Verbal Tennis

This is an excellent teaching technique which is both engaging and can be used an effective assessment for learning tool. During a game of Verbal Tennis a group of students will take it in turns to say words related to the topic being taught. The individual who cannot think of a word is out or loses the game.

Verbal Tennis can be taken further by getting students to take it in turn to make statements about a topic instead of a key word. It is very diverse as it can be used with any year group and any subject; it merely requires the individual to listen and speak, something that comes naturally to students but with the added advantage of an intellectually challenging game and a puzzle like experience.

An even more elaborate way of playing Verbal Tennis is to allow students to ask questions back and forth. The rules are simple: ask a question, do not repeat the question, the question must be relevant to the subject and do not directly answer the question. An example of Verbal Tennis based on questions:

Player 1 – Are you okay?

Player 2 – Do I not look okay?

Player 1 – If I knew, why would I ask?

Player 2 – Why do you care whether I’m okay or not?

Player 1 – Am I being rude by asking? 

And so on...

Pros Of Verbal Tennis	Cons Of Verbal Tennis
Cross curricular	Level of noise must be effectively managed
Minimal planning required	Difficult to determine if students are off task
Enhances speaking and listening skills	Students who lose the game early can become idle
Easily differentiated
Can be used as a starter or plenary
Can be used as an assessment tool