Teaching Technique: Mingling Activity

(speaking activity/photobucket doc.)

How do you teach speaking in the classroom? Most traditional English teachers often ask students to memorize a conversation and ask them to act it out in front of the classroom. They probably think that it's an easy way to practice English.

How about real life? Does anyone talk each other in that way? Or can we guess what probably people will ask and what they will probably answer? Absolutely not. Speaking, in real life, is telling someone what we want to express. For that expression we need turn taking. We never know what probably the response to our expression. 

How to bring this real life activity to the classroom?

Communicative Language Teaching offers this technique applied in the classroom. It's called Mingling Activity. 

What is mingling activity?

Mingling activity is a technique in teaching and learning where students practice their English with other students. The technique seems more real than memorizing and acting out a conversation. 

How to do mingling activity?

The following is an example how to teach using mingling activity in the classroom. 

Aims: practice asking and responding to personal identity.

Procedure: 

1. Ask students to make an identity card.

Name: Address: Birthday: School:

2. Tell students ask the other students using the following expressions:

• What's your name?
• Where do you live?
• When were you born?
• Where do you go to school?

3. Ask them to fill the following table while asking students around the classroom.

Name	Address	Birthday	School

What is the benefits using mingling activity?

Beside making the speaking practice closer to real life, this activity also reduces learners' stress. They can walk around the classroom using English