Voices Heard from a "Mime-Based Dialogue" Activity in an EFL Classroom

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Based on critical thinking and writing theories, a two-class-session teaching activity, Mime-based Dialogue, was created. Its objectives were to excite students' imagination, promote creativity, and elicit critical thinking and writing. In an elective English Conversation class in Taiwan in the spring 2005, the instructor designed this activity for 26 five-year college students (mixed genders) to increase not only their English conversation proficiency but also their critical thinking and writing abilities. Two research questions sought to determine (1) how did the students respond to the Mime-based Dialogue activity in terms of English conversation practices? And (2) how did the students relate the Mime-based Dialogue activity to critical thinking and writing? Data collection included a mid-term evaluation questionnaire, the instructor's journal entries, weekly comments students posted in a class weblog, and student' mid-term reflection papers. The positive mean values of two evaluation items and several comments made by the students support the effectiveness of the teaching activity for promoting English conversation practices and critical thinking and writing abilities. Further, the current paper provides several creative and intriguing dialogues created by the students in class for evidence and sharing. In particular, the activity may encourage other teachers to help students acquire a higher level of language learning by employing or modifying this instructional activity in their own teaching contexts, such as English Conversation, English Writing Practices, and English Listening and Speaking Practice, in a more engaging and meaningful way.