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Humanising Language Teaching
Year 3; Issue 1; January 2001

Lesson outlines

LESSON 3 - Be your colleague

by Sheila Levy, D.O.S., Cambridge Academy of English

(adapted from "inside your head" by John Barnett)

This is great to use if you have to cover unexpectedly for an absent colleague because it takes no preparation

Aim
To provide motivated questioning and listening; to bring the class closer to their teacher; fun

Materials
Cassette recorder and blank tape

Time
40 –50 minutes

Level
Any (post-beginner)

Stages

  1. Tell the students their teacher can't be with them but you are going to answer questions in her place. Walk out of the room and come back in adopting the walk, voice and mannerisms of the other teacher (if you can borrow a typical item of clothing of theirs it really helps the impersonation).
  2. Elicit 8 topics that they would like to interview their teacher about and put these up on the board.
  3. Get the students to vote for three of these topics and identify the 3 most popular.
  4. Divide the students into 3 groups, assign each a topic and give them 10 minutes to write interesting questions on their topic.
  5. Let them discuss in their group which are the 4 best questions and get one of them to write them up on the board.
  6. Set up the cassette recorder, get the class to elect an interviewer who then reads the questions off the board as you record the interview. Answer in role as the absent teacher, giving correct answers whenever possible but making them up when you are stuck! The more you have to bluff, the funnier the result.
  7. Pass the recording on to the teacher for follow up and suggest that she repeats the interview so that they can compare your answers with hers.

Variation
You can try this role swap even if your colleagues are never absent – just exchange classrooms (and personae) for one lesson!


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