CLASSROOM INTERACTION

CLASSROOM INTERACTION

A.      Definition

Classroom Interaction is a practice that enhances the development of the two very important language skills which are speaking and listening among the learners. This device helps the learner to be competent enough to think critically and share their views among their peers.

B.       Objectives of Classroom Interaction

Ø  This type of interaction helps the learners to identify their own learning methods.

Ø  This interaction will guide the learners to communicate with their peers easily and will give them an exposure to the vase genres of language learning.

Ø  It will help the learner to come face to face with the various types of interaction that can take place inside the classroom.

Ø  Classroom Interaction aims at meaningful communication among the students in their target language.

Ø  It also aims at probing into the learner’s prior learning ability and his way of conceptualizing facts and ideas.

Ø  This practice will help the teacher to have a detailed study of the nature and the frequency of student interaction inside the classroom.

C.       Types of Classroom Interection

•       Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning is a situation in which two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together. Unlike individual learning, people engaged in collaborative learning capitalize on one another’s resources and skills (asking one another for information, evaluating one another’s ideas, monitoring one another’s work, etc).
•    Discussions and Debates

Discussion is the action or process of talking about something, typically in order to reach a decision or to exchange ideas.

Debate is a method of interactive and representational argument. The outcome of a debate depends upon consensus or some formal way of reaching a resolution, rather than the objective facts as such.
•    Interactive Sessions

Interactive sessions provide workshop style interaction amongst the participants and the panelists. The panelist provide an introduction to the framework of the session and act as moderators, while the participants are encouraged to drive the session discussion.
•    Loud Reading

A simple, but surprisingly effective strategy for improving student writing is having them read their words aloud. Reading out loud gives students a chance to hear the sound of their words.

•       Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images, and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and to instill moral value.
•    Conversation with learners

Conversation theory describes interaction between two or more cognitive systems, such as a teacher and a student or distinct perpectives within one individual, and how they engage in a dialog over a given concept and identify differences in how they understand it.
•    Role Play

Role playing refers to the changing of one’s behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role.

D.      Teacher’s Role

The role of the teacher during these sessions is passive yet very crucial. It is the responsibility of the teacher to create a learning atmosphere inside the classroom. It is through these interactive sessions that the teacher can extract responses from learners and motivate them to come out with new ideas related to the topic. She is an observer who helps the learners to construct an innovative learning product through group discussions, debates and many more. She will define herself as a planner who plans out the best of the modules of interaction that would be effective to invite the learners in classroom interaction.

E.       Feedback

Improving classroom interaction involves continually assessing your teaching, students learning, and your relationship with the students. The students have a relationship with you, with each other, and with the material. It's important to get feedback about all three of these relationships.

Ø  Feedback happens on many timescales.

How did this go today? How is the quarter going?

Ø  Try a written mid-quarter evaluation.

For example: Ask which exercise was most helpful? Which was least?

Ø  Use office hours to talk informally about how things are going.

Have your teaching observed or videotaped.

Ø  Make sure students understand your assignments.

Ask if there is anything else that they need to handle the assignment.

Ø  Make your teaching transparent.

Ask the students if they understand why we are doing this assignment.