EC ICE BREAKERS

AN ICE BREAKER GAME FOR HAVING BETTER CONVERSATIONS

The participants write on the board/paper three things they like and three things they dislike but the keywords should all be mixed up in such a way that the audience or the other person(s) taking part in the conversation doesn't have any idea about what the speaker likes or dislikes. So the person asking a question about the keywords has to guess well and ask a question tag for eg. You like ICE CREAMS, don't you? or You dislike coffee, don't you? (In this case ICE CREAM and COFFEE being the keywords)
This game works very well with children. Adults I have noticed take a long time to write keywords about things they dislike. Some people say - I dislike nothing!

AN ICE BREAKER SPEECH FOR HAVING BETTER CONVERSATIONS

I am ____. I am not ____ (About your STATE)
I have ___. I don't have ____( About your POSSESSION)
I have ____. I haven't ____(About a PAST ACTION)
I can ____. I can't ____(About an ABILITY)

TO BE CONTINUED...

EC SLOGANS

GREAT WAYS TO SAY GREAT THINGS ABOUT GREATNESS

TO BE CONTINUED...

EC SATIRE

Where there is a bill, there is a way to stop it from having its way!

TO BE CONTINUED...

WORDS(Indian) vs WORDS(English)

Let's see some Indian words and their English counterparts:

EDUCATION - VIDYABHYSAM

(The exact meaning of the Vidyabhysam is practicing skills)

 PERSONALITY - VYAKTITVAM

(The exact meaning of the Vyaktitvam is clarity about one's true identity)

BELIEF - VISWASAM

(The exact meaning of the Viswasam is belief as vital to sustain life as the power to breath)

 TO BE CONTINUED...

EC CONVERSATIONS

1.Let's follow this conversation......It's not practical!

Sir, I am Lal, the parent of Kishore who is in your class, V A. His English Communication is very poor. Can you, sir help him in improving his conversational skills in English...a humble request?

Well you see Mr.Lal, We don't teach here English as a skill, for us it is a subject just like any other. So what you said is not practical. Although your request is genuine...I understand.
Thank you sir for being with me on this...but sir the very meaning of education in Malayalam, the language of Kerala, is practicing skills...I mean Vidyabhyasam.
(Laughing)...you have a point there...we need to change the whole system of education...why don't you talk to the higher ups...like the Principal or those above like the Education Minister?
Sir...I am afraid they would also say the same line which you used...It's not practical!

2. Ayushman Bhav!

Sir...today's my birthday. (offering sweets)
Great....Happy birthday....Ayushman Bhav!
I didn't get you sir....you mean...?
I mean...Many many happy returns of the day!
Is that what it means...Ayushman Bhav!
Yeah...it's Sanskrit.
Sir to be frank, I like it better than its English counterpart. Thank you for enlightening me with this new expression.

My pleasure... as always.

Also on the same page

Click Goals in English Conversations

Also on the same page 

Click EC Idioms

Also on the same page 

 

Click Great Collocations

  Also on the same page 
 
Click EC Insights

Click Easy Ideas for EC

TO BE CONTINUED...

An easy to see CONSPIRACY !!

A CRISIS...or A CONSPIRACY?

• A student after 12 years of formal education in our schools...
• A student after 3000 hours of English classes...
• doesn't know how to make a sentence in English to express his/her needs or thoughts.
• doesn't know how to ask questions (Yes/No or Wh) using verbs like DO/DOES/ARE/IS/HAVE/HAS/WILL etc.
• doesn't know how to have conversations in English.

And to cut the story short...

Our students in schools are ILLITERATE in ENGLISH COMMUNICATION(EC) skills.

But the solution is very easy, simple and not at all expensive.

They can be taught the basic ideas(rules) of EC in less than 50 hours and that too without any text book; in place of exams or tests what works best are classroom games which can be used to assess the students' EC abilities in making sentences and speaking English.

For eg. The Five Point method can be used which is given here:

THE FIVE POINT APPROACH IN LEARNING AND TEACHING EC (ENGLISH COMMUNICATION)

You need to understand the importance of these five things to learn and train, practice and teach EC

1.LOGIC OF ENGLISH SENTENCES
2.STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH SENTENCES
3.HOW TO USE VERBS
4.POLITE EXPRESSIONS
5.PRONUNCIATION AND VOCABULARY 

 So the big question is...

Why is this crisis happening?
Who is responsible?
And why nobody cares about it?

Is there a conspiracy involved?

And what is the result?

GROWING UNEMPLOYMENT
YOUTH UNABLE TO GET JOBS IN INTERNATIONAL FIRMS
COMMON MAN/WOMAN HAVING NO VOICE IN THE ENGLISH SPEAKING WORLD

And who benefits from this situation?
 

 
 Our rulers.
Our masters.
 Our lawmakers.
Those who divide and rule...
Those who dislike questions...
Those who hate discussions...
 

OUR SILENCE IS THEIR VICTORY.

THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR HALF A CENTURY. WILL THERE BE A CHANGE NOW ? 

WE CAN CHANGE OUR FUTURE IF WE CHANGE OUR SCHOOLS.

LET'S THINK BEYOND COMFORT ZONES. FOR OUR NEXT GENERATION.

THE SITUATION CRIES FOR A SOLUTION. LET'S WORK TOGETHER FOR A BETTER TOMORROW.

On the same page:  A WAKE UP CALL

 

On the same page: EC - It's a CHILD's RIGHT

On the same page: TESTING EC SKILLS OF OUR STUDENTS

On the same page: ENGLISH - A SUBJECT or a SKILL ??

TO BE CONTINUED...

BLOGGER INTERVIEW

Can you say something about this blog?
This blog can be divided into four parts. The first part deals with the basic ideas related to EC which includes an E-Book also. The second part is about exercises to practice EC in classrooms. The third part has some selected online and offline resources to keep improving your EC and also for getting inspiration. The fourth part stresses on conversational practice with the help of scripts, video clips, role play exercises and vocabulary tips. 

Why did you make this blog and for whom?
It was during the summer vacation classes in 2012 when I made this blog to help my students who were at that time attending a Spoken English class in Calicut at a Computer Institute. There were four students in my Spoken English class and I noticed this all the time that these students were making a lot of spelling mistakes even when they were copying what was written on the board. So I thought of making a blog for them since they all had Internet access through the laptops or PC's used by their parents. Also I thought that when these children use blog for getting their notes they can save a lot of time which was spent in writing all the details on the board.

So that's how it started...didn't it?
Yes, and once it got started I realized its scope in sharing knowledge and experience with the people who are interested in the area of English Communication.

Did your teaching experience help in making this blog useful to learners?
Yes definitely...that's what many people have told me through their feedback. Many teachers have thanked me for giving them new ideas in conducting EC classes. I have not given anything in this blog which was not useful to my own students. 
Regarding my experience, I have been working in the field of teaching/training people in EC skills since 2000. I got opportunities to take EC classes at school level, college level, corporate level, for students preparing for competitive exams, for those seeking private/government jobs and also for English teachers.     

What have you achieved so far by making this blog?
A very common question that many have asked. I think the very act of sharing knowledge and experience with people is highly rewarding in itself. I haven't actually thought much about what I was getting or losing. For me, the real aim is not to make a good blog but to give new ideas to people so that we can all become good at learning and using English Communication(EC) for success and happiness. That's the purpose of this small step. 

OK, but haven't you found or do you know of any other such blog or websites doing this kind of thing that talks about how to learn and improve English Communication skills?
Well, I have found a lot, but till now not a single blog or website I have come across deals with teaching English Communication in a very practical sense.

How is this blog unique or what is its USP?
See, first of all let me ask you, what is English Communication? It is in its most basic sense the idea of how to make English sentences...or I would say the Great Art of Making English Sentences(GAMES). That's what this blog focuses on. That's what makes it unique. That is its USP.

Why do you think our education system doesn't impart this skill of English Communication?
Forget skills, I would say - do our schools teach students at least the logic of making a simple sentence in English? Without teaching this (I mean how to make an English sentence or the rules you need to follow while making a sentence) how can students become confident in this art of making English sentences. They will always be in doubt when they try to communicate in English. This is the problem our students have always faced in their entire life...every one seems to be confused with the right way to make a sentence in English. And nobody teaches them the right way to make a sentence...even the basic steps are not taught. 

But don't they teach grammar in schools which is what making sentences is all about...don't you think so?
Grammar is actually analyzing a sentence or studying a sentence which one has made. So by knowing grammar well you can correct a sentence or do what is called sentence correction. And that is what teachers always do and also love to do. We are good at telling others what is wrong or where the error is but do we tell people how to make a sentence from the scratch. Do  we come down to the level of thoughts of the learners ? That's where all the action happens...I mean in their minds and not outside when they speak or write a sentence.

You are pointing out the defects in our education system which is what everybody does or loves to do but what is the real alternative or the solution which can make a difference?
The solution I think lies in the true empowerment of our learners. Our education system has to rise to the occasion. We should teach how to "Think in English" If we do this, communication in English just happens, naturally and effortlessly. And to do this is easy, very easy. That is what I have tried to show in this blog - a simple method to think in English and then how to practice English Communication using the resources we already have around us like YouTube videos, songs, speeches, movies, books, newspapers, TV channels, short films, TED talks, blogs, websites, Facebook etc.





  

TO BE CONTINUED...