The purpose of the article is to determine the role of critical thinking and unconscious competence in the implementation of effective communication during group discussions, debates and dialogues. The necessary conditions for creating an effective educational environment conducive to the development of students' conversational skills are…

Interesting dialogs which involve the student emotionally are advocated as a means of introducing new structures and idioms to the language student. (FWB)

Presents a language teaching method designed to increase communicative competence through an application of speech act theory and the use of dialogs and the source language. (AM)

Turn-taking in language classroom discourse is analyzed in order to discover patterns of instructional teacher-pupil exchange. It is concluded that traditional modes of second language instruction (especially in English as a second language) tend to stifle student initiative. Since students rarely have the opportunity to open an exchange, it is…

Describes a one-semester conversational course taught at Harvard University designed to teach basic oral communication skills in French with the main emphasis on teaching students to pause while speaking. (AM)

Second language learning in small groups with creative student-centered activities is discussed. A rationale for teaching for communication is offered, along with classroom management procedures that encourage communication in the target language and some communication activities that have been successfully implemented in the classroom. Three…