Korean Job Discussion Forums

[is so delicious]

I'm teaching college students for the first time. So far it's going okay... but as usual, there are a few very enthusiastic students and some that murmur a response after I practically have to beg the class as a whole, and some who say nothing.

Their English abilities are fairly different, but nothing I can't handle (I think). My manager took a bit of a survey with them today, though, and despite seeming very shy in class, they told her they wanted to be more involved in the class and have more fun.

Again, I've never taught college students, so I don't know which games/activities they'll like and which they'll sneer at. Oh, I should also mention that one hour is OPIC preparation and one hour (same students) is job interview preparation (I seriously am so unqualified to teach these, but the recruiter begged me out of desperation), but my manager encouraged me to lighten up a bit here and there and see that the students participate more rather than just listening and taking notes (and there I was trying to be a somber college lecturer).

Any help, or even a thread of specific games/activities/ice breakers/websites, strategies for this age group/topic, is very much appreciated.

[Tamada]

[is so delicious]

Yeah... I don't know... this is an expensive month-long winter course... I don't think hangman will go down very well (at least not for the powers that be).

What is I-Spy? Any more imaginative ones that you can think of??

[amnsg2]

I'm sure you could adapt this a little to your course, or at least use it to get them speaking for half an hour so.

I've been playing a game where you get them to write a word on a piece of paper, fold it and then dump the papers in a pile. They sit in a circle (or around a desk) and in turn, each student has to choose a piece, and describe the word to the student sitting next to them without saying it. They keep talking for as long as it takes. When the next person has guessed it correctly, then it's their turn to try and describe another word from the pile to the next student. Make sure you're the first to go, because it makes perfect sense to them when you demonstrate it but in words it's harder.

They seem to have some kind of hidden code they share with each other, so I'M the one who sucks at this. It works best on late middle school plus, but I got one class of 14 year olds to do it perfectly and three 12/13 year olds to make a really impressive attempt.

I'm teaching speaking, and with some students I have to beg them to speak! I would love to hear more ideas, I have the same-ish problem.

[lawyertood]

Try the Chinese Whispers game.

Divide them into teams(2 or three teams), put each team in a line and have them pass a message down the line by whispering it from ear-to-ear. The first team to get the message exact, wins. Any mistake, the team starts over. Make sure the lines are not next to each other as they will cheat and listen in to other teams. Good for speaking and listening skills. I've used phrases like "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese." I've even had some fun trying to get them to pass along a tongue-twister.