Job Discussion Forums

[Alex42]

I�ve got a few conversation classes in Argentina and I was wondering if anyone has any favourite topics guaranteed to keep people talking for 2 hours!

My groups tend to be of 3-5 people in their 20s, with intermediate English skills.

Cultural differences are always good to talk about, and so are relationship issues. Next week I�m going to do a class on moral dilemmas, but after that I�m not sure...

Any ideas appreciated:-)

Cheers,

Alex

[Justin Trullinger]

How good is your library? If you've got it, check out "civic morality" in "Business Opotunities!" Headway Resource and Business Resource packs are pretty good, too.
Also, try to get hold of a game called "Scruples." Filled with moral dilemas! www.Onestopenglish.com, www.insideout.org, and the macmillan english dictionary site (google it, I don't remember the address) are all filled with fun stuff.
Also, keep at any newspapers you can find in English- if they can read it, you can make a class of it. Or tape BBC world radio. Or CNN.

good luck,
Justin

[lozwich]

As well as Scruples, there's a book called 'The Book of Questions' and it has lots of scenario based 'what would you do?' type questions.

[sprightly]

a good friend of mine was in a french class in montreal, which included canadian anglophones and immigrants from all over the world. for reasons unknown to sane people, his teacher decided that good topics of conversation would include abortion, euthanasia, homosexual marriage, and feminism.
oh, and she would give her (very strong) opinion. because that's a sure-fire way to encourage people to talk with confidence; let them know what their assessor wants to hear.

if you haven't already, doing a websearch for intercultural/cross cultural differences, hofstede's cultural dimensions, trompenaar... erm. dang. we talked about these people alst week, and already i forget. (reviewing your post, i assume you have. oops. ok--for someone else then.)

anyhoo, they talk about different cultures and the way they approach time, authority, family, work, money, privacy, etc. it might be interesting to read (if you haven't) some descriptions of how different cultures supposedly react, and then after talking about a 'moral dilemna' together, ask your students if they agree with the ranking given by the researchers.

aren't free-talking classes great? but i have no idea how to get ONE topic to go 2 hours. i might try to put in a couple vocabulary games in there, or watch a bit of an english tv show if i could get ahold of one.

[matttheboy]

"Taboos and Issues' is a great book, don't know who published it as i appear to have accidently forgotten to photocopy that page of the book. Got it here in buenos aires if you want to rent it...!

[Starglass1]

The Oscar's are coming up. Most people love movies. You can milk that for two hours easily.

-Generate vocabulary (director, cinematography, set, makeup, etc.)
-Talk about favourite genres
-What makes a good film
-What factors influence them in choosing a film to see
-First films students remember seeing when they were children
-Favourite actors & films. Why?
-If films are important to society. Why?
-What about award shows?
-Have students adlib and act out some famous scenes.
-Who they think will win Oscars/ Ask if they've seen any of the films and talk about them if they have
-Worst films
-Books to films/ Better or worse? Elicit examples
-Favourite film soundtracks and songs
-Film rating systems. (Violence, language, and sex). What are their thoughts?
-Ask them about Madonna's adaptation of Evita. That's sure to get them talking!

Download and print some famous stills from films (Google-images) to start students talking about the films and what's happening in the scenes.

[moonraven]

Tell us about your first kiss....

[sigmoid]

Most people like to talk about themselves -

work
family
favorite books, food, films, music, sports, hobbies, clothes, beer, etc.
travel - places you've been, places you want to visit
future plans
childhood memories
the weekend
pet peeves

[some waygug-in]

One that worked well for me recently was,

"tell us about the best birthday party you ever had."

I tend not to say things like - works with any group or never fails.

Each group is different, as is each cultural setting. What may work well for one class or group may or may not work with another.
It's up to you to get to know your students and to try and find things that they are interested in talking about.


Current events as they relate to the students' home country seem to be a good one, but that also depends on the level of the class, age, etc.

[Starglass1]

First Kiss? That�s too good to pass up on.

I remember I had a bad case of razor burn the next day. Yes my skin was soft as a peach in those days� When I arrived at work, my weekend job, one of my co-workers asked what had happened to my face. I replied that I had fallen off of my skateboard and skinned my chin on the pavement. She replied that it looked like what happened to her after kissing her boyfriend�.

Thanks for the memory and idea MoonRaven! I�ll have my students share theirs in my next conversation class. Perhaps, I�ll also ask them about their most recent one too!

[moonraven]

Following up on the first kiss caper--they can talk about whatever happened to the person...and can write a short letter to the person about the importance of that moment....

[Spinoza]

[dyak]

[moonraven]

First of all, I teach in Mexico--where folks of all ages are very interested in kisses. In cultures that aren't, or with stuffy repressed teachers, I reckon it wouldn't work. I am interested in what works for the students whom I teach--in the culture where I have been living and working for more than 12 years.

Because the surprise value of the question is part of what gets folks going, I do not present vocabulary ahead of time. Once they get into the activity, a number of questions about how one says this or that do come up, and usually a fair amount of vocabulary ends up on the board

[Starglass1]

I like the �first kiss� idea and think it�s very appropriate for my advanced class of southern, middle-aged Italians. I'll give it a try on Friday and let you know how it goes.

This thread is useful for many and the ideas given don�t have to be �one size fits all�. They can also be a �springboard� for other lessons. I take it for granted that the teachers reading these posts have enough sense to decide what�s appropriate for their students; no need to cater to the lowest common denominator.

It�s a great starter for a class on relationships. I for one have found that when people feel passionate about something, they certainly start talking. I�m sure there will be a lot of laughs, interruptions and questions. After several months of classes I also don�t consider my group to be total strangers. We enjoy our time together. Life revolves around relationships and Italians love to talk about them.

Best relationship. /Why?
Worst relationship. /Why?
Monogamy. Fact or Fiction?
Living together before Marriage. Yes/No?
Arranged Marriages. Pros/Cons
Soul mates. Fact or Fiction?
Best way to get over a break up.
What the important factors for a relationship to work are.
Why divorce is increasing.
Mother-in-laws!
Throw in 3rd conditional,'If you hadn't married your spouse...'
Best age to marry. Why?
How to meet people in 2005.
Famous couples and the pressures they face
Charles and Camilla to wind it up��



Two hours easily!