Conversation classes are usually those compound of advanced students who are keen to speak as much English as they can. So the question is: how can I prevent the class from fading away?
Here are some aspects of a conversation class to keep in mind:
FIRST, reduce your TTT. I know sometimes it seems really hard not to talk, as a teacher you want to expose your students to as much English as possible, but remember this is their class and they should be the ones in the spotlight, so don't steal their thunder and simply let them talk. However, you have an important role in a conversation class, you should act as a mediator. You should be the one to ask questions and prevent the conversation from dying.
SECOND, what is the structure of a conversation? To answer this question you have to ask yourself: How does a conversation kick off? People tend to respond: With a hello. Yes, that's right, and what's the following line? HOW ARE YOU? Exactly! Therefore, for conversations to work people must ask questions and answer to questions. Having that in mind let's think of a conversation.
A_What's your favorite movie?
B_Harry Potter. I simply love this movie.
A_I don't like it that much. I think it's a movie for teenagers. I like Lord of the Rings though.
B_These are both fantasy films, but one is British and the other is American. Which country do you believe produce better fantasy films?
On the example above we have two people talking about movies. Person A makes a question, then person B answers the question. Person A asserts an opinion and next person B makes another question. This is basically how a conversation works. People asking questions, answering questions and giving opinions. But how can I know what questions to ask?
THIRD, in English, it's rather simple to figure out what questions to make. You should keep in mind something we learned on our first semester studying English, the WH questions. What are they, let's remember? What, Where, When, Who, Which, Why and How. With these words in mind, you will be able to keep a conversation always moving forward. Do this exercise, think about a situation where two people start talking. Pretend they are talking about politics. What are some questions they can make? Who did you vote for on the last elections? Why did you vote for him/her? What has he/she done for the country? What were his most important pledges? And so on... Think about situations yourself and come up with as many WH questions as possible. You'll be surprised at how long a conversation can get with the right questions.
FOURTH, what are some activities I perform in order to make the class more dynamic and enjoyable? There are some activities you can carry out to cheer up your conversation class. One I really like to do is a debate. Divide the class into two groups. One group is for a specific matter and the other is against. Before deciding on the theme of the class and consequently of the debate it's important to know your students well. If there is a student who is very religious it wouldn't be a good idea to have a debate on religion. The same thing for politics.
Another activity that works really fine in a conversation class is role-playing. Make your students pretend they are in a certain situation where they need to communicate with people around them. Students get excited when they realize the situation might actually happen in real life. So make it real and substantial. Don't be afraid of being a little demanding. Students appreciate a teacher who knows what they're doing.
FINALLY, the setting is also a very important feature of a successful conversation class. Have you ever watched the sitcom FRIENDS? If so do you remember the long conversation they had when they were either in Monica's apartment or at Central Perk Café? Do whatever is possible to make your environment feel cozy and homelike just like in FRIENDS. Make your students feel comfortable as if they were in their own houses. Make it an environment where they are free to talk about whatever they like (except for hate speech) and where it is okay to make mistakes.
And of course, enjoy yourself while chatting with your students. Conversation classes are awesome for both teachers who like to mediate and for students who like to express themselves.
KEEN - eager
FADE AWAY - slowly disappear or lose importance
IN THE SPOTLIGHT - receiving a lot of public attention
STEAL SB'S THUNDER - steal other person's credit for something
MEDIATOR - a person who tries to help two or more people find an agreement
STRUCTURE - the way in which the parts of a system or object are arranged or organized
KICK OFF - start, begin
TEND - to be likely to behave in a certain way
RATHER - quite
FIGURE OUT - to understand or solve something
PLEDGE - a political promise
ROLE-PLAY - pretending to be someone else
SUBSTANTIAL - large in size, value, or importance
FEATURE - characteristic
SITCOM - situation comedy
COZY - comfortable and pleasant
Here are some aspects of a conversation class to keep in mind:
FIRST, reduce your TTT. I know sometimes it seems really hard not to talk, as a teacher you want to expose your students to as much English as possible, but remember this is their class and they should be the ones in the spotlight, so don't steal their thunder and simply let them talk. However, you have an important role in a conversation class, you should act as a mediator. You should be the one to ask questions and prevent the conversation from dying.
SECOND, what is the structure of a conversation? To answer this question you have to ask yourself: How does a conversation kick off? People tend to respond: With a hello. Yes, that's right, and what's the following line? HOW ARE YOU? Exactly! Therefore, for conversations to work people must ask questions and answer to questions. Having that in mind let's think of a conversation.
A_What's your favorite movie?
B_Harry Potter. I simply love this movie.
A_I don't like it that much. I think it's a movie for teenagers. I like Lord of the Rings though.
B_These are both fantasy films, but one is British and the other is American. Which country do you believe produce better fantasy films?
On the example above we have two people talking about movies. Person A makes a question, then person B answers the question. Person A asserts an opinion and next person B makes another question. This is basically how a conversation works. People asking questions, answering questions and giving opinions. But how can I know what questions to ask?
THIRD, in English, it's rather simple to figure out what questions to make. You should keep in mind something we learned on our first semester studying English, the WH questions. What are they, let's remember? What, Where, When, Who, Which, Why and How. With these words in mind, you will be able to keep a conversation always moving forward. Do this exercise, think about a situation where two people start talking. Pretend they are talking about politics. What are some questions they can make? Who did you vote for on the last elections? Why did you vote for him/her? What has he/she done for the country? What were his most important pledges? And so on... Think about situations yourself and come up with as many WH questions as possible. You'll be surprised at how long a conversation can get with the right questions.
FOURTH, what are some activities I perform in order to make the class more dynamic and enjoyable? There are some activities you can carry out to cheer up your conversation class. One I really like to do is a debate. Divide the class into two groups. One group is for a specific matter and the other is against. Before deciding on the theme of the class and consequently of the debate it's important to know your students well. If there is a student who is very religious it wouldn't be a good idea to have a debate on religion. The same thing for politics.
Another activity that works really fine in a conversation class is role-playing. Make your students pretend they are in a certain situation where they need to communicate with people around them. Students get excited when they realize the situation might actually happen in real life. So make it real and substantial. Don't be afraid of being a little demanding. Students appreciate a teacher who knows what they're doing.
FINALLY, the setting is also a very important feature of a successful conversation class. Have you ever watched the sitcom FRIENDS? If so do you remember the long conversation they had when they were either in Monica's apartment or at Central Perk Café? Do whatever is possible to make your environment feel cozy and homelike just like in FRIENDS. Make your students feel comfortable as if they were in their own houses. Make it an environment where they are free to talk about whatever they like (except for hate speech) and where it is okay to make mistakes.
And of course, enjoy yourself while chatting with your students. Conversation classes are awesome for both teachers who like to mediate and for students who like to express themselves.
KEEN - eager
FADE AWAY - slowly disappear or lose importance
IN THE SPOTLIGHT - receiving a lot of public attention
STEAL SB'S THUNDER - steal other person's credit for something
MEDIATOR - a person who tries to help two or more people find an agreement
STRUCTURE - the way in which the parts of a system or object are arranged or organized
KICK OFF - start, begin
TEND - to be likely to behave in a certain way
RATHER - quite
FIGURE OUT - to understand or solve something
PLEDGE - a political promise
ROLE-PLAY - pretending to be someone else
SUBSTANTIAL - large in size, value, or importance
FEATURE - characteristic
SITCOM - situation comedy
COZY - comfortable and pleasant
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