The conversation class occupies a unique place in the process of learning English as a second or foreign language. From the author's own experience in conducting special conversation classes with Persian-speaking adults, he has drawn up a number of simple but important guidelines, some of which he hopes may provide helpful suggestions for the…

This article describes a game used for teaching discussion skills to English as a Second Language (ESL) students. It was originally designed for students wanting to prepare for graduate study at U.S. universities has been since used for other ESL students wanting to improve conversation skills. The game focuses on common phrases helpful for…

Foreign language (FL) teachers and students may have very similar or disparate notions of effective teaching, and the intersection of the two sets of beliefs has ramifications for language learning and the effectiveness of instruction. Horwitz (1990), Kern (1995), and Schulz (1996) have argued that mismatches between FL students' and teachers'…

The guide to Hebrew language learning is a set of lessons and activities with a functional, conversational approach. It contains 16 units presenting language patterns and expressions typical of everyday Hebrew usage, with exercises and opportunities for simulation of familiar situations, role-playing, and dramatization. Each unit contains a…

Issues regarding the development of student's speaking skills and English as a second language (ESL) techniques designed to improve the teaching of conversation are described. Ten true and false assumptions about the teaching of conversation are considered: (1) everyone enjoys talking and participating in class discussion; (2) discussion topics in…

Memorization and recitation of dialogues are an important part of English as a second language (ESL) courses. However, if the goal of using dialogues is to promote free conversation, the practice of reciting dialogues must entail more than the rote memorization of another's thoughts. Therefore, the talk-and-listen method is a good technique for…

A guide for teachers of conversational Spanish is intended for the elementary school (grades 4-6) or beginning level. It is designed to introduce students to the sounds and pronunciation of Spanish, and uses the audio-lingual method. The guide contains introductory notes on the scope and sequence of skills and concepts, suggestions for classroom…

Suggestions for using the Paris counterpart of the yellow pages and telephone book front matter in French language and cultural instruction include ad illustrations and specific cultural information, general information about the French telephone system, and observational techniques. (MSE)

This guide to conversational language in Yup'ik Eskimo is designed to accompany audiotape recordings (not included here). It contains the phrases and sentences used in 30 lessons. A brief introduction comments on the format of the text. Lessons are on these topics: Yup'ik phonology and common brief expressions; exclamations; greetings and…

Six exercises intended to promote conversation skills are presented, including five survival games situated in space, caves, the middle of the ocean, the Sahara desert, and the North Pole; and a game to select a prison parolee from a group of candidates. The games involve role playing and decision-making activities. (MSE)

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)

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…

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.…

Teachers' instructional notes for a Hausa course designed for Peace Corps volunteer language and cultural training contains lesson translations, questions for classroom use in several tenses, stories, readings, and summaries, lists of idioms and verbs, pattern drills, and notes on classroom technique. The information is intended to accompany a set…