Classroom conversations – TeachBeyond Argentina

When was the last time you approached life as a learner? Can you remember the feeling of curiosity that drove you to press deeper into some topic, to ask questions that would push past the obvious and help you make connections to other areas of life?

For me, this happened last weekend as I watched a biopic called Queen of the Desert. I was fascinated by the life of Gertrude Bell (3rd from right), a Victorian debutante who ended up traversing Arabia and influencing the national borders post-Ottoman Empire. How had I never heard of this woman, this maker of kings? After all, I lived in that part of the world for four years. As soon as the movie ended, I had my phone out, researching to see how much of what I’d just seen was based in fact. I’ve now got my eye on a book of her letters that I’m hoping to find in the library on my next trip. My curiosity has been whetted; I’m eager to learn more.

How about you? When is the last time your inquisitive juices got flowing? We’ve all experienced this drive at some point or another. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve chosen to take up this mantle of teaching. My hope would be that you’ve experienced this drive to learn in the very recent past.[1] When your imagination is captured by curiosity, learning becomes exciting. It becomes fun!

Now I wonder, when was the last time that you’ve shared this enthusiasm with your students? When did you last share with them something that you were learning and how jazzed you were about the connections you were making? If it’s been a while, you might want to ask yourself why.

Luke 6:40 reminds us that “a student is not above his teacher.”[2] If our students never see the light inside us turned on by the joy of learning, why would we expect that they would approach our classes with eagerness? What is it that we have to offer them, if not the joy of making connections?

As teachers, we are privileged to spend a majority of our waking hours walking and living among our students.[3] Our lives and our attitudes influence our students’ education far more than our stated curriculum ever will. I’ve never heard adults talk about their favourite lesson plan from when they were in school. But I hear discussions about favourite teachers all the time. So I challenge you, the next time you find yourself jazzed about something new you are learning—whether that be the way ancient kingdoms align with the Bible stories you learned in Sunday school or the latest recipe you’ve discovered for making a yummy autumn treat—share this joy with your students. Let them in on the secret: learning is fun! It’s part of what we were created to do.

Becky Hunsberger, M.Ed.
Coordinator of Teacher Education Services
TeachBeyond, Global

[1] I also remember, during my days of full time teaching, how utterly exhausted I was and how little energy I had at the end of the day to pursue anything that wasn’t directly related to the next day’s lesson plans, so there is no judgment here if this is where you find yourself!

[2] “He also told them this parable: ‘Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.’ ” (Luke 6:39-40)

[3] As I write this line, I am struck by the echoes of incarnation that ring through it. As Jesus became man and dwelt among us, we have the opportunity to dwell among our students in our capacity not only as teacher, but also as co-learner; we become fellow travellers in this journey of connection making.

Photo Credits: Gertrude Bell. via Flickr. public domain image. Elementary Pupils Geography Class with Teacher. Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com.

When working with ESL students in the classroom, getting them to use their English can sometimes be a challenge. Building conversation into classes can aid in fluency and communication, and can help students build their confidence in their speaking skills.

Many teachers who are new to using conversation will pose a question from a list of conversation starters and expect the students to engage. The usual result is the sound of crickets and blank stares. So how do we go about structuring an effective conversation class [1] or classroom discussion?

First, content is key. The students will need to have some interest in the topic for them to be engaged. Even if they don’t have a personal interest in the subject, it is good to establish why it is important or useful. Maybe it is something they are studying in their other classes and they need more practice speaking about it. It could be as simple as it being part of their leaving exams. Whatever the case, it is important for students to find a connection to the material.

The second thing to remember is that you want all of your students to have practice speaking. Try to include pair work or small group activities to facilitate more talk time. You also want to limit the amount of time you speak as much as possible. A good rule of thumb is students should speak for about 80% of the lesson. This article has several strategies to help you reduce teacher talk.

Start with a hook, something that grabs the students’ attention. This could be a question to see what background knowledge the students have on the chosen topic, a picture, a short video clip, or a quick reading. The goal is to pique student interest.

Next, present any new vocabulary or grammar structures the students might need to discuss this topic or complete the planned activities. Try to keep this part short: 5-7 minutes should be all you need. It is important to have some practice activities to help the students master this new information.

The actual speaking/discussion activities should take up the bulk of your lesson time. It is best to break your students into small groups or pairs. You may have to model the activity to be sure the students understand what is expected of them. The students should know how you plan to evaluate their progress and participation.

There are many types of activities which work well in conversations classes. Incorporate movement as often as you can. Chat stations are an effective way to get students moving and talking at the same time. Links to more activities and resources are provided below.

Conversation classes are a great way to build student confidence and should be a safe place for students to practice the target language. Students learn how to express themselves and relay information they have learned. It is also a good way to connect with your students and understand them and their culture better (and possibly have fun in the process).

Activity ideas:

Additional resources:

http://www.fluentu.com/english/educator/blog/esl-conversation-lesson-plans/
Zero Prep by Laurel Pollard and Natalie Hess has many activities suited to a conversation class with very little prep involved.
Teach ESL weekly TESL tip in the TEFL Idea Exchange on Yammer

Jessica Weaver
Manager, National Schools Teach ESL Programme
TeachBeyond

[1] Jessica Weaver heads TeachBeyond’s Teach ESL programme. Most of the teachers in this program teach English Conversation classes where the school’s instructions to the teachers is, “Just get them speaking in English.” This is easier said than done. The same skills needed for these teachers to run a conversation class can be transferred to English language learners in the mainstreamed classroom as well – as Jessica’s article points out.
Photo Credits: photo courtesy of TeachBeyond English Language Camps

Tag Archive for: Classroom conversations

Learning is Fun!

Using Classroom Conversations to Build Language Fluency