"Speed Dating" to enhance content and build community
Tips for Conversations in Multilingual Classrooms
I’m amazed at how often I talk to students in middle or high school who don’t know other students in their classes. A "speed dating" activity can be an engaging way to promote interaction and communication among Multilingual Learners (of various WIDA levels) and dominant English speakers. The activity involves all students pairing up for short conversations and then rotating to speak with different partners. The focus can be on getting to know each other and then shift to subject area content.
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Here's how you can adapt this activity for mixed WIDA levels:
Set up:
Set up tables or desks in a circle or a row, with chairs facing each other in pairs. Each pair represents a "speed dating" station.
Create conversation sentence starter cards (especially important for WIDA levels 1 & 2). Ideas on how to create different sentence starters.
Create slides with one question per slide. The questions can be “get-to-know-you” questions or questions about the content you are studying. They should be open-ended questions.
Student-generated Name tags and Prompts:
Have students create name tags with their names, pronouns, and a few drawings they like.
You can also prepare conversation prompt cards with open-ended questions or topics for each pair to discuss during their speed dating rounds.
Directions:
Explain the concept of "speed dating" to the students. Tell them they will have a limited amount of time (e.g., 2 minutes or 1 minute each) to talk with their partner, and then they will switch to a new partner when the timer goes off.
Rotations:
Assign MLs to their initial pairs, making sure to mix WIDA levels strategically. If a student is at the early stages (Level 1), you may want to partner these MLs with a bilingual buddy to move around together.
Start the timer (keep it to 1 minute or so) and tell students on one side of the table to answer the projected question. After the 1-minute timer goes off, the other student answers the question and remarks on what their partner just said.
When the timer goes off, one row, or circle, of students moves one seat to the right (or in a clockwise direction) to talk to the next partner.
Repeat the process for several rounds, allowing students to interact with different partners and experience diverse language abilities.
Facilitation:
As the activity progresses, monitor and assist where necessary. Encourage students to speak English during the conversations, but it’s important not to make it a strict requirement, especially for lower-level WIDA students. They can use Google Translate or their buddy to support them.
If students struggle to communicate due to their language level, encourage the partnership to use simple gestures or drawings to convey their ideas. Tell them this expands their creative brain.
Debriefing:
After the speed dating rounds, bring the group together for a debriefing discussion. Ask students to share interesting things they learned about their partners and their experiences during the activity.
Reflection:
Encourage students to reflect in writing what they enjoyed and what challenges they faced during the activity. Have them write how this activity helped them practice and improve their language skills. You could have them write down three ideas they learned from their partners. Use a fill-in-the-blank worksheet for WIDA level 1 & 2 students.
The "speed dating" activity can be an effective way to encourage all students to practice their communication skills in a low-pressure, interactive setting. It allows students to build connections with peers of different language abilities while also promoting cultural exchange and understanding.
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