The Effective Use Of Classroom Group Work In Vocational High Schools

Vocational high schools, due to its peculiar characteristics in terms of student characteristics, resources, syllabus, etc., are different from regular high schools. Vocational high school students are academically weak, especially in English. Yet the requirement for their English proficiency is now getting much higher. The current unoptimistic situation in teaching and learning English in vocational high schools calls for teaching reform in English classrooms. As such, group work has come to be a hallmark of interactive language teaching. The rationale for using small group work in the ELT classroom is discussed. Using classroom group work in teaching can arouse students' interest and develop their initiative in learning. It also provides ample opportunities for practising the language for communicative purposes and allows them to learn in an enjoyable atmosphere. Based on the theories, a pilot study was designed and carried out, in which process a questionnaire was also given to students from two different specializing fields in order to find out how students perceive small group work. Then discussions and analyses are made in order to find ways in wliich classroom group work can be used more effectively.