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THE EFFECTIVE WAYS OF USING TEAM WORKS IN ENGLISH LESSONS
Ser
i
mbetova R.
Turkestan, Kazakhstan
Senior – teacher, Kazakh University of Technology and Business
Abstract
Currently, in the theory and practice of education, there is a search for forms and
methods that can create conditions for the development of communication skills and
teamwork skills, in other words, the development of social competence and the ability to
study independently. Such forms and methods are based on the activity of each subject of
the educational process, the ability to independently make decisions and make choices,
as well as on the coexistence of different points of view and their free discussion. Such a
form of organization of the educational process as work in a team has great potential for
this realization. Working in a team makes it possible to more often enter into
communication with other members of the team, formulate one's position, coordinate
actions, which can contribute to the development of cooperation, interpersonal
competence, and communicative culture.
K
ey words:
team work, team learning, team approach, feedback, assignment design.
Team learning is a structured form of small team learning with a focus on
preparing learners outside the classroom and applying knowledge in the classroom.
Students are strategically organized into different teams of 5-7 students who work
together throughout the class. Before each section or module of the course, students
prepare by reading before class.
The command form of organizing activities is one of the most effective forms of
organizing management activities, which has become widespread in countries with
developed democracies in many areas of human activity, including education. This form
is often called a method, and the concept of “team approach” or “team approach” has
been formed in management [1; 2].
The first studies of the team approach in the West were published in the early
1960s. The concepts of “team” and “ability to work in a team” are revealed in detail in
the works of M. Walton [3] and P. Sholters [4], devoted to the description of the Edwards
Deming method. In the works of D. Katzenbach and D. Smith [5], the concept of a team
is given and ways of creating working teams in business are proposed. W. Breddick [6],
J. Grayson Jr. and K. O'Dell [7] identify ways to improve the effectiveness of teams.
The effectiveness of the educational process depends on the forms of teaching that
the teacher chooses. The forms of education correspond to the specific requirements of
society at a certain moment, they must correspond to the real goals and objectives of the
educational process. The history of world pedagogical thought and teaching practice
knows various forms of teaching organization. At the moment, 3 forms of training can be
distinguished in the methodology: individual, frontal and team, each of them has its own
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advantages and disadvantages, and with a reasonable combination of them, high
indicators of training efficiency are achieved.
In the book «Cooperation in Learning» V.I. Dyachenko writes that the team way
of teaching arose in the 15-16th centuries, when contradictions appeared in the system of
the individual way of teaching, which did not meet the requirements of the emerging
bourgeois society. The individual way of teaching has lost its effectiveness due to the
growth of teams. V.I. Dyachenko writes that the team form of organization of training
has made a revolution in the entire educational process, it has become a system-forming
component. However, one should distinguish the team form of teaching from the
cooperative method of teaching. The team form of organization of training is part of the
team method of training, along with individual and frontal work, which together
constitute an integral unity [12].
There are four essential elements of team learning. Moving from simply
introducing students to course concepts to requiring students to actually use those
concepts to solve problems is not an easy task. This shift requires a change in the roles of
both teachers and students. The main role of the teacher is shifting from the
dissemination of information to the development and management of the overall
educational process, and the role of the student is shifting from a passive recipient of
information to the role of a receiver responsible for the initial familiarity with the course
content so that they are prepared to work together in the classroom. Changes of this
magnitude do not happen automatically and based on the past the experience may even
seem like a dream rather than an achievable reality. However, they represent very reliable
results when the four pillars of TBL are successfully implemented. These are the
important elements:
•
Teams
- teams must be properly formed and managed,
•
Accountability
- students must be held accountable for the quality of their individual
and team work,
•
Feedback
- students should receive frequent and timely feedback, and
•
Assignment Design
- Team assignments should contribute to both learning and
development of the team.
Student work in team s can help make the most of the precious time they spend in
the classroom. Each student is given the opportunity to practice the language, discuss and
benefit from the knowledge and experience of their teachers (in addition to that of the
teacher).
The latest issue of the English Teaching professional magazine (issue 121) focuses
on collaboration: why and how to get students to work together. The final heading, «Not
Just But More,» in this issue not only looked at the various skills we could improve to
help our students work better as a team, but also looked at what we, as teachers and
trainers, can do to help in their develop these valuable work skills of our students.
The first step would be to move learners away from the traditional teacher-to-
listener learning model and provide opportunities for individual teamwork. A model
similar to the Flipped Learning model.
However, it is not always sufficient to simply get students to work in team s. The
quality of the work they do in their teams can make a huge difference to the skills they
hone. Getting them to check their answers to the gap-filling exercises in the team s does
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not need them to work on their negotiation or conflict management skills. about their
gaps).
So what tasks can we get students to do in teams to improve their teamwork skills?
(If you are confident with problem-based learning or want to find useful ones to choose
from, try reading this post before continuing.)
1.
Tasks that have students interacting
This may seem obvious. After all, we as foreign language teachers often use team
assignments to practice speaking (fluency or something else) and games to add a sense of
pleasure to such communication. But not all team activities or games necessarily
encourage interaction. It is enough to watch two people play chess or put together a
puzzle to understand that cooperation does not mean interaction.
The task should require some form of interaction so that students can not only
practice the language, but also learn how to work in a team. Interaction can take place for
students to, first, organize their roles in the team to complete a task and / or, second,
contribute to the task.
Tasks in which students work silently on their own can certainly be beneficial to
their learning process, but may not benefit their teamwork skills like an interactive task.
So instead of asking students to grab a corner of the poster and record their favorite
English-language film, invite them to come together to choose the top five English-
language films of all time.
2.
Tasks that bring teammates together with a clear purpose
A task can open up many opportunities for collaboration, but sometimes students
simply do not have the motivation to actively participate in it. One team member shouts
out possible answers to the task, while the rest passively agree. As a result, the task
collapses on the ground.
By giving students a common goal, we can give them a reason to take care of the
task and work with their teammates to achieve the best results. This can be done by
giving the team the real implications of completing the task, such as planning a cool party
in real life, creating a cool blog. or appeal to their competitive streak and turn the task
into a competition between teams.
3.
Tasks that make students trust each other
Unsurprisingly, many people think of a drop in trust when they think of team
building. If you are unfamiliar with Falling Confidence, this basically means one team
member standing on a raised platform and falling back, relying on the rest of their team
to catch him when he falls. Teams that work well together are teams that trust each other.
But how can our students learn to build trust and understanding with each other?
Consider tasks in which students share personal stories or information about
themselves with their team. This could be the game «Tell three stories, and through a
series of questions, your team must guess which one is a lie.» Or it could be a show-and-
tell game where team mates have to select a photo from their cell phone. phone to share
with your team.
Alternatively, tasks in which each student contributes can also build trust. A
popular version of this is Reading Puzzles, where students are given different parts of the
text to read. They then have to convey what they have read to their team and piece
together the information they have. As a form of Puzzle reading, I used to show a music
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video in class and have one student sit with his back to the screen. Then the other team
mates had to tell the “blind” student what they were seeing on the screen.
4.
Tasks to encourage the active participation of all participants
Some of my students seem to rate the success of an assignment by how quickly
they can complete it, and in a language class this usually means extended periods of team
silence (see point 1 above).
Assignments in which all team members express their opinions and actively
participate in the assignment can create an interactive learning environment and more
emotionally and psychologically involve students in the assignment.
One way to do this is to encourage collective leadership. Ask the leaders of each
team to act as a facilitator and ask each team member to share their ideas and thoughts.
The best way to do this is to start by modeling as a teacher.
5.
Tasks that encourage learners to develop individual skills
Some students are better at drawing and some are better at organizing. Some are
natural leaders and some are introverts. Assignments that enable students to excel at what
they do best can not only build self-confidence, but can also help students demonstrate
their value to the team in a productive (but not boastful) way.
Design problems, such as when students research, plan, and present the best school
design and layout, empower different students to express themselves in their own way.
6.
Tasks that force learners to take on new roles
While it is important for learners to take on roles and contribute as they see fit,
learners also need to be able to discover new ways of being in a team . Designate
potential leaders who you think might be too shy to push themselves forward (but would
do well in this role), assign a Devil's Advocate in each team to keep team members
confronted with problems, or ask students to take responsibility teach other students
certain things.
Alternatively, consider using Edward de Bono's Six Hats and assign each team
member a new colored hat for each task to give them a fresh perspective on things.
7.
Tasks that force students to agree
Students can practice their influencing skills when they are put in positions where
they need to be persuasive. This may require them to sell an imaginary product, concept,
or point of view to other members of the team . Raise the ante and make the impact of the
negotiation tangible, for example by stating that the team should present a consensus /
decision to the class.
Classroom debates are often a useful tool for practicing persuasion skills. You can
make it more interesting by getting students to speak for a team that they naturally
disagree with. This encourages them to look at things from a different perspective.
8.
Tasks that encourage students to solve problems
Few things bind people more strongly than when they are fighting a common
enemy. This enemy can be an annoying real-world problem or a riddle presented by a
teacher.
Whether you have students using their collective abilities to try to escape a room,
decide how to edit YouTube videos, or fight for greener efforts at school, the practice
they gain in collective problem solving will create invaluable life skills that will benefit
them outside of the language class.
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9.
Tasks that value creativity and innovation
Take assignments that will allow students to express their creativity and create
something in collaboration with their team - this could be a short film, a poem, or a
figurative dance piece for the class. However, creative tasks don't always have to be
skillful. They may also include coming up with ideas for a school lunch menu for the
week, top class suggestions, or innovative ways to solve a problem their classmates face
every day.
Take advantage of opportunities that allow teammates to brainstorm and voice
their ideas, no matter how small or mundane they may seem. This can increase the
overall creativity of the team and reduce the inhibitions of individual members.
10.
Tasks that reveal diversity and different
perspectives
When working in team s, it is of course important that students learn about unity
and harmonious teamwork. At the same time, by the nature of people working together,
there will inevitably be differences in opinions, views and communication style.
Resolving disagreements and conflicts is part of teamwork, and it is vital that they
learn to see things from different perspectives, talk about difficult issues, and deal with
emotionally challenging scenarios. By opening the speech and reflecting on how we deal
with such situations, students can better understand how they can deal with the more
complex aspects of teamwork.
REFERENCES:
1.
Eva Imania Eliasa. Increasing Values of Teamwork and Responsibility of The
Students. Through Games: Integrating Education Character in Lectures. – Procedia
Social and Behavioral Sciences 123, 2014. – p. 196–203.
2.
Renee-Pascale Laberge. Teamwork in Crossdisciplinarity. – Procedia – Social and
Behavioral Sciences 106, 2013. – p. 2566–2574.
3.
Walton M. The Deming Management Method / Mary Walton. – New York: Dodd
Head, 1986. – p. 56.
4.
Scholters P.R. The Team Handbook. How to use Teams to Improve Quality / Peter
R. Scholters. – New York, 1986. – p.360.
5.
Ibragimov G.I. Forms of training organization: theory, history, practice:
monograph / G.I. Ibragimov. - Kazan: Matbugat yorty, 1988 .—p.274.
6.
Benno A. The choice of educational tasks for the organization of team work in the
classroom / A. Benno // Problems of improving teaching at school. - M., 1973. - p. 187-
194.
