Pairing and Bonding
Goal of the activity:
The students are able to form pairs. They are able to empathize with the needs and expectations of their partners.
Preparation:
Write on the board: “I, (write your name here), promise that I will be a good friend to all of you and will help you in improving your English”
Time:
This activity takes approx. 90 minutes to complete. However, it may extend if your students' number is more in your classroom or it depends on the learning level of your students.
Steps:
- Assign one number to two students. So in a class of 20, the students can be numbered from 1-10.
- Ask the students with the same number to come together.
- Thus the students form same-number pairs.
- Give the students 10 minutes to talk to each other. Ask them to find out as many “new” things about each other as they can. These can include anything and everything that is not obvious or has not been talked about earlier in the class. Finally, they should tell each other what they expect from a friend.
- After this, ask each pair to come to the front of the class and say what they have discussed. Both the learners in a pair have to tell the rest of the class all the new things they have learned about their partner. They also mention what the partner expects from them as a friend.
- Ask each pair whether they can fulfill their partner’s expectations.
- Each pair has to end their presentation by taking this pledge: “I, _________, promise that I will be a good friend to all of you and will help you in improving your English”. This pledge can be written on the board at the beginning of the class.
Note to the teacher:
The purpose of this activity is to foster bonding among the students and make them aware of their neighbors. Discuss that all the students have come with the common objective of learning English. All the students must see this as a shared goal and help each other in achieving it.