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All posts by laura
Role Play with Confidence
I know many teachers who are hesitant about using role play with adult EFL classes, and some who avoid it altogether. They worry it may be perceived as being too childish, too frivolous, a waste of time. Another issue for some is that it can be hard to control, especially in larger classes where role plays are taking place simultaneously. The teacher has to take a step back, circulate and observe, offering assistance when needed. Mistakes will be made, you won’t catch them all. Additionally, the students may not be practicing the target language or structure as much as you’d like. Keep reminding yourself that they’re practicing a variety of skills, and that the goal is not perfection!
For role play to succeed, the teacher needs to believe that it will. You need to be convinced of its value, and be able to communicate the purpose, relevance and benefits of the task to your students.
Adult learner theory says that activities that allow adults to bring their own life experiences to the learning process are the most successful. In this way, role play is ideal. And it is not just important for low level learners to practice asking directions or buying a ticket. With a bit of tweaking, the same tasks can be used with more advanced levels. Some element of conflict can be easily introduced to make the task more challenging. Continue reading Role Play with Confidence
'You what?' Name game with follow-up interview/introduction task.
Icebreaker/ Name game : Dialogue : Introductions
I often use this ice-breaker activity on the first day with a new class. I’ve used it with university students, business classes and even at a teacher training workshop. It makes a change from the usual introduction round of ‘name, job, hobby’ and while there is a bit of fun to it, its educational enough for students who baulk at the idea of ‘games’ in a lesson for adults.
1. The name game.
Write your introduction on the board and highlight the alliteration.
‘I’m Lonely Laura and I like limes’ or ‘I’m Lazy Laura and I lived in London’.
Give students a minute or two to come up with their sentence. Each student will re-introduce the person who went before them, and then add their own introduction. If they are stuck for ideas, allow them to ask their neighbour. Begin and go around the circle.
Example:
Student 1 – ‘She’s Lonely Laura and she likes limes. I’m Fit Frank and I fry fish.’
Student 2 – ‘He’s Fit Frank and he fries fish. I’m Courageous Caroline and I cuddle cats.’
There will be a few laughs, particularly if people have been especially creative or the participants know each other. When everyone has spoken, you can point to a few different students and ask the group ‘who’s this?’ Continue reading 'You what?' Name game with follow-up interview/introduction task.