Partner Work and Support Systems in the Classroom 

I found an effective technique for students to learn phrases; it involves partnering them up and exchanging dialogue.  This forces them not only to practice the phrases, but to create their own little support groups along the way. I have the groups practice for about ten minutes, after which I walk up to each group and ask them to say what they’ve learned out loud. The ten minutes of practice gives them the confidence to present, and their partner or small group acts as a support system.

Speaking in front of the class is nerve-wracking, and knowing another person is there with you makes the process manageable. Also, every time a group presents the dialogue, it gives the other students a chance to listen and memorize the phrases. After the role-plays, I give a little clap and say, “Good job!” The students then begin to clap too. It creates great energy in the room, and the students begin to smile. An example of the phrases we used is “What time is it?” in which the other person responds by saying, “It is 4:30 pm” or whatever time the clock in the exercise says. In one example, there were 12 clocks on a sheet of paper, all saying a different time. So, they had to go back and forth 12 times saying, “What time is it?” and then the other person had to respond with the correct time. They certainly can’t forget that phrase, especially when it’s repeated that many times. 

 Another phrase I have them practice is, “Good morning. How are you?” in which the other person responds with, “I’m good. Thanks. How are you?” And the partner responds with, “I’m fine, thank you.” This dialogue goes back and forth for about 10 minutes. After the 10-minute mark, I walk around to each desk and observe them. This gives me the chance to correct their pronunciation, so they say the phrases correctly.   One suggestion I have is, after about 5 to 7 minutes, try to walk around to each group, otherwise the groups tend to trail off, and they start conversations in their own language. It is also important to match partners up so one student has a higher CLB level than the other. If two lower-level students are together, it’s hard for them to help each other. If this happens, I would just be the third person in their group to help guide the process along. They appreciate the attention and extra help!