The Eighth International Literacy & Education Research Network Conference on

SPETSES, GREECE
4-8 July 2001

Abstract

If students are to become effective communicators in the target language, which is English, the medium of instruction at the M. L. Sultan Technikon, Durban, South Africa, instructors must provide them with ample opportunities to develop in the classroom the types of interactive skills that resembles communication in the 'real world'. The most natural way to develop these skills is through language/learning activities that promote conversation and discussion skills. The latter can most practically be accomplished through group discussions that are semi-structured and effectively facilitated by the instructor. The group discussion most closely resembles authentic communication which is essentially personal, the expression of personal views, experiences, perceptions and knowledge in situations that are never the quite the same. A group discussion can be designed and implemented effectively through a problem-solving approach which tends to encourage more interaction than debating tasks. Problem-solving discussion is a task-based activity that is defined as "any structural language endeavour which has a particular objective, appropriate content, a specific working procedure, and a range of outcomes for those who undertake the task" (Breen, 1987:23). Research has shown that the negotiating of meaning that occurs in the interactive process in a group discussion is the key element in second-language development as the learners through adapting their input, manage their own learning. The following points need to be carefully considered for effectively facilitating group discussions in the classroom:

* Sound Preliminary planning

* A Structured task-based framework to channel the discussions

* Stimulating discussion topics

Bionote

Sheila Narsee is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Communication at the M. L. Sultan Technikon, Durban, South Africa. She is a Bachelor of Arts graduate and holds a Masters in Technology. Sheila is currently reading for a Doctoral in Education Degree. Her particular interest in the development of communication and workplace literacy as part of a career-orientated education within a culturally and linguistically diverse, tertiary vocational training institution in South Africa. Sheila was fortunate to be part of a team of academics that embarked on an exploratory trip to tertiary institutions in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Thailand in 1998 on a United States funded project to research the teaching of English as a second-language. Sheila's research also focused extensively on workplace communication skills and lifelong learning for science and engineering.

Presentation Type
60 min. Workshop

Presentation Equipment and Other Requests

Speaking Date/Time Restrictions

Country
South Africa