The Art of Conversation

This morning I decided not to use the next topic of our list. Instead, because today we have conversation from 11 until 12, I thought that we could focus on the art of conversation.

Here's what we'll do:

First, I shall dictate a few famous quotes about 'communication'. I found them on the Internet by Googling 'famous quotations', and then visiting the website at the top of the list. It gave me a subject list that I could look at in alphabetical order. The word 'conversation' was not under C, but the word 'communication' was. And luckily there were exactly 5 quotations on that topic.

I'll get you to work in pairs to check your dictation, and then to agree on the quotations that you like and dislike the most. (You'll need to do some talking to decide!)

Secondly, I shall let you look at the Student Self-analysis of Speaking that most of you completed for me in the first semester. (Others may complete it afresh.) Have your thoughts changed since then? Has your speaking improved? Why has - or hasn't - it?

After that, there are three things that you will do in three groups.

• View this page on the computer and follow the link to look at the quotations site.
• Write to me for 15 minutes about your conversation skills.
  
• Read the page about communication that I read in this Teaching English blog.

Finally, if you have time today, please check your email and reply to me.

Thanks to you

Yesterday I thanked Samantha. Today I'd like to thank Jack and Safaa. Safaa reminded me about an Oxford website, and Jack has prepared a list of many of the websites that we have looked at from time to time. I saw it in class on Thursday and asked to copy it. Today I'll distribute it to all of you. During our computer suite hour, you are invited to visit and/or bookmark these for yourselves.

If you do this on you gmail or other private account - or better yet, on Delicious - then you will be able to access these even after the end of the year, when you may no longer be a student at Otago Polytechnic.

Next, I am going to give you back your writing, and I will indicate up to five errors that I need you to make a note of. That is to say, I want you to write the error you made, the correction and the explanation of what you did. By doing this, you will be much less likely to repeat these particular mistakes.

By the way, today's topic is alternative-fuel cars. What do you think of this one which we are thinking of building at Otago Polytechnic? Below I've included a clip from Youtube. It is an interview with a slow-speaking Australian who speaks very well about Permaculture and Peak Oil which, while they are not about alternative-fuel vehicles, are about related issues.