Improvisational techniques are highly effective for teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) students. They encourage direct action in the language in a supportive, fun, and creative environment. In such an environment, language use becomes free and spontaneous, participation increases, and inhibitions and fears dissipate. We incorporate many improvisational techniques in your ESL classroom:

1. Role-Playing:

   • Students develop their own scenarios in situations that they generate organically.  In those scenarios, they can take on different characters and deal with an infinite number of situations.

   • This helps them practice vocabulary and sentence structures in a contextualized and practical way.

2. Storytelling Games:

   • We emphasize collaborative storytelling.  In such a framework, students feel free to use new language tools without fearing "wrong answers."

3. Word Association:

   • We introduce many word association games, such as Tryptic, Convergence, First Letter/Last Letter, and many more.

   • This helps them to think and respond quickly in English and also expands their vocabulary.

4. Physical involvement:

   • Students practice all these techniques on their feet, which augments the mind/body learning connection and integrates students into the group.

   • An increase in stamina has been known to increase concept retention.

5. Music and Songs:

   • We use existing and created songs in English to enhance vocabulary and grammar.

   • Students can create their own songs or change the lyrics of a known song to include the target vocabulary or grammar point.

 

Our goal in using improvisational techniques is to create an interactive and engaging learning environment that encourages students to use English in a creative and spontaneous way that more closely resembles real life usage.