Describes a 1978 experiment in which French conversations (among advanced students of French) were transmitted by satellite from Hawaii to other locations in the Pacific. (AM)

Reports on a pilot project which used an imaginary tour of an Italian city as the basis for conversation exercises. (AM)

Showcases how several English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instructors at a large, Midwestern university dealt with computer assisted language learning and successfully incorporated hands-on, student-directed Hyperstudio computer activities in their ESL conversation courses. (Author/VWL)

This study investigates closing patterns for an institutional conversation in an ELP (English Language Program) at a university in the United States, noting the relationship between the closing patterns of the participants and their level of proficiency in English. By indicating that ESL learners, especially beginners, face difficulty in closing…

Describes an advanced conversational Spanish language course based on community experiences, multicultural education, and collaborative research taught at the University of Santa Clara in California. The class combined authentic materials with real-life experiences. (Author/VWL)

Briefly discusses the theoretical and empirical literature regarding the "negotiation of meaning" as a construct, presents and discusses selected findings from a longitudinal study of an intact Spanish conversation course at the college level relative to learner-to-learner conversation and the "negotiating of meaning," and…

Using a type-case analytic approach, this study investigates the teaching/learning process in an intermediate-level college Spanish conversation course to answer questions about the development of communicative competence. It demonstrates constraints and limitations and suggests the need to reconceptualize theoretical and methodological approaches…

Prepared for the adult or college student who wants to attain a speaking knowledge of Spanish spoken in Hispanic America, this book places more emphasis on communication and comprehension than on grammatical depth. It does not presuppose a knowledge of Spanish or experience with a second language. Emphasis is on repetition. Each lesson includes…

Associative speaking as a method of making oral communication the central activity in foreign language classes as early as the second semester is described. (Author/RM)

More foreign-language professors are stressing speaking rather than grammar in their courses. They are encouraging their students to talk as much as 90 percent of the time. At the heart of the new approach is the concept of "proficiency"--what the student can do with the language. (MLW)

Describes strategy for teaching culture and conversation at the third- and fourth-year undergraduate level using authentic documents as the primary materials. The medium chosen for this course was the French chanson, but similar strategies may be applicable to any modern language using the culturally appropriate materials. (eight references) (LET)

Describes an activity for use in the conversational English-as-a-foreign-language classroom. The activity involves having each student say one or two sentences that continues a story being made up as the activity goes along. Students were positive about the activity, because saying only one or two sentences helped them not to feel pressured or…

A description of two conversation courses (elementary and advanced) given during a summer session at Middlebury College. The materials used were tapes and slides made in France by the instructors to realize the course objectives--use of authentic spoken French and cultural education. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

In order to ensure personal involvement in and eagerness for verbal communication, the German intermediate conversational course at Clemson University centers on love, marriage, and family life. Student proficiency in German improves, and the course generates enthusiasm as well as self-awareness and awareness of others. (Author/SW)

A system for developing students' conversational skills is described. The conversational practice is regular and systematic and can be handled by aides, substitutes or advanced foreign language students. It can also include humanistic or psychological techniques after the elementary phases. (KM)