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 ofworksheets under my arm. The worst thing that can happen in a one-to-one class is runningout of materials, I thought.

And then one day, a private student told me he didnt enjoy my classes because he felt I wasjust giving him a series of worksheets to complete. What he really wanted to do was develophis communicative competence - become a more fluent, versatile, adaptable and confidentcommunicator in English. He looked at the worksheets - exercises written for practising thepresent 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 mightwant 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 tryusing some of the activities to supplement the materials you use with your learners. Ask forsome 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 canteach these lessons with other resources and materials (videos,photos, dictaphones, laptopswith internet access, magazines etc.) but you dont actually need anything except a few sheetsof 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 thelesson - after the utterance, after the exercise, at a convenient point - to see if the learner cancorrect their own mistakes. If they cant, I suggest you work with them to recast andreformulate their utterances.

When possible, I try to make some notes on the language my learner used in the class andsend them as an email attachment so I can quickly review them at the beginning of the nextclass.

The final point Id like to make is that you (the teacher) can really help your learner byparticipating as an equal partner in many of these activities. For example, if you ask yourlearner to give a 2-minute presentation, you should be prepared to do the same (greatlistening practice for them too). When two people are together, they produce a dialogue notseparate monologues which means you, the teacher, have to interact, provide feedback, andmake sure the conversation flows as smoothly as possible.

By collaborating with your learners in these activities, you provide a language model and amodel of how to interact when conversing in English. If you do this well, you may well findthat your lessons become more enjoyable: conversations in which learning occurs.

30UnpluggedActivitiesforOnetoOneClasses

1. Knowtheteacher2. TheQuestionGenerator3. Twominutetalks4. TEDTalks5. Gimmetheshortversion!6. Itsadeal7. TheYes/NoGame8. EveryPictureTellsaStory9. Liar,Liar!Excuses,Excuses!10. Ifonlythingshadbeendifferent11. Dearteacher,Ineedyourhelp12. TheAudition13. AStorybeforeBedtime14. CanIhaveafewminutesofyourtime,please?15. ThinkingoutsideoftheBox16. PlayingDevilsAdvocate17. CelebrityInterviews18. Imonthephone!19. TheElevatorPitch20. TheDinnerPartyChallenge21. TheBalloonDebate22. AndtheOscargoesto..23. AutomaticExclamation24. PhrasalVerbSwap25. Wheredoyouseeyourselfin5yearstime?26. IfIRuledtheWorld27. ResolvingDisputes28. ToDoList29. CompanyPolicy30. 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? 4.Who?

2.Why? 5.When?

3.Where? 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 OK,

noproblem cheers,

yourewelcome really!!!

Youmustbejoking. Icantbelieveit.

Hmm..typical. Itoldyouso.

Thatssofunny. Goon.

Hedidwhat?? 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 tohear from you if you use any of these activities. Many of these activities have alsobeen used with groups with some small modifications.

I sincerely believe that it is possible to teach without a coursebook and with veryfew (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 theEnglish 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 promotionon Facebook or Twitter would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Dylan

Gotowww.onlinetefltraining.comandjoinourgrowingcommunityofEnglishteachers.