WANISAN

Here is an exercise I’ve used in my Advanced Discussion Class.

I call it the Mt. Rushmore.

I try to use topics that are still debatable and where students aren’t afraid to be wrong. This is a really good fit for that kind of activity.

First we talk about Mt. Rushmore and a little of its history, what it represents and who is there.

Then I put the class into groups, usually of about 4 members each, and then I give them a topic/category and ask them to decide who would be on their Mt. Rushmore of ________

My class usually will have around 5 teams, so it’s enough to get a broad sample.

We started out with the Mt. Rushmore of Super Heroes.

This is fun, everyone can contribute and usually the top 2 or 3 are easily chosen

I give each group a few minutes to discuss who they believe should be on the monument to commemorate the greatest super heroes of all time.

Then each team goes to the whiteboard and puts up their list.

It looks something like this at first:

The Mt Rushmore of ___(category)_________

___________    ____________   ___________   ___________

1                  2                  3                  4                     5

______      ________  ________  ________   ________

After each team shares their list, we count the votes for the top ones. Then if there isn’t a clear winner, they have to vote again on the next choice – so the discussion can continue.

Here’s a photo of the whiteboard after Super Heroes had been decided:

Mt Rushmore of Superheroes

You can do this with a wide variety of topics. We also did Romantic movies, which was fun, brought out a lot of discussion about what is a romantic movie and which movies really fit that category. (Guys, a hint: Not Star Wars ;-))

You have to keep the groups focused on what they’re doing and getting feedback and sharing it with the class helps with that, but it’s a great exercise, lots of talking, fun, engaging, and often has the students leaving the room still debating the choices.

Last week we were discussing work and the reasons we work – beside the pay check that is.

Doing work that is rewarding came up as one reason offered up, and I mentioned that teaching is one of those jobs that gives you a feeling of contributing to something bigger than yourself, and for more than just the money.

It’s great that as a teacher you can have those chances.

It’s also great when you can see that exact moment sometimes when a student gets it. Really gets it.

I was trying to explain that in our followup class this week, and I of course had to resort to drawing. (I usually try to let students know that my ‘art’ is not something I expect them to be awed by and that my (low) skill level is also related to why I’m a professor and not an artist ;-))

I’ve gotten myself in trouble more than once when I just decide to quickly sketch something as an explanation. It takes practice, and sometimes it takes preparation by thinking about what you might have to draw beforehand. I’ll admit to having looked up an image a time or two before class for just in case.

One of the keys for me is to do it quickly, and to keep the lines to a minimum.

I’ll not be winning any awards for my art. At least not awards for excellence, but it gets the job done, usually.

We talked this week in my presentation class about using gestures.

English is an interesting language to learn since there are some ways for English speakers to increase their ability to be understood, strengthen the message, add meanings, and keep attention and interest.

Gestures can help you do all of those things.

You might think at least some gestures would be universal, if not most gestures. However, this isn’t the case. There are some pretty famous and well-known gestures and gaffs, but there are also some smaller, lesser known ones as well.

Just to give a few examples:

Koreans often use a “brushing off” gesture to mean “It’s okay, or I don’t need anything.” This is tough on instructors from the US in particular where this gesture is usually used to shew off mosquitoes or pesky pets.

Reverse peace signs or the V for victory when done with palm turned in is pretty much the middle finger to people in Australia.

The “OK” symbol in Japan is the sign for money. Not a problem maybe, but not the meaning you think it has.  Picture this conversation: Hey, you have the money? You flash back, “Ok.” You are probably going to get the bill. 😉

If you are a teacher and want a fun little exercise you can try this: Make a list of 5 words. Mix them up, some nouns, some adjectives, some verbs. Let the students create as short a story as possible using all 5 of the words. Then have them share their short stories along with appropriate gestures.

We started off with:

• Go
• Tall
• up
• heart
• opposite

It isn’t necessary to use vocabulary that is difficult or new to the students but you can if you’d like.

The next step is to let students choose 5 words of their own to create a story with gestures to share.

It was really fun, and interesting, and I hope helpful!