Encouraging student-student interaction through pair and group work

Organising the classroom layout to encourage student to student interaction is just the first step. Some studies have shown that even though children in many classrooms are seated around a group of tables or desks, very few teachers use collaborative pair or group work tasks and the interaction is almost entirely teacher-student.

Although many teachers understand the benefits of incorporating student-centred tasks into their teaching, they are often reluctant to actually do it. Why is this? Some teachers are concerned about the noise. Some teachers believe that student-centred tasks are hard to manage. What will they do if the children speak their first language? What will they do if the children don’t speak at all? Other teachers are worried that planning pair and group activities is more time-consuming than planning teacher-led classes.

Students who are not familiar with the idea of working with a partner may take some time to get used to the idea. Teachers of young children are used to helping their students develop their skills and learning how to work in pairs is another skill that students need to learn. Handing out materials and telling students just to ‘work in pairs’ is not enough.

It is a good idea to start off by using short, straightforward pair work tasks. Information gap activities, which involve students asking questions to exchange information, work well and are quick and easy to make.

Let’s assume that the vocabulary has already been introduced, and learners are familiar with the question ‘Do you like _______?’ and the short answers ‘Yes, I do’ and ‘No, I don’t’. This information gap activity would be a great way to provide personalized practice of the language. The first step is to draw the grid on the board and elicit the questions and answers from the learners by pointing at the board.

The next step is crucial. Before handing out the questionnaires, you need to demonstrate the activity with a strong learner. First, write the student’s name at the top. Then demonstrate asking and answering the questions and filling in the grid with ticks and crosses. Show the learners exactly what they have to do. Then make sure everyone knows who their partner is, hand out the questionnaires… and go for it!