NAME ACTIVITY
CIRCLE OF COMPLIMENTS
OBJECTIVE
To promote self-esteem
SUBJECT AGE GROUP
Any
PROCEDURE
Everyone gets a partner and sits in a circle. One of the partners sits facing the inside of the circle, while the other partner sits in front of them, facing the outer circle. For about 30 seconds each, the partners exchange what they like about the other person. It can be anything, from hairstyle to behaviour in class (participation, homework, helping other SS‌) depending on how well the partners know each other. After 30 seconds, the outer circle moves one person to the left, and begins the cycle over again. The SS get a lot of laughs out of what was said and the compliments make them feel great for the rest of the day.
REFERENCE
SPAIN
RATING/COMMENTS
Excellent ice-breaker! Students feel really great and even discover they are appreciated for aspects they haven't ever thought about. They do feel more confident. Sometimes this is an opportunity for students to speak to some of their classmates for the first time.
LEARNING STYLES
The teacher can be part of the circle and it is a good chance for the students to get closer to him/her and get to know him/her better as a person as well. (Romania) Good activity for ACTIVE LEARNERS
NAME ACTIVITY OBJECTIVE
EVERYBODY CAN DO SOMETHING WELL
SUBJECT/FIELD OF STUDY AGE GROUP OR LEVEL PROCEDURE
REFERENCE RATING/COMMENTS LEARNING STYLES
To enhance students’ self-esteem To increase group cohesion Language / abilities Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate
1. Students have to write sentences using ability language about the other students in the class. Sentences have to be positive, about something others can do well, for example: “You are very good at making people laugh.”, “You can play tennis better than anyone else” … 2. They write the sentences on a piece of paper that everybody has on their backs and they move around the class until they have written something for everybody. 3. At the end of the activity, every student has a list of very positive statements about him/her. 4. They can try to guess who wrote what.
SPAIN Very Good. Students like it (Spain) It is a very good activity to students so that they get to know each other and can also increase pupils self-esteem. (Portugal) Active snd reflective learners
NAME ACTIVITY
A PLAN TO LEARN
OBJECTIVE
- To enhance students’ self-esteem
SUBJECT/FIELD OF STUDY - Any AGE GROUP OR LEVEL - Any PROCEDURE 1. On the 1 day of the class ask students to write down on a piece of paper things they know about the language they are studying. 2. They have to write down information on: a) Things they know about the language and culture. b) Things they would like to know. c) Things they find difficult to learn. 3. Students keep the paper, and ask students do the same exercise once or twice more during the course. 4. At the end of the course, compare the lists and see how much they have grown, especially putting emphasis on what they can do now that they couldn’t have done at the beginning of the course. st
REFERENCE LEARNING STYLES
Lore-Lawson, Joyce, Self-Esteem in the Foreign Language Clasroom SPAIN Good for reflective learners
NAME ACTIVITY
Fears in a hat
OBJECTIVE
Enhance learners’ self esteem. Group building
SUBJECT/FIELD OF STUDY Language AGE GROUP OR LEVEL All PROCEDURE
This activity helps build trust and unity, as people come to realize that everyone has similar fears. 1. Students anonymously write a fear or worry that they have. Tell them to be as specific and as honest as possible, but not in such a way that they could be easily identified. After everyone has written a fear/worry (including the group leaders), collect each sheet into a large hat. 2. Shuffle the sheets and pass out one per person. Take turns reading one fear aloud, and each reader should attempt to explain what the person who wrote the fear means. Do not allow any sort of comments on what the reader said. Simply listen and go on to the next reader. 3. After all fears have been read and elaborated, discuss as a whole group what some of the common fears were. This teambuilding exercise can easily lead to a discussion of a team contract, or goals that the group wishes to achieve
REFERENCE
http://www.icebreakers.ws/team-building SPAIN
RATING/COMMENTS
Very good. Students feel 'safer' when speaking about their fears without giving their names; thus, they don't consider themselves so vulnerable. Moreover, when they realize that everyone has similar fears, they can accept their own and the others' flaws and become more confident and united. (Romania)
NAME ACTIVITY COMMON GROUND OBJECTIVE
Enhance learners’ self esteem. Group building
SUBJECT/FIELD Language OF STUDY All AGE GROUP OR LEVEL PROCEDURE This team-building activity promotes unity as it gets people to realize that they h their peers than they first might realize. This will help their self esteem.
1. Divide the class into small group sitting together as a team (4-6 learners 2. Give the group a specific time (perhaps 5 minutes) to write a list of ever common. Tell them to avoid the obvious ("we're all taking this course"). 3. When time is up, ask each group how many items they have listed. For f some of the most interesting items.
REFERENCE
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/b SPAIN
LEARNING STYLES
Reflective learners
NAME ACTIVITY
Unique and shared
OBJECTIVE
Enhance learners’ self esteem. Group building
SUBJECT/FIELD OF STUDY Language AGE GROUP OR LEVEL All PROCEDURE
The previous activity “Common Ground” can be expanded by asking them to look for their unique traits as well. As people become aware of their own unique characteristics, it can also help them feel empowered to offer the group something unique and help their selfesteem. 1. Instruct a note taker for each group to create a list of many common traits or qualities that members of the group have in common. Avoid writing things that are too obvious. The goal is for everyone to dig deeper than the superficial. Allow about five or six minutes and then have a spokesperson from each subgroup read their list. 2. Now ask them to record unique traits and qualities, items that only apply to one person in the group. Instruct the group to find at least two unique qualities and strengths per person. Again, strive for qualities and strengths beyond the superficial and past the obvious things anyone can readily see. Allow another five or six minutes. 3. When time is up, share the unique qualities in one of the following ways: (1) each person can share one of their unique qualities themselves; (2) have each person read the qualities of the person to their right; or (3) have a spokesperson read a quality at a time, and have the others guess who it was.
REFERENCE LEARNING STYLES
http://www.icebreakers.ws/team-building SPAIN Reflective learners
NAME ACTIVITY
IMPROVISATION. GAINING CONFIDENCE
OBJECTIVE
Increasing self-esteem
SUBJECT/FIELD OF STUDY AGE GROUP OR LEVEL PROCEDURE
ACTIVITY. Role-play +improvisation (all the students participate, speak and move, everyone improvises). THIS NEEDS FURTHER EXPLAINING OR EXAMPLE Grid /take notes about the activity and what they learnt from it. How can we evaluate motivation? Through participation. Recording (optional)
REFERENCE
ITALY
LEARNING STYLES
Active learners
NAME ACTIVITY
Ordinary People
OBJECTIVE
Enhance learners’ self esteem. Group building
SUBJECT/FIELD OF STUDY Personal questions/ AGE GROUP OR LEVEL Lower-intermediate to Advanced PROCEDURE
1. Sit at the front with the students facing you, sitting in a semi-circle. Tell them that they are the studio audience for a TV chat show. In the manner of a chat show host, address an imaginary camera: 'Hello and welcome to "Ordinary People", the programme where we meet people and ask about their lives and opinions. The special thing about this show is that all the questions come from the audience ... And now for our first guest ...' Stand up and lead the applause, then physically become a character different from yourself, acknowledge the applause, sit down and introduce yourself. For exemple: 'I'm Mrs Joanne Williams, known to my friends as Jo. I've lived on a small farm in the countryside near Cambridge all my life. I am 87 years old (allow for applause). Now you can ask me whatever you like.' Encourage questions from the audience which build on information you've already provided to create an in-depth persona. After a few minutes, thank the audience and acknowledge the applause as you stand up and take a seat amongst them. 2. Ask the SS to sit in equal-sized semi-circles of between four and seven with an empty chair facing them at the front. Say: 'You are going to be a chat show audience and guests who are ordinary people. Imagine you are a person very different from your real self. Think about your answers to these questions: Where are you from? - Be a British person or someone of a different nationality from your own. What's your name? How old are you? What do you do?' After a minute's thinking time, ask for a volunteer from each group who will open their show as the first guest and sit in the chair facing their group. They should start off by announcing their name, age and where they are from before inviting
questions. Remind the audience to listen to the guest's answers and to use them for follow-up questions rather than ask a list of unrelated questions. As each group finishes all their interviews, they can separate and join other groups.
Variation The interviews can be on a theme being studied, e.g. childhood memories, views on a current topical issue or, in a context of a Business English course, the programme could be called 'People in Business'.
REFERENCE
LEARNING STYLES
" Spontaneous Speaking - Drama activities for confidence and fluency" by David Heathfield ROMANIA Active learners
NAME ACTIVITY OBJECTIVE SUBJECT/FIEL D OF STUDY AGE GROUP OR LEVEL PROCEDURE
Talent Show To promote self-esteem Any
Any
The teacher asks the students to form groups according to what they are good at (dancin story telling, painting e.t.c.). The teacher gives the students 2 days to prepare the presentation of their group and to gi to their group because they are going to take part in a talent show. Each group presents what they have prepared at the talent show. The teacher plays the ro host/ess of the talent show and while each group makes the presentation, the rest of the s pretend to be the audience and applaud at the end of each performance. Photographs can during the talent show in order to be demonstrated on the notice board of the school.
REFERENCE LEARNING STYLES
Greece Active learners
NAME ACTIVITY
QUIZ SHOW
OBJECTIVE
To promote self-esteem
SUBJECT
Any
AGE GROUP PROCEDURE
The teacher divides the class in the groups. And then shows them the questions and the Groups have 30 seconds to answer each question. They write their answers on a white paper and when the time finishes they show their answers to the teacher. If they reply correctly they get 5 points. After the competition the group with the most points becomes first.
REFERENCE
Turkey
RATING LEARNING STYLES
5/5 I have done this as a dictation and then allowing students to compare with their partners before me giving out the answers. it's fun and easy to prepare. Students like competitions too! Verbal students