Information collection & exchange

this activity 
by researching a little on local proverbs or quotations which could be stimulating discussion 
points. 
etwork. The class is divided into groups which should not have more than ten students each. Each group 
of string. When the speaker has 
nished he or she passes the ball on to the next speaker, but holds on to the string. In this way a web of 
the least. A word of warning: in teaching speaking 
kills you are focusing on the outgoing, extroverted students. If at the end of a network session you see that 
a few students are dominating discussions, you may need to step in and facilitate making sure that the 
quieter students are not being constantly interrupted by their more talkative classmates. 
On
s is divided into two equal groups. As many chairs as there are students are arranged in a 
double circle, with the chairs in the outer circle facing inward and the chairs in the inner circle facing 
utward. Thus each member of the inner circle sits facing a student in the outer circle. After a few moments 
ave a new partner to continue with. 
moving from chair to chair seems too cumbersome, the Onion group can be formed without chairs. 
Students can sit on mats on the floor, or if there is not enough space inside, then move everyone outside. 
Here are some suggestions for discussion topics you can use with onion groups: 
What has been your best year in school? Why? 
e world to live in, which one would you choose? Why? 
Describe what you would like to learn to do well. 
g anyone ever did for you? 
 hear? 
Sta
common view or solution. First, select a topic for discussion, such as, 
"How would you change this school if you could?" Each group discusses the topic then elects a speaker who 
mains in the group but enters into discussion with the speakers of other groups. The rest of the class 
stens to the exchange. These star groups are particularly helpful if you are dealing with multilevel classes, 
the chance to participate at levels appropriate to their English language 
kills. 
round the room talking to each other. An activity which works well for market 
ll." For this you need to prepare cards for each student, like the ones shown in Figure 
have gathered. 
Each student receives voting cards with values from 1 to 5 (5 = to agree completely, 1 = to 
ly). After the issue, which needs to be phrased as a positive statement, has been 
votes, and the distribution of different opinions in the class can be seen 
e other people in your class usually have for breakfast. 
Each of you prepares an interview card which could look like this: