Almalang_Newsletter2022_EN_WEB

how the place makes them feel. And they can broach on the topic of how the place has changed over time. Jerry: I agree. And if we can help prac tice that basic pattern in the context of a conversation that makes sense to them, like the place they live in now, then they will have acquired that skill, and they can apply it to other topics. Bruno: Right. What we want to avoid is the kind of scripted speech patterns Japanese students sometimes follow. That makes me cringe. “First, I am going to talk about where I live. Then, I will say how that place makes me feel. Finally, I am going to explain how that place has changed over the years”. Yuk. Jerry: Absolutely. But I believe we can use some strategies that come from our experience at the level below, the CIC3 level. We can avoid that pitfall. Combin ing structure and flexibility, that’s a diffi cult balance to achieve, but it’s possible. Bruno: Yes. They need to get out of that “I need the perfect word” frame of mind. Then they’ll become able to have richer, more lively conversations, and ultimate ly to sound more friendly. Jerry: Hopefully some adventurous souls will want to join us on that journey from April next year. We’ll have mater ial ready to be tested in class by then.

ple actually DO with language in the real world?

to have exactly the correct word all the time. That’s a very Japanese thing to want to have the precise word, but as you know, the conversation often stops when students don’t have it. Jerry: Yes, exactly. I’ve seen that hap pen a lot. But how can a textbook help teachers develop that ability in the classroom? Bruno: Well, instead of organizing the book around topics, which is typical, what if we centered it on things peo on their own, it’s another challenge. So, Jerry, what’s the next step? What comes after CiC3? Higher level learners have different needs. When you teach students who have completed CiC3, or work with learners who have already achieved that leap to having basic conversations

Jerry: You mean language functions, like the “Can-Do” statements speci fied in the CEFR? That’s a cool idea, but aren’t many language functions real ly narrow? I’m thinking of stuff like giv ing directions, ordering food, or buying a train ticket. I’ve tried teaching all that, and most of the time it ends up putting students to sleep! Again, students are stuck in that state of perpetual prac tice, preparing to use language for some moment that may or (most likely) may never arrive. It’s really demotivating. Bruno: Yeah, but while many func tions are quite narrow, a number of them are very broad and quite well suit ed for longer, richer conversations. For example, describing things , such as a place, a person, an object, or a process. That’s something you need to do a lot if you want to have meaningful, rich con versations. Jerry: Yes. Also, telling a story : that’s something a bit complicated, but again super useful in conversation. Bruno: Exactly! Most conversations tend to follow typical patterns. For ex ample, when describing a place, peo ple often start with some basic info, such as the location, and proximity to well-known landmarks. They talk about

To sound friendly when having a conversation in English…

... it’s a good idea to explore implicit questions!

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