Conversation Classes are more than reading texts, getting in groups, and discussing the related topics. When an element of a hands-on activity is included, it spices up the class, adding that willingness to learn and giving the students the pleasure of sharing ideas within the group. The result? A perfect match of learning and fun!
With this spirit of providing students with a class full of excitement, interaction, motion and learning, I prepared my Easter present for them, teaching them how to make chocolate Easter eggs. I could have just given them a little sweet treat and they would certainly be happy. However, I felt this was a great opportunity to learn by doing. It was the perfect chance to show students the concrete results of their assimilation of new vocabulary and structures, a class podcast with the instructions on how to mold the chocolate egg.
The steps with the group:
To get the students into the mood, I wore a chef outfit;
I elicited from the students the recipes they knew just to let them conclude that it was a hard task to give instructions and tell the others the recipe of a dish in English;
We worked in the kitchen in the teachers' room. We went through the vocabulary before we started molding the eggs. The students had a handout with words, expressions, and verbs;
I gave the instructions and asked for my student-assistants' help;
As we waited for the chocolate to harden in the fridge, the students got into groups and wrote down the steps to make the chocolate egg. This happened in each stage of the molding process;
I selected two students to record an audio file with an introductory message and another one for the instructions. Finally, one of the chef-assistants recorded the concluding part of our activity;
Erika Cruvinel and I edited the four audio files into one to be published online. We chose to upload it to Podomatic, a free online podcast host. It is a place where your students can have their online voice.
I also uploaded the activity and the students' photos at Bubbleshare.
Now, we're having fun, reading the comments and interacting with people all over the world who are listening to our podcast.
Conversation Classes are more than reading texts, getting in groups, and discussing the related topics. When an element of a hands-on activity is included, it spices up the class, adding that willingness to learn and giving the students the pleasure of sharing ideas within the group. The result? A perfect match of learning and fun!
The steps with the group:
