This course is designed to encourage the development of spoken and written skills for English teachers (actual teachers and potential ones) in middle school, high school and university. It explores how spoken interaction can be used in English lessons, as a means of enhancing learning, developing performance skills, and promoting motivation, confidence, and positive attitudes to learning English. The course also explores how written skills can be developed through the use of a learning journal.

The aims of this course are:

1. to practice and develop conversation skills in English
   (Range, Ease of speech, Attitude, Delivery, Interaction);
2. to practice and develop written skills in English
   (expressing feelings and opinions logically and coherently):
3. to reflect (in groups and individually) on ELT principles and issues;
4. to make an ongoing  record of personal ideas and opinions over the semester;
5. to develop and practice problem-solving skills and creative-thinking skills;
6. to develop and practice self- and peer-assessment skills;
7. to develop and practice presentation skills.

• This course uses It's Up to You, a performance-project-based workbook, which encourages learners to choose, design, prepare and perform their own language projects. Assessment is by the learners (as well as the teacher) and realistic assessment skills are developed during the course. Assessment marks are entered by students and the teacher, in the U2U Classroom Journal.
• The other textbook in this course is English Reflections, an interactive learning journal. Learners discuss ELT-related issues in class time, using activities in this book, and then reflect on the issues (or on anything else they wish to write about) individually, at home, using the "My reflections" pages.

Development of oral abilities, like other skills (e.g. playing a musical instrument or swimming), needs regular exercise and reinforcement. This can be done through the performance of language tasks and activities (conversation, discussion, role plays, questionnaires), and also through the negotiation and management of those activities (classroom language), using the full range of language functions such as questioning & answering, explaining, agreeing & disagreeing, suggesting, and giving opinions.

Every speaking and writing situation in life is a communication problem, in which "meaning" needs to be transferred and information or opinions need to be communicated.

This course focuses on the promotion of meaningful interaction. The EFL classroom is a genuine social environment which allows meaningful situational use of the target language. The use of speaking in class helps students to experience and solve problems using authentic materials in real-life settings, evaluating their success by the level of communication achieved.

• Why is spoken interaction desirable?
• Promotion of confidence, motivation, autonomy
• Promotion of problem-solving, critical thinking
• Meaning-based activities
• Familiarity with the target language
• Authenticity
  
  
• How can conversation/interaction be promoted?
  • Maximum exposure to the language
  • Use of the target language in meaningful activities
  • Use of classroom English
  • English-medium instruction
  • English-speaking activities
  • self- and peer-assessment of spoken interaction skills
    
    
• How can activities be integrated to use all the language skills?
  • Student-centered performance projects
  • classroom language
  • pair-work, group-work
  • information-gap, opinion-gap
  • jigsaw, pyramid activities
  • questionnaires, surveys
  • discussions
  • interviews
  • role plays
    
    
• How does spoken interaction affect cognitive, social and affective development?
  • Problem-solving encourages group-work and creative thinking
  • Group-work promotes cooperation over competition
  • Successful communication encourages self-esteem and motivation
    
    
• How can performance skills be assessed?
  • Self-assessment
  • Peer-assessment
  • Presentation assessment
  • Meaningful criteria

• Why should we use Conversation English?
  
•  It gives meaning to learning the language.
• It provides authentic learning situations.
• It provides familiarity with common phrases.
• It provides a context for grammar and structure.
• Students can use the language in real situations.
• Students gain confidence and motivation through successful communication.
• Students learn the language by using the language.
• Students become motivated to learn the language.
• Students have a chance to rehearse real-life events in the safety of the classroom.
• Using the target language gives feedback for teachers and students. Teachers can see how well the class is goind and what language problems they are having. Students can see how easy they find a particular kind of speaking and what they need to do to improve.
• If they are participating fully, students get satisfaction and useful feedback.

• What Conversation English can we use?

• How can we promote Conversation English?
  For the teacher/trainee:
• Give students maximum exposure to English.
• Ask students to perform conversational activities in English.
• Use English for frequent expressions in the classroom
  (e.g. "Open you books").
• Use English for simple instructions
  (e.g. "Please listen to me." "Let's do the pair-work task on page 35.").
• Use English for simple questions
  (e.g. "What's the date?" "What's the time?").
• Use English for simple interactions
  (e.g. "How are you today?" "Where do you live?").
• Use English for classroom management
  (e.g. "Please sit with your partner." "Get in your groups." "Find a new partner.")

For the student/learner:                                                                                                         

• Use English for checking meaning
  (e.g. "What did you say?" "What does it mean?" "One more time, please" "How do you spell it?"
  "I don't understand").
• Use English for negotiating meaning
  (e.g. "What does this word mean?" "How do we do this activity?" "Whose turn is it?").
• Use English for simple questions
  (e.g. "What's the date?" "What's the time?").
• Use English for simple interactions
  (e.g. "How are you today?" "Where do you live?")
   
• What sort of assessment can we use?
  
  
•  Student-centered alternative assessment
• Self-assessment and peer-assessment
• Self-assessment of participation
• Student assessment of roal skills, using meaningful criteri
• Student assessment of project presentations.