Interaction is crucial in a classroom, but it takes many forms. There is interaction between the teacher and students, interaction between the students and the teaching materials, silent talk that a student has internally, and student to student interaction.
Think about the different types of interaction. Do they all result in student-centred learning environments? It’s easy to assume that a classroom with interaction is inherently student-centred, but is that really the case?
Here’s an example of the interaction from a class I observed recently.
Context. An intermediate class in a Central Asian high school. The focus of the class was speaking and listening. Students were sat in a horseshoe shape. There were 20 learners in the class.
Teacher: Why do you think restaurants that serve western food are so popular?
Student 1: Well, we eat our food at home. It is difficult to cook western food.
Teacher: Ah, so you eat western food in restaurants because you can’t cook it yourself?
Student 1: Yes, that’s right.
Teacher: How about you? Do you have the same reason?
Student 2: Yes, I think that’s an excellent point, but western restaurants are also more fashionable. For example, they are better for a date. My date will think I’m cool.
Teacher: So, there’s one point the same and one new point – interesting.
Student 3: Can I say something?
Teacher: Yes, of course – what do you think? Student 3: Well, I can’t believe that western restaurants are more popular. I don’t see many people eat in them.
Here’s a reflection on that example.
Does this seem like an interactive session to you? Does it seem student-centred? Importantly, these are not the same question!
On the one hand, there is absolutely interaction, and the opinions of the students are being listened to. But if you track the interaction patterns, can you see how all the communication is going through the teacher? The teacher is acting as a mediator, as if he is throwing a ball to one student, getting it back, throwing it to another student, getting it back, and so on. If you concentrate on the passage of the ball, who has control? It’s the teacher, right? Can you see how the teacher is at the centre of all the interactions? So, even though there is interaction, this class is still really teacher centred!
I had a chat with this teacher after the session and raised this point with him. Here are his reflections.
He told me that, in the past, he used to have lots of teacher talk time and speak to the learners. Over the last weeks, he’s tried to talk with the students more. He said it was a difficult process, but he can see he is improving. However, he recognised that he still had some way to go and what he needs to do now is step back. He recognised that he needs to give the students more control.
Here are some of his ideas:
- Instead of leading the discussion, put students into small groups and ask them to think of three reasons why western restaurants are most popular. After a few minutes, mix the groups and ask them to share their thoughts and come to a consensus. If time allows, repeat.
- Have students interview each other to find out the most common reason why they like to use western restaurants. In groups, they then use the data to report back to the class.
In each of these examples, notice how the teacher has less control than they did previously. They are not saying who speaks, when, and for how long. This class is likely to be far more student-centred. These are fantastic ideas! The teacher then came up with a rule to use throughout his teaching career – Without student-to-student interaction, there is no communicative language teaching.
Here are three strategies to help development
- Remember the rule developed by the teacher, write it on the front of your book, write it on the top of every lesson plan, think about how you can have more student-student interaction in your classes. Student-student interaction should form a large part of your teaching.
- At the end of a class, ask learners who they interacted with and for how long? How long did they listen to you? Does this match with your expectations?
- After class, think about the purposes of your interaction with learners. When we interact with students individually, other students are passively listening. When students interact with one another, all are actively engaged. When you interact with students, is it to direct conversation? Is it to model? Is it to elicit? In a communicative classroom, we would expect modelling and elicitation, but we need to create conditions to let students interact with one another. That’s key
Happy teaching and let me know what you think and how you get on in the comments!
Until next time,
Sam