‘Thinking together’ and its effect on students’ language performance

  1. Ana María Halbach 1
  1. 1 Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Journal:
ELT journal: An international journal for teachers of English to speakers of other languages

ISSN: 0951-0893

Year of publication: 2015

Volume: 69

Issue: 3

Pages: 286-296

Type: Article

DOI: 10.1093/ELT/CCV007 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR

More publications in: ELT journal: An international journal for teachers of English to speakers of other languages

Abstract

Intermediate learners of English often show considerable skill in communicating orally, and using language productively to solve the tasks set. However, on closer inspection, the actual language produced is often very simple and contributes little to students’ language growth. The present article reports on a small-scale pedagogic intervention that attempts to redress this situation by raising students’ awareness about the nature of effective talk. Results show that students are able to learn to interact in more useful ways, and that this change in the way they talk also has an effect on their ability to write more coherent texts in the foreign language.