Telephone TESOL This is a half hour lesson in Telephone English – aimed at Intermediate level students of English as a Second Language. It’s interesting to note that English sounds very different on a telephone - voices get distorted, and for the foreign student a few weeks of tuning in to the English voice can be lost in the first sentences of a phone call. Also note that there is a telephone language that we use that will seem very foreign to those unaccustomed to our practices! A lesson on Telephone English could go something like this…

Welcome. Try something different – take a call on your mobile (or act one out) as the class gathers – speak loudly and clearly to engage the curiosity of your class! Show the class a series of pictures featuring phones. Use these pictures to get brains, imaginations and tongues moving.
Brainstorm: what do we use telephones for? What language do we use – how is it different from everyday language? Write words and phrases on the board!
At this point (and the timing will be interesting), get someone to call you on your mobile from outside the classroom (how about your Mum, or a colleague?). Put the mobile on loudspeaker and let the class listen in – try and make it a little bit personal!! Also, make a call, maybe to a Utility Company or another business, on loudspeaker. All the time, ask students to make notes of what they hear.
Discuss the calls – what did your students hear? Isolate phrases, answer questions arising.
Ask the class to split into groups. Chose three common telephone scenarios from the brainstorm and ask each group to prepare a brief call, each of a pair of students acting a role in the call. During this preparation the teacher should be helping students with the pronunciation of words.
Presentation: the pairs act out their calls – this should be fun!

Andrew is a qualified TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher, with 15 years experience of the global Automotive Industry as a Sales manager with an International component and systems supplier. For more information about learning English with Andrew at his home in the UK, visit the Lets Talk 2 website. http://lets-talk2.com/_wsn/page2.html