Classroom Interactions that Enhances Learning Effectiveness

Learning becomes more fruitful when students participate actively in class. It is essential to reinforce interaction during lesson so that students would be more motivated to participate in class. Classroom interactions can be of different dimensions. Communication between fellow students and also teachers are a common form of interaction. Teachers may use questions and activities to arouse the student’s interest in learning and encourage them to participate. The use of diversified resources can help strengthen this interaction with remarkable effect.

4.4.1 The roles of students and teachers – Who is the master of the learning?

Learning is derived from experience since students create own viewpoints and understanding when facing different situations. It is reasonable to make student the master of learning. Recent researches in neuroscience have also revealed that when brain cells receive external stimuli, relative connections would be strengthened and increased. With more connections, the ability to acquire, retain, and process knowledge and memory would be strengthened. Furthermore, the activated brain cells will further be activated if they encounter similar experience again. In other words, students’ learning effectiveness is enhanced through discussing, considering, grappling and sometimes rethinking their original ideas and standpoints. These researches help teachers understand the importance of student being the subject to learn and the significance of constructing knowledge through learning experience.

What about the role of the teacher? In the learning process, teacher acts as a planner and facilitator. As explained above, the more interaction in class, the higher the learning effectiveness. Therefore, teachers should foster a learning atmosphere which favours mutual communication among students. They are also advised to organize meaningful learning activities and use effective questioning to induce high-quality interaction, so as to encourage students’ thinking and, consequently, strengthen the connections among the knowledge they have learned as well as enhance the retention and retrieval of the knowledge learned. It is vital for teachers to facilitate students’

interaction, as the timely guiding, questioning and feedback from teachers are of critical importance in raising learning effectiveness. To strengthen students’ role of being the subject of learning, teachers should encourage students to participate actively in class and be responsible for their own learning. Hence, teachers perform a decisive role throughout the learning process.

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4.4.2 Activities that enhance classroom interactions

The effectiveness of classroom learning is closely related to the involvement of students. Teachers should allow students more opportunities to participate when designing class activities. For strategies that enhance classroom interaction, teachers may refer to section 4.3.2 of this chapter and make use of them.

Learning activities such as group-discussions and debates allow students to exchange their knowledge with fellow schoolmates. Students have greater motives to take part in class when they have chances to show their merits. For instance, group discussion offers many chances for students and teachers to interflow. When teaching the core module “Global Citizenship and Humanitarian Work”, teachers may arrange students to discuss in groups the contributions of different individuals or organizations in promoting humanitarian work. They should also encourage students to question, respond and comment on classmates’ presentations. Students need to think vigorously and apply relevant concepts to propose prompt and extempore questions while their reply may induce another round of questions and answers. These interactions help promote learning effectiveness. Though students are the subjects who take part in mutual interflow, teachers’ role is also of utmost importance in the process. Apart from regulating the frequency and quality of students’ interaction timely, teachers may also interact with students by giving hints, suggestions and feedback. Hints and suggestions from teachers help students to explore and clarify confusing concepts as well as to grasp learning focus and broaden the domains of interaction. Teachers’

immediate feedback can also help students understand their own and classmates’

merits and the room for improvement.

When conferring the changes of living features of mainlanders, students from the mainland may be invited to share or discuss with students born and bred in Hong Kong. Let them explore the changes of their living styles and the reasons behind.

It greatly helps promote learning effectiveness when there is exchange with classmates from different backgrounds.

Example: Designing class activity for the core module “Life of Chinese Nationals”

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4.4.3 Questioning that promotes classroom interactions

Questioning is a common form of classroom interaction. By questioning issues which students have prior knowledge or they are interested in, teachers may encourage them to engage actively in learning as they are more willing to respond to and follow up on teachers’ questions. Teachers may refer to the “Suggested Introductory Questions”

provided in chapter 2 of this Curriculum Guide to stimulate students’ interests in learning. Effective questioning can stimulate students’ thinking and their learning interests. It also helps students focus on the learning objectives, re-visit their prior knowledge, connect learning content and clarify puzzles. Therefore, teachers’

questioning skills and the types of questions asked are crucial in advancing classroom interaction and are weighty in promoting learning effectiveness.

(a) Different types of questions

Different types of questions can achieve different learning objectives and induce different levels of students’ participation. Close-ended question is effective for testing students’ understanding while open-ended question is useful for encouraging them to deliberate, consider, assess and apply what they have learned. Teachers can quickly and directly assess students’ understanding of the topics using close-ended questions.

When teachers want to deepen and broaden students’ learning, they may use open-ended questions which are more effective in encouraging students to think and fostering their creativity.

(b) Questioning skills

Questioning skills are also vital in advancing class interaction as mentioned above.

Some suggestions are set out below:

● Asking questions that contribute to learning

Sometimes, teachers ask questions that do not aim to stimulating thinking but to serve other reasons. For example, reinforcing teacher’s image of the authority figure and source of control and maintaining the discipline in class, etc. Questions served for such purposes should be minimised.

● Differentiating questions based on students’ abilities

Although students in the same class may be of the same chronological age, they differ in readiness, learning styles, interests, and personal backgrounds. As

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teachers formulate questions, they should consider the individuality of students and craft quality questions based on each student’s need. In addition, for topics such as Chinese Political System where students have limited knowledge, teachers may ask questions of different levels or organize lead-in activities to scaffold learning. In this case, students would not be left speechless due to their ignorance of the questions. Questioning in different levels is introduced below.

● Providing opportunities for all students to participate

It is not unusual for several students to monopolise the classroom interaction.

Owing to limited time, teachers usually call on the first responding students to give their answers. However, by focusing only on the talkative students teachers may overlook the viewpoints of quiet students. Thus, teachers should encourage the silent students to express their views.

● Questioning in different levels

To achieve different learning objectives and promote interaction in class, teachers can use questions in several levels. When teaching “Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens”, questions like ‘Does the Basic Law list the rights of Hong Kong citizens?’ is direct and simple, while ‘What are the rights and responsibilities of Hong Kong citizens?’ requires students to list relevant rights and duties. Both questions lead to interaction between students and teachers. Questions of higher level such as ‘Do you think it is important that Hong Kong citizens take on certain responsibilities? Why?’ emphasise on drawing out students’ standpoints. It is helpful to strengthen interaction, broaden levels of discussion and deepen understanding of the content. Manipulate and combine questions of various levels can scaffold learning and stretch students’ thinking from fundamental knowledge to complex issues. It helps diversify learning.

● Providing wait time

Teachers should avoid raising new questions before students answer the first one.

Running questions do not generate effective discussion but bother and confuse students. They would be less inclined to give answers. Questions should be clear, concrete, and concise so that no amendment is needed. Clear and concise questions encourage students to give replies. Teachers should also be patient.

“Wait time” can provide students room to deliberate on teachers’ questions and develop their habit in taking part in class discussion. The significance of “Wait Time” is introduced below.

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● Giving useful feedback

Useful feedbacks can definitely encourage learning. Improper feedbacks may in turn discourage students from learning. Thus, teachers should offer concrete, constructive feedback or questions that can deepen students’ learning.

The Significance of “Wait Time”

The following is a common scenario in classroom. The teacher is waiting anxiously for responses to his/he questions. Meanwhile, students discover that teacher will soon provide answers when he/she starts to form responses in different ways. For students who need more time to formulate their answers, teacher’s urging becomes a real pressure which discourages them from answering.

“Wait time” is like “leaving a blank space”, a common technique in Chinese painting. Part of the lesson should be left as “blanks” as room for students to think. When teachers allow waiting time, students would be more willing to think and reply thoroughly. Lower achievers will have more confidence in answering as the longer wait time allows them to be better prepared. Longer wait time is needed for students to produce creative ideas or inspiring questions.

Owing to limited time, it is not an easy task for teachers to provide wait time.

However, as long as we focus on the quality of learning, teachers should offer wait time; well thought-out answers helps to greatly improve the quality of learning.

4.4.4 Using resources effectively to enhance classroom interactions

Using diverse learning resources also helps enhance classroom interaction. Resources such as news reports, advertisements and television programmes can easily bring about a discussion for students to express their views. Teachers can grasp the opportunity to stimulate more thoughts on the related topics from students so as to enrich classroom learning. Teachers may refer to chapter 6 of this Curriculum Guide for the selection and uses of learning and teaching resources.

4.4.5 Fostering positive learning atmosphere

Fostering a positive learning atmosphere is essential to encourage students to participate in learning activities and enhance classroom interactions. Students are sometimes discouraged by the fear of making mistakes, failing or being rejected. They take a passive attitude towards learning. Therefore, teachers should foster an accepting, open and encouraging learning environment so that students are willing to take risks and challenges in learning and share their personal knowledge. With a safe and supportive learning atmosphere, students are more inclined to take on difficulties in learning positively and work with their peers to solve problems. To foster a learning atmosphere centred on rational communication and in-depth enquiry, teachers should also encourage students to respect and appreciate the views of others and treat disparate views with reason.