49 ESL Conversation Games & Activities - Jackie Bolen 2020
The hot seat
English conversation games and activities for all levels
Skills: Speaking/Listening
Time: 3-4 minutes/student
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Materials Required: Nothing
Each student has to think of one interesting thing about themselves that they want to share with the class. My examples are that I have an identical twin and that my mom is also one (it's really true!), or that I've been to more than 50 countries. Then one by one, students have a chance to sit in the “hot-seat.” They say their interesting statement and the class has to quickly ask five follow-up questions. The best thing about this activity is that there are usually a lot more questions that students want to ask and they'll follow up during the breaks or after class.
Tips for increasing interaction:
It's certainly possible to do this activity with bigger classes and make it student-centred. In this case, put students into groups of 5-6 to complete the activity. Each student in the group can ask one follow-up question per round. This option is actually preferable to the one mentioned above with the entire class because it allows for more student talking time and it's also more student-centered. In this case, the teacher can act as a time-keeper, signaling when it's time for another student to be in the “hot seat.”
When I do this option, I like to ask each group to tell me 1-2 interesting things they learned about their classmates during the activity.
Procedure:
1. Each student thinks of one interesting thing about themselves.
2. The first student comes to the front of the class, sits in the “hot-seat,” and says their interesting statement.
3. The class has to quickly ask them five follow-up questions, to which the student answers, and then the student goes to sit back down in their regular seat.
4. The next student comes up and the procedure is repeated until all students have been in the “hot-seat.”
5. Consider doing this activity in smaller groups if you have a large class.