The Ultimate Guide to Conversation Activities for Secondary School Students After two decades teaching teenagers in Latin America , I’ve seen one challenge again and again: Students understand English … but they don’t speak it confidently. Why? Fear of making mistakes Lack of engaging topics Activities that feel too “childish” or too “academic” Teenagers need something different. They need: Relevant topics Thought-provoking questions Opportunities to express opinions In this guide, I’ll share 10 powerful conversation topics , each with 10 carefully designed questions to get secondary students (ages 12–17) speaking naturally and confidently. How to Use These Questions (From Experience) Encourage opinions, not perfection Teenagers want to be heard. Let them express ideas freely—even with mistakes. Push for longer answers Instead of: “Yes.” Encourage: “Yes, because I think…” Use pair and group work Teenagers speak more when not in front of the whole class. Accept silence at first Sometime...
The English teachers voice
David White is an Australian English teacher who has been living in Peru since 2001. In partnership with his wife Claudia, they are the owners of ¨English For You Language Institute´, an institute that specializes in the teaching of all levels of English from Basic (A1) to Advanced (C2) including international exam preparation. They are also the owners of ELT Educational Services and David is also the Headmaster of the American School, a respected bilingual ib school in Northern Peru.