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Guidelines for a Conversation Class
- By Steve McCrea
- Published 12/3/2009
- Free Vocabulary Lessons
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Steve McCrea
I've traveled to over 45 countries and I've almost three years in other countries. What can we learn from each other?
I've developed a pronunciation system called "It Sounds Like" and I hope people will avoid using IPA (backwards C, a+e, upside-down V). Let's talk! steveEnglishTeacher@hotmail.com or write to freeEnglishLessons@gmail.com. My Orkut and Facebook accounts are both linked to FreeEnglishLessons@gmail.com.
I am a teacher at Embassy Fort Lauderdale Study Center. Visit their web site at EmbassyCES and sign up for the grammar lessons.
I have written some articles for Teacher Training -- look for them here.
SKYPE - SteveEnglishTeacher
On MSN Messenger I'm called SteveEnglishTeacher
YouTube accounts: FreeEnglishLessons and Mistermath
========================
http://www.freeenglishlessons.com/articlelive/categories/For-Teachers/Articles-to-Improve-Our-Teaching/Learn how to teach English as a Second Language
http://FreeEnglishLessons.com
Learn how to be a volunteer ambassador and promote cultural understanding
BuildingInternationalBridges.org
Learn more about Travel -- travel and unravel!
http://RoadLovers.com
Here are some videos and CDs that I have created;
Visual and Active Method of Improving Your Vocabulary (Get Ahead!)
Put Something Useful on that iPod
A Description of a Course about Conversation and Idioms
Summary
Conversation is the goal of many people. When asked, "Why do you want to study English? Why are you at this school?" many people reply, "I want to talk like a native." or "I want to use English for daily life" or "I want to travel."
Although none of these responses includes the word "conversation," we can assume that many people want to talk with local people to learn about customs, traditions and current events. What is the current problem in the city? What are the proposed solutions? How did this situation develop? These questions are the source of curiosity.
METHOD
Most people learn something that is close to their heart. If they are interested in the topic, they will put their passion and love into the work. The aim of the course is to allow you to talk about and write about things that are useful to YOU.
The teacher will not say, "Everyone write a dialog about lost luggage." It might be a top[ic of general interest, but some students might be bored with writing about travel. Instead of asking for a specific topic, the teacher asks the students to write about something they are interested in.
"Write a dialog about a problem." <-- that instruction is very general but you can spend the next 45 minutes working with a partner making a long discussion or making 5 short dialogs. The teacher will look at what you wrote and make corrections.
Many students learn after they make mistakes. The method in the classroom is to encourage students to make mistakes and to feel comfortable about speaking and writing quickly. Sometimes the mistakes are funny and there will be students who laugh. We don't want to hurt people's feelings, so remember that we are laughing at the situation, not at the person.
This is called "Swiss Cheese English and Conversation." We are looking for the holes in the vocabulary and in the cultural understanding of the US traditions. Many people in the USA believe that "time is money." We need in this class to examine how we use time in our discussions. We need to develop strategies to discover the quickest way to get a result that we want. We can use pens, paper, computers, hand gestures and other techniques to make the conversation continue quckly.
"DO YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL?" This is the idea that sometimes we sit in the classroom where we feel comfortable. Sometimes the teacher wants to change your position so that you try a new partner, a new area of the classroom, a new method. You can tell the teacher, "No, I don't want to do this." Sometimes the teacher makes a mistake and it is sometimes better for you to work longer at one exercise than to shift directions and work on three exercises during a 100-minute session.
EXERCISE: It is sometimes important for you to move around. Do not wait for the teacher to give you permission to leave the room or to get up. You can stretch, change partners, find something new to do, and you can also ask the teacher to try a new activity. The goal is to improve your conversation skills.
HABITS: Sometimes your traditions get in the way of the traditions of the USA. Some people like to sit very close to the other person when they talk. In other cultures, this is rude. We have to be sensitive to the culture of the other person. How we use time in a conversation is important, too. If you are used to talking for two minutes and then listening to another person for two minutes, then it mig
ht appear strange when people in the USA "talk over you" and finish your sentences. They are not being rude, they are using their traditions. In the class I will sometimes try to interrupt you instead of allowing you time to complete your sentences. I am showing you a typical US person who is impatient and too busy (yes, we need to slow down and enjoy life and listen more than we talk.). Many US people are thinking 80% about what they want to say and listen with only 20% of their brain. You have several techniues for getting their attention so that they give you at least 50% of their attention to your words. Ask me about these techniques.
OBJECTIONS
"All we do is talk in this class. When will we study idioms?"
Answer: we discover idioms when we make mistakes.
"Why does the teacher change the direction of the class?"
Answer: Many people learn more quickly when they are not bored. When the teacher sees bored faces, the class direction is changed. If you want to go back to the project you were working on, or if you want to continue to work (and ignore the teacher), that is okay. This class is about YOU. Bring your ideas to the classroom.
"The teacher interrupted me while I was speaking."
Answer: This course is about conversation techniques in the USA. Conversation is a product of grammar, vocabulary and culture. When there is a request for information int he USA, the result depends on people. Some people want a long explanation. Other people want to make a dialog. I am preparing you for short conversations, not a presentation of 20 minutes. If it appears rude when the teacher interrupts the student, it is not intended to be rude. The teacher needs to keep the class interesting for the group. If a student wants to practice making a presentation, then there can be time made for the presentation during the class. A presentation with photos is preferred.
"Why do we go to the Computer Room? We ar in a class adn we can study more efficiently in a room with a Smartboard."
Answer: Most conversation takes place between two or three people. Most people talk easily about a picture or a diagram becasue they can point to something and make a comment. In a recent class we learned the following phrase. "You can see in this photo some of the children who carry water. Some of these children walk three hours in one direction to collect water, so they spend six hours a day collecting water." WE discovered the phrase because someone was using a computer.
"I want to give a presentation and practice speaking."
Answer: Good! Please volunteer. Ask for five minutes to make your presentation and then other students will ask questions. It will be a group conversation.
EXERCISE
Someone once suggested that a conversation is like a machine. You need:
Oil, hammers, screwdrivers, filler and nuts and bolts. Discuss with your partner what the author might mean by these objects.
EXERCISE 2
Look for idioms on a web site (search "English idioms" or "American Engish idioms") and then try to write dialogs using these idioms. The teacher will tell you if you used the idioms in the correct situation.
Resources for a Conversation Class
http://iteslj.org/questions lists of questions in many categories
esL-Lab.com a seriesof dialogs that you can follow by reading the texts.
http://www.esljunction.com/conversation_questions/ lists of questions
IDIOMS
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/ a list of idioms
http://www.idiomconnection.com/ A list of idioms with sample sentences
AN INTERESTING ARTICLE
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tesol/15698
What can we teach in a conversation class?
Summary
Conversation is the goal of many people. When asked, "Why do you want to study English? Why are you at this school?" many people reply, "I want to talk like a native." or "I want to use English for daily life" or "I want to travel."
Although none of these responses includes the word "conversation," we can assume that many people want to talk with local people to learn about customs, traditions and current events. What is the current problem in the city? What are the proposed solutions? How did this situation develop? These questions are the source of curiosity.
METHOD
Most people learn something that is close to their heart. If they are interested in the topic, they will put their passion and love into the work. The aim of the course is to allow you to talk about and write about things that are useful to YOU.
The teacher will not say, "Everyone write a dialog about lost luggage." It might be a top[ic of general interest, but some students might be bored with writing about travel. Instead of asking for a specific topic, the teacher asks the students to write about something they are interested in.
"Write a dialog about a problem." <-- that instruction is very general but you can spend the next 45 minutes working with a partner making a long discussion or making 5 short dialogs. The teacher will look at what you wrote and make corrections.
Many students learn after they make mistakes. The method in the classroom is to encourage students to make mistakes and to feel comfortable about speaking and writing quickly. Sometimes the mistakes are funny and there will be students who laugh. We don't want to hurt people's feelings, so remember that we are laughing at the situation, not at the person.
This is called "Swiss Cheese English and Conversation." We are looking for the holes in the vocabulary and in the cultural understanding of the US traditions. Many people in the USA believe that "time is money." We need in this class to examine how we use time in our discussions. We need to develop strategies to discover the quickest way to get a result that we want. We can use pens, paper, computers, hand gestures and other techniques to make the conversation continue quckly.
"DO YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL?" This is the idea that sometimes we sit in the classroom where we feel comfortable. Sometimes the teacher wants to change your position so that you try a new partner, a new area of the classroom, a new method. You can tell the teacher, "No, I don't want to do this." Sometimes the teacher makes a mistake and it is sometimes better for you to work longer at one exercise than to shift directions and work on three exercises during a 100-minute session.
EXERCISE: It is sometimes important for you to move around. Do not wait for the teacher to give you permission to leave the room or to get up. You can stretch, change partners, find something new to do, and you can also ask the teacher to try a new activity. The goal is to improve your conversation skills.
HABITS: Sometimes your traditions get in the way of the traditions of the USA. Some people like to sit very close to the other person when they talk. In other cultures, this is rude. We have to be sensitive to the culture of the other person. How we use time in a conversation is important, too. If you are used to talking for two minutes and then listening to another person for two minutes, then it mig
OBJECTIONS
"All we do is talk in this class. When will we study idioms?"
Answer: we discover idioms when we make mistakes.
"Why does the teacher change the direction of the class?"
Answer: Many people learn more quickly when they are not bored. When the teacher sees bored faces, the class direction is changed. If you want to go back to the project you were working on, or if you want to continue to work (and ignore the teacher), that is okay. This class is about YOU. Bring your ideas to the classroom.
"The teacher interrupted me while I was speaking."
Answer: This course is about conversation techniques in the USA. Conversation is a product of grammar, vocabulary and culture. When there is a request for information int he USA, the result depends on people. Some people want a long explanation. Other people want to make a dialog. I am preparing you for short conversations, not a presentation of 20 minutes. If it appears rude when the teacher interrupts the student, it is not intended to be rude. The teacher needs to keep the class interesting for the group. If a student wants to practice making a presentation, then there can be time made for the presentation during the class. A presentation with photos is preferred.
"Why do we go to the Computer Room? We ar in a class adn we can study more efficiently in a room with a Smartboard."
Answer: Most conversation takes place between two or three people. Most people talk easily about a picture or a diagram becasue they can point to something and make a comment. In a recent class we learned the following phrase. "You can see in this photo some of the children who carry water. Some of these children walk three hours in one direction to collect water, so they spend six hours a day collecting water." WE discovered the phrase because someone was using a computer.
"I want to give a presentation and practice speaking."
Answer: Good! Please volunteer. Ask for five minutes to make your presentation and then other students will ask questions. It will be a group conversation.
EXERCISE
Someone once suggested that a conversation is like a machine. You need:
Oil, hammers, screwdrivers, filler and nuts and bolts. Discuss with your partner what the author might mean by these objects.
EXERCISE 2
Look for idioms on a web site (search "English idioms" or "American Engish idioms") and then try to write dialogs using these idioms. The teacher will tell you if you used the idioms in the correct situation.
Resources for a Conversation Class
http://iteslj.org/questions lists of questions in many categories
esL-Lab.com a seriesof dialogs that you can follow by reading the texts.
http://www.esljunction.com/conversation_questions/ lists of questions
IDIOMS
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/ a list of idioms
http://www.idiomconnection.com/ A list of idioms with sample sentences
AN INTERESTING ARTICLE
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/tesol/15698
What can we teach in a conversation class?