Information collection & exchange

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al Time 
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r intention to help them succeed in learning English. Introduce interactive speaking activities with issues 
d topics which are personal, but also light-hearted. It takes time to build up trust in a classroom. S
sses. 
1. Bring to class a large map of th
route o the map. 
3. On t e black board construct a chart with columns in
arriva
e at school, and total time of the journey. Fill in the relevant information
studen Your chart will look like this: 
Starting
int 
Starting 
Route Time 
Arriv
Kwala mark
et 
7:00 
Past market, left by shops, up hill to 7:20
school 
nteraction 
to each other about what is 
are often marked by an 
l and mental changes. One 
ay
pe is to create opportunities for them to speak out and to be heard. The 
following activity is simple but therapeutic. It requires from your students a willingness to share a little of 
themselves and gives them the opportunity to think about the values which guide their lives. 
1. Ask your students to bring to class three objects which are significant or important to them. (For 
example, a religious object, a stone from a significant place, a photo, a letter, an article of clothing worn 
ncy takes some priority over accuracy. Basically, being fluent means 
eing able to keep the language coming. There may be mistakes, fillers and repetitions, but there are no 
unusually long pauses in the flow of talk. In interactive speaking activities you are trying to get your students 
4. Divide your class into groups of five to seven. Ask each group to produce a chart with information from 
the group on the route to school. 
5. Ask each group to draw a map and to indicate on the map the route to school taken by each one of the 
group members. 
 
 I
Interaction can be stimulated if you give your students the opportunity to talk 
important to them. As you know, if you are working with adolescents, the teen years 
unevenness of mood, by dramatic swings in energy levels, by immense physica
w
of helping adolescents to co
on a special occasion.) 
2. Divide the class into groups of four, and ask them to take turns in explaining to the group the 
significance or importance of the objects each one has brought. 
3. With the class as a whole, list on the board the names of the objects brought to the class. If you have 
objects of your own, add them to the list, too. Then ask students if they would like to ask other students 
about the significance or importance of the object they brought. If several students have brought the 
same object ask them to talk about the object, to see if they had different reasons for bringing the same 
item to class. 
[Adapted from Patricia A. Richard-Amato. Making It Happen. Longman Inc., 1988.] 
This exercise has been presented as a class activity for adolescents, but clearly it could be adapted and 
used in a tutorial situation with an adult as well.