Why You Must Consider Using Brainstorming In TEFL – Six Main Benefits

Brainstorming is an ideal warm-up activity because it takes little time. Also, it can be explained easily and be used with any chosen topic.

The main purpose of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible within a specified time-period. These ideas are not evaluated until the end of the activity.

Each idea produced does not need to be usable. Instead, initial ideas can be viewed as a starting point for more workable ideas.

The main principle of brainstorming is that you need lots of ideas to get good ideas.

There are a lot of benefits for using brainstorming in TEFL, and the following are the main six ones.

1. Providing A Link Between Existing & New Knowledge

Brainstorming can remind our students of existing knowledge in their minds and direct their minds towards the ideas that they will meet in the lesson on focus.

In this way, brainstorming can provide a link between existing and new knowledge.

2. Activating Passive Vocabulary

Many learners have a large passive vocabulary which does not translate directly into productive in the classroom. Brainstorming can help to activate this in their own minds.

3. Connecting Ideas

Brainstorming can help the students create a series of connecting ideas. At this point, the learners will be better oriented to the topic on focus and better motivated to fill in the gaps in their knowledge.

4. Helping The Selection of Language Used In Speaking Tasks

Brainstorming can help learners to be more prepared for speaking tasks as it identifies gaps in their knowledge and fills them in.

5. Making Intelligent Guesses

Because of nervousness in EFL classes or fear of teacher correction, many students are afraid of using language in the classroom. This stops them from making intelligent guesses and slows down learning.

Brainstorming can help students to learn to take risks and reduce anxiety. There are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers in brainstorming and no danger of teacher correction.

By carrying out a simple brainstorming warm-up, students can obtain a sense of competence and feel more confident in making intelligent guesses.

6. Using Language In Context

EFL classes can often seem artificial but during brainstorming activity, the students should create a real-life context for the subsequent speaking tasks.

In this case, students should call up relevant existing knowledge from memory and provide a context that supports comprehension and production in the subsequent speaking tasks.

Takeaway

As mentioned in this post, brainstorming can help our students to become better learners, especially when doing this activity in groups. They will learn language from each other and interact together. As a result, they will become better communicators.

So, I advise EFL teachers to consider using brainstorming in their EFL classes.

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