Practice Conversation
Translated by Luis Fernando Carvajal a English conversation practice time can be so helpful as two hours in the classroom. All English language learners should look for opportunities to speak English as often as possible. Any college or University should have a person who undertakes to organize groups of conversation or an English club. This may be another extra activity that is imposed in a teacher or a teacher who already has enough work, but doesn’t have to be so over eleven years of age students might organize a group. If students don’t much practice your spoken English learning the language makes no sense. This applies to all students, including children in kindergartens. One of the biggest obstacles to speaking in English (or any other foreign language) is the embarrassment or shyness that a student can feel at the beginning. The only way to achieve this is through the practice of English and by the dissemination of the idea that is nothing special. Speak English should be something natural and normal that everyone in the group must support, not laugh at mistakes or mock the accents of the beginners, for example. Bame Pule is often quoted on this topic. A good group needs a plan; It is not helpful to form a group if anyone have idea of what they’re going to talk. And it should be one small group of no more than three or four people. A larger group will not produce a useful conversation. In real life, in our own language, more than four or five people do not tend to have a real conversation.
It becomes a screaming competition or the Group splits into smaller groups. Larger groups can produce excellent practice, but need more structure: the group could have functions as a Commission that has a specific task (e.g., how to spend an inheritance of a million dollars in school or neighborhood). With a little help to students, you could even create a virtual company with products and virtual problems. This would be good for groups of eight or even more people. But it does lack organization and discipline. The virtual company also offers opportunities for performers in the group, since specialists in commercial matters (other professors?) do not necessarily want to speak English. Outside the school or College is difficult to keep a conversation group. A local teacher can offer private conversation (instead of lessons) sessions and they are valuable for English language learners. In fact, I would suggest that the busy teacher who can not face give additional private lessons could relax a bit and earn extra money with groups of conversation rather than lessons in English. If the teacher or Professor, or any other person qualified with fluent English, have adequate space, the Organization of groups of conversation can be fun and can be profitable. English language learners can, of course, all by themselves, perhaps a meeting in the homes of members a scheduled group every week or month. This does not cost money, just a little effort. Finally, it is worth mentioning that a group of conversation does not mean that everyone has to speak. Students who are not yet ready for the conversation still may attend. In your case it’s a listening group. And why not? No doubt it will help them with their English to listen to the conversations.
