Presents an argument in favor of using de Tocqueville as a point of departure for French conversation classes for advanced undergraduate students. Gives samples of questions prompted by readings of de Tocqueville. (BK)

Presents procedure for designing a course in directed conversation in a second language, including choosing topics and developing workbooks that become the psychologically accepted replacement for an official text and a tool for the teacher. Gives two sample units. (Author/BK)

Discusses the use of French mail-order catalogues as pedagogical aids, specifically in teaching French culture, vocabulary, and conversation. (AM)

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)

Describes a method which uses popular French songs to stimulate discussion in a high school level conversational course. (AM)

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)

Presents the notions that: (1) training in free expression skills in a foreign language can be systematized and integrated with the acquisition of fundamental language skills; and (2) that the principle of "re-expression" can be used by the teacher to yield "free expression" in the form of spontaneous oral summary. (AM)

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 advantages and disadvantages of conversation classes for learning a foreign language, and outlines three basic prerequisites for a successful conversation class: a small, homogeneous group, actual facts and ideas available for discussion, and a basic working vocabulary. (CLK)

A discussion of techniques for creating active listening in the French conversation class looks at preconceptions about conversational language classes, the responsibility of each partner in the interaction (speaker and listener), choice of materials for discussion, preparation of classroom presentations, and the teacher's responsibility in…

American comic strips, translated into French, as well as native French strips, are used to teach the current colloquial language dynamically. (MLA)

Describes a French diction and oral communication course conducted at Franklin and Marshall College. Originally envisioned as a "necessary evil" to train students to write and deliver seminar papers, the course unexpectedly appealed to students as a practical experience while developing increased student interest in French language and literature.…

Describes organization of a one-semester oral/aural skills course which was oriented around the commercially available tape of 25-episode serialized suspense story. The appendix lists examples of support materials that were coordinated with the stories episodes to provide aural, oral, visual, and written reinforcement. (EJS)

Describes a one-semester conversational language course based on specific proficiency goals. The oral proficiency pre- and posttests, goal contracts outlining performance objectives for each chapter of the text, specific instructional and grading techniques, and class activities are detailed. (MSE)