Job Discussion Forums

[samet]

Hi there

I regularly check this forum, although Im still here in Japan. For those of you interested in an easy way to conduct a conversation class here's what I do:

1. students discuss what they have done in the past week. (ok, they need to prep)
2. they recount this in class.
3. I have a whiteboard that I use to write down/hightlight ungrammatical phrases etc. (depending on the student/class I may/may not interrupt the discourse at the (ungrammatical) point. Otherwise I wait until the end.
4. students write/ copy this point into their notebooks. (yes, assume they need to bring a book)
5. I explain how we might better say things in colloquial English, sometimes students resort to curcumlocution or word coinage to get their point across, but, having successfully managed to do this (I teach these skills as well as specifying and expanding early in the course).
6. After student utterance I then explain how to say it in more 'accurate' or 'accessable' English.
7. students ask one another questions about "their week" and when we get stuck I will ask questions. Generally we build up to this and it works well
8. Students can tape the lessson and listen to this later.

Note:
Works better with intermediate-advanced classes
Cuts teacher prep to absolute minimum
Student-centred - I am constantly amazed at the stuff they divulge

FINALLY
I know this may not be perfect for everyone. If it works for you great. If you dont think it would then PLEASE dont tell me how pedagogically unsound it is. It has worked successfully for a number of my small private conversation classes and I thought it may help others.

I dont know how you say "good luck" in Turkish but here in Japan we say "gambate".