Interaction is Much More than Communication

Teacher

Date: Wednesday, 25.11.2009, 10:11 | Message # 1

Lieutenant colonel

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A lot has changed in my teaching since I first started to try out the ideas of interactive teaching. I think I have become more aware of what is going on under the surface. I tend to think more in terms of teaching English as an opportunity for real communication that involves my students personally. It also involves me personally a lot and I think it’s an ongoing process.
I’m now thinking a lot more about my own role as a teacher, I am more aware of when and how I want to take responsibility from myself to my learners. I have also gone through phases of doubt since I started to change my teaching - at various points I was worried about the fact that my students made so many mistakes, but it just showed me that in my previous teaching I had not given my learners enough opportunity to use English for real communication and therefore I had never got a picture of their real language level.
Another thing that was necessary was to point out to my students that the fact that the lessons had become more motivating and involving did not mean that everything else had to change somehow too. It is still important for them to learn vocabulary, do grammar and translation exercises, prepare for tests, bring their home assignments and so on and so forth.
One thing strikes me: teaching in this way means a lot of work, but when I leave a class at the end of a lesson and the group's web site I nearly always feel that my energy level is higher than it was before I went in. So in a way I feel I get more that I give.

lyudmila

Date: Friday, 22.01.2010, 17:10 | Message # 2

Private

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It's great! The pupils are much more interested and the lessons are affective. But sometimes the pupils meet difficulties, especially when the tasks are taken from foreign textbooks. But on the whole I am for interactive teaching and learning.

Uchilka

Date: Monday, 25.01.2010, 21:24 | Message # 3

Sergeant

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I totally agree with you. I also use interective teaching and I sould say that it takes me a lot of time to plan my lesson. But it is worth it.

OxanaUrmanova

Date: Thursday, 01.12.2011, 16:31 | Message # 4

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Quote (Teacher)

I was worried about the fact that my students made so many mistakes

The same thing is constantly attacking me. But then comes satisfaction when my students are involved into some internet activity. They are asked to make a presentation or to find an extraordinary fact about the English lesson or countrystudy. They are interested in it and try to do their best to do the task. By the way, students get good knowledge while discussing any topic or text. Maybe, it's better to do more interactive tasks at the lesson because they are helpful and give everybody a chance to share ideas.

OxanaUrmanova