ADVANCED ENGLISH CONVERSATION(2)

This course will focus on helping students further develop their skills and confidence in conversational English. It will continue to focus on providing students with opportunities to communicate in a variety of situations, e.g., pair and group activities. Students will enhance their ability to discuss a broad range of topics; present information in a variety of contexts, e.g., informal communication, public presentation; and communicate in a manner that is both culturally appropriate and idiomatic. They will also have opportunities to increase their competence in listening and reading comprehension, vocabulary, pronunciation, oral grammar, and conversational strategy use.

The objective of this course is to improve both written and spoken English. In writing, students will complete summary, opinion, and question writing assignments, with the specific intention of using writing as a preparation for speaking. The focus is on accuracy & content in writing and accuracy & fluency in speaking. The course will help you express your ideas and feeling on topics in English, listen to others, and engage in conversation. As your teacher, I will facilitate this and correct all of your assignments in advance of your speaking activities, so that you are prepared. I hope I can provide a fun, educational, and motivational course for you. Thank you.

As classes are operated face to face, the following rules/guidelines will apply: 1. Understand that we are bound to make lots of mistakes in this class, as anyone does when learning a new language. Take risks and support others in their risk-taking. 2. Be aware of how much you are contributing to discussions, and share responsibility for including all voices in the discussion. If you have an idea, don’t wait for someone else to say it; say it yourself. If you have a tendency to contribute often, give others the opportunity to speak. 3. Listen respectfully. Don’t interrupt or engage in private conversations while others are speaking. Use attentive, courteous body language. Comments that you make (whether asking for clarification, sharing critiques, or expanding on a point) should reflect that you have paid attention to the previous speakers’ comments. 4. Take pair work or small group work seriously. Remember that your peers’ learning is partly dependent upon your engagement. 5. Make an effort to get to know other students. Introduce yourself to students sitting near you. Refer to classmates by name and make eye contact with other students. 6. Respect others’ right to hold opinions and beliefs that differ from your own. Be open to hearing their perspectives. Be open to changing your perspectives based on what you learn from others. Be okay with disagreement. 7. Understand that your words have effects on others. Speak with care. If you learn that something you’ve said was experienced as disrespectful or marginalizing, listen carefully and try to understand that perspective. Learn how you can do better in the future. Avoid generalizations, blame, speculation, and inflammatory language. Criticize ideas, not individuals.

There are no prerequisites for this course, other than digital devices.

As it is a language course, the practical use of the course is communication in a second language. Students will be expected to write individual assignments, share and discuss these assignments in small groups, and then share their group work to the full class. So, in addition to language, students may find the designed tasks useful in future real contexts.