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Speaking Unplugged

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Speaking Unplugged: 30 Activities for One-to-One Classes By reducing the amount of material that is imported into the classroom, the teacher frees the learning space for the kind of interactive, talk­mediated learning opportunities that are so crucial for language development. Scott Thornbury: Teaching Unplugged 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 didn’t 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 …show more content…

23. Automatic Exclamation 24. Phrasal Verb Swap 25. Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time? 26. If I Ruled the World 27. Resolving Disputes 28. To Do List 29. Company Policy 30. You’re the Teacher 1. Know the Teacher Language Focus: Question forms, short answers Adult learners can feel ‘infantilised’ when they speak a foreign language. They may have a confident and respected public identity in their first language but feel like children communicating with adults when speaking their second language, especially with their teacher, who they may respond to as a figure of authority and an imparter of knowledge. This power relationship is, in my opinion, rather unhealthy and unhelpful in one­to­one classes. As teachers, we are no more intelligent, cultured, open­minded or wise than our learners. We are equals in all respects, except our ability to use the English language. Therefore, I always recommend a ‘getting to know your teacher’ activity in the first lesson. As well as giving you a good idea of your student’s strengths and weaknesses, we can also use this activity to break the ice. Start by asking your learner to write down a list of questions they would like to ask you. Give them a few ideas, themes like work, family, hobbies, and let them spend a few minutes thinking and forming questions. Let them write the questions first rather than ask them to think them up on the spot. In real­life situations, we

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