MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, CULTURE AND RESEARCH

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA
CHISINAU “ION CREANGA” STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE
ENGLISH PHILOLOGY CHAIR

ANNUAL THESIS

COJOCARU ADELINA

“ THE GROUP WORK ACTIVITY IN THE NINTH GRADE”

SCIENTIFIC ADVISER:
LILIA HERȚA, LECTURER

CHIȘINĂU, 2021
 CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1-3

CHAPTER I: THE WAY OF ACCOMPLISHING THE GROUP WORK

ACTIVITY AND ITS BENEFITS IN LEARNING ENGLISH

1.1 The significance of the concept of group activity...........................................4-5

1.2 Advantages of group work activity................................................................ 5-7

1.3 Difficulties encountered by pupils during group work activities................7-9

1.4 Types of group work activity.........................................................................9-14

1.5 The guidelines and strategies for a successful group work activity..........15-21

CHAPTER II: GROUP WORK ACTIVITY AS AN EFFICIENT METHOD

FOR THE NINTH GRADE.........................................................................................

22-32

CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................33-34

BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................34-35

APPENDIX...........................................................................................................36-44
 INTRODUCTION

The choice of this research is determined by the need to find effective group
work activities for learning a foreign language and to ensure the development of
skills: reading, listening, speaking, writing by ensuring a pleasant atmosphere for
pupils which will not inhibit them and they will be eager to speak the target language,
they will not be afraid of making mistakes and all these possibilities are offered by
group work activities which speed up the learning process efficiently and with
beautiful and promising results;

The importance of the topic. This topic is very vital, because the group work
activity ensures the fast and efficient learning of a foreign language, encourages the
pupils to speak at the lesson in a foreign language, promotes participation and
interaction and all teachers need to know effective group activities that can be used at
the lessons;

The actuality of the group work activity. Many teachers use group work
activities as a key factor in learning a foreign language, these group activities relax
pupils and learning productivity is better. Group activities deserve to be used in
English lessons, because they encourage pupils to speak a foreign language, offer the
possibility for pupils to learn from each other, in many cases group activities save
time. Group work gives pupils more chance to interact and use the target language
more freely. Instead of just having a few seconds to talk in teacher-fronted classes,
pupils can participate longer in a small group and feel more confident to give their
opinions and even make mistakes when just three or four classmates are looking at
them. The teachers are informed about the usefulness and importance of group
activities and do not hesitate to use them at the lessons whenever they can;

The main purpose of this research is to find out the most effective group
activities for learning English. In order to achieve the main of this work the following
objectives have been set:

1) To analyze the advantages and disadvantages of group work activities;

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 2) To illustrate the theoretical support of the importance of group work activity;
3) To describe effective group work activity which can certainly be used at the
lesson;
4) To explain the guidelines for the correct development of a group work activity;

In order to fulfill the main aim of this course paper the following methods have been
applied:

1) The bibliographical method;

2) The method of compact selection;
3) The method of observation;
4) The method of description;
5) The analythical method;
6) The method of generalization;
7) The statistical method;
8) The distributional method;
9) The method of clasification;

The course paper consists of Introduction, two Chapters, Conclusion,

Bibliography and Appendix;

In the Introduction is specified the main purpose, the objectives of the paper,
the research methods, its main choice;

Chapter 1 consists of 5 subchapters (the significance of the concept of group

work activity, advantages of group work activity, difficulties encountered by pupils
during group work activity, types of group work activity and the guidelines and
strategies for a successful group work activity) which contain theoretical data about
group work activity;

Chapter 2 consists of 1 subchapter(group work activity as an efficient

method for the ninth grade) which contain the practical data about using group work
activity and the classification of different types of group work activity;

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 The conclusion shows the results achieved during the process of
investigation.

Bibliography contains a list of all sources of information in alphabetical order

that have been used for writing the paper;

The appendix presents a formative test for checking the pupils’ level of
English, different worksheets for group work activities;

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CHAPTER I: THE WAY OF ACCOMPLISHING THE GROUP WORK
ACTIVITY AND ITS BENEFITS IN LEARNING ENGLISH

The significance of the concept of group work activity

,,In group work learners perform a learning task through small-group

interaction. It is a form of learner activation that is of particular value in the
practice of oral fluency: learners in a class that is divided into five groups get
five times as many opportunities to talk as in full-class organization. It is a
generic term covering a multiplicity of techniques in which two or more pupils
are assigned a task that involves collaboration and self initiated language.
Three important aspects should be highlighted in this definition. The first one
is collaboration. Pupils have to work together for the completion of the task.
All the members of the group are like the pieces of a machine, if one does not
work well, a malfunction may occur. Obviously, for lazy or irresponsible
pupils, this is not a problem because the other members will take over and will
make the machine work somehow. But real cooperation in group work occurs
when everyone is aware of his/her responsibility and role and commits ourself
to accomplish it in the best way possible. Of course, all the members work
together, discuss, come out with new ideas, change certain things, but if one
does not comply with his/her role, the work is paralyzed. Also, roles are
changed within the group every time a new task is assigned; in this way,
everybody will have a different responsibility each time a new group work is
assigned. At first, roles can be assigned by the teacher, but later on, as students
get better trained on successful group work, they can be responsible for
assigning roles themselves. Also, a very important point is self initiated
language that refers to pupils using what they know and have learned in class
to communicate with others in the classroom. In order to do this, the groups

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 have to be small- six pupils or fewer. In very big groups, shy or passive pupils
tend to fall in silence and let the most talkative ones do the talking and they
don’t improve their communicative skills in any language. It is obviously that
one of the classroom variables that has had a marked effect on student
participation in written activities has been group size. Students who remain
silent in groups often or more will contribute actively to discussions when the
size of the group is reduced to five or three. The success of group work depend
to some extent on the surrounding social climate and how habituated the class
is to using it and of course the selection of an interesting and stimulating task
whose performance is well within the ability of the group. But it also depends,
more immediately, on effective and careful organization.” [12, pag.2]

Advantages of group work activity

"Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one
where they sprang up." – Oliver Wendell Holmes. A simple quote, but with a deep
meaning that demonstrates that group activity develops minds, develops
communication and teamwork skills, removes the fear of speaking a foreign
language and making mistakes and creates a pleasant atmosphere in the classroom,
but most importantly it helps pupils achieve an amazing result by involving each
pupil with their ideas. Group work is not just a time-filler, or a thoughtless activity
that teachers sometimes use for checking pending papers or extra assignments.
Group work should not be used as class time for teachers to read, to rest, to prepare
other classes, or just to imitate other teachers that are using group work without
really understanding what that is and entails. The group work activity ensures:
 ,,Pupils’ processing language moves from units and pieces to more complex
sentence structures faster and spontaneously. “Overanalyzing language, thinking
much about its forms, and consciously lingering on rules of language all tend to
impede this graduation to automaticity”. The key element here is fluency over
accuracy;
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 Group work gives pupils more chance to interact and use the target language
more freely. Instead of just having a few seconds to talk in teacher-fronted
classes, students can participate longer in a small group and feel more confident
to give their opinions and even make mistakes when just three or four classmates
are looking at them. The small groups provide opportunities for pupil initiation,
for face-to-face give and take, for practice negotiation of meaning, and for
extended conversational exchanges, and for students adoption of roles that would
otherwise be impossible.
 Language learning is much more meaningful. Instead of memorizing or drilling,
students use language to talk about something that is appealing, contextualized
and relevant to them.
 Group work creates a positive atmosphere in the sense that some pupils will not
feel vulnerable to public display that may cause rejection or criticism. It is totally
true that shy or low risk-taker pupils feel much more confident working in small
groups than in teacher-fronted classes. It is difficult to hide in small groups.
 Learner’s responsibility and autonomy are encouraged through group work.
Pupils are not constantly relying on the teacher to complete their tasks. They learn
that they can complete an activity successfully with the help of other classmates
or by themselves.
 Group work supports and reinforces the application of the multiple intelligences
theory in which learners make use of their individual abilities to accomplish a
task. In this way, learners can participate by doing what they like or are very good
at, for example, drawing, writing, reporting, among others;
 The phrase “two heads are better than one” certainly has some merit. Researchers
found that if students are able together, for example on a problem-solving task,
they are more likely to experiment with different techniques in order to try and
solve it. They can also learn faster from positive and negative feedback. Pupils
also learn better by discussing and questioning each other’s opinions and
reasoning as this allows them to develop different perspectives of how they can
go about completing a task.
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 Working in a group can be tough. So, when pupils are able to overcome all the
conflict, stress, and long hours that come with group assignments, the end result
of getting a good grade can be extremely satisfying and motivating. Research
shows that students who contribute to group discussion and engage with the
assigned problem-solving task are highly dedicated to figuring out a solution.
When they find that solution, pupils report feeling extremely satisfied with their
role in making that decision compared to pupils who weren’t as involved. This
leads to a more positive depiction of their group learning experience.
 Teamwork is a staple part of academic life and allows pupils to explore complex
tasks that they otherwise wouldn’t have done if they had been alone, enhancing
both their individual and collective learning. This is because working in a group
exposes pupils to new perspectives, styles of thinking, and disagreement. This
provides pupils with an opportunity to improve their communication skills,
collaboration and provides a larger capacity for brainstorming different ideas.
This not only contributes to a more holistic approach to learning but can help
group productivity as well.”[7, pag.5-6]

Difficulties encountered by pupils during group work activity

Certainly each activity has its strengths and weaknesses. Also the group
activity has some disadvantages that can influence this activity and can lead to
reduced results from pupils. This does not mean that teachers should not use
this activity, but to analyze in detail the strengths and weaknesses of group
work activity. Teachers must analyze what skills are developed by this method
and choose to develop those skills. This activity has a lot of advantages, but
like any activity it has some disadvantages such as:
 ,,When working with others, it’s natural that disagreement will arise due to
differences in opinions. Some pupils find it difficult to accept criticism from their
peers and struggle to get on board with ideas that aren’t their own and in this case

7
 it is vital that the teachers should create a friendly atmosphere in the class.
Moreover, pupils who are quiet often have difficulty expressing their ideas in a
group and may feel uncomfortable working with people they don’t normally
speak to. As a result, they may be seen as lazy, creating conflict. Research
shows that the presence of conflict in group work can negatively impact the
pupils’ enjoyment of that class, inhibit their individual learning, and increase
stress levels. This is because pupils felt that compromising and coming to an
agreement was an extremely difficult and draining process. This led to many
students developing a fear of conflict.
 Not all pupils learn at the same speed. Some may need more time to fully
understand the task and process the information they’re being taught. On the flip
side, some pupils may grasp the material very quickly. The teacher should
observe the pupils’ individual abilities and to take them in consideration.
Therefore, when working as a group, certain pupils are either forced to hurry up
their learning to the extent that they either learn nothing or resort to copying.
Alternatively, those who work faster may actually be going too fast, attempting to
move onto the next task before everyone is ready. This can lead to conflict as
pupils may get frustrated by the learning process.
 Working in a team can be extremely time-consuming as a pupil. Not only do
meetings have to be scheduled outside of class hours but they have to co-ordinate
with everyone’s schedule. For sixth-form students in particular, this can be quite
difficult due to already being overscheduled. Researchers have even
argued whether the time-consuming nature of group work made the strategy
ineffective. As a result, more research is emerging about when not to use group
work in the classroom and suggest that for simpler tasks, pupils complete them
individually.
 Noise can be very bothering for pupils. Obviously, students speak all at once
trying to accomplish their task, and this causes noise that may bother other
colleagues. A good idea can be that the teacher to name a person who will try to
keep quiet in the group. The noise created by group work is usually “good” noise
8
 since pupils are using English and are engaged in a learning task. What a teacher
can do to solve the “noise problem” is to make pupils aware that they do not need
to shout to be heard and this will help to keep noise at moderate level.
 Pupils make use of any opportunity to switch to their native language. To avoid
this a good idea is to encourage pupils to practice using the target language in
face-to-face contexts and to make them aware of the importance of some real uses
for English in their own lives.”[7, pag.8-10]

Types of group work activity

There are a multitude of types of group activities that offer teachers

the opportunity to make for pupils interesting, different and useful activities.
Different types of group work activities that can be used in lessons to improve
pupils' skills in any foreign language:
 Think-pair-share
,,This strategy has three steps. First, pupils think individually about a
particular question or scenario. Then they pair up to discuss and compare their
ideas. Finally, they are given the chance to share their ideas in a large class
discussion. Think-pair-sharing forces all pupils to attempt an initial response
to the question, which they can then clarify and expand as they collaborate. It
also gives them a chance to validate their ideas in a small group before
mentioning them to the large group, which may help shy pupils feel more
confident participating.
 Guidelines of group work activity think-pair-share
,,1. Let pupils know that will be using the technique and provide them with
instructions.
2. Plan the activity in advance of the lecture.
3. Pose a challenging question around a topic or concept that pupils can find
difficult. 4. Think: Begin by asking a question about a topic or concept and
allow pupils to think individually about their answer (1-3 minutes.)

9
 5. Pair: Each pupil is paired with another (if uneven numbers, allow 3). To
discuss their answers (2-5 minutes).
6. Share: Expand the discussion to the whole class by calling upon pupils to
discuss their proposed solutions and any difficulties they had.
7. Provide feedback to pupils by using this opportunity to correct
misconceptions and reinforce correct answers.”[12, pag.2]
 The benefits of think- pair-share
,,The Think-Pair-Share strategy is a versatile and simple technique for
improving pupils' reading comprehension. It gives pupils time to think about
an answer and activates prior knowledge. TPS enhances pupils' oral
communication skills as they discuss their ideas with one another. This
strategy helps pupils become active participants in learning and can include
writing as a way of organizing thoughts generated from discussions. It also
encourages metacognitive reflection, analysis, cross-articulation, and targeted
language use within a specific context and content area.” [10, pag.7]
 Comments:
 Think-pair-sharing forces all pupils to attempt an initial response to the
question, which they can then clarify and expand as they collaborate. It also
gives them a chance to validate their ideas in a small group before mentioning
them to the large group, which may help shy pupils feel more confident
participating.

 Circle of Voices
This method involves pupils taking turns to speak. Pupils form circles of four
or five. Give pupils a topic, and allow them a few minutes to organize their
thoughts about it. Then the discussion begins, with each pupil having up to
three minutes (or choose a different length) of uninterrupted time to speak.
During this time, no one else is allowed to say anything. After everyone has
spoken once, open the floor within the subgroup for general discussion.

10
 Specify that pupils should only build on what someone else has said, not on
their own ideas; also, at this point, they should not introduce new ideas.
 Comments:
Some shy pupils might feel uncomfortable having to speak. Lessen their fear
by making the topic specific and relevant or by giving each person a relevant
quote to speak about. A variation to this method, which encourages pupils to
listen more carefully to each other, involves requiring each person to begin by
paraphrasing the comments of the previous pupil or by showing how his or her
remarks relate to those of the previous pupil. For this variation, pupils will
need less preparation time before the “circle” begins, but they may need more
time between speakers.
 The conclusion
This group work activity provides a safe, supportive space where all school
community members can talk about sensitive topics, work through differences,
and build consensus and it facilitates open, direct communication. This
activity ensures the development of speaking skills and creates a more relaxed
atmosphere. A very big benefit for this activity is that it can be used as a
method to solve some problems that exist in the classroom.

 Jigsaw
This strategy involves pupils becoming “experts” on one aspect of a topic,
then sharing their expertise with others. Divide a topic into a few constitutive
parts (“puzzle pieces”). Form subgroups of 3-5 and assign each subgroup a
different “piece” of the topic (or, if the class is large, assign two or more
subgroups to each subtopic). Each group’s task is to develop expertise on its
particular subtopic by brainstorming, developing ideas, and if time permits,
researching. Once pupils have become experts on a particular subtopic, shuffle
the groups so that the members of each new group have a different area of
expertise. Pupils then take turns sharing their expertise with the other group
members, thereby creating a completed “puzzle” of knowledge about the main
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 topic. A convenient way to assign different areas of expertise is to distribute
handouts of different colours. For the first stage of the group work, groups are
composed of pupils with the same colour of handout; for the second stage,
each member of the newly formed groups must have a different colour of
handout.
[8, pag 3-5]

 The most important benefits of jigsaw activity:

,,The jigsaw helps to avoid tiresome plenary sessions, because most of the
information is shared in small groups. Jigsaw is a well-established method for
encouraging group sharing and learning of specific content. This technique can be
used as an instructional activity across several days and is best to use when there is a
large amount of content to teach. Also it helps pupils learn cooperation as group
members share responsibility for each other's learning by using critical thinking and
social skills to complete an assignment. Subsequently, this strategy helps to improve
listening, communication, and problem-solving skills. Monitoring each pupil's
participation within the groups provides teachers with information about how much
the pupils already know about the topic. This allows teachers to tailor instruction
accordingly.”[10, pag.9]
 Comments: 
The jigsaw helps to avoid tiresome plenary sessions, because most of the information
is shared in small groups. This method can be expanded by having pupils develop
expertise about their subtopics first through independent research outside of class.
Then, when they meet with those who have the same subtopic, they can clarify and
expand on their expertise before moving to a new group. One potential drawback is
that pupils hear only one group’s expertise on a particular topic and don’t benefit as
much from the insight of the whole class; to address this issue, you could collect a
written record of each group’s work and create a master document- a truly complete
puzzle on the topic.

 Oral Storytelling
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,,Have pupils sit in a circle. Begin telling a story by speaking one sentence aloud.
The pupil on your left should add to the story by speaking a second sentence aloud.
The pupil to his or her left should speak the next sentence aloud, and so on. Keep the
story going around the circle one sentence at a time until it comes to a logical
conclusion. Remind pupils that each sentence should build on the one before it. It’s
easy for pupils to add in something offbeat or random to try to be silly, but the goal of
this lesson is to create a logical story. One way to keep the story on track might be to
record it. For beginning pupils, consider speaking sentences out loud and asking them
to add one word at a time. They could even draw or hold up pictures to add to the
story.
This group activity helps them develop listening comprehension and speaking skills.
Pupils have to be able to follow along with the story, listening closely to what the
people before them just said, and they have to think critically to build a correct
sentence of their own. In addition to language skills, you can choose topics for the
story that revolve around cultural symbols, like the White House, or about cultural
norms, like timeliness. For example, you could start the story with the sentence, “My
name is President Barack Obama and I live in the White House.”
 Comments:
,,Telling a story in a circle, using only language skills, including physical gestures,
tone and volume, captures the viewer's attention a lot. The ability to tell a story about
the day is related to a higher self-esteem and a stronger sense of self, because a pupil
learns to be introspective through the use of narration and oral narration. Cognitively,
storytelling without the use of illustrations requires members to create their own
characters and images in their heads. This skill is called visualization, which is
essential for a pupil when he begins to read novels that do not have pictures or
drawings. Engaging in oral stories helps pupils develop visualization skills. In terms
of language development, a pupil who listens to the story aloud without visual stimuli
apparently activates their auditory system and language processing system. Language
is a combination of words, tones and physical gestures and are exposed to new
vocabulary, grammar and syntax. By telling their own story, they use their expressive
13
language skills and practice their own narratives. I can conclude by saying that this
group activity develops a multitude of skills: visualization, imagination,
communication skills, logic, self-esteem.”[13, pag.1]

 Unscramble the Song

Print multiple copies of the lyrics to a popular song. Cut the lyrics into small sections
or, for more advanced pupils, into individual words. Divide the class into teams. Give
each team a set of cut up lyrics. Play the song as many times as needed while teams
race to unscramble the lyrics and paste them together in the correct order. Bonus
points to you if you can play the song and sing it yourself. Your pupils would love
that! Many pupils credit their language acquisition to pop culture media like movies
and songs. Bringing popular music into the classroom is a great way to engage pupils
in this group activity. In addition, each pupil in the group has to use careful listening
skills and employ precise word order, especially if you choose a fast song or one with
commonly misheard lyrics. Once pupils have completed the task, you can begin to
incorporate more advanced English instruction around musical vocabulary, by
teaching words like bridge, chorus and hook.
 Comments:
This activity is perfect for creating a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom that will
surely develop pupils' listening skills, just as the teacher can choose a song that
contains the grammar topic (for example: the present cntinuous) and thus through this
activity the pupils can also develop grammar (correct writing of the present
continuous structure).

 Written Storytelling
Divide the class into small groups. Each group gets to choose three random words
from a bag and must incorporate each word into a short story. Depending on your
pupils’ levels of English acquisition, you can assign specific numbers of characters,
amount of dialogue, length, etc. to be included in the story. At the end of the lesson,
groups can take turns reading stories aloud. For increased participation and extra

14
practice with speaking, you can ask the pupils who are listening to the story to
comment on their classmates’ work. For beginning pupils, sentence starters like, “I
liked….” or “what did you mean by…?” can be helpful to encourage feedback. Both
the written storytelling and the small group discussion that follows are valuable
practice time. Together, they’ll help pupils practice written and spoken English in one
swoop. As in the oral storytelling suggestion above, assign topics that require pupils
to discuss American customs or cultural norms, like privacy, personal space, hygiene
or dining.
 Comments:
This group activity develops lexis and grammar: spontaneous speech, e.g. (expressing
surprise, shock or approval); interacting with others: most speaking involves
interaction with one or more participant; information processing: quite apart from our
response to others feelings, we also need to be able to process the information they
tell us the moment we get it.

 Three Stay, One Stray

In this activity, groups are given the same research problem to investigate and told to
come to a consensus about possible solutions or recommended courses of action.
Then one member from each group is selected by the instructor to "stray" to the
another group. At the new group, the "straying" pupil briefs the three group members
about what was discussed at the strayer's group. Each strayer is then briefed about
what was discussed in the group they visit. In the last rotation, the "strayer" returns to
their original "home" group. Pupils in the home group then brief the strayer what they
have learned from the other group's strayers. The intended outcome is for each group
to learn the findings of the other groups while also having its findings reported to
another group.”[7, pag. 4-5]
 Comments:
This group work activity improves writing skills: The pupils organize their ideas,
express their thoughts in written form. This enhances their spelling, grammar, and
15
sentence structure. This adds an additional challenge for more advanced pupils and
gets all pupils to improve their cultural literacy.

 Get Creative
Prepare for this activity by collecting 20-40 pictures of objects. You can use
pictures from magazines or recycled picture books, pictures printed off the
internet, take pictures of items yourself or buy a set of flash cards with random
nouns. Shuffle the pictures and divide your class into groups of around three
pupils. Then have each group choose five pictures without looking at them.
The students must then work together to compose a skit that includes all of the
objects they have chosen. Encourage your pupils to be creative and to have
fun. Then, have each group perform their skit in front of the class.
 Comments:
,,Creative activities help pupils to develop many thinking skills. These skills
include- problem-solving, developing their imagination, concentration and
critical thinking. By exploring different materials and tools, discovering new
concepts and techniques, children can develop their ideas and their
understanding of the world. Creative activities can also help to develop basic
mathematics and science skills. Practising and developing these skills, during
pupils’ early years, will help them transfer these skills to other areas of their
life which will benefit them as they grow older.”[13, pag,11 ]
 Memory Challenge
This vocabulary learning activity is fun for pupils of all levels. Collect several
items on a tray (they can be around one theme or randomly selected), and
show them to your pupils for sixty seconds. The more items you use, the more
difficult the activity will be. Then cover the items and have groups of pupils
work together to make a list of all of the items that were on the tray. When
your pupils cannot remember any more items, uncover the tray and have them
check their answers. This is a good time to review the names of the items on
the tray or give alternative names for them. After checking their lists, have
16
 each group work together to write one sentence about each of the items. To
extend the activity, remove one or two items and show the tray to your pupils
again. Groups discuss what is different or what items are missing. This gives
them a chance to use the vocabulary they have just learned.
 Comments:
Memory games develops certainly the vocabulary, being an interesting group
activity they can memorize quickly the new words. Also playing memory
games can improve other brain functions, such as attention, concentration, and
focus. Memory games give space to critical thinking and that helps pupils
nurture their attention to detail. Memory games can improve visual
recognition. With many memory games based on spotting differences, or
linking two related images, pupils improve their visual discrimination. This
will lead to an acceleration in distinguishing images from one and another.
Short-term memory is key to playing memory games and playing them often
will improve function in this area. A good short-term memory can improve a
pupil's long-term memory too. Both are linked and being able to move things
from your short-term memory into long-term will improve learning in other
areas.[9, pag.5]
 Pro-Con-Caveat
The teacher distributes a "Pro-Con-Caveat" grid to fill out that relates to a
specific research problem, usually in the form of a question. The grid consists
of three columns: a list of the arguments in favor of a certain decision, a
column for arguments against that position, and a third column that identifies
caveats that must be considered [i.e., issues that may impact or influence the
decision]. Pupils bring a copy of their grid to class and then work in groups to
create a grid that the group determines to be the best synopsis of ideas from
each group member's pro, con, and caveat column. Each group then reports
these best ideas to the class. This activity is usually assigned if your professor
wants you to prepare ahead of time to analyze a research problem and to be
aware of the topic from more than one perspective. Reporting the results of
17
 your group's work also supports cooperation in designing a presentation about
the topic.’’[16, pag. 8-11]
 Comments:
Pro-con-caveat encourages individual reflection on issues. Additionally, this
activity promotes higher-order thinking when pupils make judgments about
which pros, cons, and caveats are most important. This activity develops
critical thinking, logic, develops vocabulary and speaking.

The guidelines and strategies for a successful group work activity

Working in groups is quite different than working individually. One of the

main reasons why pupils find it difficult is that they have not been trained to
function effectively in a team setting and for this reason students may face various
difficulties. An instructor can help them by teaching organizational, personal, and
discussion skills that will help pupils manage group dynamics and have a positive
teamwork experience. Meetings are key events during group work and there are
several techniques for conducting effective meetings. Group work can be an
effective way to motivate pupils, encourage active learning and develop key critical
thinking, communication and decision-making skills. But without careful planning
and facilitation, group work can frustrate pupils and instructors and can feel like a
waste of time. It is very important to follow these guidelines carefully in order to
have visible achievements at the end.
,,The teachers should think carefully about how pupils will be physically
arranged in groups. Will it be easy for groups to form and for all pupils to be
comfortable? Also think about how the layout of your classroom will impact
volume. Will pupils be able to hear one another clearly? How can you moderate
the activity to control volume?

18
 Insist on professional, civil conduct between and among students to respect
people’s differences and create an inclusive environment.
 Talk to pupils about their past experiences with group work and allow them to
establish some ground rules for successful collaboration. This discussion can
be successfully done anonymously through the use of note cards.
 Decide on group size. The size you choose will depend on the number of
pupils, the size of the classroom, the variety of voices needed within a group,
and the task assigned. Groups of four-five tend to balance the needs for
diversity, productivity, active participation, and cohesion. The less skillful the
group members, the smaller the groups should be.
 Decide how you will divide pupils into groups. Division based on proximity or
pupils’ choice is quickest, especially for large and cramped classes, but this
often means that pupils end up working together with friends or with the same
people.
 To vary group composition and increase diversity within groups, randomly
assign pupils to groups by counting off and grouping them according to
number. Another idea is to distribute candy (e.g., Starburst or hard, coloured
candies) and group students according to the flavour they choose.
 For some group tasks, the diversity within a group (e.g., gender, ethnicity,
level of preparation) is especially important, and you might want to assign
pupils to groups yourself before class. Collect a data card from each pupil on
the first day of class to glean important information about their backgrounds,
knowledge, and interests. Alternately, ask pupils to express a preference (e.g.,
list three pupils with whom they would most like to work or two topics they
would most like to study), and keep their preferences in mind as you assign
groups.
 Allow sufficient time for group work. Recognize that you won't be able to
cover as much material as you could if you lectured for the whole class period.
Cut back on the content you want to present in order to give groups time to

19
 work. Estimate the amount of time that subgroups need to complete the
activity. Also plan for a plenary session in which groups’ results can be
presented or general issues and questions can be discussed.
 Try to predict pupils’ answers. You won’t be able to expect the unexpected,
but by having some idea about what pupils will come up with, you will be
better prepared to answer their questions and tie together the group work
during the plenary session.
 Design collaborative work in multiple forms: pairs, small groups, large
groups, online synchronously, online asynchronously, etc. Some pupils might
be better at contributing after they have had time to digest material, while
others might be better at thinking on the spot. Other pupils will defer to others
in large groups but actively contribute in pairs. All roles should be valued and
included.
 Have pupils form groups before you give them instructions. If you try to give
instructions first, students may be too preoccupied with deciding on group
membership to listen to you. 
 Explain the task clearly. This means both telling students exactly what they
have to do and describing what the final product of their group work will look
like. Explaining the big picture or final goal is important, especially when the
group work will take place in steps (such as in snowballing or jigsaw). Prepare
written or visual instructions (e.g., charts, sequential diagrams) for pupils.
Remember to include time estimations for activities.
 Monitor the groups but do not hover. As pupils do their work, circulate among
the groups and answer any questions raised. Also listen for tr ends that are
emerging from the discussions, so that you can refer to them during the
subsequent plenary discussion. Avoid interfering with group
functioning — allow time for pupils to solve their own problems before
getting involved. You might consider leaving the room for a short period of
time. Your absence can increase pupils’ willingness to share uncertainties and
disagreements.
20
 Provide closure to the group activities. Pupils tend to want to see how
their work in small groups was useful to them and/or contributed to the
development of the topic. You can end with a plenary session in which
students do group reporting. Effective group reporting “can make the
difference between pupils’ feeling that they are just going through their paces
and the sense that they are engaged in a powerful exchange of
ideas” Strategies are used to accomplish a goal. These strategies represent sub-
components of an overall plan to address a need or problem. More than one
strategy may be used concurrently, but too many different strategies all at once
would probably be confusing. As a result we recommend that a school identify
just a few 2-4 strategies to work on at any one time. each activity must have
different strategies that will certainly make it much more effective. these
strategies are welcome and can be used to improve some activities and to
facilitate the activity of pupils. These strategies cand be:
Visualization
Bring dull academic concepts to life with visual and practical learning
experiences, helping your pupils to understand how their schooling applies in
the real-world. Examples include using the interactive whiteboard to display
photos, audio clips and videos, as well as encouraging your pupils to get out of
their seats with classroom experiments and local field trips.

Differentiation
Differentiate your teaching by allocating tasks based on students’ abilities, to
ensure no one gets left behind. Assigning classroom activities according to
pupils’ unique learning needs means individuals with higher academic
capabilities are stretched and those who are struggling get the appropriate
support. This can involve handing out worksheets that vary in complexity to
different groups of pupils, or setting up a range of work stations around the
classroom which contain an assortment of tasks for students to choose from.

21
 Behaviour management
Implementing an effective behaviour management strategy is crucial to gain
the pupils respect and ensure pupils have an equal chance of reaching their full
potential. Noisy, disruptive classrooms do no encourage a productive learning
environment, therefore developing an atmosphere of mutual respect through a
combination of discipline and reward can be beneficial for both you and your
pupils.
Examples include fun and interactive reward charts for younger pupils, where
individuals move up or down based on behaviour with the top student
receiving a prize at the end of the week. ‘Golden time’ can also work for
pupils of all ages, with a choice of various activities such as games or no
homework in reward for their hard work.

Demonstrating and modeling

It is another most important component in all English language lessons. The
key role of the teacher is to demonstrate and model all the behaviors to be
learned in the lesson, especially the verbal behaviors expected to be mastered
by the pupils.All teachers must remember that for most English language
learners, teachers are the only role models that students will ever come in
contact with for the language items. In today’s world, few parents have the
time or energy – or the knowledge – to present the content of the language
lessons. Only teachers can provide that.

Technology in the classroom

Incorporating technology into your teaching is a great way to actively engage
your pupils, especially as digital media surrounds young people in the 21st
century. Interactive whiteboards or mobile devices can be used to display
images and videos, which helps pupils visualize new academic concepts.
Learning can become more interactive when technology is used as pupils can

22
physically engage during lessons as well as instantly research their ideas,
which develops autonomy.

Base the activity on easy language

In general, the level of language needed for a discussion should be lower than
that used in intensive language-learning activities in the same class: it should
be easily recalled and produced by the participants, so that they can speak
fluently with the minimum of hesitation. It is a good idea to teach or review
essential vocabulary before the activity starts.

Make a careful choice of topic and task to stimulate interest.

On the whole, the clearer the purpose of the discussion the more motivated
participants will be.

Keep pupils speaking the target language

The teacher might appoint one of the group as a monitor, whose job is to
remind participants to use the target language and perhaps report later tothe
teacher how well the group managed to keep to it. Even if there is no actual
penalty attached, the very awareness that someone is monitoring such lapses
helps participants to be more careful. However, the best way to keep pupils
speaking the target language is simply to be there yourself as much as
possible, reminding them and modelling the language useyourself.

Have a Method in Place for Volume Control

To avoid a classroom where it’s too noisy to concentrate, make a “silence
signal” before starting. This could be a simple hand signal, like a time-out “T”
sign, or a flickering of the lights, which you can use to indicate they need to
bring the volume down a few notches. This non-verbal signal will keep you
from shouting, as you shouldn’t have to speak over their rising noise
levels.”[10, pag. 7-9]
23
 Teaching strategies
,,The role of the teacher can be more or less directive with particular activities
or session varying from being more teacher- or learner-centred. Strategies that foster
interaction between learners include:
 Buzz groups: for quick sharing of ideas then feedback to whole group;
 Soap box debates: encouraging learners to adopt a given position on an issue;
 Role rehearsal: in triads with an observer to rehearse consultation skills;
 Posters: flipcharts and pens can be use to create posters on a key topic;
 Task groups: breakout activities to consolidate or develop ideas, e.g. write a
patient information leaflet on…
Using different types of questioning to shift the learning and participation focus
facilitates discussions and promotes interactions.
Question strategies
Different question strategies can be used to elicit different responses, stimulate
deeper thinking and reflection and promote critical thinking and discussion such as:
 Evidence
How do you know that? What evidence is there to support that position?
 Clarification
Can you put that another way? Can you give me an example? Can you explain that
term?
 Explanation
Why might that be the case? How would we know that? Who might be responsible
for?
 Linking and extending
Is there any connection between what you have just said and what Y said earlier?
How does this idea support or challenge what we explored earlier in the session?
 Hypothetical
What might happen if? What would be the potential benefits of X?
 Cause and effect
24
How is this response related to management? What is or isn’t drug X suitable in this
condition? What would happen if we increased or decreased X?
 Summary and synthesis
What remains unsolved or uncertain? What else do we need to know or do to
understand this better or be better prepared?Give me an example? Can you explain
that term?”[4, pag. 29-30]
Teaching strategies
The role of the teacher can be more or less
directive with particular activities or ses-
sion varying from being more teacher- or
learner-centred. Strategies that foster inter-
action between learners include:
n Buzz groups: for quick sharing of ideas
then feedback to whole group
n Soap box debates: encouraging learners
to adopt a given position on an issue
n Role rehearsal: in triads with an observer
to rehearse consultation skills
n Posters: flipcharts and pens can be use
to create posters on a key topic
Explanation
Why might that be the case? How would we
know that? Who might be responsible for?
Linking and extending
Is there any connection between what you
have just said and what Y said earlier? How
does this idea support or challenge what we
explored earlier in the session?
Hypothetical
What might happen if? What would be the
potential benefits of X?
Cause and effect
How is this response related to manage-
ment? What is or isn’t drug X suitable in
this condition? What would happen if we
increased or decreased X?
Summary and synthesis
What remains unsolved or uncertain? What
else do we need to know or do to under-
stand this better or be better prepared
aching strategies

25
The role of the teacher can be more or less
directive with particular activities or ses-
sion varying from being more teacher- or
learner-centred. Strategies that foster inter-
action between learners include:
n Buzz groups: for quick sharing of ideas
then feedback to whole group
n Soap box debates: encouraging learners
to adopt a given position on an issue
n Role rehearsal: in triads with an observer
to rehearse consultation skills
n Posters: flipcharts and pens can be use
to create posters on a key topic
ing start to group sessions. It usually helps
to establish ground rules such as starting
and finishing on time, not interrupting,
participating, saying when you don’t under-
stand, switching off mobile phones, treat-
ing others’ contributions with respect and
maintaining confidentiality.
Teaching strategies
The role of the teacher can be more or less
directive with particular activities or ses-
sion varying from being more teacher- or
lea

CHAPTER II: GROUP WORK ACTIVITY AS AN EFFICIENT METHOD

FOR THE NINTH GRADE

26
  This year I had the opportunity to do active and passive practice at the high
school ,,Spiru Haret” in Chișinău. One week I attended the lessons and I noticed how
the lessons went, what methods the teacher used, how attentive the pupils were, how
eager they were to learn English, how the pupils reacted to the activities that the
teacher did. I noticed that the teacher did not use group activities and this made me
want to do as many group activities as possible to arouse the pupils’ interest and to
see if there will be an improvement in pupils' abilities. I had four weeks in which I
taught the ninth grade. I tried to use as many group work activities as possible, but
before doing these activities I proposed a test to the pupils to observe their level of
English so at the end of the active practice I could see if there was an improvement
and if the group activities were effective in English lessons. I noticed that the teacher
did various interesting activities, but that the pupils had to work individually. I
observed that pupils used to consult with their classmates, even if they had to work
individually and I wanted to offer them this opportunity to interact. During the active
practice I tried to use the group work activity and the pupils were very excited, active,
they all got involved, they gave their opinions, they always asked me to do group
activities and that made me happy. Pupils who had a lower level of English and who
were intimidated to speak they also tried to speak in the target language even if they
made mistakes.
After I gave them the formative test I noticed that they had some listening
problems, many of them didn’t understand the main idea and only guessed the correct
answer or if they heard a word that is found in an answer they circled it, so I tried to
propose group activities based on listening. Most pupils did not have problems with
grammar, on the contrary it was very easy for them. In writing I observed that they
did not use connectors for example: I think, I consider, I deny, in my opinion, in
conclusion and so on.

27
 The results of formative test in the ninth grade
8

0
5 pup.(45-41p) 7 pup.41-36 p) 9 pup.(36-29p.) 12 pup.(29-13p.)

writing grammar listening

Also I proposed to the pupils the topic,, My last holiday” because it was one
week until the vacation and I wanted that they to remember those beautiful and
unforgettable moments. In this way I tested their speaking skill.
They had to speak about following points:
1) Where was your last vacation?
2) What did you do there?
3) What impressed you the most?
4) How did you get there?
I gave the pupils 5 minutes to prepare and after that each pupil had to talk about this
topic for about one minute. This diagram shows that the pupils had a very good
fluency, without hesitation, the volume of speech was perfect, the pronounciation was
good, but they made many grammar mistakes, because they forgot to put "s" in the
third person singular, and they didn’t use correctly concordance of tenses they used
various complicated constructions, a lot of vocabulary specific to the holiday topic.

28
 Pupils' speaking skill results
7

0
5 pup.(20 p.) 9 pup.(19-17p.) 10 pup.(17-12p.) 9 pup.(12-8 p.))

fluency pronunciation and grammar grammar

,,Working together can be a great way for shy pupils to get more involved with

classmates in an easygoing atmosphere. During group activities, pupils can engage
in authentic vocabulary practice while having a great time. There are many ways to
bring group work into classroom, even when there is on a tight budget. Games and
group  activities can focus on materials you already have, like cards and music.
Pupils of varying English levels can work together to support each other, make
decisions together and learning from one another. Games and group work can involve
all of the aspects of language- listening, speaking, reading and writing.’’[12, pag.4]
Taking into account all the advantages of group activities during my active practice I
did a multitude of group activities such as:
Oral storytelling
The topic: The bounty of nature
The goal: to improve the logical imagination and thinking, to develop speaking skill;
The time: 15 minutes;
The intructions: Before doing the first group work activity, I asked the pupils to
think of a rule that each pupil had to follow and he had to observe if his rule was
29
followed by the other classmates. I informed the pupils that they had to sit in a circle
and they had to begin telling a story by speaking one sentence aloud. I told the pupils
all the instructions of the group activity before the pupils came in a circle, because in
this way they were focused on my instructions and no further explanations were
needed from me later. I clearly explained to the pupils what to do and I described
what their final product had to look like (a logical story, using as much vocabulary as
possible on the topic of the bounty of nature. The pupils on left had to add the story
by speaking a second sentence aloud. The pupil to their left had to speak the next
sentence aloud and so on. They kept the story going around the circle one sentence at
a time until it came to a logical conclusion. I tried to walk around the class and
answer the questions asked by the pupils and I only noticed what problems they faced
and I did not correct them at all so that they could relax and not be inhibited. I
proposed a topic for this group activity easier than pupils’ level to be able to speak
the target language easily and without much hesitation. I chose a monitor in each
group to remind colleagues to speak the target language and at the end of the activity
he reported to me whether or not the pupils spoke English.
I reminded the pupils that each sentence had to build on the one before it. It was easy
for pupils to add in something offbeat or random to try to be silly, but the goal of this
lesson was to create a logical story. At the end I did a little analysis based on their
mistakes made during the activity (not using connectors and grammatical mistakes)
and I thanked them for their participation, involvement and ingenious answers.
The benefits
This group activity helps pupils develop listening comprehension and speaking skills.
Pupils had to be able to follow along with the story, listening closely to what the
people before them just said, and they had to think critically to build a correct
sentence of their own.
The conclusion
I remarked that the pupils were very enthusiastic to work in groups, being a group
activity and realizing that everyone brought their contribution they tried to create
sentences as logical as possible. I saw that at first it was difficult for them to express
30
their ideas, but a little later it was not difficult. I tried to propose the topic of current
story and to arouse their interest. If pupils did not use connectors, I asked them to use
connectors when I did a little analysis. There was no noise at the lesson, because they
had to be careful what the others said in order to continue the story.
Unscramble the song
The topic: Citius, Altius, Fortius
The goal: to identify the copies of the song logically and to develop the listening
skill;
The time: 20 minutes;
The instruction: I printed multiple copies of a song which is called ,,Never doubt
who you are” I cut the lyrics into individual words. I divided the class into small
groups and each pupil had the task and I gave each group a set of cut up lyrics, but
first I explained to them what group activity consisted of by giving them an example.
I gave them enough time and they didn't panic that they wouldn't succeed. I played
the song as many times as needed while groups raced to unscramble the lyrics and
pasted them together in the correct order. I tried to offer the pupils a current song to
arouse interest, desire, motivation. In addition, each pupil in the group had to use
careful listening skills and employ precise word order. Once pupils completed the
task, I began to incorporate more advanced English instruction around musical
vocabulary, by teaching words like bridge, chorus and hook. At the end I did a little
analysis and gave them some advice that it would be very good to listen to videos,
shows, music in English at home and focus on the main idea, but not on every word
that they don't know. I also thanked them for their participation.
The conclusion: During the activity I noticed that there was something new for the
pupils, they had difficulties in doing this exercise. Many pupils did not arrange the
copies in the correct order, they motivated that the pace is fast and they did not
succeed, but I think that there were few listening activities that they did before and
they were not adapted with such exercises.
Choose your own vocabulary
The topic: Altius, Fortius, Citius
31
The goal: to apply the new words in writing a paragraph developing writing ,
vocabulary and imagination;
The time: 25 minutes
Instruction: I started with the topic,, Citius, Altius, Fortius. I told the pupils that I
was going to let them choose their own set of vocabulary words on that subject. I
gave the pupils one word associated with that topic and wrote it on the board.
(Appendix 2) Then had the pupils to take turns adding words to the list. They had to
write the words on the board as they gave them. Their words could be anything as
long as they were associated with the topic I have given them. Pupils had to be
allowed to use dictionaries and thesauruses to come up with their words. Once
everyone has given a unique word to the vocabulary set and the groups of pupils had
to write a paragraph using each of the words on the list. I divided 4 members in each
group so that each pupil was involved and they had as many interesting paragraphs as
possible. Before the division I explained to them clearly what they had to do with
those words on the board and I gave them 10 minutes for this task and later I gave
them another 5 minutes at their request. At the end I praised them for the beautiful
paragraphs and I offered them candies to each group.

Conclusion: I observed that it was difficult for the pupils to find words associated
with the proposed topic, even using the dictionary, but after writing those words for
them it was not difficult for each group to make a paragraph, on the contrary I noticed
that they were ready before the end of the indicated time. I observed an improvement
after the third group activity, the pupils with a lower level of English shared their
ideas, were very involved and tried to speak English, even if they usually speak their
mother tongue. This made me happy and I opted for other group activities.
Get Creative
The topic: Travelling round the world
The goal: to create a logical story with the help of images developing imagination
and vocabulary;
The time: 12 minutes;

32
The instruction: I prepared for this activity by collecting 20-40 pictures of objects.
All images were based on the travelling topic and I brought the pupils colorful
pictures to make this activity more enjoyable for them to work. I used pictures from
magazines and recycled picture books, pictures printed off the internet and I bought a
set of flash cards with random nouns. I shuffled the pictures and divided the class into
groups of around three pupils and of course I explained them all the instructions
before division. Then had each group choose five pictures without looking at them.
The pupils had to work together to compose a skit that includes all of the objects that
they have chosen. I encouraged the pupils to be creative and to have fun. To be sure
that the pupils used English I chose a monitor in each group that had to remind the
pupils to use the target language. I walked through the class and I tried to observe
how the pupils speak, what are the difficulties they faced and I did not correct them,
only if you made blatant mistakes Then, had each group perform their skit in front of
the class. I finished with a little appreciation and good marks that motivated the
pupils.
The conclusion: I really liked that the pupils used all the proposed images and
created a logical story. I observed that after my observations they started using
logical connectors. Those who had a higher level of English tried to respect their
colleagues, to respect their ideas, to correct them in case they made major mistakes. I
think the biggest advantage was that they learned from each other.
Pros and cons
The topic: Home, Sweet Home
The goal: To identify the pros and cons on the topic,,The home is everything”
developing critical thinking.
The time: 25 minutes
The instruction: ,,I asked pupils to work in groups and to write two or three of their
own statements on the topic,, The home is everything”. I clearly explained the task to
them and gave them enough time to complete the activity I divided pupils into small
groups to discuss what they’ve written. I told one pupil from each group to go to
another group to hear the ideas of other groups and to complete their ideas, after
33
which he returned to his group and told the members about the ideas of the other
group. After pupils have swapped partners twice, I asked them to start discusing and
writing ideas they’ve heard from other pupils. This meant that pupils were able to
contribute ideas from other pupils on topics they didn’t have any opinion about
themselves. This was an important step, as it gave pupils a licence to repeat and
recycle ideas that weren’t their own and to build a wider knowledge of each topic.
Once pupils have spoken to five or six different partners and after this I asked them to
return to their seats. They had to talk then briefly in pairs about each of the
statements, but they could only mention what other people said.’’[14]
The conclusion: I think it was a very useful activity, because pupils didn’t only learn
to work in a team, to respect each other, but they learnt from each other. I remarked
that pupils who went to another group to find out the other group's ideas wrote down
some ideas in their notebooks and then came to their group and discussed those ideas.
The pupils were eager to interact with their colleagues considering this activity fun,
lively and efficient.

Circle of voices
The topic: Family- God’s Masterpiece
The goal: generate ideas, develop listening skills, have all students participate,
equalize learning environment
The time: 15-20 minutes
The instruction: This method involved pupils taking turns to speak. I explained the
task to the pupils using an example to make it easier for them to understand
afterwards pupils formed circles of four or five. I gave pupils the topic,, The family- a
vital factor in our life” and I proposed different points that they should use in their
speech such as:
 Define the word ‘family’. Who does it include?;
 Do you have traditional family values?
 Name some of them; How do you determine your family values?

34
Each group had a sheet on the table with these points to make the activity more
productive.
I allowed them a few minutes to organize their thoughts about it. Then the
discussion began with each pupil having up to two minutes of uninterrupted time to
speak. During this time, no one else was allowed to say anything. After everyone has
spoken once, open the floor within the subgroup for general discussion. I specified
that pupils had only to build on what someone else has said, not on their own ideas;
also, at this point, they didn’t have to introduce new ideas. The activity ended when
everyone talked about the ideas heard from a classmate and I congratulated them for
the coherence of the sentences and the very good memory.
The conclusion: A variant of this method is that it encouraged the pupils to listen
more closely to each other, presupposed the obligation of each person to start by
paraphrasing the comments of the previous pupil or by showing the connection
between his remarks and those of the previous pupil. For this variant, the pupils
needed less preparation time before the "circle" started. Through this group activity,
the pupils learned to speak fluently, the speaking and memory skills were developed,
because they had to keep the ideas of the group colleagues. From the beginning,
many pupils tended to write in their notebooks some information that their classmates
reported, it was something new for them that they tried to memorize all the ideas they
said and not just the important ones. I noticed that some pupils paraphrased what their
colleagues said and this is a great advantage for them.
What will you need
The topic: It’s time for holiday
The goal:  foster relationships among pupils, increase confidence in participating,
develop the vocabulary;
The time: 6-8 minutes;
The instruction: There was in the book the topic,, On holiday”. I wanted to propose
a group activity to pupils which was called,, What will you need”. I told the pupils
that they were going on a trip to Italy and they would need to pack. Groups of two or
three pupils worked together to make a list of all the items they needed to bring with
35
them. I gave the pupils no more than five minutes to make their list. Then, the groups
compared what they have listed. Any items that another group has listed had to be
crossed out. Groups scored one point for each of the unique items on their packing
list. The group with the most number of unique items won. I informed them from the
beginning that the winning group will have a gift. At the end I offered the gift to the
group that won and I did a little analysis (I asked the pupils what was difficult for
them, I told them about the mistakes that they made very often, they did not use
correctly the conditional and the next lesson I told them we would repeat it).
The conclusion: Apparently it was an easy task, but because time was short and they
couldn't quickly decide what things they needed on vacation, they wrote a few words.
The group that wrote the most words won. In this activity the pupils were very
enthusiastic, eager to listen to the words that their colleagues wrote. If their
colleagues wrote some words that they did not think to write they agreed with their
colleagues that they are important things on journey. I liked that they only wrote a
few words on the sheet, but on the spot they had to make a small text, what objects
they took on vacation and why they took these things and they made a logical text
and they had few grammatical mistakes.
Use one cube
The topic: Hard work- the key to success
The goal: to create a logical history and to develop the imagination, the vocabulary,
generate ideas;
The time: 10-15 minutes;
The instruction: I divided the pupils in small groups (3-4 members) I placed all
cubes into a bag and get one pupil from each group to the front of the class. They
chose one cube at random and then each group had to write a story using all six
images on one cube( the images were related with the topic: ,,Hard work- the key to
success”). I informed the pupils that they had 5 minutes to create the story and while
they were talking. I was walking around the class and trying to help them, to
encourage them as much as possible. Again there was a monitor in each group and I
detected that this guideline worked very well because the pupils spoke the target
36
language. At the end a representative person from each group told the story to the
whole class. Each group voted which is the most beautiful story and necessarily gave
arguments why they thought so.
The observation: I noticed that the pupils were very well organized, in the group it
was easier to create a story, because everyone had ingenious ideas, many pupils said
and one person wrote. I like that this activity offers the possibility for the groups to
tell their stories at the end. I observed that when they had to vote which is the most
beautiful story were objective and brought well-founded arguments.
Review grammar forms
The topic: The tense Past Continuous
The goal: apply grammar by creating sentences, develop imagination, vocabulary;
The time: 5-10 minutes
The instruction: I divided the pupils into groups of five members and proposed to
the pupils a lot of cubes with different images and they had to make sentences using
past continuous. I explained the task to them by showing them an example on the
computer, they were very excited about the cubes. I gave them 7 minutes to write as
many sentences as possible using the images on the cube and past continuous. First of
all I reviewed this grammar topic through an interactive game due to which the pupils
were eager to continue the activity. The group that made the most sentences correctly
won.
The observation: I detected that for the pupils it was much more interesting,
captivating to make sentences, because they had pictures. When the time was up they
asked me to give them two more minutes because they had many ideas and they
didn't succeed in four minutes. Each pupil was involved in a task: a person was
looking for the right images to make a sentence, one was making sentences, the other
person was helping to form the past continuous, another person was writing the
sentences.
Bingo
The goal: to identify some qualities, new things to their colleagues, to get to know
each other better;
The time: 15-20 minutes
37
The instruction: ,,In order to get to know the pupils better in class, I proposed the
“bingo” group activity to them. I divided the pupils into small groups (6 members in
each group), because there were more than 30 pupils in the class and it would have
been a bit of chaos if they had not been divided into groups. I gave each participant a
bingo card and I explained that the group had 20 minutes to mingle with each other,
during which time they had to introduce themselves to each other and find pupils who
fit with the features on the bingo card. I told them that once they found the person
with the correct trait, they had to put the person's name in the appropriate box or have
the person sign the appropriate square. I informed the pupils that the first person to
fill five boxes over or down shouted "Bingo" and won the game. I prepared a prize
for the winners and in this way they were more motivated.[10] (Appendix 2)
The observation: I discovered that the pupils were eager to learn new things about
their classmates, to ask questions, some pupils forgot the auxiliary verb "do" to form
the present simple tense. When I informed them that it would be a gift at the end they
were much more motivated, active with great desire to begin, their pronunciation was
very good and they spoke without hesitation. The pupils had many similarities and
were very surprised when they found out.
Advantages and disadvantages
The topic: Online learning and face-to-face learning
The goal: to justify the idea, to analyze the opinions of others critically;
The time: 10-15 minutes;
The instruction: ,,I had to teach the pupils online and face to face learning and after
discussing based on a text that represents for them online and face to face teaching
and what are the major differences. I proposed the pupils a group work activity. I
divided the pupils into 5 groups, I tried to divide pupils with a higher and lower level
of English in each group in order to be a balance and I gave each group the
opportunity to win. I chose a pupil from each group as a monitor and he had to
remind the pupils to speak the target language, so I improved my speaking. I
explained the rules of the activity to them before they were divided into groups to
focus as much as possible on my explanations. There were four sheets: the
38
advantages of online learning, the disadvantages of online learning, the advantages of
face to face learning, the disadvantages of face to face learning and each group
received one sheet and had to bring as many arguments as possible.(Appendix 4)
Which group had the most arguments won the game and as a reward the winning
group could choose from two activities an activity to do in class.’’[7]
The observation: This being the last group activity in the active period of my
practice and I was happy, because I noticed that the grammatical mistakes were less,
the pronunciation was much better, the pupils respected each other, each contributed
a lot and encouraged each other, I saw the desire on their faces to win, they were
much closer to each other.

CONCLUSION
Following this research I remarked that the group activities were very
effective for the ninth grade pupils, because the group activities promoted
participation and interaction. Classroom research has shown that pupils often learn
better form each other than they do from a teacher. It is not difficult or time-
consuming to incorporate group work activities into your lesson plans, but there are
some general rules-of-thumb about structuring group work well. There are many
learning goals that can be achieved by having pupils collaborate either in pairs or in
small groups. The group activities also promoted a deeper and more active learning
process for ninth graders. In addition to exposing pupils to different approaches and
ways of thinking, working with other pupils in groups has promoted a sense of
belonging to combating the anonymity, isolation, or even shyness that often
accompanies a pupil's experience on a large campus. Working together in groups
gave pupils the opportunity to learn from each other. After the formative test I

39
noticed that the pupils encountered some difficulties in grammar, they did not use the
concordance of the tenses correctly, they forgot to use the term "s" in the third
person, but after doing different group activities the pupils made fewer grammatical
mistakes, because I tried to have in each group a person who has a higher level of
English than the others in the group and in this way he helped others and in some
situations corrected them. The pupils did not have speech problems, he spoke
fluently, but it was very difficult for them to understand the main idea when they
heard something, so I proposed as many listening group activities (unscramble song,
circle of voices) and with their time he managed to identify the main idea and no
longer focused on every word. These group activities created a friendly atmosphere
for pupils, gave them the opportunity to improve their English language skills by
learning from each other. The pupils were much more eager, curious, active to learn
English and had more complex, more interesting, inventive answers, because each
one contributed to the final answer. I want to conclude by saying:  "Alone we can do
so little, but together we can do so much." – Helen Kelle
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Printed publications (books)

1) Alaa Baji Jebur ,,Group work effectiveness in English language teaching”, 2019;
2) Chittima Kaweera ,,Individual, pair and group writing activity”, 2019;
3) E. Sagoian ,,Methods of teaching english and lesson planning” 2019, p. 218,
ISBN 978-9975-134-87-3
4) Judy Mckimm, Clare Morris ,, Small group teaching”, 2009;
5) Margareta Dușciac, Maria Gîscă, Timophy Schneider ,,English for success”, 2015, p.
170, ISBN 978-9975-54-201-2;
6) Usman Karim ,,Implementation of group work in the classroom”, 2015, p.210;
Electronic documents
7),,Advantages and dizadvantages of group work activity in the classroom”
https://blog.innerdrive.co.uk/advantages-disadvantages-group-work
8) Amanda Ronan ,, Learning together: 5 engaging group activities for your pupils”
available https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-group-activities/

9),,Classroom strategies” available http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23277/

10),,Classroom strategies Jigsaw” available http://www.adlit.org/strategies/22371/-

JIGSAW

40
11) ,,Group work in the classrooom: types of small groups” available
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/developing-
assignments/group-work/group-work-classroom-types-small-groups

12),,Think-Pair-Share” available https://itali.uq.edu.au/files/3065/Resources-teaching-

methods-thinkpairshare.pdf

13),, https://www.thecreationstation.co.uk/inspiration/how-do-creative-activities-
benefit-my-child

14) Heather Harper ,, Ice breaker bingo and how to play it with your team”, 2021
available https://www.quizbreaker.com/icebreaker-bingo
15),,Implementing group work in the classroom” available
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-
tips/alternatives-lecturing/group-work/implementing-group-work-classroom
16) Jessica Shabatura ,, Using Bloom’s taxonomy to write effective learning
objectives” available https://tips.uark.edu/blooms-taxonomy-verb-chart/
17) ,, Meeting strategies for group work” available https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-
teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/alternatives-lecturing/group-
work/meeting-strategies-help-prepare-students-group-work
18),, Pros and Cons of group work” available https://futureofworking.com/6-pros-
and-cons-of-group-work/

19) ,, Story cubes: ten teaching ideas” available https://eltexperiences.com/story-

cubes-ten-teaching-ideas/
20) Susan Verner ,,6 fresh activities for group work” https://busyteacher.org/15791-
group-work-6-fresh-activities.html

21) ,,Teaching english language learners: strategies that work” available

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/teaching-ell-speaking-
strategies/

22),,Think-Pair-Share” available https://itali.uq.edu.au/files/3065/Resources-teaching-

methods-thinkpairshare.pdf

23) „The importance of oral storytelling”

https://www.roseandrex.com/blogs/blog/tell-me-a-story-the-importance-of-oral-
storytelling#

41
42
APPENDIX 3

43
APPENDIX 4

Exercise 3 pag. 16
Work in groups. Write the advantages of online learning.

Online learning(advantages)

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

44
Exercise 3 pag.16
Work in groups. Write the disadvantages of face to face learning.

Face to face learning(disadvantages)

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

Exercise 3 pag. 16
45
Work in groups. Write the disadvantages of online learning.

Online learning(disadvantages)

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

Exercise 3 pag.16
Work in groups. Write the advantages of face to face learning.
46
 Face to face learning(advantages)

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

47
APPENDIX 2

Citius, Altius, Fortius

48