BubbleTalk
A topic explodes into keyword bubbles. One or two students build a spoken presentation or discussion by popping ideas as they speak — and watch new ones bloom.
Open App →One or Two at the Screen
- 1One or two students operate the bubble canvas at the screen while they speak — everyone else watches and listens. There's no free-circle setup for this app; the interaction is with the bubbles, not with classmates seated around a circle.
- 2If you generate from an uploaded document, it's only there to seed the bubbles — there's no reason to project or hand out the original file, since students build the talk from the generated bubbles, not the source text.
- 3An optional discussion timer (3, 5, or 10 minutes) is set on the setup page — use it to keep the talk moving rather than letting one speaker run indefinitely.
- 4Bubbles regenerate as they're used: tap or long-press a bubble to use it in the talk, and double-click any bubble to branch off new related keywords or phrases — or switch on Auto-Regenerate so new ones spawn automatically every time one is used.
The Teaching Logic Behind BubbleTalk
BubbleTalk generates a set of keyword or key-phrase bubbles around a topic typed in by the teacher, or extracted from an uploaded PDF document. Each bubble carries a point value and a category, and the app can also generate a matching set of logical connectors (however, in addition, as a result...) when Show Connectors is switched on.
There are two modes. Standard mode is general presentation brainstorming for any topic. Chelsea Mode simulates the Cambridge B2 First Speaking Part 3 collaborative task: it generates a central question with bubbles that orbit it as discussable sub-points, mirroring the structure of that exam task.
Bubbles aren't static. Tapping or long-pressing a bubble marks it as used in the talk and scores points; double-clicking any bubble — used or not — generates a fresh set of related keywords or phrases that branch off that idea. Turning on Auto-Regenerate makes this automatic: every bubble used immediately spawns new related ones, so the pool never runs dry.
Why It Works
Pre-loaded language frees capacity for speaking
Sweller (1988) shows that when content is pre-generated, a learner's working memory can be spent on stringing language together rather than inventing what to say next. BubbleTalk's constantly regenerating keyword pool removes the 'what do I say now?' bottleneck, leaving capacity for fluency and structure.
Connectors build cohesion, not just vocabulary
Canale & Swain's model of communicative competence treats cohesion — linking ideas logically — as a distinct skill from producing individual words. The optional Connectors explicitly scaffold this: students are rewarded for marking contrast, addition, or consequence instead of stringing bubbles together with 'and... and... and'.
Chelsea Mode rehearses a specific exam structure
Cambridge B2 First Speaking Part 3 requires candidates to discuss a central question via several prompted sub-points before reaching a decision together. Chelsea Mode's central-question-plus-orbiting-bubbles structure rehearses exactly that shape of talk, rather than open-ended discussion.
Step-by-Step in Class
Set up the talk
Choose Standard or Chelsea Mode, type a topic (or upload a PDF in Standard mode, which overrides the topic field), CEFR level, content type (Keywords or Key Phrases), and the discussion timer length.
Put one or two students at the screen
They operate the bubble canvas while they speak; the rest of the class listens. There's no need for a circle formation — all the interaction is with the bubbles on screen, not with classmates.
Use and regenerate bubbles as the talk runs
Tap each bubble as it's worked into the talk to score it. Double-click a bubble to branch off new related ideas, or switch on Auto-Regenerate to do this automatically every time a bubble is used. Use the connectors, if enabled, to link ideas explicitly.
Wrap up against the timer
End the session manually or let the timer run out, then review the used keywords/phrases and connectors together as a quick debrief of what was actually said.
How to Set It Up for Different Levels
Generates single-word keyword bubbles on an everyday topic, plus a small set of basic connectors (and, but, because).
B1 speakers often run out of things to say after a sentence or two. A constantly regenerating supply of keyword prompts keeps the talk going without the teacher having to feed language.
Teacher uploads a PDF, which overrides the topic field. BubbleTalk extracts key-phrase bubbles from the text for students to build a talk around — the original document itself isn't needed once the bubbles are generated.
Extracting the talking points from a class text turns a reading task directly into a speaking task, without the original page needing to be projected or distributed a second time.
Generates a central collaborative-task question with bubbles orbiting it as discussable sub-points, matching the structure of the real exam task.
Rehearsing the exact shape of the exam task — central question, sub-points, joint decision — builds task familiarity that generic discussion practice doesn't provide.
Ways to Extend the Game
Connector Count
Set a target — e.g. 5 connectors — before the talk starts. The speaker can't end their turn until they've hit the target, training deliberate use of cohesive devices instead of relying on 'and'.
Branch and Build
Double-click a single bubble at the very start and build the entire talk only from what branches out of it. Tests whether students can develop one idea in depth rather than jumping between topics.
Silent Swap
Pause mid-talk and swap which student is operating the screen. The new speaker must pick up mid-idea using the bubbles already on screen, practising listening and continuation.
Chelsea Decision Round
In Chelsea Mode, after working through the sub-point bubbles, require the pair to reach and justify a final decision on the central question out loud — mirroring the final stage of the real exam task.
Pair It With
You're Wrong
When a BubbleTalk session surfaces a contestable claim through one of its keyword bubbles, move to You're Wrong to develop that point into a quick, structured discussion with pro/con keyword support.
Say Mean Quotes
Say Mean Quotes provides depth analysis of a single idea — a natural follow-up when a BubbleTalk session surfaces one bubble the class finds particularly complex or provocative and wants to unpack in detail.
Class Clash
Class Clash channels the same keyword-driven energy into a team format — when a BubbleTalk topic naturally splits opinion, Class Clash structures that opposition into assigned positions with argument scaffolding.