Instructor Caleb Galipeau explains his process for pair work during a lesson and the outcomes that result from that process.
In classrooms, team work and pair work is a common feature for doing a number of activities such as: speaking work, grammar exercises, and long term projects. However, one simple way to use pair work is check of exercises that were done as individual work. This seems quite obvious, but a simple staging method can improve a language students’ abilities in several ways.
First, Individual Work
To start off a lesson, I introduce a new set of vocabulary, a function or a grammar point with a scenario and examples. After showing the students the purpose and the usage, I have the students work individually on a few activities from either the textbook or a handout. I always give the instructions, “Do what you know, skip the ones you don’t know.” Working alone allows them to see how much they understand and how well they can implement the language.
Next, Pair Work
Following a few minutes of individual work comes the main event – peer correction. I tell students to check and compare answers. However – they need to speak only English and speak in full sentences when sharing answers. If they disagree on an answer, I tell them, “First try to explain why your answer is correct to each other, then ask me if you want further help.”
After several minutes of speaking about the exercise, I will call them back together as a whole class. Next, I’ll ask them, “Do you have any questions about this exercise.” This is their opportunity to voice any misunderstandings or difficulties they had. I then ask them what answer they picked. I check with others students for their opinion on the correct answer before I give my answer. If no one has any questions, I will pick specific parts of the exercise that I believe are difficult and ask them for the answer.
Finally, The Outcomes
This method of peer correction and then class discussion can often turn a 5-minute exercise into a 15 minute activity. The purpose is not to simply get the correct answer to each question. The purposes of this exercise are the following:
First, it allows the students to ask questions in a more approachable environment. Many Vietnamese students are very self-conscious about giving an answer in class and being wrong. Airing it first with a colleague helps reduce that anxiety.
Secondly, it allows an opportunity to practice speaking and listening. Every student needs as much time as possible to exercise language production and reception in a real life scenario.
Third, it gives the students a chance to utilize the new language from the exercise in spoken language.
Fourth, it requires students to think through what they’ve learned. Through debate or discussion, a student needs to think critically about ideas and explain them clearly to another person.
When it comes to error correction on exercises, I’ve always told my classes, “I’m not as much interested in just hearing the correct answer. I am interested in hearing you talk about how you got the answer and why you think it is correct.” A staged and interactive approach to error correction with student peer work can turn a simple handout into a lively activity.