is aimed to improve the efficiency of group work in English teaching and English learning.II.The definition of group workGroup work can be defined as a method in which cooperative members in the same group work together to achieve the same goal. When people listen carefully to each other, when they seek and take seriously each others opinions, when they make use of each others competence and expertise, they are involved in teamwork. A situation such as a football team, a marriage, a project at work, or a match team, may come and go. It requires no special structure, only an opportunity for two or more people to engage collaboratively and cooperatively in undertaking some tasks. Teamwork exists outside the boundaries of formally constituted groups or teams. It can exist within groups for a time and then disappear.The terms group learning and cooperative learning are often used as if they meant the same thing. In fact, group work means that several students work together, and working together doesnt necessarily involve cooperation. Cooperative learning is an arrangement in which students work in mixed ability groups and are rewarded on the basis of the success of the group (A. Woolfolk, 2001:340). Cooperation means working together to accomplish shared goals. Within cooperative situations, individuals seek outcomes that are beneficial to themselves and beneficial to all other group members. Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each others learning. (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec 1998:.1-5). According to Joe Landsberger, the philosophy of working in groups involves shared and learned values, resources, and ways of doing things. However, each group, and each individual will only be as effective as they are willing to embrace or respect differences within the group. (Landsberger, Joe. 1996) Organizing and Working on Group Projects. Retrieved on November1, 2006 from website /groupprojects.htm.)As to this aspect, I suggest that everyone should work together to achieve shared goals. One student cooperates with other students who are in the same group to discuss the question given by the teacher. Students can move out of their seats, listening carefully to each other, exchanging their ideas, discussing the questions. They are involved in teamwork. Then Select a student to be a groups representative who states their views. Group work used in class is like world cup. Many teams come from different countries. Let us take the Spain national football team as an example. The members of the team are from different parts of the country and work together to win the cup. Group work in class is like a competition. Two or more students make a group and many groups form competition. They may cooperate and discuss. It can finish the task of a lesson easily.III. The effect of group work on teaching and learning In China, students have English lessons at school, which is the main approach to obtain English. Therefore, learning efficiency plays an essential role in English classes. How does teacher make most of the positive factor of group work to promote students language development in limited time? Group work has played an important role in English teaching. In this part, the paper states the positive effect of group work both on teaching and learning. It means that both teachers and students can benefit from group work. This part focuses on what teachers can benefit from group work and what students can gain from group work. On the one hand, group work helps teacher to know students well, to carry out teaching steps smoothly, and to protect their voice. On the other hand, group work helps students to cultivate their self-confidence and self-study competence and provides them with positive atmosphere for study.A. The effects of group work on teachingWith the development of educational system and teaching equipments, more and more teachers are bringing in advanced teaching method to improve their teaching quality. Group work has been widely used in English class for several reasons. In this part, the paper focuses on three reasons. It is helpful to know students well, helpful to carry out teaching steps, helpful to use teaching time economically and etc. 1. The helpful for teachers to know students wellTeachers also benefit from group work. It allows you time to work with students in a small group setting rather than teaching the class as a whole. This will let you work more intensely with students, as well as get to know them better. Read more: /education/k-12/articles/19619.aspx#ixzz16XXjiqwp Teachers can benefit from group work. Group work gives teachers time to work with students in a small group setting rather than teach the class as a whole. This will let you work more closely with students as well as know them better. Through group work, the teachers can easily know what the students are short of. Which parts have the students mastered well, who needs help and who is better. The students who are active in sharing their ideas may master it better. Nevertheless, the students who are keeping silence may need teachers help. Through group work, the teachers can easily know if the students catch the main points of the lesson, and whether students use the useful expressions or other language points learned in class.2. The helpful for teachers to carry out the teaching stepsIt is very useful for the teachers to carry out their teaching steps in the English classroom. It is helpful for the teachers to know what they prepare to do next. The teacher should give the topic before class so that students can do some preparations. Teacher can give some extracurricular information on the topic or let students collect some information from the Internet or library by themselves. In view of the above discussion above, knowing about students shortcomings, teacher can take customized schedule. Let students do more exercises and use more useful expressions or grammar points.3. The helpful for teachers to use teaching time economically and protect their voiceAs a kind of teaching skill, teachers dont need to teach student one by one through group work. As a result, teachers can use their teaching time economically. They can use the time to teach students more language knowledge or some other things. So it is beneficial for the teachers. Without having to explain the same questions again and again, teachers throat can have a good rest. For example, in “pair work”, teachers should provide useful expressions, and let students do exercises in groups instead of performing in front of the whole class. Therefore, students can perform by themselves. This is one of the efficient ways to use classroom time economically.It is thought that group work is easy and useful to the English teachers in the classroom, because English teachers do not have to introduce an idea or provide suggestions for each student separately. Of course, it is true but the English teachers have to do careful organization and plan in group work. They must create a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere for the students in the English classroom. Group work is also easy for teachers to observe the whole class behaviors. Teacher can make a right estimation to the whole class. In a word, the teachers can get a great benefit from the group work. B. The effect of group work on learning Teaching and learning are like acting force and reacting force. If they cooperate well to each other, not only can teachers benefit from group work in English classes, but also the students gain more knowledge from group work. This part focuses on what students can gain from group work.1. It is helpful for students to increase students self-confidence and self-esteem The middle-school days are an unforgettable period in ones life. It is the golden time to cultivate their self-confidence and self-esteem. According to my teaching experience, by encouraging group interdependence, cooperative activities teaching method is helpful for students to build greater confidence and self-esteem in group work than in a competitive environment, where self-validation is dependent upon a continuing need to demonstrate success. Group work can provide a more comfortable and relaxing learning atmosphere. As such group work is also very useful and suitable to the slow learning students development, and the slow learning students also can make progress though group work. They are fell secure for not losing face or being punished by the teacher. For example, one student in my class is nervous to express herself in class. Though she is an open-minded girl, she is nervous to speak English for being laughed at by boys. In all girls group, she improves her oral English and her self-confidence. One month later, she is brave to show her oral English at schools English Speech Contest.2. It is helpful for students to promote interaction in the English classroom It is well known that cooperative learning plays a more important role in English classroom than the traditional teacher-centered class. In junior high school nowadays, group work also helps those students who are not usually willing to answer teachers questions for lack of adequate language to express their thoughts or ideas. In group activities, students learn to rely on each other. To the same topic they have more ideas and contents to say. They also have the security of knowing that they will have several opportunities to practice spoken language before they are asked to share it with the larger class. In group work, they provide more opportunities to interact face to face. It also makes a contribution to students in order to build up their social relationships. 3. The helpful for students to cultivate students self-study competence Recently, the science and technology develop rapidly and the world changes every day. Self-study is one of the most important living skills, which means whether they can stand in the world stably. Someone who have a better self-study competence maybe has a brighter future or live better than others. In group work, students have more opportunities to listen, speak, think, read, and write by themselves and discuss with others. They can learn from each other. The group work provides a positive and relaxing atmosphere for students. In group work, students have their own free space. They have a larger space for themselves to present themselves. It provides a better learning condition for cultivating students self-study competence.4. It is helpful for students to provide positive atmosphere for the students psychologically healthy upbringingThe average age of junior high school students is 13-16. They are in adolescence. We all know that the period of adolescence have a great effect on ones life both mentally and physically. a. The physical affection of adolescence It is an important time not only to form their characteristics, but also to develop their integrated skills, such as understanding ability, analysis ability, self-control ability and memory. In group work, discussing with peers and listening to peers can do good to improve their analysis ability, and understanding ability and so on. In addition, adolescence is called a restless period. Students in adolescence need more energy to grow their bodies. They are interested in all the new things. They are easy to be tired, which makes teachers difficult to draw their attention in class. Thus, in English teaching, group work is an effective way to improve the students passion for learning.b. The psychological factors great effect on students confidence and learning competence Some negative psychological factors would obstruct language acquisition to same extent. Obviously, in the traditional context of whole class work, those negative psychological factors have immensely obstructed students language acquisition and learning. They are afraid of making mistakes. Maybe they want to take courage to stand up and express their ideas frankly, but they are afraid of something. Something that may make them be criticized and laughed at. The key to this problem is to create optimal learning atmosphere in the English classroom for students. Group work gives students a larger space to show themselves. So it seems easier for students to have less mental pressure when they are talking and speaking without being watched by a whole class or the teacher.IV. The problems on using group work method in English class According to the English teaching syllabus for junior middle school, English teachers should pay attention to the students integrating skills of using language, words and grammar in English teaching. These skills can make contribution to improving their communication ability. Whether we can achieve this goal depends on the form used in English teaching class. The form has a great effect on the quality of communicative activities directly. According to the Reform on New Curriculum, the traditional seat design has been changed in junior high school. Students can sit rounding, which provides more opportunities to carry out group work. In some junior high school, teacher also makes some changes. San Jia Zi middle school where I got my teaching practice has changed its traditional separate seats to four seats of a group. It is convenient for students to join group work. Hardly had the teacher give a topic in class, when students could discuss with their partners around. Nevertheless, there are some weak points. That is, teachers should frequently pay attention to students. A. Teachers should think carefully about how to set group To be English teachers, attention should be paid to group work and must have the ability to control the dimension and the sizes of the group. There are three types of group-setting: the regular whole class, independent small groups and teacher-guided small groups.1. The whole class group means that all the students in the class work together This type is usually accepted by teachers and students, when they need to read or listen to new words or a longer passage. In this way, it will take us less time to accomplish the learning task.2. The independent small group work is often used by teachers, especially, in middle school English classIn terms of small groups, four is the optimal size to manage student learning. The best way of setting groups is to let students choose who will be in their small group might be. But freeform of group may not be easy to carry out. Some students do not want to be partners with low score learners. Teacher should make student understand that they can learn English from teachers and their classmates. “The learner is a member of a group and learns by interacting with others; the learner is a tutor of other learners; the learner learns from the teacher, from other students and from other teaching sources.” (Johnson and Paulson：1990 ) Hardly