English conversation classes are becoming more common in TEFL/TESOL classrooms around the world, as students seek out learning experiences that provide them with opportunities to speak and develop fluency. While these classes may seem on the surface to be solely focused on free talk, they require as much preparation and structure as any other class type. What’s more, teaching conversational English can require a greater degree of adaptability and “thinking on your feet” than other types of English classes.
As such, teaching English conversation is an exciting and challenging new frontier for many teachers. While it’s possible to find lesson plans on the internet containing lists of topic ideas, it’s often difficult to know what to say in these lessons until you see how a student responds and what kind of discussion emerges. You can find more information about choosing a 英会話 個人レッスン.
To teach effective English conversation classes, it’s important to understand your student and what they want from their classes. Ideally, you should have done some form of needs analysis prior to their first conversation class (for more on this process, see my article Needs Analysis for Private EFL/ESL Lessons). From there, you should have some idea of what topics will interest them and what level they are comfortable at. This will help you plan your conversation classes ahead of time, but it’s also crucial to be flexible and not over-plan.
During any English conversation class, you should expect some silence from your students. This is a natural part of the conversation and can be frustrating to some teachers, as they feel compelled to fill the silence or prompt their student with an answer. However, silence is just as valuable as anything else during a conversation lesson. In fact, it can be even more valuable than the content you deliver – it gives your student a chance to think about what they want to say and how to construct an English phrase that conveys their thoughts.
One of the best ways to encourage your students to speak up in your classes is by making sure they feel safe and comfortable. This can be done through your body language, tone of voice, and the way you interact with them. In addition, you can use props and games to make the classes more interactive and fun.
For example, you can use role plays to give your students an opportunity to practice their English in a safe environment. This will allow them to gain confidence and practice speaking in front of other people without worrying about being judged. Role plays can be as simple or complicated as you like, but they’re a great tool to have in your arsenal.
Another great way to engage your students in conversation classes is by using table top role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons or other simpler systems. These games can be incredibly immersive and will allow your students to practice their English while they have deep conversations with imaginary people, solve difficult puzzles, and fight deadly monsters.
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