Describes a "preliminary" course for English as a foreign language in Grades 5-6, including games and situational conversations. An outline is given, ordered on the basis of increasing difficulty. Hints are given for extending the repertoire of games. Finally, the value of written texts is discussed. (IFA/WGA)

The degree of teacher control in a language conversation class will determine the success of the class. Beginning language classes seem to require a great deal of control; advanced conversation groups achieve more if sessions are student-run. Intermediate classes require control inversely proportionate to their skills. (CHK)

This article discusses the content of a conversation course designed for adult students of English as a Second Language at an advanced level in which the emplasis is on pronunciation and fluency. Correct stress and intonation must be taught as well as new vocabulary and idioms. (CFM)

Conversation is not easy to teach because of the absence of natural stimuli. Role-playing is seen as the best way to practice natural and interesting conversation. (IFS/WGA)

Three examples of conversation and composition courses that work well because of a large amount of preparation and coordination are outlined in this article. Courses in German, French, and Spanish are included that are concrete examples. (JL)

Topics for conversation courses include conversational rules and structure, conversational strategies, functions and meaning in conversation, and social and cultural contexts. The direct teaching of conversational skills involves adding specific language input, increasing the role of consciousness raising, and sequencing communicative tasks…

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (New York) has developed a course for students with at least semi-intelligible speech, to improve their effectiveness when conversing in English with non-signing hearing partners. Lectures, discussions, and activities foster self-awareness, pragmatic facility, and communicative competency. Student…

Reasons for Indonesian students' reluctance to practice English are discussed, including absence of classroom follow-up activities. Some teaching/learning principles are noted, followed by some conversation teaching techniques (e.g., using humor, rhymes/songs, and interviews). (Contains 10 references.) (LB)

Discusses a survey unit that has been very successful with conversation classes of low-intermediate university English-as-a-foreign-language students. It can easily be adapted for students of various ages and proficiency levels by varying the types of questions as well as class sizes and by changing the number of questions. (Author/VWL)

This handbook, developed in connection with a California State University Project, provides 30 communication activities for the Japanese classroom to assist teachers of Japanese in implementing communication-based instruction. It is designed so that teachers can easily identify and use an activity that corresponds to the language area currently…

The dilemma for instructors of advanced second language conversation courses is how to create a situation in which learners feel confident and at ease but, at the same time, feel engaged and challenged. syllabus can be designed to accommodate learner needs and preferences by allowing students to generate their own overall course goals and…

The procedures outlined in this paper have been used in English as a second language (ESL) conversation classes at the University of Guam. The technique is based on the training-group model used in sensitivity training and the "buzz group" technique taught in communications courses. The procedure is found useful because it provides an economic use…

Adult basic education and English as a second language teachers, as well as volunteer tutors, can help new refugees acquire functional English through the use of a survival kit. The Literacy Volunteers of America's guide to teaching conversational English recommends these items for a survival kit: a written copy of student's name, address, and…

This collection of resource sheets is intended for use by teachers and tutors who work with adult beginning readers and persons learning conversational English; more specifically, it is for use with learners at the beginning levels of the sequential reading series Read On! II, consisting of six textbooks, six workbooks, and an instructor's guide.…

A program was developed at the University of Pittsburgh to improve the English language proficiency of foreign teaching assistants (TA's) in order to alleviate communication problems between them and the undergraduates in their classes. Three aspects of the program are described: (1) interdepartmental procedures, (2) testing procedures, and (3)…