Beyond the Lyrics Gap Fill: Low-Preparation, High-Participation Activities Using Songs in Class more

Sat, Apr 30, 10:00-Tue, May 31, 23:55 Asia/Seoul

The use of music in language classes has long been connected to increased motivation and engagement, enhanced intercultural awareness, and improved learning outcomes for students (Talada, 2015). Language teachers are thus often keen to incorporate songs into their lessons, but the challenge can be determining the best way to do so (Bos, 2019). Although “Gap Fill” listening exercises are perfectly valid, they are often overused, as teachers may be time-poor, or unaware of what could be done with a song in the language classroom. In this workshop, we explore a variety of song-based activities, with a focus on three areas: improving language skills, building community, and stimulating creativity. This immersive workshop is conducted in line with principles of experiential learning (Kolb, 2015), with opportunities for participants to experience practical ideas, then reflect on how they can implement these in both the physical and virtual classroom.