Draw What You Hear—A Sharing Activity

Sandra Fotos -- Senshu University, Tokyo

presented at the Association for Baha’i Studies Conference
August 3, 2004, Calgary, Canada


Based on the humanistic tradition within communicative language teaching, this activity involves the four skills: the receptive skills of listening and reading and the productive skills of writing and speaking. Sharing personal likes, hopes and dreams with group members and giving appreciative feedback and asking questions when others share their feelings encourage the creation of a supportive community of practice. *

Procedure

A. Listening and Drawing

The teacher gives the students a piece of paper and tells them they should listen carefully and draw what they hear. The teacher may show a sample page at the end of the activity. The teacher begins:
  1. In the middle of the paper draw a circle.
  2. In the upper right corner draw a triangle.
  3. In the lower left corner draw a rectangle.
  4. In the upper left corner draw a heart.
  5. In the lower right corner draw a daisy.
B. Listening and Writing

The teacher tells the students to write the following phrases in or below the drawings.
  1. In the circle write, “ I like…”
  2. In the triangle write, “I want…”
  3. In the heart write, “I love…”
  4. In the rectangle write, “ My dream is…”
  5. Above or below the daisy write, “My favorite activity is…”
C. Reading and Composing

When the students are finished, the teacher asks them to complete each phrase.

D. Sharing and Giving Feedback

When the students have written full sentences, the teacher puts them into groups and asks them to share their answers with the rest of the group. Students who are listening are encouraged to give appropriate and positive feedback (“Wow!” “Me too!” “I like___ too!”), ask questions and discuss what their group member shared.

E. Summarizing and Presenting

Each group chooses one member to present a summary of the group’s responses to the rest of the class. Again, questions and discussion are encouraged.

* “Communities of practice” are groups of people who share similar goals and interests. In pursuit of these goals and interests, they employ common practices, work with the same tools and express themselves in a common language. Through such activity, they come to share similar beliefs and values.

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