TEFL Techniques – The Van Game The very best way of teaching English (or any other language!) is to get the student wanting to learn – hungry for new ways to express themselves in your language. To this end, teach into the passions of the student, be it Classical Piano, Horror Movies, Cars and Planes, Football or the music of Marc Anthony (I’ve had students teaching me on all these subjects, and more!). You get the picture? If a student wants to talk about something, they’re more likely to be searching for words and phrases than if they are talking about something that doesn’t really interest or engage them.

The imagination is a powerful tool – use it! Here’s a good word game that I have played with students when we’ve been on the move. Pick a van, truck, car as you pass it or it speeds past you, and ask the student to tell you a story about the contents or people in the vehicle – they’ll soon catch your drift and be making up spontaneous stories of their own. Questions like: “Who’s driving that van?”; “Where’s he going to/come from?”; “What has he got in the back?”; “Tell me about his family – what kind of person is he?”

Tailor the questions to the student’s ability and you’ll be able to help to create some weird and wonderful stories about imaginary characters, and at the same time coach your student’s grammar and help introduce new vocabulary. It sure beats I-Spy as a car game! The first time I tried this I’ll admit there was some ice to break, but the trust between student and teacher had already been established, and so he was prepared to go with me on the strange scenario: You see that white van? What do you think is in the back? Where’s he going? Why?

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