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Are you looking for an activity that involves
individual students, creates classroom unity and cooperation, encourages peer feedback,
integrates speaking, listening, and academic skills meaningfully and purposefully, and
minimizes teacher preparation and correction time? Look no further than classroom surveys.
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The following survey unit has been very
successful with conversation classes of low-intermediate university students. With a class
of thirty students, this entire unit usually fills three 50-minute periods with an
additional ten minutes in a preceding class. However, it can easily be adapted for
students of various ages and proficiency levels by varying the types of questions as well
as class sizes and by changing the number of questions and the team sizes.
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Before the unit begins: Have the students
brainstorm questions on a high interest topic such as music, family life, or travel. Then
choose ten questions or sets of questions appropriate for a class survey. Typical
questions about sports might include the following: "What is your favorite sport to
watch? Why?" "How many hours do you usually play sports each week?" and
"Have you ever been or are you currently a member of a sports team? Which sport?
When?"
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Divide the students into ten teams, each with
three members. Give each team a slip of paper with only one of the ten questions. Those
three students are then responsible for interviewing every member of the class. To
facilitate this stage, form three large groups A, B, and C with one member from each of
the smaller teams. Group A, for example, would have ten students, each with a different
question. These ten students must then ask, answer, and record each other's questions and
responses (35-40 minutes). Next, the students return to their original teams to compile
their results. For example, in response to the questions, "If you could be an
excellent athlete in one sport, which sport would you choose? Why?" the following
might be possible answers:
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| Name of Sport |
Percentage
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Reasons Given |
| Baseball |
30% |
popular sport in Korea, |
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want to play professionally |
| Basketball |
25% |
very fast-moving, exciting |
| Soccer |
15% |
Korea will co-host World |
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Cup in 2002 |
| Skiing |
10% |
fashionable |
| Swimming |
10% |
like water sports |
| Tennis |
5% |
can enjoy with boy/girlfriend |
| Figure skating |
5% |
graceful, beautiful |
To increase the challenge and interest, the students can break down the results according
to gender, age, or other demographic characteristics.
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For homework, each team should prepare to
present its results and a short summary to the entire class. All team members should take
part in the presentation.
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Begin the second class period by briefly
focusing on the importance of word stress. Emphasize the stress of numbers (fifteen vs.
fifty) and the words "present" and "percent" by having the students
listen to and practice phrases and sentences such as "sixteen persons" and
"seventy percent of the class is female" (5-10 minutes).
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Now, the ten teams are ready to report to the
entire class. While each team is speaking, the rest of the class should take careful
notes. To encourage clear and accurate speaking, do not allow the presenters to use the
blackboard or visual aids of any type. Encourage the listeners to ask the speakers to
clarify or repeat misunderstood information. As the teacher, make sure that you resist the
urge to intervene and "help" speakers who speak too softly or quickly,
mispronounce words, or fail to present information logically and clearly. The presenters
must help each other answer the listeners' questions until everyone is fully satisfied. At
the end of each class period, give a short open-note quiz or collect the listeners' notes
(80-90 minutes).
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After all groups have presented, fill up any
remaining time in the third class period by discussing general class trends as well as any
surprising results.
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Little time is necessary to check the quizzes or
to spotcheck the listeners' notes. Because the listeners usually ask the speakers numerous
questions, their quiz answers or notes are generally quite accurate. Likewise, you do not
need to give specific feedback to the speakers. Through the frequency and types of
questions asked by the audience, the presenters can determine for themselves how
successfully they have communicated.
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While I use this unit primarily to encourage
speaking, listening, and note- taking skills, writing activities can be added. Students
can summarize their own team's results or general class trends, report about their own
personal habits and interests, create a typical student profile, or make and reflect upon
predictions about various questions.
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I recommend conducting class surveys at the
beginning of the semester or school year as they promote a friendly atmosphere in which
students learn about each other and work together to reach a common goal. All students,
even the most hesitant, enjoy and benefit from this meaningful, stimulating, and
supportive learning activity.
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Susan
Niemeyer is a faculty member of the Department of English at Yonsei University
Seoul, Korea. She has previously taught in Japan. |
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