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1) Learn the Student’s Name.
This indication of personal interest puts the student at
ease and helps him overcome inhibitions about speaking
out in a group.
a) Concentrate on the Student.
While talking to the student, the teacher should focus
his attention primarily on the student’s eyes, and he
should give the student his full attention.
b-Take Notes.
The teacher should ask the student to write his name on
the notepad (which
the teacher should always carry to
class).
c) Identify the Seats and Use the Students’ Names.
2) Give Praise When It Is Deserved.
3) Smile.
A smile generates warmth and response. The teacher
should not be afraid to smile—or to give a hearty laugh
if a situation warrants it.
4) Speak Naturally.
There is a tendency on the part of some teachers, in their
efforts to make the students understand, to speak very slowly, increase the volume of their voice, and over-enunciate words or use artificially emphasized intonation patterns.
5) The Student Should Talk, Not Take Notes.
A conversation class should give each student the
maximum opportunity
to talk, and to that end everything
should be subordinated. The student
should not take notes.
A person does not usually carry on a conversation
with a
note pad and pen in hand.
6) Everyone Should Use English.
Be alert and foster alertness
Since
the conversation class provides practice in both
speaking and understanding what is said, the teacher
should stay alert and see to it that the attention of the
students does not wander.
Be enthusiastic and engender enthusiasm
Enthusiasm
is one of the most important factors in a
conversation class.The
teacher must remember that
enthusiasm is infectious, and that much of the impetus
for expression must come through enthusiasm that
he himself engenders.
Be patient
Patience,
necessary in any encounter with students,
is especially important in a
conversation class.
The teacher should put himself in the place of the student.
He should think of how he himself had to struggle to express his ideas when he was first learning a new language.
Be sensitive
The teacher must be sensitive to the subtleties of speech
, gesture, and facial expressions of the students, for
these reveal the way in which a student is thinking or
reacting to the situation.
Think
The
word think should be the watchword for all conversation classes. The
teacher should never accept the idea that practicing English must be
limited to talking alone.
He should encourage the students to try to
come
to grips with ideas, with issues.
Listen
The
teacher should try to get the
students to speak as
much as possible. With some classes, the teacher’s role
is merely to be a critical listener. With others, he must play
a more active role in order to keep the conversation moving.
Making Corrections
However,
the teacher should always correct flagrant
violations the moment they are made.
Other Activities
1-Extemporaneous Speaking.
Before the class meets, I type individual topics on small
pieces of paper.
When the students arrive, each one
picks up a slip of paper. I give each student two minutes
to organize his thoughts and two minutes to speak.
After a student speaks, members of the class ask
him two or three questions.
2) Colored Slides.
I show colored slides of interesting places known to the
students. As
each slide is shown, the students engage
in casual conversation about the place being viewed.
3) Book Reviews.
I assign students to prepare and give in class five-minute reviews of books that interest the group.
4) Theater Party.
I sometimes plan a theater party with my class.
The movie or play may be in English (preferably)
or the native language. Afterward, perhaps over
tea or coffee, the students discuss (in English)
the play or movie they have seen.
5) Class on Tape.
Sometimes I tape a session of the conversation class.
Then I play the tape for the class at another session.
This creates great interest among the students. It also
enables me to evaluate my performance as well as
that of the students.
6) Role Playing.
The most exciting “role playing” I’ve ever had in a
conversation class
dealt with the topic of movies.
Movie Censor).
Top 5 Activities to Use in a
Conversation Class
1. Have a debate.
Conversation is about more than just talking. It’s also about making
valid points in a discussion. Teach your students how to do this with a
classroom debate. Choose an age and level appropriate topic and then
divide the class into “sides”. If you are teaching a one-on-one
conversation class, let your student choose his/her stance on the topic
and you can argue the opposing side. Give your students time to prepare
their opening arguments. After presenting and listening to the
opposition, each side must offer a rebuttal.
2. Telephone Calls
Conversations on the telephone can be more difficult than conversations
in person. On the phone, you can’t read a person’s body language or even
gather more clues from the situation. Instead, you have to rely solely
on the spoken word. Make your students practice “talking on the phone”
by putting to chairs back to back or by blindfolding two students. Teach
them the correct way to answer a phone, things to say during the
conversation, and how to end the call. You can also blindfold one
student and choose another student to start talking. The blindfolded
student should guess who the “caller” is.
3. Celebrity Interviews
Students of all ages love to “make believe”. Help your students to
expand their conversation skills through interviews. Make your students
get into pairs. One student should be the journalist and the other
should be a celebrity getting interviewed. After the initial interview
is done, let your students switch roles.
You might be able to fill the first few classes with random banter about family and the weather, but where do you go from here? To teach an effective conversation class you do actually have to do a little bit of planning.
4. Favourite Scenes
Tell your students to get into groups. Each group should choose a scene
from one of their favourite movies. Each group member should take on the
identity of one of the characters in the film. Now, the students must
reenact the scene, adlibbing the dialogues. After a practice round, the
students can perform for the class.
5. Situational Learning
Conversations happen anywhere and everywhere; your students should be
prepared to talk in a number of situations. Help your students by giving
them new experiences. Create a new environment in your classroom. For
example, turn your classroom into an airport. Assign one student to be
working at the check-in counter, one to be the immigration officer and
another student to be the traveler. Now, instruct your students to have
conversations appropriate to the situation they are in. If you are
teaching a one-on-one conversation class, you can be the ticket taker
and your student can be the traveler. Then, you can change roles. You
can create scenarios such as: “at the bank”, “at school”, “buying
groceries”, “on a date”, and many more.
These are some fun activities to do with your conversation class.
Almost all of these activities can be adjusted for either a full class
or a one-on-one session. When you are teaching a conversation class to
your language students, you simply have to remember to be engaging and
relevant. While conversation classes don’t take that much prep, it’s
still a good idea to arrive at your class with an idea or two in mind.
Have you successfully executed other activities in conversation class? If so, tell us what they were so we can try them out as well!
