Teacher Discussion Forums

I'm an EFL teacher at a primary teacher training college in Mozambique and I am asked to set up an English club for our students (age 18-22). This club is supposed to be organized on top of the regular classes and participants come on a voluntary basis. My fellow (Mozambican) teachers have tried to set up a Club de Ingles before, but it didn't really work. They have tried things like debating, watching films, and discussing poems.

Has anyone got any experience in running an English Club at their school, and can give me some recommendations or ideas? Thanks a lot!

I think you need to make it a bit more 'fun.'

Debating and discussing won't get you many teenagers.

I've had success with small short term projects.

Creating a movie: Well, just acting out scenes from popular movies and video taping them. I cut in scenes from the real movie and edit them together. If you can get them shot similarly and put together right the effect is pretty cool and makes the kids look like stars. I've done Harry Potter 1, 2, and 3 as well as LOTR. I have them played during lunch and the kids are a bit embarrassed by them at the time but they always ask me to burn a CD and the response from the other kids is awesome.

You can also try an English 'karaoke' club where students can learn and sing new popular English songs. It doesn't have to be karaoke, you can sing along with the CD.

Watching　movies is a good idea but you might want to try something shorter and something they haven't seen or can't readily see on their own, like TV shows, dramas, cartoons if they're popular there.

That just a few. I'll try to come back and post some more ideas but i gotta run.

I hope that helps.

- Mark
www.mes-english.com

Thanks Marc! Those are helpful suggestions. I definitely gonna try the karaoke one. If you have anything more, I'd appreciate it
I've gotten back to you so late because getting on the internet here is sometimes not so easy..
Cheers