FREE TECHNIQUES

29. Role-play: Relatively free acting out of specified roles and functions. Distinguished from Cued dialogues by the fact that cueing is provided only minimally at the beginning, and not during the activity.

30. Games: Various kinds of language game activity not like other previously defined activities (e.g. board and dice games making words).

31. Report: Report of student-prepared exposition on books, experiences, project work, without immediate stimulus, and elaborated on according to student interests. Akin to Composition in writing mode

32. Problem solving: Activity involving specified problem and limitations of means to resolve ¡t; requires cooperation on part of participants in small or large group.

33. Drama: Planned dramatic rendition of play, skit, story, etc.

34. Simulation: Activity involving complex interaction between groups and individuals based on simulation of real-life actions and experiences.

35. Interview: A student is directed to get information from another student or students.

36. Discussion: Debate or other form of grouped discussion of specified topic, with or without specified sides/positions prearranged.

37. Composition: As in Report (verbal), written development of ideas, story, or other exposition.

38. A propos: Conversation or other socially oriented interaction/speech by teacher, students, or even visitors, on general real-life topics. Typically authentic and genuine

In taxonomy such as this one, not only will many techniques be somewhat difficult to categorize in terms of the control continuum, but many techniques will fit in more than one category. Consider the following "warm-up" activity suggested by Klippel (1986:13-14) for a beginning level class:

Step 1: Each student writes his/her full name on a piece of paper. All the papers are collected and redistributed so that everyone receives the name of a person he/she does not know.

Step 2: Everyone walks around the room and tries to find the person whose name he/she holds. Simple questions can be: “Is your name... ?” “Are you... ?”

Step 3: When everyone has found his/her partner, he/she introduces him/her to the group.

This exercise seems to fit into a number of possible categories: it involves question-answer, referential activity; there is some information exchange as well; and in some ways either problem solving or games may fit here. The purpose in referring to such taxonomy, therefore, is not to be able to pinpoint every technique specifically. Rather, the taxonomy is more of a help to you as:

• An aid to raising your awareness of the wide variety of available techniques.

• An indicator of how techniques differ according to a continuum ranging from controlled to free.

• A resource for your own personal brainstorming process as you consider types of techniques for your classroom.