Activities for Conversation Exchanges
Activities for Conversation Exchanges
Activities for Conversation Exchanges
A conversation exchange occurs when two people who want to learn about each other's languages, trade lessons. One example would be spending half the time together speaking English and other half speaking Spanish. At this time, this could also be done online through Skype. There are also websites, which are dedicated to matching up conversation partners. This is actually free and you might find it amusing as well as relaxing than a proper lesson. Conversation exchange is often similar to a chat than a lesson. You might be shy about asking your conversation partner about boring and complicated grammar questions. However, there are actually plenty of ways to learn a good conversation exchange. Here are some ideas:
Policies and principles
It is not advisable for you to talk about policies and principles, the first time you meet with your conversation partner. However, if you and your partner could get more of your time together with it, it would be worth talking about how that could be done. You could even formulate a list of things you could do every time you meet. This method of drawing up a policy would also be good for you to practice speaking and writing. The things you could decide on might include: 1. How to divide your time. For example, you could consume 10 minutes for chitchat, and five minutes for helping with your homework. 2. How often and how you will correct each other. 3. If you could bring materials for your conversation partner to use. 4. Using or not using translation. 5. If the use of the languages would be mixed up or divided up.
You can also make an interesting conversation by talking about the best ways of learning a language. You could also learn more about where your conversation partner is coming from and you might be able to pick up some helpful language learning tips.
Feedback sheet
Make use of a sheet of paper. You could take notes about all of the things you learned during your conversation exchange. For example, you could divide a sheet of paper into sections; one for grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, corrections, better ways of saying something, and other useful language. If your language is being spoken by another person, you can take a piece of paper and jot down things that you notice or think during a conversation. This would then be discussed during a break in the conversation or at the end of the period speaking that particular language. You could then give what you have jotted down to the person who is studying your language, for him/her to take home and use for revision.
Read and discuss
Prior to meeting up with a conversation exchange partner, you could read an article or part of a book. Summarize its content for your partner, and give your opinions about it. Your partner could ask you questions with regard to the content and your views. You could then talk about your conversation partner's knowledge of the topic. It would be best if it is a topic that they know well more than you do, such as something about their country. Otherwise, you might want to let them know what topic you are going to present to them early on, in order for them to have time to prepare what to say.
You could also do the same with using videos or radio programs.
Read up and discuss
You can choose a topic on which there are numerous sources in both languages, as well as different opinions. For example, if you are learning Spanish and your conversation exchange partner is learning English, choose the topics of Gibraltar or the Falklands/Malvinas. You and your partner should read up on the topic as much as you can in both languages. You can then discuss the diverse views and information in the sources, why they might be different, and which views, you could most agree with.
Mini-presentations
These are similar to the ideas above, but without necessarily reading up first and the responsibility on the person speaking. You could choose one topic; for example, "my family" or "problems in the city". You could then prepare to talk about it for at least one or two minutes the next time you meet up with your conversation partner. You could prepare by brainstorming ideas, looking up useful words in the dictionary, writing notes, or even writing out the whole thing. However, you should not actually read from what you have written while you are speaking. After you listen to the presentation, your partner could ask you questions, correct some mistakes, tell you many complex ways of expressing yourself, or just talk about the same topic.
Role-plays
You might find that this is the most useful thing in conversation exchanges. Pretend that you are in a real life situation like having a job interview, in a shop or a post office, and acting out a conversation with your partner. You need to make them aware of which situation you want to role-play. People do not often pay attention to what language is really used in these situations. When you say, "Actually, the shopkeeper always says" try to act out the conversation first to see how well you are able to cope. You may then ask your partner to correct what you stated, and write down useful words and phrases for that situation. You could then try the role-play again. You can add some trickier and more challenging situations like trying to buy an elephant or applying for the job as a CEO of Microsoft.
Controlled speaking practice
Controlled speaking practice is another kind of more focused speaking practice that you could often get in the modern language classroom, but rarely gets in conversation exchanges. This would mean trying to use a limited range of vocabulary such as mainly feelings adjectives; functional language such as just requests and offers; and/or grammar such as mainly "Have you ever?" questions, when you speak. As this is not normal in your daily conversation, you will need to put a bit of effort into making controlled practice work. The easiest way is to ask each other queries that you would really like to hear the answer to using the language that you want to practice. One example would be, "When did you last feel angry? Or "What are the most irritating things about your siblings."
You can select the language that you want to practice from things you are having trouble with, or from what has been or will be in your regular classes.
Games
Language learning games are very common in class nowadays. However, it is quite rare in conversation exchanges. This is usually due to no need to liven up chitchat in that way. If you are going to try more serious things suggested here, you might need some light relief. Games are also good ways of making role-plays and controlled speaking practice more enjoyable. In order for such to work in conversation exchange situations, you and your conversation exchange partners need to have a realistic chance of winning the game, and it needs to be enjoyable even in your first language. For example, playing scrabble would only work if you could only utilize words in the other person's language and you and your partner have more or less the same level.
There are games that could work quite well in conversations exchange situations. Some of these games include Revision Storytelling and The Definitions Game. In Revision Storytelling, you could take turns in trying to continue a story using as many words from one person's vocabulary notebook as you can. In Definitions Game, you could take one of the words that you want modify and explain which one you are thinking of until your conversation partner guesses what it is.
Email each other between meetings
This will provide you extra practice, allow you to decide on the content of the next conversation exchange, allow you to correct your partner's written work, and give you some material to utilize for the ideas below.
Bring something in
If you run out of things to talk about, or find that your conversation in unfocused, it would be good to have something to take out of your bag and discuss together. This could really be anything at all. Examples would include a photo album, an exercise from a grammar book, a favorite object, a holiday brochure, and lyrics to a song, or an email that you received. If you have the proper technology, it could also be a piece of music, part of a radio program, recorded telephone call, or video clip. The important thing is not to be asking your conversation partner to correct your mistakes or explain vocabulary to you, all the time. It is best to bring various things in every time you meet.
Five questions
Another way of preventing things from becoming too heavy is to limit the number of questions you ask each other. Five is a good number, and trying to slim the number of questions down to this amount will also provide you a chance to think about which ones are most important. The things that you plan to ask your conversation partner about could be grammar questions, vocabulary explanations, useful phrases, or cultural tips. You might want to offer them some notice of what the questions would be in case they are not easy to answer.
Look at each other's notes
Another means to help out your conversation exchange partner with the language that they are using and thinking about during the week, is to have a look at their notebook or vocabulary lists. You could correct any mistakes, add to the explanations, or employ the topics, tenses, and vocabulary there, to have a conversation or play a game.
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