| How Do Your EFL Learners Feel? | | | | Show Videos and Movie Clips |
| How do your English as a foreign language learners | | | | Now if your English language learners are anything at |
| feel about coming to English class? Do they look | | | | all like mine, they have quite a visual type of learning |
| forward to it because they know, "We're going to do | | | | style. Great! Because this means that you can use |
| all kinds of interesting things in English class" or do they | | | | videos and short clips from popular movies to illustrate |
| arrive late, and then want to leave English classes | | | | language, vocabulary and grammar in context. This is |
| early? | | | | not only "painless" for the language learners, but they |
| You can snap them out of their "dread" of foreign | | | | actually encourage and receive "lessons" from |
| language learning with a few simple adjustments to | | | | watching a video or movie clip better than a straight |
| your English or other foreign language classes. | | | | forward lecture. There are numerous films and film |
| Here are five easily-implemented suggestions to | | | | clusters that you'll find useful no matter where you |
| approach doing so. | | | | teach. |
| Use Drama | | | | Tell a Story |
| In any of its many forms, drama can enrich and enliven | | | | To garner the rapt attention of virtually any group of |
| an English as a foreign language class like almost | | | | English language learners, try telling them a good story. |
| nothing else. There are a generous number of choices | | | | What? You say you don't know or have any good |
| available to accomplish this from skits demonstrating | | | | stories? Are you kidding me? They're all around you in |
| monologues and soliloquy to pair dialogues and beyond. | | | | the form of fables, fairy tales, literature and even the |
| The dramatic forms do not have to be elaborate or | | | | news. Try twisting a commonly-know tale with a |
| lengthy to serve multiple purposes. | | | | different surprise ending. Let your learners shift and |
| Incorporate the Use of Music and Songs | | | | shape a familiar fable or folk tale. Use stories to |
| Always a favorite with my learners, using music in a | | | | illustrate grammar and vocabulary in context. The |
| broad spectrum of ways in the English language | | | | possibilities are limited only by the limits of your (and the |
| learning classroom is never a wasted effort. Music, in | | | | EFL or other foreign language learners) imagination. |
| fact, is highly effective in stimulation of learning and | | | | Snap Them Out of Their "Dread" |
| intelligence in several proven ways. You can use music | | | | Snap your EFL learners out of their "dread" of foreign |
| in the background, before a shift in lesson stages, to | | | | language learning by trying out some of these |
| "time" exercises and activities, among a score of | | | | suggested activities. Include two or three in your English |
| others. Don't forget to include at least two or three | | | | classes during the course of a semester, period or |
| popular songs during the course of a semester with | | | | school year and watch as their interest and |
| you EFL groups as well. | | | | participation start to mount steadily. Soon your EFL |
| Play Games | | | | learners will be saying, "We're doing all kinds of |
| If you're waiting for your learners to say, "We don't | | | | interesting things in English class". They'll start arriving in |
| want to play a game in English class, teacher" you're in | | | | classes early and you'll have to boot them out the |
| for a very long wait. Language learners of all levels, | | | | door at the end of classes. Now won't that be a |
| ages and ability just love to play games. What kinds of | | | | pleasant change? |
| games? You name it. From the simplest form of | | | | Note: For the fully hyper-text linked version of this |
| TIC-TAC-TOE to a vast array of puzzles, vocabulary | | | | article with accompanying English and other foreign |
| and TPR dynamic activities, your EFL learners will likely | | | | language teaching and learning resources be sure to |
| respond very well to strategically-placed games during | | | | visit the blog address listed below. |
| the course of class sessions. | | | | |