In this workshop, the presenter will first describe a series of speaking-focused English courses for medical staff and students at one university hospital. Activities included IELTS and TOEFL-style speaking tasks and speech practice as well as techniques adapted from the realm of improvisational theater. These “improv” activities develop learners’ empathy as well as communicative competence and can easily be applied in 3-5-minute chunks of a standard lesson. The presenter will introduce several activities, of varying difficulty levels, which the audience can practice in pairs and small groups, and perhaps try out later in their own classes.
Biography: Ian Willey is an associate professor in the Higher Education Center at Kagawa University. He has an MA from Kent State University and a Ph.D. from Hiroshima City University. He has published and presented widely on the topics of English for medical purposes, teacher identity, and classroom language use.
This presentation has been rescheduled for October 18, 2020
