CLASSROOM INTERACTION

gimana jadinya sebuah kelas dengan interaksi yang sangat minim ???? pasti boring bukan ??? nah.. semoga ini bisa jadi referensi buat para calon atau para guru biar kelasnya lebih hidup!! 

CLASSROOM INTERACTION

There was a time when the traditional approach of teaching was adopted by most of the teachers, where the learner used to be dependent only on the lecture delivered by the teacher. They were not exposed to enough practice of speaking on their own and hence the interaction among the students in the classroom was almost absent. But as the education system changed with time so has the teaching methods. Education system now demands more of student interaction rather than just listening to the instructor. Hence Classroom Interaction is very essential in today’s education system.

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.( http://www.examiner.com/article/classroom-interaction-part-1-definition-objectives-types-teacher-s-role-and-merits)

·         We might define classroom interaction as  a two-way process between the participants in the learning process.The  teacher influences the learners and vice versa. (http://www.sdas.edus.si/Elope/PDF/ElopeVol1Dagarin.pdf)

·         Classroom interaction refers to the verbal exchanges among students and between students and teacher.(www.answerbag.com/q-view/2442807)

From those definitions of classroom interaction we can conclude that classroom interaction is an activity that has a purpose to develop communication between teacher and students in  teaching learning process.

PARTICIPANTS OF CLASSROOM INTERACTION

These are the most frequent ways of organising classroom interaction, depending on who communicates with whom:

a)      Teacher – learners

The first form of interaction (teacher – learners) is established when a teacher talks to the whole class at the same time. He takes the role of a leader or controller and decides about the type and process of the activity. The primary function of such interaction is controlled practicing of certain language structures or vocabulary. Mostly, they are in the form of repeating structures after the teacher (the model). This type of practice is also referred to as ‘a drill’.

b)      Teacher – learner/a group of learners

The second arrangement is conducted when the teacher refers to the whole class, but expects only one student or a group of students to answer. It is often used for evaluation of individual students. This arrangement can also be used for an informal conversation at the beginning of the lesson or for leading students into a less guided activity.

c)      Learner – learner

The third type of interaction is called ‘pair work’. Students get an assignment, which they have to do in pairs. The teacher holds the role of a consultant or adviser, helping when necessary. After the activity, he puts the pairs into a whole group and each pair reports on their work. The last type of classroom interaction is called ‘group work’. As with pair work, the teacher’s function here is that of a consultant and individual groups report on their work as a follow-up activity.

d)     Learners – learners

The last two ways of organization are particularly useful for encouraging interaction among students. In large classes, they present the only possibility for as many students as possible to use the foreign language. Nevertheless, whole-class organization should not be completely neglected since it is still more appropriate for guided and controlled activities.

OBJECTIVES OF CLASSROOM INTERACTION

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

·         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.

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

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

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

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

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages

—  More Interaction

            A classroom environment offers students the opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with their peers and instructors.

—  Traditional Experience

            Students get the opportunity for hands-on, structured learning instead of being presented with the course books, written lectures and self-directed activities distance learning provides.

Disadvantages

—  No Flexibility

            A campus-based learning experience means the class schedule is predetermined and not subject to change.

—  Travel Considerations

            With classroom learning, students must physically attend the courses to get credit for attendance.

TYPES OF CLASSROOM INTERACTION

Classroom Interaction can be categorized under these main headings such as:

·         Collaborative Learning: is a situation in which two or more people learn or attempt to learn something together. For example: numbered heads together. In this technique, each student is assigned a number, for example from one to four (perhaps counting off, randomly chosen, self chosen, and so on). Then students form teams with (in this example) four members, each member having a different assigned number (in other words, each team would have a student numbered “one,” “two,” “three,” and “four”). Each team then performs the assigned task, decides on the answer to the problem, or otherwise completes the assignment.  The students then return to their original seating position. The professor then decides on a number (e.g., from one to four), and calls on each student with that number to give their group’s “answer,” explain the solution to the problem to the class, etc.Since no one knows which student number the professor will call on to give the answer, all students will have a “vested interest” in the solution.

·         Reading aloud is a classroom activity in which one person is reading while others listen. Reading aloud may be performed by the teacher or student. Reading aloud may be performed by a single person or by a group taking turns. This form of highly structured classroom interaction allows all students to be focused at exactly the same point in a reading. This allows students to easily focus on vocabulary and pronunciation.

·         Classroom conversation is a form of classroom interaction in which students in the class discuss a given topic. The conversation may be held across the whole class or in smaller groups. Conversation is an important form of classroom interaction because it helps students develop their language skills. In a conversation, students may apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired in the class, making classroom conversation a practical form of interaction.

·         Question and Answer: Classroom conversation is a form of classroom interaction in which students in the class discuss a given topic. The conversation may be held across the whole class or in smaller groups. Conversation is an important form of classroom interaction because it helps students develop their language skills. In a conversation, students may apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired in the class, making classroom conversation a practical form of interaction.

·         Role-playing is an activity in which students take on given or chosen roles and act out a scene with others. This form of interaction lends itself to almost any situation, and the only restriction is a student's imagination. Role-playing allows students to demonstrate their creativity and knowledge about their roles, and it allows students to think outside of the constraints of the classroom and consider how they might apply the learned material to the real world. This form of interaction can integrate different subjects into one activity.

·         Etc.

TEACHER’S ROLE

In a traditional classroom the teacher had the domi nant role of an all-knowing leader who‘filled’ students’ empty heads with knowledge. This role has changed and the teacher has now got many roles depending on different classroom situations. In a broad sense, he is a‘facilitator of learning’, which includes the following (Littlewood 1981, 92):

·         A general overseer of learning, who coordinates the activities so that they form a coherent progression from lesser to greater communicative ability.

·         A classroom manager who is responsible for grouping activities into lessons and for their overall organisation.

·         A language instructor who presents new language, controls, evaluates and correct learners’ performance.

·         In free communicative activities he will act as a consultant or adviser, helping where necessary. He may move around the classroom and monitor student’s progress, strengths and weaknesses.

·         Sometimes he will participate in an activity as a ‘co-communicator’ with the learners. He may encourage learners without taking their main 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.

MERITS

Through classroom interaction the learners will be able to get themselves involved with concepts, ideas and various other devices and products for language and culture learning. After that a class will be more active because of good communication between teacher and students. Moreover classroom interaction can helps students in order to achieve the material thought easly as far as teacher can handle the class.

CONCLUSION

                Classroom interaction is a process that allow the student to develop their ideas and easily to have communication with the teacher. There are many kinds of classroom interaction techniques such as role play, jigsaw, number heads together, read aloud, discussion, etc.

                The interaction itself can be teacher to the students, student to student (in pair), students to students, and teacher to the student. Whatever the technique used the main point is that teacher have to be able to manage or handle the class in order to build good atmosphere inside the class.  

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