Part 2 Dynamic English as a Foreign Language Activities Your Learners Won't Refuse

More For Those Bored, Uninterested, Reluctant Foreign Language Learners
As we said earlier, once again faced with the necessity of circumventing the problems of having bored, uninterested and reluctant English as a foreign language learners in your EFL or other foreign language learning class room. We noted before that motivation of language learners – especially those who may be in your foreign language class involuntarily, can become a major obstacle to your teaching success if you allow class conditions to degenerate. You can however, win them over using these additional dynamic EFL activity types your foreign language learners simply won’t refuse.

• Using Realia as EFL Learning Aids

If you don’t have a stash of realia in your class room for use with your English or foreign language learners you’re either very inexperienced, pidgeon-holed in traditional methods or are mired in some other conditions I won’t go into here. “What kind of realia”, you ask? Why my dear almost anything and everything can be convertwed into didactic use with some imagination. Cute little stuffed animals, inflatable plastic or rubber balls, board games and pieces, small clothing items which can do double duty as drama props, tableware, throw pillows, along with gizmos and gadgets of all kinds make excellents realia and props for in-class room applications.

• Reciting Poetry, Rhymes and Raps

Did you know that the underlying purpose of many riddles, rhymes, raps and tongue-twisters is to permit extensive practice in the pronunciation of consonants, vowels, diphthongs and tripthongs in English? Even the learners can “excer`pt” passages from raps and popular songs for pronunciation practice. While you’re at it, if you’re not a native speaker of the foreign language you’re teaching, could YOU use a bit of extended pronunciation practice yourself? Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. It’ll be our secret, okay?

• Surfing the Internet in English

Do your learners – whatever their ages and profile might be – like to play video or computer games? Using the internet as an English or foreign language learning tool is now par for the course with scores of foreign languages. Don’t fight your computer-literate foreign language learners – join them. Let them show you their computer skills while learning and practicing their English, Spanish, French or Arabic. Both you – and they – will be glad you did.

• Telling Short Stories, Fables and Tales

Get yourself a nice, fat book of nursery rhymes, fairy tales and children’s stories, then let your imagination run rampant with ways to apply them for building your English language learners’ communicative skills. Dramatize them, re-write them, tell them with a “modern” twist or two. Practice pronunciation with them or allow them to be set to a rhythm or music. Have fun and watch your English language learners practice and grow their language skills as if by magic. They won’t even have to wear the ruby slippers either.

Start your new scholastic year off right, and continue it in style by using these eight dynamic English as a foreign language activity types your foreign language learners simply won’t refuse to get and keep them motivated and having fun in class. By the way, you’re allowed to enjoy yourself too.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, prolific writer, author and public speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, "If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.