Fellow Charles Lavin led a hands-on workshop that introduced participants to a collection of activities that facilitate interactive English language practices in a low-stress, learner-centered environment. Education majors had the opportunity to experiment with a variety of educational materials from the Activate: Games for Learning American English collection: board games, picture cards, conversation cards, and word bricks.
Lavin demonstrated how these materials are designed to provide informal speaking and creative thinking opportunities for English language learners. Participants discovered new ways to encourage students to develop social skills, learn coping strategies, engage their minds in active learning, and ultimately increase their communicative competence in English. Throughout the presentation, participants discussed how these activities can effectively be modified for a range of ages and proficiency levels to best suit their students’ needs.