Practices: reflection, sharing information, discussion
Here is a simple idea to generate chat among your students. We all know that there are moments during the day when we have nothing to do, no plans. For example, when you are waiting for a teacher, a friend and so on. How do we occupy these periods of time, either mentally or physically? For example:
Activity A
What do you do during the TV advertisements?
Make a list of what the students say
You can also get the students to tick off the ones which they regularly do and put a check next to the most common activities. Then have your students discuss the appeal or reasoning for certain of the most/least popular ideas.
Activity B
Continue with ways students pass the time/occupy their mind/self when they are:
In a bus queue
Waiting at a supermarket check-out
In a doctor’s waiting-room
Waiting for their boy/girlfriend on a cold day-outdoors
In a cinema/theatre, waiting for the film/play
In a traffic jam
In an airport/train station
In a lift/elevator
Getting their hair done/cut
Etc …
Submitted by Gerard Counihan