Conversation Lesson

Directing conversation practice is probably the most demanding of all language teaching activities. It is also one of the most rewarding.

Students cannot be expected to leap suddenly to original and creative communication. The teacher has to lead them step by step, gradually reducing controls over what they say and how they say.

Although the subject and form of the student's narrative are rather narrow, the teacher can, within the limits, come up with a wide range of possible statements that express actual (real-life) situations. The teacher's evaluation of the situation will increase the students' self-confidence and encourage them to solve the problems of their own.

The student would like to express himself in English but is afraid to deviate from the safety of the sentences he has practised and the words he memorized. In this case the teacher has to prod him gently and help the student by pointing out that with the words and structures the student already knows. This will enable the student to seek other ways of putting the words and phrases together to express his thought. Using inferences will lead the student to a build-up of novel speech situations.

When the teacher helps the student work out the meaning of a word or structure, he encourages him to guess meaning through the process of deduction - a vital survival skill in English conversation in and beyond the classroom doors.

Questions and answers, as we have seen, are major elements in natural conversation, the backbone of directed conversation sessions. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to vary and enliven the question-and-answer format.

Many EFL/ESL textbooks leave the impression that "long" answers are used frequently in English, since students are often encouraged to give long answers for drill purposes. However, English speakers, like speakers of all other languages, have a natural tendency to use short answers.

When someone asks a question, the interlocutor often replies with more than one statement, for example:

-What did you do yesterday?

-I went on a picnic with some friends. We drove to a place thirty miles south of here. I hadn't been there before, and I was surprised to see so many pine and fir-trees.

Since there is much of a common occurrence in normal conversation, we should give all the students practice in responding to questions in this manner.

As for the kinds of question-answer sequences, they may be divided into four major types:

1) question - single statement answer;

2) question - multiple statement answer;

3) question deduced from answer;

4) multiple questions drawn from a single statement.

When someone asks a question, he often receives just a single statement in reply. Very often this statement results in unprofitable "yes" or "no" answers. The teacher should encourage his pupils to proceed from short answers to longer ones that give some indication of natural conversational English.

The multiple statement reply is a favourite technique used by many teachers. The teacher specifies exactly how many statements he wants as a response to a question. The student may answer the question with one statement, add two more that are factual and related to the first one.

A useful variation is to give students a factual reply and have them deduce the question or questions that would have produced such a reply.

As was mentioned elsewhere, EFL/ESL students spend more of their time answering questions than asking them. This is why such techniques as deducing questions from answers or working with multiple questions from a single statement are recommended in guided conversation practice. These exercises correct the imbalance in students' syntactic repertoire and promote facility in question formation - a much needed skill in all conversation [85, p. 27].

Another major ingredient in all conversation is comments. We continually make comments when we converse - either in the form of simple remarks (It looks like it's going to rain) or in the form of rejoinders (You're right). But although comments are such an important part of conversation, one rarely sees special techniques used to help students develop facility in commenting in English, with the result that a statement intended to encourage conversation is often followed by a distressing silence.

Rejoinders are sprinkled throughout conversation. They are conversational, generally brief, sentences that express interest, surprise, disagreement, enthusiasm, sympathy, or simply reassurance that the speaker is being listened to. Since each language has established its own standardized rejoinder formulae, it is essential that students learning English resist the temptation to translate their native language rejoinders into English. The teacher should encourage students to use rejoinders in dialogue to keep the conversation going and to demonstrate attentiveness and interest in what is being said.

Dialogues

A short conversation between two people presented as a language model - the dialogue - often receives top billing in the manipulative phase of language learning. As a result, students spend much time repeating dialogues for pronunciation and memorization practice, or for grammar drills on selected lines. But when we come to the dialogue in the communicative phase of language teaching, its glamour seems to vanish.

When students are ready to use language more creatively dialogues could be turned into stepping stones to free communication. The following procedures can help students develop fluency in English:

1. Alter the dialogue to make it conform to the reality surrounding you and your friends by introducing variations on specific dialogue lines consistent with reality because "reality exercises" while still manipulative to a great extent, are a good start toward free expression.

2. Write the dialogue on the blackboard and have your students suggest one more exchange that would be a logical addition to the conversation.

3. Have your students paraphrase the lines of the dialogue.

4. Once your students have become adept at paraphrasing, you can call on two of them to stand up and extemporize a paraphrase of the dialogue, such as looking at a watch, raising the eye-brows, and so forth (cf. Total Physical Response techniques). In this way, the student's paraphrase of the dialogue becomes a real conversation.

5. For an even closer approximation to free expression, you can simply outline a situation similar to the one in the dialogue and have two students perform the conversation completely on their own. This kind of exercise is most challenging and therefore is a good test of your students' competence.

6. Give your students a chance to compose their own dialogues as a group project by having pairs of students act out their type of dialogue format.

Occasionally, students may want to stage a "show" for friends and family based on the dialogues. This is a good project for a conversation group and can be done at all proficiency levels. At more advanced levels, the students can design their own dialogue themes and rehearse conversations extemporizing each time. The teacher, of course, corrects any errors in language usage so that when the students actually perform for an audience, they will make a minimum of mistakes.

It should be noticed that if students are to master oral skills in a foreign language thoroughly, they must be provided with regular opportunities of using their skill in situations which are stimulating and as realistic as possible (real-life situations).

The conversational lesson might be said to have three goals:

1. The first and most obvious one is to introduce and practise elements of spoken language. This not only includes the skill of expressing oneself orally, but many other aspects. The lesson should aim at improving comprehension of speech; if possible everyday conversational formulas and more specialized uses (such as medicine, business, technology, etc.). The conversation lesson should also provide the opportunity for learners to use their vocabulary actively, in realistic contexts. Not only familiar words can be used, but also new vocabulary can be practised immediately. Idiomatic language is easily and naturally introduced in the lesson and students can be encouraged to use it and to learn to recognize differences between written and spoken language.

2. The second goal is closely related to the first one, and is to bring passive knowledge of the language into active use, and to develop this in new situations. It is common experience that students gain good marks in paper-and-pencil tests but have difficulty in expressing themselves, particularly orally. The conversation lesson gives them an opportunity to develop active oral skills. These may include such aspects of conversational language as "strategies" (formulas of agreeing/disagreeing, butting in, being rude and so on), "gambits" What a nice day, isn’t it? Dreadful weather, don’t you think? Excuse me, is anybody sitting here? Excuse me, have you got a light by any chance? (what's your opinion....? I see your point, but...), etc. [19, p. 125].

3. The third goal is to create a situation in which the two other goals may be realized. The situation should be as realistic as possible, but it will be unavoidably unrealistic to some extent, because in most teaching situations learners share a common mother tongue. Language structures and communicative functions are not bound to specific situations: once they have been mastered, they can be used creatively within the framework of a given socio-cultural context .

Observation Games

1. Point-and-Say

This is the simplest of the observation games. Simply divide the group into two teams, and touch or hold up an object the name of which has been taught. Members of each team take their turn in naming the object by pointing and saying: "That's a (an) ..." If someone should fail to name the object correctly, his opposite number on the other team can make a point by naming the object.

2. Kim's Game

This is probably the best-known type of observation game. Take half a dozen or more objects the names of which have been taught. Place them on the table, or on the floor, and cover them with a cloth. Remove the cloth for about half a minute and let both teams have a look at the objects. Members of each team alternately take their turn in naming an object. If possible, make them do so within a sentence pattern that has already been taught. Each object may be named only once. As the group becomes used to the game, increase the number of objects and reduce the time exposure. At the intermediate level, require more details about the object named. At this level, for example, it will not be sufficient to identify the object as "a pen", but as "a red ball-pen". A point is given for each true statement.

3. Getting your own back

From each member of the group collect one or more of his personal belongings - pens, pencils, books, watches, etc. Put them in a heap on the table or on the floor. Each member of the group tries to get back his possessions by the use of some appropriate formula. Unless what he says is correct in every respect, he does not get back his belongings. The formula used in identifying possessions will depend on the language level reached. At the very beginning level it will be possible to take an object from the collection, say, a watch, hold it up and ask the owner to identify it by pointing to it and saying: “That’s my watch." Do not give it back to the owner until you get the right answer, and do no let him go until the learner says "Thank you".

After the interrogative "whose" has been mastered, let each member of the group take his turn in going up to the collection of belongings, selecting one of the objects, a watch, for example, showing it to the group and saying: "Whose watch is this?" the owner points and replies: "That's my watch".

After the inverted (yes-or-no) question form has been taught, the questioner may be required to guess the name of the owner, with the formula: "Martin, is this your watch?"

4. The Here-and-There Game

(This is really a variation of the above game).

5. Charades

A charade is an episode in the game in which a word is guessed by the onlookers after the word itself, and each syllable of it in turn, have been suggested by acting a little play.

Among the observation games which can be played at a more advanced level are those of the charade type. This type consists in letting the group observe the miming of an action while trying to guess which action is being mimed. For example, one team may decide - secretly of course - that one of its members should mime a person getting dressed in an upper berth. While going through the motions, each member of his team takes his turn in asking a member of the opposite team ("What is he doing?"). The opposing team must reply with complete and correct sentences. Make sure the actions chosen for miming can be described in words the group knows. The more sophisticated, multiple types of charade are generally too difficult for the average language learner, since they often suppose an extensive vocabulary.

Guessing Games

1. What's In It?

One team is given a bag and the other a box. At the disposal of both teams is a locker full of objects the names of which are known to the group. Each team takes it turn in coming to the locker and selecting an object without showing it to the opposing team, which is then called on to guess what it is. Both teams face each other, and each member of the questioning team (A) takes his turn in asking questions of his opposite number of the guessing team (B).

A1: What's in the box?

B1: A ball?

A1: No. (He passes the box with the ball in it to A2)

A2: What's in the box? etc.

Each team keeps the objects which it succeeds in guessing or which the other team fails to guess. The team with the most objects wins the game.

As new question and answer forms are taught they can be included in the pattern of the game. For example, after the inversion forms have been taught, you can have a pattern that goes something like this:

A1: What's in the box?

B1: Is it a button?

A1: No, it isn't.

And later

A1: What's in the bag?

B1: Is it a part of something.?

A1: Yes, it is.

B1: Is it red?

A1: No, it isn't. (passes bag to A2)

A2: What's in the bag? etc.

In this way, the learners go gradually from habits of uttering colloquial sentences to habits of exchanging dialogue.

Guessing games need not be limited to object questions. They

can be used with nearly any question form with which the group is familiar.

2. Where Is It?

In this game one team hides an object somewhere in the room and the other team tries to guess where it is.

A1: Where's the key?

B1: It's in your pocket. (or Is it in your pocket?)

A1: No. (or No, it isn't)

A2: Where's the key? etc.

If the guessing team is blindfolded or is facing the wall, a greater range of positions is possible - on the table, under the desk, etc. When the game becomes too easy, more precise information might be required.

3. Where Was I?

The guessing team is asked where each of the members of the opposing team was at a certain time.

A: Where was I yesterday at noon?

B: Were you at the post office?

A: No, I wasn't.

C: Were you at the cinema? etc.

4. Who Has It?

Arrange for the questioning team to give some small object to one of its members without the guessing team seeing it. Then each member of the guessing team takes his turn in guessing who has the object.

A1: Who has the button?

B1: Tom has it. (or Has Tom got it?)

A1: No. (or No, he hasn't)

A2: Who has the button?

B2: You have it. (or Have you got it?)

A2: Yes. (or Yes, I have) etc.

5. Who Did It?

Actions can also be elaborated into a guessing game. A member of the questioning team performs some action without the guessing team seeing him. The guessing team must find out who did the action and what kind of action it was.

A1: Who took the picture off the wall?

B1: Did Tom did it?

Team A: No, he didn't. etc.

6. What's my line?

This is the well-known television game in which one team tries to guess someone's trade or profession by a series of questions that narrow down the possibilities. In school, learners may assume fictitious trades and professions for the purpose of the game.

7. Twenty Questions

The game can be played in a number of ways. For example, one person is asked to write the name of a familiar object on a bit of paper, which is then placed face down on the table. The others take turns in asking questions on the object or in guessing what it is. A maximum of twenty questions is allowed; all of them must be fixed questions of the yes-or-no-type. The one who guesses right may pick the new word and answer the questions on it.

This game can also be played as a team game, with one team picking the word and the other team asking the questions. One team writes a word on a card; the other team must find the word in no more than twenty questions.

8. Riddles

Give a few facts about an object and see whether the group can guess what it is. For example: "It has hands but no feet. It has a face, but no head." If the group are unable to guess what it is, add more facts. "I have one in my pocket. It has numbers on it." Encourage learners to bring their own riddles.

Used as a group guessing game, it can be played by two teams. Team A picks a word and team B tries to guess what it is from the sequence developed by team A. For example:

A1: I have one in my pocket.

B1: Is it a key?

A1: No, it isn't.

A2: I got mine on my birthday.

B2: Is it a watch? etc.

9. Let's Tell a Story

This is an attempt at communal composition. Give the first sentence yourself, and let each person take his turn in adding a new one. For example:

Teacher: One day a small boy was going from his house to the school when

A: He saw a large dog.

B: The dog went after him. etc.

One of the learners, acting as secretary, makes notes of what is said and when the last sentence has been added reads the entire story to the class.

10. Name the Picture

Divide the group into two teams, hold up a picture and let each team take turns (alternate) in describing it. Anyone who fails to name what is in the picture loses a point, provided his opposite number in the opposing team succeeds in naming it.

11. What's in the Picture

Take a picture which the group has not yet seen, expose it to view for a minute or less; then place the picture face down and ask the group to say what they observed in the picture.

As a team game, let each team alternate in adding new items. Make sure full sentences are used.

12. Question-and-Answer Game

Use pictures of the conversational wall-picture type. Place the picture in such a way that the group can see the detail. Use names of items in the picture as call-words. When you call out one of these names it is the signal for a member of the questioning team to ask his opposite number a question on it. For example:

Teacher: Train.

A1: Where is the train?

B1: It's on the bridge.

Maps can also be used for this sort of game. For example, in response to your call-words, one team can be required to ask their way to a certain point on the map, and a member of the opposing group must tell them how to get there.

13. The Information Desk

Collect all sorts of timetables, programs, posters, printed invitations, letters, notices, and lists of rules and regulations. Post up some of them on the blackboard or on the wall, and put the rest of the material on the table next to it. It is a good idea to begin by posting each document separately, questioning the class on it in order to practise the whole variety of questions possible; then ask the class to question you on it. If you have a map on your information desk, learners can also ask directions about it. For example:

Where is the school, post-office, bank,... etc.

Envelopes from old letters can be distributed to the class and the learners can ask one another various questions, such as: "Where is the letter from?" "Who is it for?" "What's the address?" "Who sent the letter?" "When did it get here?", and so on.

Thus, speaking a foreign language is a habitual activity. The student moves from operations that require no choice at all to those that require a modest amount of choice, and only later arrives at the stage when he can freely express himself.

During the early stages of conversation practice, the teacher is bound to maintain a fairly controlled situation in which the pupils interact within the constraints imposed by their limited knowledge of the language. During later stages the constraints are gradually removed until they are eliminated altogether, and the student enters the realm of real communication.

Communicative competence entails not solely grammatical and lexical accuracy, bur also a knowledge of socio-cultural rules or appropriateness, discourse norms, and strategies ensuring that the communication is understood at least by majority of learners.