Ken CO #3 Speaking

Of the three classes I observed today, this class was the most interesting to me. I was not just introduced to the class, I was center stage. The class, one-by-one, introduced themselves to me and I started a dialogue with every student.

It was the first time I felt like I was more than just a student. I was engaging the class, asking them questions, and learning about the students.

This was especially appropriate since the class I was observing was speaking class. The students came from a range of countries including Honduras, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Australia, China, and Colombia to name a few, and I learned what majors they were focused in.

After the lengthy introduction, we played a game that Angel had invented.

The class goes through a list of questions and as a group have 1 minute to answer each. Extensions can be granted, but only 3 (I gave them an extra freebie extension, to their approval).

The questions in this particular round were all focused on teenagers. Example questions
"Should boy and girl teens be treated the same of differently?"
"What age should a teen leave the house?"
"What is life as a teen like compared to life as an adult?"
"Should teens have jobs?"
"Do teens today have it easier than their parents had it when they were teens?"

It was a very thought provoking game, and the one minute timer per question made it very exciting as most of the students have an opinion they want to express. Hence the time extensions to allow these ideas to come to light.

It is a very clever way to get students to talk about interesting subjects and to use their communication skills.