Recall your own experience of classroom interaction and complete the evaluation form. What can be done to improve interaction in the classroom?
Classroom communication
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1. The teacher asks the class questions.
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2. Students volunteer to raise problems for discussion
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3. Students say their opinions freely in class.
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4. Teachers ask students to express their opinions.
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5. Students speak only when the teacher calls on them.
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6. Students tell the teacher in class when they don't understand.
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7. Students listen passively when the teacher talks.
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8. Students listen passively when classmates talk.
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9. Students speak loud enough for the whole class to hear and address the classmates.
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10. Students consult with classmates before answering teacher.
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11. Students are afraid to make mistakes.
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12. Teachers encourage students to risk making mistakes and to speak freely
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13. Students ask for the teacher's opinions on the problem in class.
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14. Teachers organize students’ interaction in pairs, small groups, moving circles, parallel lines.
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15. Students copy answers from others during tests.
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16. Students coach each other for a test
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17. Teachers are open to informal communication
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Communicative teaching is often organized in the three-phase framework. Three-phase framework means subdivision of the teaching process into three phases: pre-activity, while-activity and post activity. Pre-activity is organized to arouse interest in the learners towards the main task, to motivate performance, to activate in learners their prior knowledge and to prepare them for the language that can be necessary to perform the main task. While-activity is organized as oral or written communication and is based on engaging the learners in the communicative tasks. Post-activity is reflection on the ideas and language that was produced during the main activity. This phase also includes additional language drill and integration with other skills. The three phases of teaching are shown in the table:
(Sheils, J. 1988. Communication in the Modern Language Classroom. Strasbourg)