Thongsook College BA TESOL Teaching Tips

Talking about good news and bad news

Benefiting from human nature in the classroom.

Timothy Cornwall, Ph.D.

In sharing good or bad news, I have a genuine opportunity to learn more about my students, and by sharing my news, they get to know about me. It offers students an opportunity to practice telling, listening, and reacting to stories. Most importantly, it provides students with an opportunity to enhance their skill at reacting to good and bad news shared in a social or work situation.

Most students like to talk about themselves. While some might be reluctant in a language class where they do not know each other, most have something from their life they would like to share with classmates.

Knowing that many students are interested in talking about their lives and in knowing more about their fellow students, I introduce the idea that when they come to class, they should be prepared to share either good or bad personal news.

1) Getting ready

While I find this activity extremely rewarding as it offers a genuine opportunity to get to know students, it is important to follow a few rules.

First, news shared in class must be personal, for example, a new car, a new baby, a spouse’s new job, a graduation, or a minor illness in the family. Second, it must be news students are willing to share.

If something tragic has happened, they only need to share it if they are truly comfortable doing so. Third, it is important to keep track of all news shared. If a student mentions a daughter has a cold in the next class, make sure to follow up and ask how she is.

2) Intended benefits

I usually complete this activity at the start of each class, as most students are motivated to take part and often prepared, which allows time for stragglers to arrive before starting the core lesson.

Second, regardless of student ability, it provides an opportunity to practice fluency. If students tell their news so we can understand, they have been successful. Therefore, I do not correct mistakes or offer suggestions unless asked to do so.

Third, it is a ‘real’ chance to tell a story. Whether short-and-sweet or long-and-involved, students need to practice telling stories, as this skill is prevalent in real life but rarely practiced in class.

Finally, it offers a genuine chance to respond to good or bad news politely.

3) Responding to good news

I want students to respond to good news with questions. While yes/no questions are acceptable, I want wh- questions and, if possible, adjusted to match the situation – “My daughter is sick” or “My daughter was sick.”

During the first few weeks, a list of wh-words on the board is often enough to encourage students to try different questions. As we progress through other material in class, whenever we practice wh- questions, I remind students that these questions are also useful when responding to news.

I also remind students that they can repeat or slightly change many questions depending on what someone shares and that they do not need to ask different questions each time. As the goal is to learn more about shared news, any questions that reflect genuine interest are fine.

I also review intonation patterns that indicate excitement or sympathy and useful conversation fillers, for example: ‘really,’ ‘wow,’ ‘fantastic,’ and ‘congratulation,’ along with short sentences and comments – “That’s great. You must be very happy.”

As we continue this activity each week, students become increasingly skilled at asking questions and reacting to good news. They begin to share comments and offer advice. This is important, as I also want them to offer advice and suggestions when students share bad news.

4) Responding to bad news

Bad news is more difficult. In fact, this exercise originates from experiences in Japan when I had bad news to share with friends, and they would smile. I now know this is a normal reaction in many parts of Asia and reflects nervousness and a lack of knowledge about how to react, not schadenfreude. However, until I came to appreciate this difference, I found it quite shocking that friends would behave this way.

With this initial shock in mind, I review how I, as a Westerner, deal with bad news and my discomfort - avoid smiling, behave, and act concerned. Asking meaningful questions, offering condolences, and volunteering to help are three ways I deal with bad news shared by friends and three ideas I practice with my students.

Fortunately, most bad news is about minor illnesses, fender-benders, and minor disappointments. However, as the class progresses and we get to know each other, I often mention bad news from my life that is markedly stronger than what students have shared and, if needed, guide them through various appropriate reaction tactics.

5) Preparing for very bad news

Among the most difficult is when a student takes a chance and mentions someone they know or who was close to them has died. To prepare for this, I will have made a point of having previously provided suitable comments, “I am so sorry to hear that. How old were they?” This is then followed by a suitable reaction based on the answer. If the person was young, a somewhat subjective opinion, a suitable reaction might be, “That is way too young.” If the person was a bit older, again, a subjective opinion, “I hope I get to be that age.”

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