Effective+Activities

Current research on second language acquisition indicates that more learning takes place when students are engaged in relevant tasks within a dynamic learning environment rather than in traditional teacher-led classes. Using well-designed and well-executed communicative activities can help turn the Arabic classroom into an active, safe, and enjoyable place where students will learn what they need and want to learn.

TEACHER TIP : Have fun and allow the students to have fun. Communicative activities are designed to be lively, interactive, and fun. When students are comfortable they are likely to learn more.

Communicative activities include any activities that encourage and require a learner to speak with and listen to other learners, or with people in the program and community. Even when a lesson is focused on developing reading or writing skills, communicative activities should be integrated into the lesson.

TEACHER TIP : Keep teacher talk to a minimum. As much as possible, explain a by demonstrating the process. Go through the motions or act out the situation. Or use a sample group of students to show how thw activity works. Don’t worry if every learner doesn’t understand every part of an activity. Move on when the majority of the learners get the idea, and then circulate and help as needed— One way to gauge the success of a communicative activity is to notice how much or how little the students are depending on the teacher. The more learners are working independently, in pairs, or in small groups, the more effective the activity.

Effective activities have a purpose.
Our everyday communication has a purpose: mainly to convey information. Activities in the language classroom simulate communication outside the classroom when they are structured with a purpose such as finding information, talking about self, talking about others, learning about the culture, etc.

Effective activities are task-based.
Fluent Arabic speakers use language to perform tasks such as solving problems, developing plans, and working together to complete projects. The use of similar task-based activities in the classroom is an excellent way to encourage students to use the language. The goal of an interactive task is for learners to focus together on a topic or activity and exchange meaning about it Tasks may involve solving a scheduling problem, creating or solving a puzzle, preparing an event or presentation, or drawing up a plan.

TEACHER TIP : When designing tasks, remember the learners’ language proficiency. Students will become frustrated if they are trying to accomplish a task that requires skills and knowledge that is beyond their proficiency level. Keep the activity focused on the goals of the lesson, the language to be practiced, the skills to be learned.

**PROBLEM SOLVING TASKS**
Pairs or small groups work together to solve a problem. A group might have a hypothetical amount of money to spend and figure out a monthly budget for a family of four. Students work together and come to an agreement on how to spend the money. In another problem solving situation students are given four pictures and told they must eliminate the one that doesn’t belong. For example four animals: a duck, a cat, an octopus, and a turtle. One student could say that octopuses have 8 legs. Another student could say that ducks can fly, while the others cannot. Students could have many different answers so they must work together to come up with a final decision.

TEACHER TIP : It may be difficult at first for some learners to realize that there can be more than one correct response to a question and many ways to solve a problem. Patiently encourage them to become independent thinkers. Pair them with creative partners and encourage them to participating fully and learn from others.

**INFORMATION GAP ACTIVITIES**
Students work in pairs to share information or expand a partial understanding in order to complete a task. In one-way information gap tasks, one learner has all of the information. For example: one learner describes a picture while the other draws it. In two-way information gap tasks, both learners have information that they must share with the other to complete the task. For example: both students have some information about directions to a location, but they have to share the information that they have to complete the directions. Or each student has only half of a schedule and together they must plan and coodinate an event.

RESOURCE : Click here for more Information Gap activities.

TEACHER TIP : Provide opportunities at the end of the lesson to for some or all of the groups to show what they accomplished in the task. This allows you to give feedback to learners and give correction if needed.

RESOURCE : See the collaboration page in this Wiki for techniques and ideas for working with groups.