I like to begin each adult lesson with one of the “ice breakers” I learned back in my Global TESOL course. As Bill told us, an “ice breaker” gets the students into “english mode” since for most of them, their classes are the only time they speak English all week. My favorite “ice breaker” is called “Two Truths and a Lie.” I first introduce the activity by telling the students 3 things about myself and asking them to pick which one is the lie.
The game is actually harder to play on the spot than it sounds – the first few times we played it back at Global TESOL, I kept forgetting to throw a lie in with the bunch, or forgetting to make anything true. As I have been teaching for a few weeks now, I have settled on a particular trio of “facts” about myself which I now rattle off to unsuspecting students.
I write down:
- I am from Canada
- I have my scuba diving license
- I used to rescue stray cats
To make it extra fun for me, I introduce the game by telling my students, “All right! I am going to tell you three things abOAT myself …”
No, most Japanese people can’t even tell the difference between Brits and Americans so of course my clever trick goes completely unnoticed (they almost always pick “I have my scuba diving license” as the lie). But I amuse myself.