ESL-based activities you wouldn't do in ESL classes

Teachers, do you have/have you had those moments in your teaching career when you say "I wouldn't do that kind of activity in class"? If so, and I'm assuming you do/have, are such decisions mainly based on what you think students would accept, the effectiveness of such an activity, your own character (too shy, not confident enough, uncomfortable, etc. to present certain activities in class) or other?

Can you think of ESL-based exercises and activities that you would definitely not do in class?

And would you "not be caught dead" doing such an activity as "laughter yoga"?

http://www.hltmag.co.uk/aug08/mart02.htm

<<Can you think of ESL-based exercises and activities that you would definitely not do in class?>>

Maybe "fill in the blanks". Prehistoric crap every learner hates.

I like fill in the blanks. The best way to learn verb conjugations or agreement of adjectives for example is by filling in blanks. On the other hand I think a lot of the new age books have silly overly interactive activities. They seem to focus too much on having a social fun session than on seriously learning the language.

xxThey seem to focus too much on having a social fun session than on seriously learning the language.XX

Doesn't one learn when having fun?

I've taught thousands of people over the years and I suspect just a handful would choose to do 'yoga laughter' in their limited lesson time. The trouble is that these ultra-humanistic approaches are widely perceived as being 'cool' or even morally superior to a more practical teaching approach that down-to-earth teachers provide and that very many learners actively favour.
If you suggest that instead of focussing on 'creativity' (their own) teachers should focus on their students' own real priorities, you get pillaried as a soulless fuddy-duddy by the 'real' teachers who feel they have a responsibilty to make learning a language a much deeper and intimately touching experience that it often needs to be.
A little yoga laughter might be great fun - done once, with the right people, to regenerate a flagging lesson. Gap-filling exercises can be useful and interesting too, done now and again. Variety is the spice of life but you need a solid and nutritious staple diet.