‘Your students aren’t lazy. The task gave them nothing to say.’ Pairwork fails for four fixable reasons: no information gap, unclear instructions, poor pairing, no finish line.
Checklist
- Build a gap (different information or pictures, or a decision): “Find two things you both did and one thing only your partner did.”
- Demo the first exchange with a strong student.
- 2 ICQs.
- Time + output: “Three minutes. Agree on one.”
- Monitor without sitting down.
- Board 2–3 good items and 2–3 errors afterwards.
- Change pairs at least once a lesson: similar levels for fluency, mixed levels for support.
- Extension tasks for early finishers to prevent L1 drift.
Apply in my context (Claude)
- “L1 drift” in Tashkent classes usually means a missing gap or finish line, not defiance. Audit Prepare speaking tasks against points 1 and 4 before blaming the class.
Connections
CCQs and ICQs - check with evidence, not nods · Nomination cards for balanced small-group speaking · Behaviour management is mostly pre-emption