Page 137 - Beyond Methods

Facilitating negotiated interaction 125
5.1.3 Explain the procedure they are to follow: They should com- plete the activity within the specified time limit. They need to select one of the group members as a facilitator. It is the job of the facilitator to conduct the group discussion in an orderly fashion, to take notes, and to report back to the class. Tell the facilitator to pay attention to how the members arrive at a consensus, how they negotiate communication breakdowns, and how they resolve any conflict in decision making.
5.1.4 Select any number of groups to briefly report their discussions to the class. Using leading questions if necessary, encourage the facili- tators to describe the group’s talk and topic management. Specifically, ask them to zero in on any linguistic or communicative difficulty they may have had to overcome.
5.1.5 After the group reports, ask the students to identify features that are strikingly common and strikingly different in the way the groups went about performing and reporting the task, followed by class discussion.
An additional activity you may want to consider is to make an au- diotape or videotape of the performance of any two of the groups—one group that you expect to do well and another that you expect to do poorly. You can also transcribe portions of the discussion. Later, you can play the tapes back to the whole class and also use the transcribed data to help the learners analyze and interpret their own talk and topic management during the group discussion. This will increase their awareness of what they actually do versus what they need to do.
Microstrategy 5.2: Topic of the Week
5.2.0 This activity consists of a brief, prepared talk by students fol- lowed by an extended discussion moderated by the teacher. Depending on the class’s proficiency level, one or two hours per week or month may be designated for this activity. The goal is to encourage the learn- ers to talk about whatever interests them. The idea is to recognize their voice and their vision. Adult L2 learners bring to their class a wealth of knowledge that often remains unknown and untapped. In a multi- lingual and multicultural class, this knowledge may be about their cul- ture or their community. In other settings, it may be about their passion for music or sports or their opinions about the generation gap or gen- der gap. If given a chance to talk about what interests them, they will be more than willing to share their knowledge with their teachers and their classmates and feel rightfully empowered.