Authentic and Silly: Conversation Classes

I admit I sometimes have trouble keeping track of the grammar focus in a conversation task. There are so many students mixed and matched, and, as a teacher, you feel compelled to walk between each group to correct them.

But then again you also don't want to interrupt the natural flow of English they're reinforcing. But then again that vocabulary isn't the focus today, the grammar structure is. But then again frequent corrections discourages students. But then again maybe this needs to be a more guided tasks with predetermined fill-in-the-blank scripts. But then again...

Yeah. Conversation lessons can be brutal. You have to think of an authentic scenario, balance all your students, and somehow give them feedback. Oh. And maybe, like, persuade them to talk instead of stare at you? 

This past unit had been on Music, though, and I implemented the following two activities pretty seamlessly.

1. Speed Dating
   Since my students this term are all around my age, I often find myself batting away nonsense questions that certainly spark from a mixture of "trying-to-get-the-class-off-topic" and "genuine-curiosity." Usually these questions go something like, "Teacher, do you have a boyfriend?" "Teacher, what's the best movie for a date in the US?" "Teacher..."
   
    Depending on the time left in class, our goals for that lesson, etc. I either playfully look at the nonexistent watch on my wrist while exclaiming "Oh no! Class is over!" then shoo them away, or I indulge them and throw vocabulary/grammar structures into my response, prompting a response from them as well. This past unit was music, and I think I've mentioned before that my class is filled with dancers and singers. I knew they'd be into this theme, so I decided to tease them.
   
   I came up with a list of music related questions, probably about 15 in total, then came into class and started talking about Tinder.
   
   Yeah. Tinder. I said something about how hard modern dating is and isn't there a better way than swiping right and left, and how the WORST was when your date had horrible music taste (to which they all vehemently agreed)...
   
   ...and then I asked if anyone had ever heard of speed-dating. A few raised their hands. I clapped excitedly and said "Oh my gosh that's great because you guys are ALL about to go on dates!"
   
   I set them up in two lines, handed out the sheet of music questions, then told them to have a discussion with the person standing opposite them. After two minutes, they would step to the right and begin a new conversation. I often poked my head into their conversations, making some silly joke about who was getting along with who and "ohhh maybe there'll be a second date soon?" All  while I'd  jokingly gush about them, hiding behind my notebook like a fool, I'd scribble a note about who needed help with this week's vocab.
   
   Of course this kind of exercise worked within the context of my class. We've all known each other since September, already joke around pretty easily, and are all adults that understand the parameters of a game. This activity is easily done without the ridiculous romantic framework. 
   
   
2. Musical Chairs
   This is way less authentic, but it helped them all relax around one another for a public English conversation. My shier students especially. I literally just did musical chairs. Whoever was without a seat would have a short (30 second) conversation with me about a question I'd choose. I set it up so there were four seats, and I'd call five students at a time.  Choosing those five-student groups usually went based on things like "who's about the same height and won't accidentally shove someone hard; who are my most talkative students? whatever).
   
   The second round, I called forth my five shiest girls and everyone, including the girls themselves, laughed at the silly music I played (techno Harry Potter). When the music cut and they scrambled for seats, one of them actually let out the loudest laugh and said, spontaneously about the student that beat her out of a seat, "How could you do this to me?!" 
   
   I loved hearing her response to my question because, while I usually strain to hear her whispered voice, she spoke louder between her laughter. It was like playing musical chairs tapped into that feeling of being a kid at a party with your friends rather than in a formal classroom.

That's all I've got for you today, but next week's unit is sleep. If anyone's got some ideas for that, pass 'em along. Until then...