Building connection through conversation
Level: A1, A2 Handout on TPT Media: Video Language focus: Routines, Verbs What is your daily routine? My daily routine is the backbone of my success. I am nauseatingly disciplined and predictable. Even when I’m on vacation, I still need to do some of the same tasks to start the…
Do you talk to strangers? Maybe we should.
What is your comfort food? I dare you to NOT think of the answer. Too late? I bet your favourite dish is already in your mind. Maybe you are even seeing a memory or a person attached to this dish. Is it something your mother made when you were sick?…
The art of asking the perfect question is my own personal Mona Lisa. It is the element in my practice that I am always improving and perfecting. In fact, I even made a little video about some of the cognitive elements involved in questions. Let go of perfection Crafting a…
Level: A1, A2, B1, B2 Handout: Free on TPT Media: Video Language focus: emotions, actions, comparisons Do you believe in luck? I once introduced one of my girlfriend’s to a boy that seemed to be a good match for her. When I asked if things had worked out, she said…
“A woman’s place is in the home” “Immigrants should go back to their country” “No doesn’t always mean no” Did I trigger you? Do you want to tell me? Well then my rage bait trap worked. Rage bait is internet slang for when someone says something (usually online) in hopes…
I love talking about the weather. It is the easiest way to initiate a conversation with a stranger or acquaintance if you need to break the silence. Great for elevator rides, spontaneous waiting time and warm repartee. It is also a ubiquitous element that can have multiple impacts on our…
Let’s talk about gratefulness: the good, the bad and the ugly. Is it me, or does gratefulness seem to be the miracle serum of the millennium? Everywhere I look, someone is singing its praises. Instagram posts, articles, scientific and not-so-scientific, books, shorts, reels, TED talks, you name it, and there’s…
In my experience as a second language teacher, I can’t tell you how many times I have come across people who tell me “I learnt Spanish with Pedro Almodovar movies”, or “I learnt English watching Friends“. Some people have this uncanny superpower of learning a complex interactive communication system such…
Get your students to tell you about some of the best and worst first dates.
