The compliments project
Sometimes I read different blogs of other teachers form the USA and Great Britain to find something interesting and new about teaching languages. In such a way I found some great ideas.
The moment I saw this video, I loved it. I think it`s a wonderful project. Stephanie MacArthur had done this incredible project with her students and wanted to share it with other teachers. They had called it "The Compliments Project". It`s really simple but powerful. So, each student in class takes a turn being in the "hot seat." While the hot seat student sits, facing away from the board, his classmates take turns writing positive statements about him on the board behind him. When they are all finished, the hot seat student stands and reads what has been written about him.
And here is this video.
I have already tried this project with my pupils but I decided to adapt it a little bit. It was when we were learning adjectives. I didn`t give any directions, except that what was written on the board had to be positive and school appropriate. I also turned on some music (of course, not loud). We were doing this project during some lessons. Each time there were some new volunteers to participate. At the beginning, nobody wanted to be the first but soon I couldn`t stop them. Kids loved it! We smiled a lot and had a great time!
According to Stephanie MacArthur, there are definitely a few key points to make sure this activity runs smoothly. To ensure success:
- make sure your students feel comfortable in your class and there's a level of trust already established;
- only allow 3-4 people allowed up to write at a time, otherwise, it's overwhelming;
- have two "hot seat chairs" going at the same time if you have a class of 20 or more. Otherwise, it'll take you forever;
- don't be afraid to sit in the "hot seat" yourself! You'll have a better understanding of what it feels like to be up there, and it'll make your day;
Note. Of course, this project takes a lot of time and it`s a little bit noisy. But you don`t need to do it every day and I`m sure your lesson will be more interesting. Your pupils will be different for the better, post activity.
Wish you luck!