Главная страница «Первого сентября»Главная страница журнала «Английский язык»Содержание №44/2003
 
METHODS OF TEACHING
 

Cooperative Learning

In the new paradigm of education personality has central place. Personality-centred (child-centred) teaching techniques and methods help us develop the creative abilities and talents of every student. They give him/her all the conditions for self-expression, self-assessment and activity.

The more the elements of new techniques and methods are used at the lesson and extracurricular activities, the more motivated students become. New teaching technologies such as NLP, Project Method, Cooperative Learning, technology of workshops and many others enhance classroom communication.

The main aim of cooperative learning is to create the conditions for students’ joint activity. Studies show that learning and working together is easier, more interesting and more effective. The effectiveness touches not only upon students’ school success but also their intellectual and moral development.

There are two main kinds of cooperation:
1) student-teams and 2) team-games. I use the elements of pedagogy of cooperation when organizing and directing games, holiday-parties, debates, conferences. We stage Christmas fairy-tales, hold Halloween and Easter parties, celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, etc. Sometimes I put on masks and costumes myself.

I like to hold these events according to the motto “Here and Now”. For example, a press-conference. All students are divided into the following groups:

1) American and British guests;
2) Reporters from Khakasia;
3) Editorial board.

Fifteen minutes are given for preparation before we begin.

The first group reviews the most important facts about the USA and the UK and “the guests” are ready to answer any questions about their countries and people, their attitude to the Russian and Khakas people, and to share their impressions about Khakasia. The second group prepares interesting questions, sometimes with a sense of humour. The third group is ready with the poster “Welcome to Khakasia”, name-badges for the guests and place markers. The leader starts and finishes the conference. Everybody enjoys it.

Project method is widely used in my work too. There are different kinds of projects, such as creative, informative, and role-games. My students make projects on various topics. For example, the students of Form 6 prepare role-projects: “At the Hospital”, “At the Police Station”, “In the Shop”; informative projects like “The Best Candidate for Class President”, “School of the Future”, “My Dream Clothes”...

The students of Form 8 present projects such as: “My Country/Britain/the USA at a Glance” “Table Manners”, “My Favourite Holiday” and others.

According to NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) all people have either active visual, sound or sensuous dominating channels of perception. That’s why:

1. The material of the lesson should be presented in three ways (every student should see, hear and feel a piece of information).
2. A student shouldn’t be compared with other students. He/she must be compared only with him/herself in his/her “zone of success”.
3. Such words as “not”, “no”, “must”, “don’t” are not allowed.
4. All known and learned schemes, tables, posters are hung to the left of the students (in their active “zone of mind”).
5. A teacher should be tolerant of students’ mistakes. Using the elements of NLP I teach my students to spell correctly. The approach is the following:

1) I make my students imagine the most comfortable place they have been, (in a forest, near a river...)
2) I ask the students to look at the words (3-5 words) and pronounce them after me.
3) The students close their eyes and imagine the words in the left corner of the room.
4) The students pronounce the words after me once more.
5) They open their eyes and write the words down in their exercise-books.

I use the elements of NLP learning poems and songs with my students.

a) My students listen to a poem/song for the first time.
b) I make up the Word Web on the blackboard with the words the children have caught.
c) The poem/ song is presented for the second time and the Word Web is completed.
d) The pupils learn it by heart.

I use Word Webs in various topic situations as well. For example, I ask my students to imagine that we are going to the UK/the USA/Moscow... The question is “Where can we get the information about travelling to the USA?” or “Why do people travel to the USA?’... etc.

The pupils complete the Web:

 I use the elements of “non-verbal language communication” in teaching English too, especially with learning poems, songs and dramatizing.

At my lessons and extracurricular activities I often use the formats of such popular TV games as: “Who? Where? When?”, “Field of Wonders”, “Lucky Chance”, “Brain-ring”, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

By Ludmila Khotyanovich,