View Content #26665

This activity highlights the way the physical environment structures human communication. A working knowledge of this basic principle is tremendously helpful for language learners. When we communicate, we use our bodies, media, and other objects to structure communication and attention.  This lesson focuses specifically on using the environment to construct compliments, but it also serves as a more general example of the way the material world provides just-in-time resources to support any functional, situated communication.

Modes: Interpersonal, Intercultural

Materials: Pen, paper, and your classroom (or other target) environment.

Procedure:

1. Construct. Ask learners to work in pairs to draft 2-3 sample compliments drawn from the environment that function in the following ways:
   1. Novice: express admiration or approval of someone’s work/appearance/taste.
   2. Intermediate: open and sustain conversation.
   3. Advanced: establish/confirm/maintain solidarity.

Potentially relevant scaffolding:

1. Novice: It may be necessary to help students identify appropriate objects/artifacts to incorporate into compliments to express admiration or approval.

• Example items include articles of clothing, stationary supplies, etc.
• Orienting question: How could nearby items be used in compliments to express admiration or approval?

2. Intermediate: It may be helpful to identify several environmental features to get students oriented to the task of using environmental features to open and sustain conversation.

• Example items include  academic work samples, creative work samples, physical styling, conversations (e.g. a recent topic or ongoing discourse).
• Orienting question: How could these objects/artifacts become “keys” or “tokens” to open and sustain conversation?

3. Advanced: Learners will need to identify which features within the environment they authentically identify with. Additionally, learners will need to identify a specific speech partner who shares a similar perspective with regard to the objects, speech utterances, or media.

• Example items include work samples, recent conversations, recent media (audio, video, images), clothing, other identifiable elements within the environment (e.g. curricular themes, relevant local/youth culture, etc.).
• Orienting questions: What is something you and your speech partner both identify with? How could you use that/those item/s to “get on the same page” with them and build a sense of mutual identification, affinity, and connection (AKA solidarity)?

2. Explain. In the same (or new) pairs, have students explain why the language samples they came up with function as compliments. Also, have them articulate why the items they chose were selected and see if they can identify any other object(s) that would function more powerfully as “compliment generators.” For novice and intermediate learners, these explanations will most likely be articulated in the L1.
3. Compare.
   1. Novice: Learners vote as a class which compliments and objects make the best pairs.
   2. Intermediate and Advanced: Learners discuss (as a class) which compliment/object pairs were most appropriate, convincing, and functional/powerful.
4. Extend.
   1. Novice: Students are encouraged (or assigned) to continue noticing and practicing throughout their day how features of their environment can/must be used to express admiration or approval of others’ work/appearance/taste.
   2. Intermediate: Students are encouraged (or assigned) to continue noticing throughout their day how the environment structures discourse and attempt to use features of their environment to open and sustain conversation.
   3. Advanced: Students are encouraged (or assigned) to continue noticing throughout their day how the environment structures discourse and continue to practice using features of their environment to establish/confirm/maintain solidarity.