Strategies
for Effective Use of Chat
Strategies
for Effective Use of Chat: When, Why, and How to Make It Work
Well-managed and
focused chat sessions can provide powerful online learning experiences and add
a dynamic dimension to your online course. Yet many instructors hesitate to
use synchronous chat saying it is difficult to manage and that it adds little
or no educational value to their students' learning. These issues are especially
of concern to ESL instructors since clear communication in the target language
(L2) is already an arduous task in the traditional classroom. Chat often has
a negative reputation because of its potential to become chaotic since students
and faculty communicating simultaneously can obscure the message and make following
a conversation difficult.
However, with careful
planning, synchronous chat can benefit most all learners and allow instructors
to assess their students' learning. Online chat provides the spontaneity of
natural conversation - an element often lacking in asynchronous online language
courses. When approached strategically, chat sessions can enhance the learning
experience providing opportunities for high quality and in-depth discussions
and creative activities that appeal to many different learning styles.
However, for chat
to be successful, it should be used for well-planned instructional tasks and
not simply for unstructured fortuitous discussion. This month's Guide on the
Side teaching tip focuses on pedagogic uses of chat, methods for managing chat
and chat etiquette that will enhance online communications.
Pedagogic Uses
of Chat
Collaborative
Online Community
Creating an
Online Community
In online courses, chat sessions can help foster a sense of virtual community
adding a personal and dynamic dimension to the class. Students often communicate
more freely during chat sessions compared to F-2-F courses because the anonymity
of the online environment can give them greater confidence. Thus, social inhibitions
and shyness, which may prevail in a face-to-face conversation, are often forgotten,
creating an intimacy and sense of camaraderie that is difficult to find in a
traditional academic setting. The resulting informal atmosphere is instrumental
in the creation of an online community of learners. Although online learning
activities are facilitated through technology, the process is dependent on real
people relating and communicating with one another, which is actually a very
humanizing experience.
Student Posting
of Chat Logs
After each chat session, the transcripts of the dialog are automatically posted
in the Virtual Chat Archives of the Communications area of your course. Having
chat logs publicly available allows students to review the discussions that
transpired and gives those who were not present a chance to know what took place.
When chat logs are available within the classroom, the students become active
participants in creating the course content. This personal investment can create
greater interest in the course, which may lead to more active participation
and a greater since of community among learners.
Small Group
Work Group Projects
Break your class into small groups of 3-4 students and have them schedule chat
sessions to work together on a project in the Group Pages area of your course.
Students can meet online at the onset of the project to discuss the assignment,
determine a strategy for working together, divvy up the work, and brainstorm
ideas.
For Review and
Exam Preparation
Do your online students ever complain about "online isolation" during difficult
periods preceding midterms or final exams? You can create online study groups
where they can prepare for their exams. You can assist them during the beginning
of the review sessions by assigning each student in the group a different question
or topic to prepare for the group's virtual study session. Again, the chat logs
of these virtual study sessions can be posted for other students in the course
to review as they prepare for the exam.
Brainstorming
Sessions
Brainstorming, a collaborative exercise used to jump-start essays, term papers
or other assignments is a common activity in many courses. It can be done in
a chat session and function as a pre-writing phase for the rough draft of a
paper or a project.
Student Assessment
Oral Quizzes*
Meet your students individually online and quiz them on course content. Assess
how well they know the material through a few minutes of questions and answers.
Using chat you can explore depth as well as breadth of your students' knowledge.
Having your students sign up for the date and time of their own quizzes (you
can provide an online sign up procedure), will give them some control and responsibility
for their own learning experience. This also supports a very student-centered
approach to teaching. In ESL language classes, online oral quizzes can be used
to assess grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and accuracy of target language skills.
"Debriefing"
Exercises*
Do you sometimes worry that one or more of your students may not have written
their own term paper or essay? Access to the Web has unfortunately made it possible
for students to cut, paste and virtually lift entire papers at the touch of
a computer key. Use chat to debrief individual students after they turn in their
assignment if you suspect plagiarism by asking them questions about the topic
of their paper. Generally, only the true author of the work will be able to
discuss it fluently.
*Please remember
that because chat conversations are automatically recorded in Blackboard, you
will need to finish up private sessions by "removing," i.e., deleting the transcript
for that date. Since transcripts are successively logged by day, if there are
both transcripts you want to retain and those that they want to remove for any
given day, you should first download and copy the transcripts, repost the part
to be retained and only then remove the transcript for that date. If you are
unsure how to do this, your Course Manager can help you.
Beyond the
Virtual Classroom
Virtual Office
Hours
Set weekly times where you are available online so your students can contact
you about the class. If you anticipate more than 5 students wanting to attend
your virtual office hours, schedule time slots they can sign up for so the chat
sessions are not overcrowded.
Guest Speakers
Invite a guest to your course chat session (another instructor, an expert on
the course content, a native speaker ESL courses, etc.), and tell your students
to come prepared to ask the guest questions. Virtual guest speakers can make
a dynamic addition to the course by offering significant input and different
perspectives on the course content. They often are a source of valuable networking
opportunities for students later on. For ESL learners this activity provides
valuable insight into the life or culture of a foreign country as well as language
fluency practice.
Creative Language
Teaching
The chat activity
suggestions below are specifically for ESL or other language courses, and may
be of interest to instructors working with pre service and practicing language
teachers in the TEFL and CLAD programs:
Language Partner
Exchanges
Some of the greatest boons of the Internet for ESL instructors and learners
are the far-reaching possibilities for intercultural and global interaction.
Not only does the Internet offer a wealth of material for students, but it also
provides unprecedented opportunities for personal contact and fluency practice
with other English speakers (native and non) that would otherwise be impossible
in the traditional classroom. Dedicate time to organizing a chat room with a
partner class abroad for cultural and linguistic exchange and your students
will benefit greatly.
To organize a chat
room or asynchronous forum with native speakers abroad for cultural and linguistic
exchange for any language, visit the Tandem International Network Web site.
This organization establishes language partner exchanges via the Internet both
for individuals and whole classes. ESL students can go to Dave's ESL Cafe for
synchronous exchanges with non-native speakers. On a more limited basis, invited
guests can be given temporary access to your Blackboard classroom for class-level
or small group chat sessions.
Grammar Review
Use transcripts as a follow-up activity after a chat session. Students can re-elaborate
their own dialog or those of classmates in a variety of ways. For example, the
transcript dialog can be rewritten from direct to reported speech, or sentences
can be analyzed for grammar, spelling, or vocabulary review. These activities
provide language practice on authentic texts making the exercise more meaningful
for the class since the conversations are real, and the students themselves
are the participants.
Dynamic Language
Practice
Chat can be used for a revision of key grammar elements such as verb tenses,
expressions of quantity etc., count/non count nouns, etc. Mock job interviews
in L2, information gap activities, and role-play can be conducted through chat,
providing excellent opportunities for practice of fluency skills and grammatical
concepts.
Error Analysis
Chat logs are ideal material for error analysis both for the instructor and
for self-assessment by students. Students work independently or in groups, online
or face-to-face, using their chat logs to recognize their own mistakes (perhaps
with the help of specific tools like grammar reference or online dictionary
sites). If the learners need more guidance, the instructor can identify the
mistakes, offering individual feedback via email or correction on a class level.
Related Resources:
Hillery, Peter
(1999). Online chat sessions! Chaos or....?
http://leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu/org/tcon99/papers/hillery.html
Dave's ESL Cafe
Chat Central
http://www.eslcafe.com/chat/chatpro.cgi
Tandem International
Network
http://www.tandemlink.com/indexb.htm
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Chat Management
Techniques
Coping Strategies
Chatting online
can be a high intensity activity. Instructors as well as students need time
to become proficient and comfortable with this mode of communication, and we
recommend that you don't make chat a central part of your course or base your
students' grades on chat sessions because not everyone works comfortably in
this environment, and not everyone will be able to attend scheduled sessions.
In fact, our students take our courses with the expectation that chat will not
be a required activity. Instead, use it to supplement your course, providing
opportunities for creative learning activities and in-depth discussions on focused
topics. If you do schedule one or two required chat sessions, remember to offer
a variety of times and days to ensure maximum participation and provide an alternative
assignment for those who cannot attend. Following the guidelines below will
help ensure a productive experience for all:
Be Prepared
Good preparation
and structure is critical to the success of your chat session. Some instructors
use pre-typed questions or short comments that they cut and paste into the chat
program from their word processor.
Prepare Your
Students
Familiarize students
with the technology early on in the course to help them to use chat effectively.
Introduce students to the process by scheduling a practice chat session during
the first weeks of the course. Let students know what you expect them to accomplish
in their chat sessions and give them feedback after each session either on a
class level or individually. Especially with first-time chatters, it is essential
to offer positive comments, praising students for their active participation
rather than emphasizing shortcomings or mistakes.
Be Conscious
of Your Role
Are you going to
be a leader, active participant, lurker or watchdog? Determine what role you
want to assume as moderator and inform your students so they know what to expect
of you. Your facilitating style will depend on the level of competency, class
personality, the dynamics of the chat group and the activity at hand.
Evaluate Students'
Skills and Abilities
Prepare a questionnaire
at the beginning of the course and ask your students to self-evaluate their
technical skills (keyboarding, computer literacy, chat room experience, etc.).
This information can be used to form chat groups or partners. Ideally, students
with similar computer skills should work together to avoid one of the group
members dominating or intimidating the others. Chat can be especially difficult
and perhaps frustrating for slow typers and more reflective students. These
students need extra monitoring and they might appreciate the option to complete
assignments using asynchronous class forums if the synchronous chat environment
is not able to meet their needs.
Teach Chat
Etiquette
Publish a list
of protocols or guidelines for your students to follow (see the related document
in this month's Guide on the Side folder for examples). To ensure that your
students are familiar with these rules, conduct practice chat sessions at the
beginning of the course. Clear guidelines help maintain order in the discussion
and facilitate clear communication among participants.
Limit the Number
of Participants
Schedule several
sessions on the same topic and have students sign up. Conducting small group
chats of 4-5 students is more manageable than chatting with a large group. If
you conduct your group chat sessions in the main course chat area, the transcripts
of these sessions will be posted publicly on your Blackboard course site, and
students can view each group's conversation. Reading multiple versions of a
chat session can be a valuable study tool. If small groups conduct their chat
sessions privately in the Group Pages area of your course, their transcripts
will not be available for the students in other groups to see.
Have Definite
Starting and Ending Times
Advertise your
chat sessions well in advance so your students have time to arrange their schedules
to be able to attend. This will also give them time to prepare for the activity
or discussion. A good place to advertise your chat session is in the Announcements
area of your course. Limit each session to 30 minutes and bring the session
to a close when the time is up. Chatting is a high intensity activity, and it
is difficult to stay focused for long periods. Non-native speakers will find
it particularly challenging.
Keep It Simple
Limit the chat
session to one specific topic or activity and stick to it. Students should come
prepared to discuss one topic or complete one task only. This lends structure
to the chat session and helps students stay focused.
Allow Time
for Hellos, Goodbyes and Questions
While structure
is important to help focus the chat session, it is also necessary to factor
in a few minutes for hellos and goodbyes and to announce to students that the
last few minutes (or first) will be opened up to all questions. This gives students
an opportunity to raise issues that may not be part of the scheduled topic,
while making it less likely that they will interrupt the main conversation.
Help Late Comers
If one or two students
join the chat session after it has started, take a moment to orient them to
the discussion by summarizing the current thread of conversation. This will
give everyone a break and allow stragglers to catch-up.
Related Resources:
Hillery, Peter
(1999). Online chat sessions! Chaos or....?
http://leahi.kcc.hawaii.edu/org/tcon99/papers/hillery.html
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