Teaching Ideas
The Talk-box: A Five Minute EFL Activity to Promote Genuine L2 Conversations
Johannes C. Razenberg
TESOL teacher
January 2003
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I often hear that 'the simple things in life work best'. Testament to this is the "talk-box" (a box filled
with conversation starters), which, despite its simplicity, has brought about numerous genuine five minute
L2 conversations in my classes in Japan. This teaching resource came about in 2001 when I needed a resource
which would allow me to observe a student's conversational and 'interactional' (Ur 1996, pp.129-131) skills,
increase the volume of conversation in quite heterogeneous classes, and allow students to utilize class time
to communicate using the L2, as this was the only time opportunity, for most, to ever use English.
Even to date students laugh, joke, teach each other new words and phrases, use conversational skills related to the
culture of the English language (Ur 1996; Emmitt & Pollock 1997; Macquarie University c.2002a), and converse
in more volume (Ur, 1996) than I used to believe possible in EFL classes in Japan. After much observation,
critical reflection and refinement of the talk-box, I do believe that it's a resource worth sharing.
Level
Number of Students
- Partner or small group work
Suggested Time
Learning Objectives
The talk-box:
- Will give EFL students the opportunity to produce genuine conversations that are rich in expressions, gestures,
language functions, lexical areas, volume, and conversational and interactional skills.
- Will allow students to converse in a safe and supportive partner work or small group environment about topics
which provide an element of attainable challenge.
- Will allow teachers and students to revise lexical areas taught in the classroom.
- Will allow students to communicate beyond the use of isolate sentences and phrases.
- Will allow students to communicate in meaningful and motivating social contexts.
- Will let students discover for themselves what they can do with what they have learnt.
- Will allow a teacher to step back and observe how much and how well learning has occurred.
Benefits
- Inexpensive
- Requires little preparation time
- Great five minute reserve activity
- Allows for revision, feedback, observation
- Provides insights into the language requirements of each individual
- Removes authority (the teacher), thus allowing conversation to occur without hesitation
- Allows for peer teaching
- Students can relate to the topics and thus can successfully use the L2 to communicate (Macquarie University 2002b).
- Lets students genuinely converse in the L2—the highest considered skill of truly owning a foreign language (Ur 1996, p. 120).
Resources
- Colorful or plain box
- colorful or plain palm cards
- marker pens.
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