Many English teachers use puppets in the English classroom when they are working with children. I do that, too. Moreover, I’ve also been using puppets for a long time with adult students and it works really well.
You can use puppets to demonstrate dialogs, to introduce grammar points or vocabulary. You can have the puppet talk to you, or you can play two characters at the same time, by using one puppet in each hand.
On this video, a teacher gives some ideas on how to use puppets in the classroom. She doesn’t mean a language class, but what she says can be used in any kind of class.
I do that a lot and it really works. You just have to try until you feel comfortable with it. You might not do it so well at first, but practice makes perfect, as you know.
Puppets are also very useful when students are doing pair work. Instead of having students talk to each other, have the puppets talk to each other. A very interesting thing that happens when you do this is that students speak much more naturally. It is as if they are hiding behind the puppet. They talk, they make facial expressions, and they also have a lot of fun while they’re practicing simple grammar exercises.
Watch this recording from one on my adult classes:
Another advantage of using puppets when you’re doing pair work is that if you have an odd number of students, one student can use two puppets. This way he or she will perform the two parts of the conversation, and you won’t need to have a group of three. It’s very useful.
If you’re teaching private classes, and if you only have one student, puppets are very useful too, because they minimize teacher’s talking time. Students can practice the dialogs alone, using on puppet in each hand.
Watch these two videos that show an adult student of mine performing a sketch from my book “The Classroom is a Stage”. This was recorded at his office and he had to get down on his knees to do it. However, he didn’t mind it at all. On the contrary, he had a lot of fun.
“If You Leave Me Now” – Part 1:
“If You Leave Me Now” – Part 2:
You can also encourage your students to use puppets at home, when they practice the dialogs in the book. Since students spend a lot of time studying alone at home – or at least they should – using puppets is a wonderful way to practice speaking when they are alone. They can anything as a puppet – two pencils, two rulers, two dolls, and even two real puppets.
As teachers, it is our duty to encourage our students to study and practice more. We should always give them ideas of different ways to study. By using this technique in class and encouraging students to do it at home, you can help them to find out ways to learn better. And this will make a great difference!
