tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post6718935342376390902..comments2024-03-14T10:31:26.918+00:00Comments on DCblog: On Just a MinuteDChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-90125297194755269502008-12-31T10:45:00.000+00:002008-12-31T10:45:00.000+00:00I've just remembered that an extract of the origin...I've just remembered that an extract of the original radio programme and some language input leading up to the game is included in the book Skills Plus Advanced Listening and Speaking. I've only just remembered because I don't think I've had more than 5 students in the last 5 years who were high enough level and imaginative enough for it...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-115360712981176562008-12-01T14:50:00.000+00:002008-12-01T14:50:00.000+00:00I agree with a lot of what 'outeast' wrote, but I'...I agree with a lot of what 'outeast' wrote, but I've tried the game a couple of times with my most advanced courses (roughly equivalent to 'A' level). It is advisable to invite volunteers to be on the panel - I wouldn't force anybody, and I always gave them some sample rounds of the original (both in audio and in print, to listen to and read along). <BR/>After one or two rounds with the original volunteers, even some students who were too shy at the beginning would join in. <BR/>However, it's not a game that works under all circumstances, and there has to be the right mixture of students who quickly get the idea and a feeling for the atmosphere.riphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16380558721623434314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-8694202174753745512008-11-27T17:10:00.000+00:002008-11-27T17:10:00.000+00:00Not a problem. It's great to have such an informat...Not a problem. It's great to have such an informative critique.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10192779827863835310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-1685097287713609352008-11-27T14:06:00.000+00:002008-11-27T14:06:00.000+00:00I tried it a few times and found it basically unco...I tried it a few times and found it basically unconstructive - for some students, actively counterproductive. I've not done any rigorous test, so these are purely subjective impressions, but:<BR/><BR/>a) Non-native speakers (even those with a fairly high level of fluency) tend to hesitate frequently, especially when <I>beginning</I> to express an idea (ie before they've got really into the flow). This means they get tripped up quickly - too quickly, in many cases, to get any meaningful language use out of the exercise.<BR/><BR/>b) Inevitably, non-native language users have a smaller vocabulary pool to work with; this creates special pressures in the context. Even those with the vocabulary base to avoid repetition are likely to hesitate when searching for less-used vocabulary items.<BR/><BR/>c) Very many people find speaking under pressure tough anyway; I never once had a class where <B>all</B> the students were willing and able to speak under the treble pressures of speaking publicly, speaking without hesitation, and speaking in the awareness that they could be 'buzzed' at any time. Especially in a foreign language... <BR/><BR/>I found that the above problems affected even advanced students who were accustomed to presenting and so on in English. <BR/><BR/>Additionally, even those who <I>can</I> handle the exercise may resent the failures of those who cannot, either because it spoils the game or because they dislike seeing their colleagues/friends/classmates embarassed (in the latter case they may even refuse to challenge, out of sympathy). <BR/><BR/>Then of course there's the problem of getting across the real spirit of the game, which can be tricky enough in itself!<BR/><BR/>Focused and constrained speaking exercises are great, of course, but the 'JAM' format is very tough. With students who are confident, outgoing, and very fluent it could be fun - but how many times do you get a whole group like that? And by the time they're <I>that</I> advanced, will they really benefit? <BR/><BR/>Needless to say, YMMV. And sorry for the long comment...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-61191606404789519932008-11-27T11:48:00.000+00:002008-11-27T11:48:00.000+00:00The "Yes-No" game from the 60s TV show Take Your P...The "Yes-No" game from the 60s TV show Take Your Pick might be fun too. You had to survive the quizmaster's questioning for a minute without using the words Yes or No (or nodding or shaking your head). It would certainly give you practice in using phrases like "That is correct", "It isn't", etc.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798406038550391203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-10691588826789030552008-11-27T00:38:00.000+00:002008-11-27T00:38:00.000+00:00oh....i'm a recent TESOL tutor and i'm 'just looki...oh....i'm a recent TESOL tutor and i'm 'just looking'.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09840983762795315846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-30073936623126811202008-11-26T06:28:00.000+00:002008-11-26T06:28:00.000+00:00I found this game to be okay, but by no means as s...I found this game to be okay, but by no means as successful as I would expect from something that has become a TEFL "classic". I now use a variation where the person speaks for one minute (or as long as they can) and the people listening give them points out of 10 with points taken off for excessive pausing etc (but with language like "well", "let me think" etc not counted as pausing because I want to encourage that as better than silence or using equivalent words or noises from their own language)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377709913595182916.post-17321310125872297172008-11-25T10:05:00.000+00:002008-11-25T10:05:00.000+00:00My nine-year-old son and his friends play Just a M...My nine-year-old son and his friends play Just a Minute during car journeys (which can be distracting for the driver!), and as they are also in the process of learning how to manipulate the English language I'm sure it would be useful in the EFL context. Whether EFL classes will manage to understand the English sense of humour is a different question…<BR/><BR/>Clement Freud is a master of the game, mainly because he has a trick of speaking slowly enough that people don't spot his 'pauses' or breaths.ms_well.wordshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02781705566085277194noreply@blogger.com