49 ESL Conversation Games & Activities - Jackie Bolen 2020

Group therapy
English conversation games and activities for higher level students

Skills: Speaking/Listening

Time: 10-15 minutes

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

Materials Required: Nothing

In the style of an AA meeting, students sit in a circle if possible and introduce themselves, “My name is ..., and I'm ... .” Instead of finishing with “... and I’m an alcoholic,”

finish with a problem they have learning English, such as using articles correctly or conjugating verbs. They should then solicit tips and tricks from their classmates.

The teacher should begin by modeling and could give an actual problem they have as a language student. For example, “My name is Jackie, and I’m never sure how formal or polite to be when speaking Korean to someone I don’t know well. Does anyone have any advice for me?”

Teaching Tip:

This is a great first day activity, because it is a not-very-sneaky way to get an idea of what areas of language the students perceive to be more difficult, which you can use to inform lesson planning for the semester.

Tips for Increasing Interaction:

It's certainly possible to do this activity with the entire class. However, I recommend this for classes of 5-6 max. After that, put students into groups of 4-6 and have them do it together which will increase interaction. The teacher can circulate through the class and “eavesdrop” on the conversations.

Procedure:

1. Before class, arrange the desks in a circle, if possible. If the class is very large, divide students into several large groups.

2. Begin by telling students that everyone has trouble learning languages, and even those who speak several languages fluently have difficulty with some aspect of any language they learn.

3. Introduce the lesson as “therapy” for them to get counseling for their troubles.

4. Begin with your own example of a problem you have with a foreign language you speak. For example, “My name is Jackie, and I’m never sure how formal or polite to be when speaking Korean to someone I don’t know well. Does anyone have any advice for me?”

5. Go around the circle and give each student a turn to introduce themselves, “My name is ..., and I'm ... .” Instead of finishing with “... and I’m an alcoholic,” finish with a problem they have learning English, such as using articles correctly or conjugating verbs. They should then solicit some advice from their classmates.