STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

  1. Go over the Role-playing handout and add the following points:
    • Mention that using topics that matter to people adds meaning to learning a new language. Knowing learners often go through challenges adjusting to life in Canada, some role-plays may be about topics such as finding work, finding an affordable place to live or handling racism.
    • Eventually you want the learner to be able to do role-plays without any script. The situation and characters will eventually be all that is needed.
    • Help prepare the learner by practising vocabulary, appropriate small talk, necessary grammar and structured dialogues on the same subject you’re using for the role-play.
  2. Ask the two tutors to demonstrate one of the role-plays. Read the scene note (talking about the long weekend or the tutor arriving late) to the rest of the class before they start. Tell the other tutors that the role-players have cue cards to assist them as if they were learners who weren’t too familiar with role-plays.
  3. The two tutors do the role-play.
  4. Ask the two tutors to read their cue cards. Ask the other tutors if they communicated well. Thank the two tutors.
  5. Say that there are many other ways to work on conversation skills, such as having topic or starter sentence strips to pull out of a container for two-minute talks.

Activity F


Correction concepts

When, in what way and how often should we comment on our learners’ errors? Some of these correction concepts apply to the other parts of communication (e.g., writing) as well, and form an important approach when tutoring.

Use of handout

Materials and equipment

Handout 12.17: Correcting Spoken Language

Preparation

Copy handout.