Group Talk

How and when to use Group Talk?

• An engaging starter activity using current topic or random stimulus

• A strategic plenary interactively demonstrating the progress made

• Or both – the beautiful symmetry of learning!

How is Group Talk different?

• Only the target language is spoken by students to students

• Interaction happens between a small group of students

• Tasks demand opinion, conjecture and debate

• Language is often colloquial• Responses are spontaneous• There is no set finishing line• You are yourself!

The Launch Lesson

• Establishes social interaction in the target language

• Presents and embeds basic Group Talk phrases

• Simply requires previous knowledge of basic opinion structures and adjectives

1 I think ...2 What do you think? 3 That's right.4 That's not right.5 Yeh, really?6 What?!7 You're crazy!8 Shut up!9 Dunno

Was?!

Halt die Klappe!

Was denkst du?

Das stimmt nicht.

Ich denke

Ja, echt?!

Du spinnst!

Das stimmt.

Weiß nicht.

Was?! Halt die Klappe!

Was denkst du?

Das stimmt nicht.

Ich denke

Ja, echt?!

Du spinnst!

Das stimmt.

I think ... What do you think?

That's right.

That's not right.

Yeh, really?

What?!You're crazy!

Shut up!

Weiß nicht.

Dunno

Stage 1/2 Group Talk opportunities

• colours• school subjects• animals• sports• favourite things• food and drink• celebrities • music• random items / pupil-chosen themes

Embedding Group Talk

• Use the Group Talk progression chart to underpin planning

• Build Group Talk objectives and opportunities into existing schemes of work

• Display model scenarios to aid pupils’ talk

• Build up and keep centrally Group Talk resources (stimuli / scaffolds)

• Display and update Group Talk phrases• Archive pupil talk using Easi-Speak

voice recorders / flip cameras

Extending Group Talk (Stages 3/4)

• Incorporate more advanced (and colloquial) language / structures

• Increasingly complex scenarios demanding more balanced views

• Use picture and text stimuli• Allow preparation for task / note

taking• Use model dialogues

The impact on learning

• Pupils (boys and girls!) of all abilities and ages are motivated to speak

• Pupils talk more confidently and spontaneously

• Speaking and Listening skills are developed in unison

Ofsted 2011: ‘The skill of listening in order to

respondorally appeared very much in

decline.’

• Questioning skills are improved• Fulfils the Talking Together sub-

strand of the KS3 framework• Improvement in GCSE Controlled

Speaking Assessments• Ofsted-Outstanding! Pupils ‘can use language

creatively and spontaneously to express what they want to say, including when talking to each other informally …’

• Some examples used at KS4

STAGE 4Developing

a line of thoughtSharing points of

view Balancing

an argument

give a developed response to a stimulus

Target language response sustained through the use of connectives, sequencing devices

and time-gaining phrases

express supposition Je suppose que… J’imagine que … Je me demande si… Je ne pense pas que ce soit… Ça pourrait être ce serait On dirait que… C’est peut-être… Il est possible que ce soit…

listen to extended talk, then respond to key points raised

Tu as dit que … Il a dit que … mais moi, je pense que ..…

give a balanced view or summary

of an issue

D’une part... d’autre part ... Bien que ce soit + adjective, ... Même si ...