Speaking Unplugged: 30 Activities for One-to-One Classes

Byreducingtheamountofmaterialthatisimported intotheclassroom,theteacherfreesthelearning spaceforthekindofinteractive,talkmediated learningopportunitiesthataresocrucialforlanguage development. ScottThornbury:TeachingUnplugged

Introduction Like many teachers - I suspect - I used to turn up to my one-to-one classes with a pile of worksheets under my arm. The worst thing that can happen in a one-to-one class is running out of materials, I thought. And then one day, a private student told me he didnt enjoy my classes because he felt I was just giving him a series of worksheets to complete. What he really wanted to do was develop his communicative competence - become a more fluent, versatile, adaptable and confident communicator in English. He looked at the worksheets - exercises written for practising the present perfect, adjective and preposition combinations - and said: These exercises - I can do them and home and check the answers myself. Since that fateful class, I changed my approach and unplugged my one-to-one lessons. What is unplugged teaching? If you are not aware of the term unplugged teaching or the Dogme approach, you might want to click here. In essence, the approach is as follows: teaching that is conversation-driven teaching that is materials-light teaching that focuses on emergent language

If you feel unsure about adopting a materials-light approach in your lessons, why not try using some of the activities to supplement the materials you use with your learners. Ask for some feedback from your learner, you may find they prefer the new approach.

What follows is a list of 30 minimal resources activities for your one-to-one classes. You can teach these lessons with other resources and materials (videos,photos, dictaphones, laptops with internet access, magazines etc.) but you dont actually need anything except a few sheets of paper to make notes on. Giving Feedback When giving feedback,I like to use a simple template with 2 columns: What you said What you should say

I write down the incorrect language in the left-hand column and then find time during the lesson - after the utterance, after the exercise, at a convenient point - to see if the learner can correct their own mistakes. If they cant, I suggest you work with them to recast and reformulate their utterances. When possible, I try to make some notes on the language my learner used in the class and send them as an email attachment so I can quickly review them at the beginning of the next class. The final point Id like to make is that you (the teacher) can really help your learner by participating as an equal partner in many of these activities. For example, if you ask your learner to give a 2-minute presentation, you should be prepared to do the same (great listening practice for them too). When two people are together, they produce a dialogue not separate monologues which means you, the teacher, have to interact, provide feedback, and make sure the conversation flows as smoothly as possible. By collaborating with your learners in these activities, you provide a language model and a model of how to interact when conversing in English. If you do this well, you may well find that your lessons become more enjoyable: conversations in which learning occurs.

30UnpluggedActivitiesforOnetoOneClasses 1. Knowtheteacher 2. TheQuestionGenerator 3. Twominutetalks 4. TEDTalks 5. Gimmetheshortversion! 6. Itsadeal 7. TheYes/NoGame 8. EveryPictureTellsaStory 9. Liar,Liar!Excuses,Excuses! 10. Ifonlythingshadbeendifferent 11. Dearteacher,Ineedyourhelp 12. TheAudition 13. AStorybeforeBedtime 14. CanIhaveafewminutesofyourtime,please? 15. ThinkingoutsideoftheBox 16. PlayingDevilsAdvocate 17. CelebrityInterviews 18. Imonthephone! 19. TheElevatorPitch 20. TheDinnerPartyChallenge 21. TheBalloonDebate 22. AndtheOscargoesto.. 23. AutomaticExclamation 24. PhrasalVerbSwap 25. Wheredoyouseeyourselfin5yearstime? 26. IfIRuledtheWorld 27. ResolvingDisputes 28. ToDoList 29. CompanyPolicy 30. YouretheTeacher

1.KnowtheTeacher

LanguageFocus:Questionforms,shortanswers

Adultlearnerscanfeelinfantilisedwhentheyspeakaforeignlanguage.Theymayhavea confidentandrespectedpublicidentityintheirfirstlanguagebutfeellikechildren communicatingwithadultswhenspeakingtheirsecondlanguage,especiallywiththeir teacher,whotheymayrespondtoasafigureofauthorityandanimparterofknowledge.

Thispowerrelationshipis,inmyopinion,ratherunhealthyandunhelpfulinonetoone classes.Asteachers,wearenomoreintelligent,cultured,openmindedorwisethanour learners.Weareequalsinallrespects,exceptourabilitytousetheEnglishlanguage.

Therefore,Ialwaysrecommendagettingtoknowyourteacheractivityinthefirstlesson. Aswellasgivingyouagoodideaofyourstudentsstrengthsandweaknesses,wecan alsousethisactivitytobreaktheice.

Startbyaskingyourlearnertowritedownalistofquestionstheywouldliketoaskyou. Givethemafewideas,themeslikework,family,hobbies,andletthemspendafew minutesthinkingandformingquestions.Letthemwritethequestionsfirstratherthanask themtothinkthemuponthespot.Inreallifesituations,wegenerallypreparequestions beforeaskingthem(jobinterviews)andyouwillgetabetterideaofwhattheyalreadyknow (e.g.theirabilitytousequestionwords)andanygapsorerrorsintheirknowledge (omissionofauxiliaryverbs,confusionbetweenwhatandwhich).

Irecommendyoulookattheirquestionsbeforeyoudotheinterviewandmakeany adjustmentsorcorrectionstoensuretheinterviewflows.

2.TheQuestionGenerator LanguageFocus:Questionforms,DirectandIndirectquestions,Shortanswers

Afterthefirstactivity,youwillknowwhatproblemsyourlearnerhaswhenforming questions.Itisimportantthatyougivethemlotsofopportunitiestopractiseasking questions.Hereareafewsuggestions:

A. Providealistofquestions(maybethosecreatedinthepreviousactivity)andask thelearnertocreatenewquestionsbychangingoneormoreelementsineach question.Forexample,whatsyourfavouritefood?couldbechangedtowhatsyour leastfavouritefood? B. Sentencescrambleactivity.Changethewordorderinthequestionandaskthe learnertoreassemblethemcorrectly. C. Practisedirectandindirectquestions.Createorreusealistofquestionsandask thelearnertoidentifyifthequestionisdirectorindirectandthenaskthemto reformulateaccordingtowhethertheyareinterviewingtheirPresidentorafriend.

AnactivityIliketodowithmylearnersissomethingIcallTheQuestionGenerator.Allyou needareacoupleofdiceandalistofverbs(theycouldbecommonverbs,verbsthatyour learnerhasrecentlystudied,orverbsthatareusefulforyourlearners).

Youcandothisactivityinseveralways,dependingonwhichtypeofquestionsyouwantto practise.

a)Assignanumbertoeachquestionword. 1.What? 2.Why? 3.Where? 4.Who? 5.When? 6.How?

Thelearnerrollsthedicetodeterminewhichquestionwordtheyuse.Then,youchoosea verbfromthelist.Thelearnerthenhastoaskyouaquestionusingthequestionwordand theverb.Simpleasthat!

Ofcourse,youcanmodifythissimpleactivitybychoosingauxiliaryverbs(be/do/have)or modals(can/should/will)orevenindirectquestionphrasessuchas: Wouldyoumindtellingme....?

Youcouldalsousethedicetodeterminetheverbs(eachnumbercouldrepresentaletter andthelearnerhastoformaquestionusingaverbbeginningwiththatletter)orusethe dicetodecidewhichtensethequestionisformedin(1=Pastsimple,2=Presentsimple).

Thegreatthingaboutusingdiceisyoucanusethemtocreatehundreds(maybe thousands)ofquestioncombinations.

3.TwominuteTalks LanguageFocus:Signpostinglanguage,discoursemarkers

Beingabletospeakforextendedperiodsoftime(anythingfrom2minutestoanhour)isa skillthatisessentialinmodernlife.Studentsgivepresentations,professionalsinthe academicandbusinessworldspeakatsalesfairsand/orconferences,andsales personnelselltheirproductwhenmakingapitch.

Now,yourlearnermaybeanexperiencedpublicspeakerintheirfirstlanguage.However, thatdoesntmeantheywillfinditeasytodosoinEnglish.Makesureyouprovideamodel first.Prepareaminipresentationandgiveyourlearnersomelisteningpractice.Givethem aglobaltaskfirst(simplequestionsortasktochecktheyhaveunderstoodthemainpoints) andthenrepeatthepresentationwithmorecomplexcomprehensionquestions.Itsagood ideatotranscribeyourpresentation(ordictateittoyourlearner)whichyoucangivetoyour learnerasatemplateandaskthemtoidentifyusefulphrasesandorderthedifferentparts ofthepresentation(introduction,summary,callofactionetc.).Whynotrecordyourself doingitandgivetherecordingtoyourlearner?

YoucouldalsodothisactivitywithauthenticmaterialssuchasaTEDtalk.However,the advantageofgivingaminipresentationtoyourlearneristhatyouaredealwithanyqueries theyhaveaboutthelanguageorthestylisticfeatures.Also,asImentionedearlier,youare showingyourlearnerthatyouareanequalparticipantinthelearningenvironmentandnot anauthoritarianfigure.

Avariantofthisactivityistodeliverareallypoorpresentationandworkwithyourlearneron analysingwhyitwaspoorandhowitcouldbeimproved.

Afteryouhavedemonstratedandanalysedhowtogiveaminipresentation,askyour learnertoproduceoneonatopicoftheirchoosing.Makesureyougivethemsometimeto notedownafewideas(again,somethingmostofusdobeforegivingapresentation).You mayhavealearnerwhowantstodiveinandspeakwithoutanythinkingtime.Ifyourlearner iswillingtodohomework,whynotaskthemtoprepareandrehearsetheirpresentationat home?

Itcanbequitedauntingtogiveapresentationtoonepersonsobesensitivetoyour learnerslevelofdiscomfort.Toreducetheirstresslevels,youcouldturnyourchairround sotheycantseeyouorletthemdeliverthepresentationtoadictaphoneorvideocamera whileyouleavetheroom.

Howeveryoudoit,rememberthatfeedbackisthekeytoimprovingperformance.Give themsomeconstructivefeedbackandgeneraltipsonhowtheycanimproveand remembertopraisewhattheydidwell.Evennativespeakershesitate,stutterandmake minorgrammaticalorpronunciationerrorswhenspeakingforextendedperiods.Speaking naturallyratherthanmechanicallyisoftenakeyfeatureinsuccessfulpresentationsand overcorrectionislikelytoresultinastiltedpresentationstyle.

Ifthelearneriswilling,suggesttheyrepeatthepresentationandseeiftheycanincorporate yoursuggestions.Becauseminipresentationsaresoshort,learnersgenerallydontmind practisingthemastheycanmakemistakesandstartagainwithoutwastingtoomuchtime oreffort.Positivefeedbackisessentialandmakesurethelearnerleavesthelessonproud ofwhattheyhaveachievedbutalsopreparedtoworkonimprovingtheirweaknesses.

4.TEDTalks LanguageFocus:Signpostinglanguage,Intonation,Sentencestress

Atsomepoint,youmightaskyourlearnertopreparealongerpresentationtheirownTED talk.BusinessEnglishlearnersandpostgraduatestudentsinparticularwillprobablyneed togivepresentationsforworkorstudypurposes.

Withminipresentations,youwillprobablyfocusonanalysinglanguageatsentencelevel. Withextendedpresentations,yourlearnerwillbenefitfromlearningaboutotherlinguistic andparalinguisticfeaturessuchasusinganecdotesorbodylanguage.

Ifyouhaveaccesstotheinternet,IrecommendwatchingandanalysingTEDTalkswith yourlearner.Aswellasprovidingatranscriptofeveryspeech,youcananalysesuccessful presentationstrategiesandtechniques(pausingforeffect,howintonationconveys emotion,sentencestress,discoursemarkers,useofrepetition,askingrhetorical questions,bodylanguage).Ifyourlearnerenjoyswatchingthem,recommendthattheyfind aspeakerandapresentationtheyparticularlyenjoyandcanuseasamodelfortheirown presentationstyle.

Then,askthemtoprepareanextendedpresentationforthenextlesson.Youcouldbreakit downintopartsandfocusoneachsectionatatime.Iftheyfeelmoreconfident,youcould letthemdothewholepresentation.

Withextendedpresentations,itisagoodideatoprovidesomeassessmentcriteriasuch asclarity,speedofdelivery,appropriateintonation,bodylanguage).Thekeytothislesson isyourfeedbackandletthemtrygivingthepresentationagainiftheywish.

5.Gimmetheshortversion LanguageFocus:Paraphrasingandsummarisinglanguage

Beingabletosummariseandparaphraseareusefulskillsinlife.Askyourlearnerstofind anarticle(itdoesntneedtobeinEnglish)oranaudio/videopresentationsuchasaTED Talkandprepareasummary.Theycouldalsouseapresentationtheyhavegivenor attendedatworkoratuniversity,orareporttheyhavereadorwritten.Tellthemthatthey shouldimaginetheirtypicalaudiencememberisintelligentbutnotanexpertinthefieldso complexideaswhichhavetobesimplifiedorexplainedusinganecdotes,metaphorsand everydayanalogies.

ThisisagoodexercisetopractisespokendiscoursemarkerssuchasAsIwassayingor Anyway.Itworkswellifyouletthelearnerfindanarticlethatisrelevanttotheirneedsand youcanaskthemtoclarifycertainpointsandaskprobingquestionstochallengethemto demonstratetheirunderstandingofthetopic.Byinterrupting,youarealwaysdemonstrating howweinteractwithspeakersprovidinginformationtoconfirmwearefollowingwhatthey aresaying.

6.Itsadeal!

Negotiationsimulationsareperfectforindividualclassesarearesuitableforanytypeof learner,notjustBusinessEnglishstudents.Inanegotiation,thereisaclearobjectiveanda desiredresulttherefore,negotiationsareinherentlystimulating.

Thesecrettoasuccessfulnegotiationsimulationispreparationtime.Bygivingthelearners timetopreparetheirstrategyandcomeupwithafewideas,youarecreatingamorelevel playingfield.Ifyoujumpstraightintoanegotiationsimulation,yourbettercommandof Englishwillgiveyouanunfairadvantage:learnersneedtoprocesstheirideasintheirfirst languageandthentranslatethemintoEnglishwhereasyourideascanbeautomatically processedverbally.

Now,therearelotsofnegotiationscenariosforBusinessEnglishstudentsbutnotsomany forGeneralEnglishlearners.But,thinkabouthowoftenwenegotiateinourdailylivesand youllcomeupwithlotsofideassuchas:

Parentsandchildren:homework,dinner,bedtime,pocketmoney,household chores,stayingatafriendshouse,birthdaypresents. Boyfriendsandgirlfriends:wheretogoouttonight,whichfilmtosee,spendingtime withotherpeople,whichfamilytovisitforChristmas,relationshiprules Husbandsandwives:marriagecontracts,divisionofhouseholdchores,agreeingon monthlybudgets,lookingafterchildren,dealingwithrelatives,separatingand divorcing Teacherandstudent:amountofhomework,classroombehaviour,contentof lessons,classroomrules Employerandemployee:workinghours,salary,jobdescription,work responsibilities,holidayentitlementsandbenefits,askingforpromotion

 Politicalleaders:internationalagreements,importingandexporting,military defense Landlordandtenant:agreeingonrentalfee,rentalconditions,issuesabout furnishing Policeofficerandwitness:makingdeals,offeringprotection

Therearesomanynegotiationroleplayswecoulddoinclass.Yourlearnerwillhaveto improviseanduseallofthelanguageattheirdisposaltoachieveafavourableoutcome.

Aquickwarning:Ihaveseenmanyteacherstakeroleplaysandsimulationsmoreseriously thantheirlearners.Remember,itsthetakingpartthatcounts,notwinning!

7.Yes/Nogame LanguageFocus:Avoidingshortanswers,Hedginglanguage

Youmayhaveplayedthisgamewhenyouwereyounger.Itsverysimpleandgreatfor improvingfluencyandmakingsureourlearnersavoidgivingmonosyllabicresponses.Ask aseriesofquestionsandtellyourlearnertheyarenotallowedtosayyesornoand cannotrepeattheirresponses.Ivedonethiswithallsortsoflevelsanditalwaysworkswell. Again,ifyouswaproleswithyouronetoonelearner,theywillgetextraquestionformation practiceandyoucanexposethemtoawiderrangeofcommunicationstrategies(howto avoidansweringawkwardquestions,demonstratingknowledgebyprovidinglotsofdetails, answeringaquestioninordertopromoteyouridea).

Asyoumayhaveguessed,thisisagreatactivityforaspiringpoliticiansorpeoplewho workinmarketingandpublicrelations.Inlife,weoftenhavetogivetheimpressionthatwe haveansweredaquestionwheninfactwehaveskilfullyavoideddoingso.

8.Everypicturetellsastory LanguageFocus:Relativepronounsandclauses,Narrativetenses

Traineejournalistsaretrainedtoanswer5questions:

1.Who? 2.Where? 3.When? 4.Whathappened? 5.Whyisitimportant?

Usethose5simplequestionsaspromptstoinitiatespeaking.Humansareengineeredto tellandrespondemotionallytostories.Whatcouldbesimplerthanlessonsbasedaround apictureand5questions?

Bringinaseriesofpictureswithpeopleinthemandaskthestudentstoinventanswersto thequestionsabove.Youwillfindthatevenstudentswhodontconsiderthemselves creativewillbeabletocreatestories.

Anotherwaytodothisactivityistogetportraitphotosofpeople.Askyourlearnersto choosetwoofthemanddecidewhotheyareandwhattheirrelationshipis.Then,tellthem theytheyareinthenewsfordoingsomethingextraordinaryorevencriminal.Tohelpyour studentsbegin,youcanaddanobjectandaplace.Forexample,therewasthismanand thiswoman,therewasaredmotorbikeandsomethinghappenedoutsideahospital.

Beforelong,yourlearnerwillbethinkinguplotsofpossibleplots.

9.Liar,liar!Excuses,excuses! LanguageFocus:Negatives,Narrativetenses

Liar,LiarisavariantontheYes/Nogamebutwithanaddedtwist.Thepersonwho respondsisneverallowedtotellthetruththeyhavetoanswerasiftheywerecompulsive liars!Aswellasbeinganexcellentcreativethinkingactivity,learnersarestretchedand challengedtouseallofthelanguageattheirdisposal.

Youcouldstartbyaskingsimplequestionsandthenchallengeyourlearnersbytryingto catchthemout.Then.letthembytheinterrogatorandyouhavetoavoidtellingthetruth.

Asimilaractivityisoneinwhichthelearnerisaskedtocreatecredibleexcusesfortheir actions.Youaskthelearnertoconsiderwhenwemakeexcusesinlife:atwork,athome,in relationships,atschool,tothetaxmanetc.

Together,createaseriesofsituationsinwhichonepersonhastomakeanexcusetotell theother.Forexample,aboyfriendforgettinghisgirlfriendsbirthdayorastudentforgetting todotheirhomework.Asweoftentellstoriesandprovidedetailstomakeourexcuses seemmorebelievable,thisisanexcellentactivityforgettinglearnerstousepasttenses naturally:

ImtellingyouthetruthSir.IdidmyhomeworkbutthenIheardsomethinginthestreet outsideandIopenedthewindow.Andthewindwasblowingreallyhardandallthedogs werebarking,andsuddenly,agustofwindenteredtheroomandblewallthepapersoff mydeskandoutoftheopenwindow.Iranoutintothestreet,andIsawadoganditwas runningaroundchasingthesheetsofpaper.WhenIapproachedthedog,itstarted eatingthepapers...includingmyhomework.

10.Ifonlythingshadbeendifferent LanguageFocus:Unrealconditionals(2nd,3rd,mixed)

Likemanyofthesespeakingideas,learnerscanusetheirownlivesasthebasisfortheir answers.However,somelearnerswillfeeluncomfortablewiththissoalwaysgivethemthe optionofadoptingarole.

Inthisactivity,askthemtochooseafamouspersonwhotheyknowwell.Askyourlearnerto notedownthingswhichhavehappenedinthispersonslife.Forexample,DavidBeckham becameaprofessionalfootballer.Thenaskthemtotellyouwhatwouldhavehappenedhas thisactionnotoccurred.

IfDavidBeckhamhadntbecomeaprofessionalfootballer,hewouldnthave becomefamous.

Thisisagreatactivityforhigherlevellearnersbecausetheywillgetlotsofpractiseinusing unrealconditionalsinthepast(alsoknownasthirdconditional)andmixedconditionals.

Withbusinessstudents,youcanevenlookatacasestudyanddiscusswhatmistakes weremade,whatshouldhavebeendone,andwhythingswentwrongorright.

11.Dear.,Ineedyourhelp LanguageFocus:Givingadvice,modals

Humansliveinsocialgroupsinwhichweshareandexchangeinformation,adviceand opinions.Agonyauntactivitiesinwhichonepersonasksanexpertforadvicearesimple tosetup:

StudentAhasaproblemandasksStudentBforadviceonhowtoresolveit.

Thereasontheseactivitiesworksowellisthateverysinglepersonontheplanethasa problem.Imtoofat.Imtoothin.Imsingle.Immarried.Imrichbutlifewasmuchsimpler whenIwaspoor.Impoor,Iwanttoberich.

Again,wecanmovebeyondsimplepersonalissues.Inthelast20years,wehaveseena hugeincreaseinthenumberofconsultants:political,economic,legal,educational, creative,linguistic,lifecoaches,businesscoaches,sportscoaches.

Ifyourlearnerhasaspecificareaofexpertise,imagineyouareaclientlookingforanswers andadviceforqueriesyouhave.Thiswillmaketheactivityfarmorerelevanttotheir reallifeneeds.

12.TheAudition LanguageFocus:Featuresofpronunciation(intonation,sentencestress,connected speech),Adverbsofmanner

Whatdoactorsdobeforefilmingascriptorperformingaplay?Thatsright.Theyrehearse andpractisesayingtheirlinesinavarietyofdifferentwaystobesuretheyconveythe appropriateemotion.

IfyourlearnerreallywanttoimprovetheirspokenEnglish(intonation,stresspatterns, connectedspeech,rhythm),givethemscriptstoworkfrom.Pushthemtogobeyondthe sentenceandidentifywhatliesbeneath.Createdialogueswithyourlearnersandactthem out.Getoutofthechairandmovearound.Discussbodylanguageandgestures.

Askthemtoreadalineindifferentways.Stressdifferentwords,changetheintonation,say thelineindifferentwaysdependingonwhatthecharacterisfeeling.Useadverbsandask thelearnertosayIloveyouindifferentways:happily,angrily,softly,humorouslyetc.

Modelhowyouwouldsayitandaskyourstudenttorepeatusingthesamesentencestress andintonation.Tellthemyouaretheiractingcoachpreparingthemforanimportant audition.Rehearse!Rehearse!Rehearse!

Then,inyournextlesson,youcantellthemitstheirauditionandyouarethedirector lookingforanactortostarinyournextfilm.

13.AStorybeforeBedtime LanguageFocus:Narrativetenses,Sentencestress,Intonationtoconveyemotion

Howmanyparentstakerealpleasureinstorytelling?Howmanyofthemdiscovertheyhave anaturalgiftforstorytelling?Kidsareanappreciateandhonestaudience:iftheydontlike thewayyoutellastory,theyllfakesleeptoavoidlisteningtoyou!

Thewonderfulthingabouttellingbedtimestoriesorfairytalesingeneralisthatyouhaveto exaggeratefordramaticeffectandlearnhowtopauseeffectivelytogivekidstimeto processwhattheyhaveheardandmoreimportantlytopredictwhatsgoingtohappen.

Ifyouwantpeopletolistentoyou,youhavetolearnhowtovaryyourspeechandpause betweeneachchunkofinformation.Manylearnerstrytospeakquickerwhenmaybethey shouldbeaimingtopausebetter.

14.CanIhaveafewminutesofyourtime? LanguageFocus:Questionsandfollowupquestions

Whatseverybodyinterestedin?Sports?Fashion?Cars?Travel?Politics?

Thereisonlyonesubjectthateverybodyisinterestedinthemselves!

WemaydenyitbutImsureitstrue.Eveniftheyarenotwillingtoanalysetheirpersonality withyou,theywillprobablybewillingtocompleteaquestionnaireabouttheirdiet,theirjob, theirhabits,theirbeliefs.

Questionnairesareeverywhere.Withhighlevellearners,youcanuseauthentictexts.With lowerlevels,youcanjustsimplifythequestions.Manyquestionnairesoffermultiplechoice answers.Youdontneedtousethemifyoudontwantto.

Again,intheinterestsoffairness,ifyouuseaquestionnairewithyourlearner,youshouldbe willingtoletthemquestionyouback.

15.Thinkingoutsideofthebox LanguageFocus:Hypotheticallanguagesuchasconditionalsandmodals

Onmanybusinesstrainingcoursesorinjobinterviews,participantsaregivenalateral thinkingpuzzletosolve.Thesecanalsobeusedinonetooneclassesbutyou,theteacher, shouldcollaboratewiththelearner.Ifnot,thereisnocommunicativepurposetothetask. Unlessyouareparticularlyadeptlateralthinker,yourlanguageskillswillnotgiveyouan advantage.Infact,askingyourlearnertoexplaintheirideastoyouisapowerfullearning challenge.Equallyso,whentheyuseEnglish,theywillberequiredtounderstandand respondtootherpeoplesideas,viewsandopinions:trainingforreallifetasks.

Lateralthinkingpuzzlesareeasytofindandthelanguageusedinthemisusuallysimple. Thedifficultyliesinsolvingthem.

16.PlayingDevilsadvocate LanguageFocus:Givingopinions,agreeinganddisagreeing,

Playingdevilsadvocatemeanssupportingtheindefensible,arguingforsomethingwe dontactuallybelieve.Doingsostretchesusmentally,morallyandintellectually.Many learnerswill,atsomepointintheirlives,berequiredtoconsideropposingviews,whether inanexamtaskorwhendiscussingtopicswithapersonwhodoesntsharetheiropinion.

Findalistofcontroversialstatements,suchasAlldrugsshouldbelegalised.Askthemto decideiftheyagreeordisagreewiththesestatements.Lookattheiranswersandthentell themtheyhavetodisagreewithyourviews.

Thisisgreatforpractisingfixedandsemifixedphrases,suchasOntheonehandor informalbutfrequentlyusedutterancessuchasYoumustbejoking.

17.Celebrityinterviews LanguageFocus:DirectandIndirectQuestions,Reportedspeech

AsImentionedearlier,theexistenceofasecondlanguageidentityisoftenanobstacleto fluidandfluentselfexpression:learnerscanfeelinfantilised,inthepositionofchildrenand unabletoarticulatetheircomplexideas.

Adoptingaroleisabitlikewearingamask:youhidetherealyou.Bylettingyourlearners playtheroleofacelebrity,theyfeelatlibertytomakejokes,expresscontroversialviews, playaroundwithaccentsetc.Whatevertheysaycanbeblamedontherole.Thismeans theyareatlessriskoflosingfaceiftheymakelinguisticmistakes.

Letthemchoosethecelebrities.itdoesntmatterifyouknowthemornot.Explainingtheir backstoryisanotherusefultask.

Adoptaroleyourselfandletthemplaytheinterviewer.Aftertheinterview,askthemtotell youwhatyousaidusingreportingverbsgoodforreviewinghowweuseverbslikesay,tell andmention.

18.Notnowhoney.Imonthephone LanguageFocus:Formulaicphrasestouseonthephone,Numbersandletters.

Speakingonthephoneinyoursecondlanguagecanbefarmorechallengingthan speakingfacetofaceforonemainreason:paralinguisticfactors,suchasfacial expressionsandphysicalgestures,whichweusetoconveyemotion,checkunderstanding andreinforceourmessage,areinvisibletothelistener.Interestingly,westillusethese paralinguisticsignalswhenspeakingonthephone,whichsuggestweusethemforourown benefitasmuchasforthelistener.

Telephonesimulationsareanexcellentwaytoprovideusefulandauthenticpracticefor yourlearnerandallyouhavetodotosimulaterealphoneconversationsistoturnyour chairsaroundsoyousitbacktoback.Idalsorecommendusingyourownphoneasa prop.

Phonecallsimulationsareeasytosetup.Allyouhavetodoisfindoutwhyyourlearner mightneedtospeakonthephone.IftheyneedEnglishforbusiness,youcouldpretendto beaclientseekinginformation.IftheyarethinkingofmovingtotheUK,youcouldsimulate callingalandlordaboutrentingaflatorapplyingforajob.

Finally,rememberevenhighlevellearnerscanfinditdifficulttowritedownphonenumbers ornamesandaddressesinrealtime.Moststudentslearnnumbers,lettersanddatesearly onintheirEnglishlanguagelearningexperience(atElementarylevel)butdontrecyclethis incrediblyusefullanguageonaregularbasis.

19.TheElevatorPitch LanguageFocus:Modifyingadverbs,Gradableandungradableadjectives,Intensifiers

Imagineyouworkforalargecorporationandhaveawonderfulideaforaproduct.You speaktoyourlinemanagerandtheydismissyourideaandtellyoutogetbacktoworking onwhatyouarebeingpaidtodo.Afewdayslater,youenterthelift/elevatorandfind yourselfalonewiththeCEO.Thisisyouropportunity:youmayhaveonly60secondsto convincethemthatyourideaisworthinvestingtimeandmoneyin.

Thatsthebasicideaofanelevatorpitch,whichisalsothebasisfortheTVshowThe DragonsDen.Aswellasaidingfluency(youcannothesitateandreformulateina60 secondpresentation),ithelpsthelearnerfocusonfeaturesofpronunciationandgives themthechancetopractiseusingmodifiersandintensifierssuchasextremelyand absolutely.

WhatIreallylikeaboutElevatorPitchactivitiesisthattheycanbeusedinallsortsof contextswhenyouhavetouseyourpersuasiveskillsandarenotonlysuitableforBusiness Englishstudents.

Aboyhas60secondstoconvincethegirlofhisdreamsthatsheshouldgoona datewithhim Ascreenwriterhas60secondswithaHollywoodproducertoconvincethemthat theyshouldmakeascriptoftheirfilm Amanhas60secondstoconvinceawomanthatsheshouldnotgetonthatflight andshouldstayandmarryhim Ashopassistanthas60secondstoconvinceacustomertobuytheproductfrom theirshopandnotfromthelargersupermarketwhichsellsthesameproductata cheaperprice

 Atravelagenthas60secondstoconvinceatouristthattheyshouldtaketheirtrip Astudenthas60secondstoconvinceauniversityprofessorthattheyshouldoffer themaplaceontheircourse Apersonhas60secondstoconvinceapoliceofficerthattheactiontheywere doingwasnotcriminalandthatthereisaperfectlylogicalexplanationfortheir behaviour Agirlfriendhas60secondstoconvincetheirboyfriendthattheyshouldgotoa particularbar/restaurant/seeafilm Anapplicanthas60secondstoconvinceapotentialemployerthattheyshouldoffer themajob

20.DinnerPartyChallenge LanguageFocus:Conditionals(1st,2nd)

Askyourlearnertolist10famouspeople:theycouldbepoliticians,popstars,writers, sportsmenandwomen,actors.Tellthemthatthesepeoplehavebeeninvitedtoadinner partyandtheirchallengeistocreateaseatingarrangementwhichwillensurethatthe conversationflows,nobodyisbored,andnobodystartsarguing.Itsasurprisinglydifficult butenjoyabletask.Astheteacher,youshouldreformulatewherepossiblebutkeepthe discussionflowing.Itsimportantthatyouplayanactiveroleinensuringthatyoudecide togetherbuttrynottodominate,respondtoyourlearnersideainapositivewaybutaskfor clarificationwhennecessaryand,aboveall,challengeyourlearnertojustifytheirchoices.

21.TheBalloondebate LanguageFocus:Reachingconsensus,Agreeinganddisagreeing

Theballoondebateisacommonactivityinlanguageclassesandtrainingcourses.The classicscenarioisthatthereareseveralitemsorpeopleinahotairballoon.However,the balloonisstartingtofallbecauseitcannotsupporttheweightoftheitemsorpeopleinthe basket.Therefore,thegrouphastodecidewhichitemsorpeopletothrowoverboard.

Itsbasicallyaselectiontaskbutinsteadofchoosingwhatyouwanttokeepyoufocuson whatyouwanttogetridof.Again,theclassicballoonscenariomaynotbeparticularly relevanttoyourlearnerbutitcanbeeasilyadaptedbygettingtotheirspecificneedsand interests.

Forexample,maybeyoucouldcreateascenarioinwhichthetwoofyouaredirectorsofa companywhichisexperiencingadifficultperiod.Decidewhichofyouremployeesyou needtoletgo(becarefulhere:itcouldbealltoorealisticforyourlearner).

Or,youcouldpretendtobeacoupleplanningyourwedding.Youcreatealistof20people toinvitebutaretheninformedthattherestaurantonlyhasspacefor15.Which5peopledo youremovefromthelist?

Anotherscenariocouldbetwopeopleplanningatour.Youhaveidentified10placesyou wanttovisitbutthenfindoutyouonlyhaveenoughtimeormoneytovisit6ofthem.

Imsureyougettheidea:balloondebatesdependonthepremisethatwehavetomake choicesinlifeandcannothaveeverythingwewant.Wehavetomakedifficultdecisions.

22.AndtheOscargoesto. LanguageFocus:Agreeinganddisagreeing,presentingviewsandopinions

Wespendhalfourlifemakingdecisions:wheretoeat,whattoeat,whattowatchonTV, whichYouTubevideotowatch,wheretogoonholiday.Whenmakingdecisions,manyof usdrawupashortlistandthenlookattheprosandconsofeachoption.Finally,wemake ourdecisionsbasedonlogicalargumentandemotionalpreferences.

Prizegivingactivitiesaretheflipsideofballoondebates.Whereasballoondebatesare aboutchoosingtheleastdeservingcandidates,prizegivingcommitteesdecideuponthe mostdeservingcandidates.

Wemakepositivedecisionseverydayofourlives:whichcountrytovisitonholiday,which filmtowatch,whattoeattonight,whotoinvitetodinner,whichpoliticalpartytovotefor, whichcartobuyetc.Thelistisendless.Thinkaboutthekindsofdecisionsyourlearnerhas tomakeintheirlifeandcreatesuitablescenariosbasedaroundtheirreallifeneeds.

Createacommitteeof2andchallengeyourlearnertojustifytheirchoices.

23.AutomaticExclamations LanguageFocus:Exclamations

Muchofthelanguageweuseineverydayinteractionsisformulaic.Weusefixedor semifixedphrasesautomatically.

Howareyou? Finethanks.Andyou?

Learnersoftenoveranalyzethesephrases.Insteadofprocessingthemasasingle linguisticchunk,theytrytorememberthemasagrammaticalformula.Asthesephrases generallyhavebetween2and7words,thereisnoneedforourlearnerstodothis.Far betterforthemtoprocessthemaschunks.

Wegenerallyusetheseshortphrasesinresponsetowhatanotherpersonhassaidtous. Wecanshowwearelistening,interested,disinterested,surprisedetc.Theseexclamations include:

right noproblem yourewelcome Youmustbejoking. Hmm..typical. Thatssofunny. Hedidwhat??

OK, cheers, really!!! Icantbelieveit. Itoldyouso. Goon. Noway

Findalistofthesephrasesandwritethemonpiecesofpaperorpostits.Exploretheir meaningwithyourlearner(ifyouknowtheirfirstlanguage,youmightevenconsider

translatingthem).Then,createaseriesofminidialoguesinwhichthefirstpersonsays somethingthatresultsinthesecondpersonrespondingwithoneofthephrasesinthelist.

Forexample:Thanksforhelpingmewithmyluggage.Yourewelcome.

Finally,putthepiecesofpaperwiththephrasesfacedownonthedesk.Takeitinturnsto pickoneupandsaysomethingsothattheotherpersonrespondswiththewordonthe paper.

24.Phrasalverbrecast LanguageFocus:Phrasalverbs

ThisisaparticularlyusefulactivityforESPorEAPlearners.Itisalsosuitableforlearners whoareabletospeakand/orwriteformalortechnicalEnglishbuthavehadlittle experienceusingamoreinformalregister..Afewyearsago,Igaveprivatelessonstoa lawyerfromPakistan.HiscommandoflegalEnglishwasfarbetterthanmine,however,his conversationwasstilted,formal.longwindedandcuriouslyoldfashioned.

Inthisactivity,youwillneedtouseadocumentwritteninformalEnglish.Letters,emailsor marketingmaterialsarefine.Withthelearner,gothroughthedocumentandunderlinethe verbsused.Then,askyourstudentiftheyknowanyphrasalverbswithhaveasimilar meaning.Forexample,Iwillcollectthesamplesat8amcouldberewrittenasIwillpickup thesamplesat8am.Ifthelearnerstruggleswiththis,youcanteachthemthephrasalverbs (Isayteachbutallyouhavetodoisshowthemthattheproperverbhasaphrasalverb equivalent).

Now,tomakethisaspeakingactivity,tellthelearnerthattheyaregoingtophoneyouand communicatetheinformationinthedocumentorally.Givethemafewminutestonotedown thekeypointsbutaskthemtowritephrasalverbsratherthantheoriginalverbs.

Then,havetheconversationandencourageyourlearnertomaketheirlanguageas naturalaspossible.

25.Wheredoyouseeyourselfin5yearstime?

Mostadultlearnerswhochoosetotakeprivateclasseswillhaveaparticularobjective. TheymaywanttopassanexamorimprovetheirEnglishforworkpurposes.Beingableto presentyourselfconfidentiallyandfluentlyinajobinterviewisapracticalskillandmost learnerswillbenefitfromthisactivity.Rememberthattheymayalsobeemployers themselvessotheycanalsolearnhowtointerviewsomebodyinEnglish.

Ifyouareteachingaprofessionalperson,rememberthattheymayhavemuchmore experiencethanyouinthecorporatesector.Therefore,youwontberequiredtoteach themwhatquestionsareaskedinaninterviewastheywillprobablyknowthem.Whatyou needtodoisshowthemhowthesequestionsareaskedinEnglish.Itsmainlyabout reformulation.

So,startbyaskingyourlearnertodrawupalistofinterviewquestions.Youmaywantto writethemdownsotheycanconcentrateonformingthesequestions.Then,lookatthelist ofquestionswithyourlearnerandreformulatethemsotheycanlearnhowyousaythemin English.

Withthislist,youcanthentakeitinturnstointervieweachother.Askyourlearnertothinkof ajobanddiscusswhatqualitiesandexperienceinterviewerswouldlookforinthe applicants.Youcouldevenletyourlearnerinterviewyouforapositionintheircompany!Or thinkofanunusualjob(doghairdresser,Presidentoftheircountry)andhavefunwiththe interview.

Tomakethisactivityreallyusefulforyourlearner,youshouldwritenotesontheirlanguage theyusetoansweryourquestions.Then,reformulatesotheyhavearecordofuseful phrasesforinterviews.Inthesameway,whenyourlearnerinterviewsyou,askthemto

recordanyphrasestheyhearyouuse(orrecordyourselfandlistenback)anddiscuss whattheymeanandhowtousethem.

26.IfIruledtheworld LanguageFocus:Unrealconditionals(2nd,3rd,mixed)

Humanbeingslovetoimaginewhatwewoulddoinsomebodyelsesshoes.Wealways thinkwecoulddoabetterjobthanpeopleinpowerfulpositions.Thisfunactivitygivesour learnersthechancetodojustthat:imaginewhattheywoulddoiftheywereinpower.Its alsoagreatwaytopractiseusingunrealconditionals(second,third,mixed).

Askthelearnertotellyouwhatthemainsocialproblemsareintheircountry.Eventhemost loyalpatriotwillfindthingstocomplainabout.Usethatlist(highunemployment,education system,lackofrespectforoldpeople,toomuchgraffiti,thewayyoungpeoplebehave, drugs,highcrime,toomuchcelebritygossipetc.)asthebasisfortheactivity.

Then,tellyourlearnerthattheyhavebeenchosenasapresidentialcandidateandthey havetodelivertheirmessagetotheelectorate.Inotherwords,theyhavetothinkabout whattheywoulddoiftheywerepresident.Tomaketheactivitymoreinteractiveand authentic,youcouldplaytheroleofaTVinterviewer.

IfIwerepresident,Iwouldraisetaxesforrichpeopleandputthismoneyintohospitals andschools.

Youcanadaptthisactivitybychangingtheroleofpresidenttomayor,principal,CEO, manageroflocalfootballteam.

27.ResolvingDisputes LanguageFocus:Conditionalsusedinnegotiating,rejectingideas

Thissimulationisidealforpractisingphrasesweusetogiveopinions,agreeanddisagree withopinions,offer,acceptandrejectpossiblesolutions.

Aschildren,wehaveproblemswithourparents,teachers,siblingsandfriends.Asadults, thislistgrowsandwehavedisputesaboutawiderrangeofissues:work,marriage, educationofourchildren,businessdeals,financialservices.Phew!!!Lifeisnothingbuta seriesofbattles.

Createascenariowhichisrelevanttoyourlearner.Forexample,iftheyworkfora company,thedisputecouldbebasedaroundpromotionorasalaryincrease.Iftheyare universitystudents,thedisputecouldbeaboutastudentgrant.Iftheyhavechildren,the disputecouldbeaboutabehaviouralissueattheirschool.

Whenyouhavedecideduponthescenario,chooseroles.Forexample,you,theteacher, couldbethebossandyourlearnercouldbeadisgruntledemployer,angrybecausethey haventreceivedtheirannualbonus.

Then,individually,answerthesequestions:

1.Whatisthecauseofthedispute? 2.Whatismyobjectiveforhavingthisconversation? 3.WhatamIpreparedtooffertomakesureIgetwhatIwant? 4.WhatwillInotdotogetwhatIwant? 5.AmIpreparedtochangemyobjective?Ifso,howmuch?

Whenbothsidesareready(youmightwanttosetupthisscenarioattheendofoneclass andaskthelearnertopreparetheirstrategyathome),youcanbeginthesimulation.Itcan bedifficulttoparticipateinasimulationandmakenotesaboutthelearnersuseof languageatthesametimebuttrytodosoorrecorditandplayitbackandanalysethe languageusedwithyourlearner.

Whenyouhavereachedadecision,askafewquestionsabouthowthelearnerfelt performingthesimulation.Praisethemforholdingtheirowninanegotiationwithafluent Englishspeaker.Providefeedbackonyourlearnersperformanceandmakesureyoudo somecorrectionofincorrectlanguageandidentifyandidentifyanyusefullanguagethey emergedinthetask.

Withhighlevellearnerswhoenjoytheactivity,youcansuggestSpeeddisputeresolution inwhichyouandthelearnerhaveaseriesofdisputeswitha5minutetimelimittoresolve eachone.Haveafeedbackslotof1or2minutesaftereachminidisputeandcorrecta coupleoferrorsand/orintroduceusefulphraseseachtime.Then,moveontothenext scenarioandyourlearnerwillbegivenanimmediateopportunitytousethecorrectedor newphrase.

28.ToDoList LanguageFocus:Causativeverbs

Writearemindernoteonyourhandbeforestartingtheclass.Justsomethingshortlikeget myhaircut.Startdiscussingtechniquesforrememberingthingswehavetodoorget done.

Seeifyourlearnerknowshowtousecausativeverbs(togetsomethingdone/tohave somethingdone)whenonepersonhelpstomakesomethinghappenforanotherperson. Ihavetogetmyhaircut(somebodywilldoitforme)notIhavetocutmyhair(Idoit myself).

Askyourlearnertotellyouaboutanimportanteventthatwillhappensoonintheirlife.They mayhavetoattendaconference,organiseaparty,attendawedding,goonholiday.Ifthey donthaveanythingplanned,getthemtoimaginesomethingthatrequiresorganisation.

Then,getthemtocreateaToDoList.Thiscanbedoneverbally,innoteformora combinationofboth.Makesureyoucorrectthelearneriftheydontuseacausativeverb whenitwouldbeappropriate.

Toconsolidate,tellyourlearnerthatyouwillhelpthemgetthingsdoneanddecidetogether howyouwillsharethetasks.

WithBusinessEnglishlearners,youcouldexpandthisactivityandcreateaToDoListfora specificprojectandworktogetherasprojectmanagers,delegatingtaskstomembersof yourteamorcontractors.

29.CompanyPolicy LanguageFocus:Modalsforpermission,obligation,prohibitionetc.

Acompanypolicyisadocumentthatestablishestherulesofconductwithinan organisation.Mostcompaniesandinstitutionshavecompanypoliciessoadultlearnerswill befamiliarwiththem.Whenwecreateacommonpolicy,weusemodalverbsofobligation (must),permission(may),adviceandsuggestedactions(should)aswellasaseriesof phrasessuchasallowedtoorforbiddentoandmorecomplexstructuressuchasinno circumstancesorundernocondition.

Inthisactivity,youworkwithyourlearnertocreateacompanypolicy.Ifyouareteaching incompany,youmightaskyourlearnertotranslatetheirpolicyintoEnglish.Youcould createacompanywithyourlearneranddevelopapolicyforyourimaginarybusiness.With otherlearners,youcouldcreateapolicyfortheclassroomTheteachermustnotchewgum inclassoryoucouldchoosearoletheyhaveinreallife(maybetheyareaparent,achild, aboyfriend)andaskthemtocreateapolicyoutliningtherulesandregulationsinthe relationshipstheyhavewithotherpeople.Afunwayofdoingthisisbycreatingaprenuptial agreement(acontractcouplescreatebeforetheygetmarried).Youcouldalsocreatea codeofconductforcitizensoftheircountryorcity.

30.YouretheTeacher LanguageForm:UnrealConditionals(2nd,3rd,mixed)

Thisisanactivityyoucoulddoattheendofyourcoursewithaprivatestudentandisa greatwaytogetfeedbackonyourteachingaswellasgivingthelearnertheopportunityto practiseconditionals.

Askyourlearnertotellyouwhattheywoulddoiftheyweretheteacherofthisclass.They mayfeelabituncomfortabletalkingaboutthisinsuchadirectwaysoyoucouldrephraseit byaskingthemtoimaginethattheyaretheteacherandthatyouareastudent,studying theirlanguage.

Youcoulduseasetofquestionssuchas:

1. Howwouldyouplanthelessons? 2. Howwouldyoucorrectme? 3. Howoftenwouldyoucorrectme? 4. Wouldyouuseacoursebook? 5. Wouldyougivemehomework? 6. Wouldyouteachmegrammar? 7. Howwouldyougetmetospeakmore? 8. Whatresourceswouldyouuse? 9. Wherewouldyouhavetheclass? 10. WhatwouldyourecommendIdotoimprove?

WhenIhavedonethisactivitywithlearners,Ihavebeenamazedbytheirinsights.Wemust neverforgetthatourbestresourceisourlearnersandwecanlearnsomuchfromthem aboutlife,languageandlearning.

Thank you for reading this e-book. Your support means a lot to me and Id love to hear from you if you use any of these activities. Many of these activities have also been used with groups with some small modifications. I sincerely believe that it is possible to teach without a coursebook and with very few (if any) materials. Every learner brings their life experiences, views, opinions, hopes and dreams, sense of humour, and, last but not least, some knowledge of the English language to the lesson. By using what they already have, we are able to make our lessons stimulating, creative, useful and relevant to our learners lives. Finally, feel free to share this ebook with friends and colleagues and any promotion on Facebook or Twitter would be appreciated.

Cheers, Dylan

Gotowww.onlinetefltraining.comandjoinourgrowingcommunity ofEnglishteachers.