Useful Fun in the English Language Classroom

Olga ConnollyDirector of Studies for BKC-IH Moscow CELTA, Delta trainer

ActivitiesA ball name gameSinging a song togetherPlaying a tic-tac-toe“Broken telephone” A role-play (a parent and a teenager)A team competition (e.g. who can

remember the most vegetables?)

The reaction depends on the meaning particular situation or event has for an individual (Gross, 2007).

What is fun for the teacher is not necessarily fun for the students.

The brain prioritises emotions over cognitive processes (Williams, et al,

2015).

Appraisal of events1. Novelty 2. Pleasantness3. Goal conduciveness — in harmony with

one's purpose or objective4. Coping potential - challenge5. Self-compatibility — in harmony with

social and cultural norms, self-concept(Schumann, 1999)

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

q u a g m i r e

Positive emotions«Broaden-and-build» theory — Barbara

Fredrickson (2009, 2013): think in more diverse, creative ways broaden people's attention broaden the way we think and act bring happiness

Fun•Enjoyment, especially from an activity that is not important or serious (Macmillan)•Pleasure, enjoyment, amusement (Cambridge)•A source of enjoyment, amusement, diversion, pleasure, gaiety, merriment (Collins)

Enjoyment

•The pleasure you get from an activity or experience (Macmillan)•A feeling of happiness or pleasure; of benefit and use (Cambridge)•Use or possession of something that is satisfying or beneficial (Collins)

Flow Experience they are completely involved; their concentration is very deep; they are sufficiently challenged; they have a purpose; they know how well they are doing; they are not worried about failing; they develop their strengths they lose the ordinary self-conscious worry

that characterizes daily lifeCsikszentmihalyi (1997)

Novelty Drilling with different intonation (e.g. food) Doing an activity (e.g. a role-play)

standing up/ outside the classroom Repetition with eyes closed

Coping potential Challenge doing a gap-fill orally turning a sentence transformation

exercise into a memory drill

Make one sentence from 1 – 4, using non-defining relative clauses.

1.My arm is better now. I hurt it last week. My arm, which I hurt last week, is better now.2. My aunt works in the hospital. She’s a doctor. My aunt, who is ..................................................3. The lake was very cold. I went there for a swim. The lake, where ...................................................4. Ricky is my best friend. His sister is a nurse. Ricky, whose ........................................................

Complete PET, Heyderman & May, CUP

Goal conducivenessa “banana” dictation for revising

vocabulary “broken telephone” with a story a running dictation with true/false

statements about the following listening activity

memory activity with a video to practise questions/answers

a)The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks that the British or American.b) On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks that the British or American.c) The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks that the British or American.d) On the other hand, the Italians drink lots of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks that the British or American.e) The conclusion is “Eat and drink what you like. It’s speaking English that kills you!” Memory Activities for Language Learning, CUP, 2011

PleasantnessCompete against the teacher!

Quiz questions Which theory claims that positive

emotions help us to think in a more diverse, creative ways, broaden people's attention and the way they think and act?

What does Schumann call the process of evaluating life events?

Bibliography Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Finding flow: The psychology of

engagement with everyday life. Basic Books, 1997. England D. Talk at IH AMT Conference presentation

‘Fun’ and ‘Enjoyment’: the same thing, right? Wrong! Fredrickson, B. L. (2013). Positive emotions broaden and

build. Advances in experimental social psychology, 47(1), 53.

Gross, J. J., & Thompson, R. A. (2007). Emotion regulation: Conceptual foundations.

Schumann, J. H. (1999). A neurobiological perspective on affect and methodology in second language learning. Affect in language learning, 28-42.

Williams M., Mercer S. & Ryan S. (2015). Exploring Psychology in Language learning and Teaching, OUP

Thank YouMoscow, 3-5 Gazetny pereulok, office 602www.bkc.ru +7 (499) 372 – 14 – 04

t-training@bkc.ruoconnolly@bkc.ru