1) The document describes an English language lesson that used mobile phones to engage students in listening and speaking activities. 2) Students used voice recorders on their phones to record themselves speaking sentences with different feelings/emotions, then listened back and practiced pronunciation. 3) The teacher also called a friend during class and put them on speakerphone so students could listen to a spontaneous English conversation, then discuss and rewrite the conversation.

1. M-learning
He said the sentence, and we had to worry, I didn’t understand all of them
guess which feeling he had while he was either!) After the conversation had
saying it. It was really funny! After we finished, we spoke to our partners about
had guessed a few, he put us into what we had understood. Then our
ᮣᮣᮣ part and contribute to activities, groups, asked one person in each group teacher asked us to think about some of
even if they don’t want to record to take out their mobile and find the the words they had used in the
themselves or have their photos voice recorder. (The first time, you conversation: to agree (that’s right …
taken.) might want to give a bit of extra time totally), to show that they understood
for this.) Then he pointed to one of the (I see … of course … uh huh), to give
● Our teacher would have a meeting their opinion (in a nutshell … basically
feelings on the board and we had to
with all our parents to explain how … at the end of the day). Fortunately,
record ourselves saying the sentence as
we would use mobiles in class so they our teacher had also recorded the call
if we felt that way. My favourite one
wouldn’t be upset about this. on another phone so we could listen
was curious! When we’d done this, we
● We wouldn’t use our mobiles all the listened back to our sentences and had again. The words and phrases which we
time, to make sure that it didn’t to guess which feeling matched with heard can all be used to help us have a
become boring. Our teacher which of the sentences. conversation, and we practised using
explained that mobiles are just It was really useful for me because it them. Then we wrote them on some big
another tool which can help us to helped me remember the meaning of pieces of paper and stuck them on the
learn and have fun with English, like the feelings, and I could hear my wall of the classroom so we can use
computers, coloured pens or CDs. pronunciation and correct my mistakes. them again and remember them better.
(Variety is the spice of life, but too For example, I learnt that we don’t say
much is haphazard – and reliance on for a as two separate words – it actually Hanging on the
one tool just gets boring!) sounds more like ‘furra’! English is a
funny language. It was really good fun telephone
It’s really fun to use our mobiles, and and we’ve done this activity with other One time, our teacher really surprised
it’s easy because we always have them feelings. It’s really useful to hear your us. In the middle of the class, he took
with us. We like it because it shows that voice recorded to help you to correct your his phone out of his pocket and
the teacher understands how we pronunciation, and we can correct each answered a call! We all went quiet and
communicate with each other and how other’s pronunciation in this way, too. couldn’t believe it – some students felt a
we have fun outside school, and it lets (This is where you could incorporate a bit angry that he would do this. I felt
us enjoy English more. I think that if study skills session on how students like I had to listen, though. Anyway, he
you’re having a good time in the can improve their pronunciation.) ended the call – and then told us that it
classroom, it’s easier to learn, and I
wasn’t really a call! We had to tell our
always look forward to my English
With a little help from partners what our teacher had said, and
lessons because they’re different and
then he asked us some questions about
more interesting than other lessons. my friends the call – was he happy or angry? Was it
Before this, we had had a discussion in from his family, a friend or his boss? Our
Feelings, nothing more class about how it was really difficult to next task was to rewrite the conversation
than feelings listen to conversations in English and and imagine what the person on the
how, whenever we spoke to a native other end of the line had said. Again,
Last week, our teacher asked us what speaker, we sometimes found it difficult the teacher had recorded what he said
was important when communicating in to speak. We also thought that the so we had a chance to listen again to
English. We said that it was important listening exercises in our book didn’t check our answers. After this, we wrote
to be clear, to use correct language, to really sound like any of the real English our own conversations and acted them
use body language, to maintain eye conversations that we had heard. So our out in groups – one person acted one
contact, and to use proper intonation so teacher connected his mobile to some side of the conversation to one group,
that people know if you’re asking a speakers, and then called one of his the other person to another group. Then
question and how you feel. friends (with a little help from more we had to guess what the other person
Our teacher wrote some ‘feelings’ technically-minded colleagues). We was saying, before we checked with
words on the board, which we had had been studying about advances in another group. It was a bit chaotic but
learnt the week before: science and technology, and our teacher lots of fun!
started a conversation with his friend (Thanks to Nick Bilbrough for this
disappointed pleased suspicious
about this. (I had a few questions in activity.)
upset curious confused
mind to guide the conversation, and
worried excited
the friend was expecting my call, but
Pictures of you
didn’t know the topic. This was to try
He then wrote this sentence on the board: One of my favourite ways we used
to make it as spontaneous as possible.
You went for a coffee? mobiles was in storytelling. Our
Depending on your ethics – and friends
(Some students may question this and – you could call them out of the blue.) homework was to take three photos: a
tell you it’s not grammatically correct, It was very interesting, although his photo of something in our house, a photo
which will spark an interesting debate friend was very clever and used some of something in our street and a photo of
in itself.) big words we didn’t understand. (Don’t something in our neighbourhood. We’ve
56 • Issue 81 July 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •