Pair-group activities are fundamental for learning the second language (L2) as it helps to master communication skills and acquire appropriate competencies. However, this sort of cooperation during classes is a complex one because of multiple challenges arising between individuals engaged in team-work. These might include a lack of motivation to perform these tasks that comes from the poor understanding of pair-group activities’ purpose (Loewen, 2014).
Additionally, learners can experience emotional discomfort triggered by the necessity to cooperate with other individuals. Finally, students can have a critical difference in knowledge that makes their communication more complex. Eliminating these barriers is central for final success as it ensures that skills will be mastered and promote better L2 understanding.
One of the possible strategies to overcome listed difficulties is to ensure that all students are equally prepared. It means that they possess similar knowledge of vocabulary, grammatical structures, and speech to know how to perform tasks. The given approach will help to eliminate the discomfort that might emerge because of the critical differences in knowledge and ensure that all learners will be able to understand the task.
Another method presupposes the provision of opportunities to communicate with multiple partners while performing this sort of activity (Loewen, 2014). This strategy guarantees that all learners will interact with each other because of the existence of many options. Finally, it is essential to select the content that will be interesting for students as it will provide the basis for discussions and debates promoting the improvement of speaking skills and L2 mastering. The utilization of these strategies can help to eliminate the majority of difficulties arising when organizing a group work and attain the appropriate result.
Discussing the proposed case study, several aspects should be considered as drawbacks. First of all, the model selected by an educator is effective enough to discuss the needed vocabulary and feel the gaps in knowledge; however, regarding the existing guidelines for implementing group work, there were no clear instructions about the purpose of the given task and timeframe needed to complete this assignment. It can result in a lack of time for other activities and loss of control over the situation. Additionally, there should be clear instructions about the number of peers with whom students should interact to avoid chaos and ensure that all learners are included in the process. Disregard of these instructions can constitute a certain problem and corrupt results of the planned speaking activity.
To avoid negative results, some improvements can be offered. First of all, an educator should outline the limit for this exercise to be controlled. At the same time, considering the existing guidelines, all students should be provided with an opportunity to communicate and engage in pair-group activities. That is why a teacher should outline several students that can be asked while making a proposed exercise as it will ensure that all individuals will have an opportunity to participate and master their L2 skills.
Finally, there is a need for follow up activities to evaluate all provided answers and correct mistakes that emerge during the communication. Adding these elements into the exercise, an educator will be able to attain better results and ensure that the given sort of activity will help to achieve the planned goals including better knowledge of the vocabulary and its use in communicative situations.
Reference
Loewen, S. (2014). Introduction to instructed second language acquisition. New York, NY: Routledge.