On The Line
Comments(2) I really enjoyed the activities Graham took us through on Wednesday’s class, as I’ve always been interested in bringing drama into the classroom. One that I think would be very helpful to ELL’s is On the Line. The premise is that the teacher or leader of the game presents two opposing statements, and each is tied to an end of the line. Students then place themselves along the line depending on what their answer is. I had played this game before as an icebreaker activity, but seeing it in the context of last class made me aware of the potential benefits for ELL students. It may be easier for students to place themselves spatially than to explain in words or writing how they’re doing. It’s also more dynamic than sitting the entire class. In an English class, I can imagine using this with a question such as “do you find this character relatable” or something along those lines, have the students line up, and talk to people near them to prompt discussion. The only thing that may be an issue is asking about understanding, and having students, ELL or not, feel self conscious standing at the end of the line for not understanding, especially in front of their peers.
I also really enjoyed On the Line activity. I have never played this activity, but it was easy to follow and fun. One thing I especially enjoyed was the opportunity to talk to some classmates I never got to talk to before. This activity lets you not only process your thoughts by taking a stance along the line, but also strengthen your argument by talking to people who are in standing near you on the line. I think this would be a great icebreaker activity as well. You mentioned using this activity in an English class, but I think this activity can also be used in other subjects as well. I would definitely use this activity in my Marketing classes. I could show students an ad or slogan, and ask them how effective they think it is. I also agree with you that it will be an effective way learning activity for ELLs. They can openly discuss their ideas with their peers and strengthen their arguments. One thing I would add to the activity is also talking to people who are on the opposite end of the line. Listening to people who have different opinions would be effective in building on their thoughts.
I’m going to just let myself in on the conversation here because I find this topic oh so very interesting. I also agree with this “On the Line activity” and would be really curious to see its relevance and effectiveness in a classroom. Sometimes I find myself skeptical when we go through these activities in class that we could possibly use in our classrooms. I mean we are a group of soon to be teachers so naturally our enthusiasm and willingness to jump and try whatever is thrown at us is almost natural. My big thought in all of this, is how can we as teachers effectively use these kinds of games, exercises, etc in the classroom effectively? I think with a lack of organization and lack of purpose one of these activities could go completely sideways and accomplish nothing. I don’t say this to be a skeptical negative person, but more to bring us all to an awareness that these sorts of activities require a lot of pre-planning and thought before putting them into effect. So that they are truly tools that impart learning, rather then just a fun activity where we get to leave our chairs and chat for a bit.