Studying any subject has been traditionally associated with embarking on a journey leading to knowledge. The more intricate the subject, the longer the journey and the sweeter the reward. But the knowledge underlying the reward does not necessarily have to be about the world around us, about the outer reality. It can also be about our inner world and the inner worlds of others, about feelings, beliefs, dreams, attitudes, qualities or shortcomings. Such a journey of self-exploration can be undertaken while studying English to a greater extent than while studying anything else, except, of course, psychology or philosophy.
Learning a foreign language is, undoubtedly, about communication, which, in turn, is about expressing opinion or feelings and exchanging information. As communication and self-disclosure are closely linked, there is no wonder that learning English can mean more than acquiring communicative skills. Apart from building linguistic and cultural bridges, it also opens up windows to ourselves and to the selves of others. It is not only a matter of functional language, but also a matter of intrapersonal knowledge and interpersonal relationships. While learning to communicate in English, students get to know themselves and the others better through activities based on self-disclosure and co-operation, such as oral presentations, “snowball” fight, brainstorming, finishing off sentences, simulation, role-play, debates and dilemmas, to name but a few.
To start with a simple, yet revealing activity, let us focus on oral presentations. At the beginning of a school year, this kind of activity can be a first step towards disclosing the parts of their personality that students value the most or are the most comfortable with. Such a presentation would have to be based on truthfulness, conciseness, an awareness of weaknesses and strengths and, above all, willingness to share aspects of themselves with the class. Of course, not all the students would be equally honest in their presentations and some would probably avoid talking about themselves altogether. Nevertheless, most of the students would embrace the opportunity of being the centre of attention for a few minutes, which can only encourage them to reflect on their personality and on the others’ distinctive features.
A less formal and more dynamic activity that can be practised at all levels is “snowball” fight. This icebreaker, which involves writing statements about oneself or answering questions on paper “snowballs” and then throwing them around at the others, can be easily adjusted to context by approaching different topics while also helping students to know one another better. The questions that students have to answer can range from simple ones, like “Do you have a pet?”, or “Which is your favourite song?”, to “What do you think about capital punishment?”, or “How do you picture the future of mankind?” To make the activity more interesting, students can write three or five statements about themselves or in response to the teacher’s questions without mentioning their names and, after crumpling the pieces of paper and throwing them at one another for a few seconds, they have to guess the identity of the person who wrote the statements on the “snowball” that they catch. This game checks on how well they know one another (personal information, beliefs, attitudes to the world, personality features), but it also enables them to develop or practise analytical thinking, deductive reasoning, paying attention to details and accepting different perspectives through a temporary suspension of judgemental tendencies. The students will be too busy trying to identify their classmates by analysing the clues and drawing conclusions to have time to criticize their ideas or display contemptuous attitudes to the content of their statements.
Another activity that relies on acceptance of different or unusual ideas is brainstorming. Being a group activity, brainstorming gives students the opportunity to know one another better while coming up with ideas or solutions to different problems. Spontaneity and creativity are the key words of such an activity as it involves finding as many aspects in relation to a topic as students possibly can, within a limited amount of time. In the process of doing this, students learn to be tolerant by initially accepting different perspectives on the matter and enjoying the creative outbursts, but they also get to consolidate their analytical and critical thinking afterwards by rationally opting for the most appropriate solutions to the problem under discussion. This latter part of the process also involves acceptance, but, this time, of a different kind. Students have to be able to admit the weaknesses of their own ideas and recognize the strengths of their classmates’ perspectives whenever necessary, without turning the activity into a battle of bruised egos. They can show respect for the others’ ingenuity, which, in turn, entitles them to respect for their mature or wise attitude displayed in acknowledging valuable responses and in giving up on their own ideas if they prove to be unsuitable.
An exercise that can be used both as a warm-up and as a vocabulary/grammar-based activity is finishing off sentences. The usefulness of such an exercise does not only reside in being flexible enough to suit any topic at any stage during the lesson. It also lies in eliciting answers that can again reveal aspects of personality, thus enabling better interpersonal relationships. By having to continue a sentence like “Never have I …………”, students can acknowledge the missed opportunities in their life or, on the contrary, they can take pride in not doing unethical or illegal things. Therefore, provided that the students give honest answers, such an activity can make them reflect on their life experience, help them draw conclusions or even take decisions regarding future actions. Finishing off a sentence like “One thing I like about you ………..” would focus on finding positive aspects related to the students’ classmates. Irrespective of the relationship between them, students would have to find something nice to say about the others, which can only help them see one another in a new light. This would enable them to realize that, despite their differences and defects, each of them still possesses qualities to be acknowledged and valued. The advantage of finishing off sentences is that any statement can be used as a starting point, depending on the topic to be consolidated and the personality features to be exemplified in the process
More complex activities, such as simulation and role-play, could reveal aspects of the students’ personality that they are not even aware of. Being placed in imaginary situations, as it happens in simulations, or having to act out different parts, as it happens in role-play, forces them to temporarily experience new feelings, express opinions or show attitudes that are the result of adjusting to a hypothetical scenario. The imaginary situation or role might or might not become a reality in the future, but carrying out the activities makes the students reflect on the most suitable behaviour and way of thinking if they really had to go through such an experience. They would find out that being patient, tolerant or empathetic would be invaluable in certain situations, or that being calm and rational would not be enough in others. This could help them get a glimpse of their own qualities and defects, which could be the first step towards a change for the better.
An even higher degree of intra/interpersonal awareness would be triggered by activities such as dilemmas or debates. Hypothetical situations in which difficult choices have to be made (opting for the “lesser evil”) would make students really reflect on their sense of responsibility, willingness and courage to accept unpleasant consequences, determination to act in dramatic or dangerous circumstances. Going through simulated situations that challenge the students’ way of thinking and perceiving the world can be quite revealing as it can shed light on unexpected feelings, opinions or attitudes. The same degree of surprise can be found during a debate, a formal discussion on a certain topic, in which opposing arguments are presented. Statements about controversial issues, such as euthanasia or the use of Artificial Intelligence, can make students realize that they have strong feelings about or unexpected attitudes towards certain aspects of life that they have not reflected upon before. Thus, apart from testing their moral values and consolidating their analytical and critical thinking, their sense of logic, and their argumentation skills, students can be surprised to find out that they are too traditional or too modern in the way they think about the world, or that they come across as too rational in a situation that would require a lot of empathy instead. Challenging activities, such as dilemmas or debates, are very efficient in bringing out surprising opinions or attitudes that reflect unexplored aspects of the students’ personalities.
Activities like the ones previously discussed are just a few examples of the opportunities that students have not only to practise and consolidate their communicative skills, but also to discover things about themselves and the others, including the teacher. Even though the purpose of learning a foreign language is that of being able to communicate and relate to other cultures, exploring oneself and the others is an inevitable consequence of this process. Not only do students get to communicate information about the “hard facts” of life, they also get to express parts of their personality and consolidate relationships. This journey of self-exploration is the unexpected reward that they can enjoy every step of the way.
Bibliography
1. Cohen, Louis, Manion, Lawrence and Morrison, Keith, A Guide to Teaching Practice, Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
2. Hiebert, H. Elfrieda, Kamil, L. Michael, editors, Teaching and Learning Vocabulary, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2005.