Conversation classes can be tough, on one hand they can turn out to be a great deal of fun, a success, and a wonderful learning and teaching experience. After all, you don’t have to worry about loads of tedious grammar exercises or correcting endless piles of homework! However, conversation classes can also seem like an eternity of the silent treatment or completely forced, unnatural, and boring conversation. The latter scenario is most likely to happen to someone who either isn’t familiar or comfortable with the creativity level or organizational freedom of a conversation class; or simply hasn’t prepared on the right level for the class.
To be sure, a conversational class is the least demanding as far as preparations go. However, the popular misconception among new teachers, or veterans of very structured grammar based classes, is that there is absolutely no preparation needed for a conversation class. This simply isn’t true, even the most seasoned of conversational teachers need to prepare a little. With that said, it’s time to begin discussing exactly what kind of preparation is needed.
First off, try to decide what the student should learn or practice in each lesson, in short set a focus. This is usually a grammar point such as past tense, future tense, the conditional, etc…, or the introduction or practice of vocabulary. After choosing a focus you can begin deciding on what kinds of supporting activities will best provide learning and entertainment on the topic at hand. Depending on the amount of class time you have available, a great idea is to incorporate both a “talking time” and an “activity time.” In this way it is easy to acquire an adequate level of learning (a time to take in and use) the grammar/vocabulary, and ample time to apply it. The talking time is obviously a more controlled environment and thus encourages students to try out what they have learned and make the mistakes they need to in order to improve. At this time the teacher is free to make corrections both privately and as a class and this works well to smooth out any rough edges.
Following this, or intermittently throughout, is the time for activities. Any given activity should provide students with a less controlled, more past paced, and/or practical usage of the information previously learned. Students tend to really enjoy this segment, and it’s easy for the teacher to monitor progress through it. Additionally, there are a great many options available to teachers at this point, as far as activities goes. Generally, this portion of the class should be longer than the instructional section as it can and will keep the students attention longer. A teacher can also rotate through several short activities to raise attention level even higher and keep the students on edge. Below are some of the best activities I’ve gathered and either have personally used in the classroom, or have received feedback on from colleagues who have used them in the classroom. They are excellent activities that encourage speaking and a high level of practical application.
The first of these are debates. Debates are a great way to get the students generating ideas on their own and putting them into English. This is one of the hardest things for students to do, so it is excellent practice. Give the students a topic based on their English level, meaning an easier one for a lower level, a harder one for a higher. If the class is advanced, have them generate ideas alone to either support or oppose. If the class is at a lower level or has never done a debate before, you might want to get them started by generating some ideas in class supporting both points of view. Have the class help you out and then release them to work on their own. You can choose simple topics for the debate or very controversial ones, but be careful about the topic depending on where you are teaching. It is generally best to stay away from politics and religion in the classroom as some countries do not allow this sort of dialog there.
The second way to build very practical usage skills is through improvisation. The students are often used to ready made conversations that they practice in class. Everything is scripted and ready for them. However, students tend to have trouble during actual conversations. As such, this activity gives student the chance to call on their current knowledge and apply it to everyday situations. You can give each student a piece of paper with several situations (in a movie theatre, in a bank, at a party, etc…) and then have a group stand up without any practice or preparation and improvise the scene. Students are generally a bit reluctant to do this at first, but it ends up being a favorite. The skits are usually hilarious, and they give the students a lot of freedom in their practicing.
Similarly, role playing builds on the student’s ability to compose, read, and pronounce. For these the students will have scripts to read, either written by you or them. Give the students time to review their scripts, practice them, and ask questions about them. The teacher should take an active role and walk around the classroom helping students with their pronunciation, and intonation. Also make sure the students understand what any new vocabulary words mean. After a fair amount of practice and time with the teacher, the students should present their skits to the class. This is usually a very enjoyable activity, especially if the skits are humorous, and they generally are!
The fourth method, but certainly not the last you can do, is to play games. Yes, games can easily be worked into the classroom in a way that promotes learning. The key is to actually cue in on the learning part, and be sure that the students are actually practicing their English and not just using the time to mess around. It’s also a good idea to focus students and let them know what exactly they’ll be practicing through the game. There are a number of different games that can be played, and these can be found on various ESL websites. For original ideas, websites are the places to look. For something simple, yet fun, try Monoploy, Clue, or Uno. Obviously these work best for smaller more intimate groups. However, Clue can easily be adapted into a large classroom game by eliminating the board and adding a few extra cards. Then, break the students up into groups and set the scene. The groups can ask each other questions. Another version of this game can be found at About.com called “Guilty,” and I have found it works wonders in the classroom. Students practice the past tense and really get into the game.
Other ideas include guessing games where students describe words and have the class guess what the word is. For a younger audience a Musical Chairs type game works well in which you call out “every one with a …” stand up. You will take away a chair, and then the students will stand up and scramble to new chairs. The activity level in this game makes it a great way to draw students in and get them to practice their English. The person left without a chair will call out the next requirement.
There is no limit to the amount of games available to you if you use your imagination and your resources wisely. Check out DavesESLcafe.com or About.com’s ESL section. Both have a wide variety of games that can be played and usually an explanation of the focus point.
Above all, it is important to try and have fun with the classes. If you aren’t having fun, neither are your students. No one wants to teach a dull class and no one wants to be in one. So be creative and have fun with them, and you are sure to have a great time while still encouraging a great deal of learning!
