Something characteristic and peculiar only of human people is they can think and express and utter the ideas they have. In other words they can communicate with one another, they can speak with other people.
And that precise principle must be carried out in our classrooms: we have to make our students think and express their ideas, their findings, their problems, their joys, and we will try to help them out.
It is convenient we teachers should carry out conversations in the second or foreign language, if we’re language teachers, which is my case, as you well know. It’s convenient we in classes should talk in English, our dear target language.
So we will practice conversations, turn-taking, presenting some point or thought or idea. At the beginnings our students will not be able to participate in a conversation or dialogue, but we teachers will assist them to participate in those nice conversations.
It is also convenient our dear students would not only answer questions, but they should learn how to present a topic or point of interest, or just to take part in those marvelous conversations. Thus we will achieve a human and humane goal: to set communication among people, among persons.
We should foster everyone could intervene and contribute to the conversation, and we also will make everyone would participate, each one with his uniqueness.
You want a clue to make them all participate or facilitate this communication? Look in your students’ eyes, maybe saying their names, and you’ll be inviting them to communication. Another clue? Ask them questions about the discussion topic, easy ones and cleverer ones too. All this nice activity can be implemented with children, teenagers and adults. I have very nice experiences! / Photo from: teacher-assisting-student-at-chalkboard www wisegeek org