Part II: To conduct oneself adequately in conversations – in pairs and in groups

9. Establishing and practicing conversational rules

Hints: A prerequisite that allows for productive talks and discussions in the first place is the adherence to certain rules of discussion and democratic behaviors. This applies for private discourse, but even more so in …

10. Preparing for a conversation

Procedure: The instructor announces the discussion topic (e. g. “Leisure time in our country of origin and here” or “Where would I like to live in 20 years?”). The students are allowed 5–10 minutes to individually …

11. “Think – Pair – Share”: An alternative procedure for preparing oneself for a group discussion

Hint: “Think – pair – share” is a well-known and widely used form of cooperative learning. It consists of the following three steps: 1. to reflect (individually) 2. to discuss the results in pairs or groups of …

12. Tying into the discussion contributions of others

Hint: This exercise relates to an important rule of conversation, as suggested in #9 (“In reference to what the previous speaker said”). It supports the students with the sentence building blocks as a tool which they …

13. Providing feedback

Hints: Dealing constructively with feedback in paired and group discussions is a key aspect of a good culture of discussion. Respective exercises must, of course, be practiced repeatedly with variations in order to provice the …

14. Accoustical training, five exercises for sound differentiation

Procedure: The instructor first explains that the distribution of clear conversation roles can contribute to the quality of a discussion. Individual roles are then discussed and the cards with appropriate roles are produced (if they …

15. To assume the role of discussion moderator

Procedure: It is presumed that a conversation topic has been chosen (either by the instructor or the students) or that the instructor has a prepared list with possible age-appropriate discussion topics from which the students …

16. Planning discussion

Hint: The precondition for this exercise is that the students (or at least a group of them) have the time and theme for a project. This may involve minor projects (e. g. creating posters about various aspects …

17. Storytelling circle

Procedure: To begin the lesson, the instructor asks the students (or only those of a certain level) to sit in a circle. The students are familiar with the ritualized form of the telling circle and …

18. Discussing and arguing together

Procedure: The starting point is a statement, question, thesis or an assertion that must have a certain potential for discussion. The topic can either originate from the experiential world of the students (“Why do boys …

19. Conducting educational discussions

Hints: The framework for educational discussions in HLT comprises mostly two types of situations: 1. Shorter educational talks that concern primarily a brief feedback about a specific task. This type can occur during class, e. g.parallel to …

20. Philosophizing together

Hints: The themes can be suggested by the instructor, but should originate from the students, if at all possible. It is useful to previously compile a selection of ideas (Prompt: “Consider and write down topics …

21. Preparing for a survey or an interview

Hint: A survey, as defined here, signifies interviews or polls, in which the answers to rather narrowly formulated questions (e. g. of 20 persons) are recorded and enumerated, such as the topic of TV consumption or …

Simple role plays

Establishing and practicing conversational rules

Explanations, abbreviations
First language	Also mother tongue or family language: the first language a child has learned and speaks at home. Some children have two first languages.
School language	The language that is spoken in the schools of the host country. In addition, the local dialect may count as an environment language.
Abbreviations	S: Student T: Teacher (instructor)

Legend for indications referencing organizational form, class, time requirements concerning teaching proposals:
	IW = Individual Work
	WP = Working with a partner
	SG = Small Groups
	WC = Whole Class
2nd – 4th grade	Suitable for... to... (e.g. 2nd – 4th grade). Keeping in mind that this designation may vary according to the requirements of the individual students.
20 minutes	Approximate time requirement, e.g. 20 minutes. (Estimated time varies, must be determined by the instructor according to the level and the requirements of the class).

II. Part II: To conduct oneself adequately in conversations – in pairs and in groups