| How:
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| | three, one is speaking, and usually the
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| 1. Make a list of pairs of names before
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| | other two are listening and formulating
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| the lesson starts or while the students
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| | responses, in a group of four (or more),
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| are coming in, or just tell them when the
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| | one is speaking, one or two are listening
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| time comes: "Gianni, you work with Paola;
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| | and formulating responses and the other
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| Chiara, you’re with Stefano this time."
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| | one is asleep, aware that s/he hasn’t
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| 2. If there is an odd number of students
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| | got much chance of getting a word in
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| make a group of three but break them up
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| | edge-ways. Or of course, in a group of
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| later in the lesson and put them into
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| | four, two speak to each other while the
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| pairs with someone else so they get more
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| | other two often either fall asleep or end
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| chance to speak.
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| | up speaking to each other too, in which
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| 3. You could put them in small groups to
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| | case you might as well have put them in
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| start with if the activity allows. You
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| | pairs in the first place.
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| could even make the activity a
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| | If you have an odd number of students
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| competition in small teams if the
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| | don’t pair the extra student up with
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| activity allows, seeing which team gets
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| | yourself - make a group of three
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| the most answers right. Use the board or
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| | somewhere. I used to take on the "odd"
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| a piece of paper for keeping score.
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| | student myself when I started in EFL but
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| 4. Change the partners quite often so
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| | I found that it didn’t work. The other
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| that the students don’t get bored with
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| | students weren’t daft - they realised
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| their partner. This is especially
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| | they were missing out on the teacher’s
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| important if there is a student who
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| | attention and I realised they were right
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| isn’t very popular with the others.
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| | - I was short-changing them by not
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| Why:
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| | monitoring them as I should.
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| 1. It’s good for the students to speak
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| | If you’ve got some talkative and some
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| to each other in English (see TT5 for
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| | quiet students, pair the quiet ones
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| further explanation).
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| | together for the fluency activities (as
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| 2. It’s good for the students to work
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| | opposed to the vocabulary/grammar
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| with another student sometimes rather
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| | activities) to encourage them to talk
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| than alone (see TT5 and TT13) for further
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| | more. I used to put one talkative student
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| explanation).
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| | in a pair with a quiet one, thinking that
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| Extra Info:
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| | the quiet one would speak more if his/her
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| I don’t put my students into groups
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| | partner was the chatty type. I was wrong
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| bigger than 3 because I don’t think
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| | - the talkative one monopolises the
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| they get enough chance to speak in such a
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| | conversation and the quiet one is happy
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| large group so they switch off, start
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| | to let this happen.
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| fidgeting, get frustrated, let the
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| | NB: If you only have one student, simply
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| hard-working students do all the work,
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| | "pair up" with your student. The
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| fall asleep etc. In a pair, one student
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| | worksheets are designed to be used in
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| is speaking and one is listening and
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| | individual lessons as well as group ones.
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| formulating a response, in a group of
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