|
|
|
Are Moldy Schools Destroying Our Kids?
Are Moldy Schools Destroying Our Kids? Mold is a big issue these days. One reason is the damage it does to lungs and immune systems. And who does it damage the most? Kids and senior citizens. Well, let's just talk about kids right now. And let's...
Leadership: Stoking The Success Train
Everyone wants to succeed yet everyone has a different perception of what success means and what it will bring into their lives. It is a means of gaining financial freedom for some and for others it means a healthy, happy family life. There are...
School Bullying Stopped: 5 Ways to Stop Bullying with the Facts!
School Bullying Stopped: 5 Ways to Zap Bullies with Facts! By Paula McCoach http://www.bullyzapper.com So, there is a bully that you just can’t catch! You have been trying for years and no luck! Well, I have learned with good documentation,...
Team Development and Learning
A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals who care deeply about each other and are fiercely committed to their mission. The members are highly motivated to combing their energy and expertise to achieve a common objective. From our...
The "Low-Down" on Team Development, Part I
In recent years in the business-world there has been a lot written and said about Team Development . Unfortunately, most of the people doing the majority of talking lack the psychological background to accurately describe the conditions under which...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blindfold Activities in the TEFL classroom
One method of creating a genuine information gap is through the use of blindfold activities. Blindfolds can be employed in a variety of ways in the TEFL/foreign language classroom to foster a truly communicative and student-centered approach to learning. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
This first activity is a great way of reinforcing the language of giving directions. After having one student to leave the classroom, the teacher instructs the remaining students rearrange classroom furniture. The student who has left the classroom is then blindfolded and brought back in. Students then use the target language to lead the one blindfolded through the maze of rearranged classroom desks and chairs to some goal—this could be a special treat, a piece of candy, a valuable item (that had previously been taken from the student), or some other reward.
Another activity—and this one is played in groups of three—is called Artist, Model, Clay. As soon as the first student (the Clay) is blindfolded, the second student (the Model) strikes a pose. The goal is for the remaining student (the Artist) to use the target language, describing the pose to the blindfolded student. Ideally, by the end of the activity the blindfolded student should be positioned similar to the pose originally struck by the Model. It is
Associated Websites
excellent for practicing imperatives (“Put you right leg out a bit more!” or “Bend your knee slightly!”) or for reinforcing parts of the body.
When it comes to asking and answering simple questions in the target language, multiple blindfolds can be used on groups of students. Once blindfolded, the students are assigned a task that requires them to ascertain a piece of information by asking each other a certain question. For example, a group of 10 are blindfolded and then instructed to arrange themselves from shortest to tallest. In this way, a simple mingle activity suddenly becomes both more challenging and more exciting as blindfolded students bump into each other asking, “How tall are you?”
Other activities involving smaller groups may involve tasks such as conducting a taste test, constructing a structure with wooden blocks, or arranging items according to a pattern. There are a variety of blindfold activities, many of which can be borrowed or adapted from any introduction to parlor games or team-building exercises. As is the case with most classroom activities, the possibilities for those involving blindfolds are limited only by the creativity and inventiveness of the teacher. Enjoy!
William Sullivan
wlsullivan@cz-training.com
www.cz-training.com
About the Author
None
|
|
|
|
|
|