Conversational analysts place great emphasis on the fact that conversation is a participant-managed system in which there is a constant process of adjustment between participants to ensure that real communication takes place. This is particularly true when communication is between members of different cultures, between, for example, my Japanese students and myself, a British teacher. Of particular relevance to this discussion is the notion of self-selection. Self-selection is a term used in the analysis of turn-taking to indicate that a speaker was not nominated to speak by another participant, but selected him or herself (Sacks et al. (1978:12/13)). In the case of teacher-fronted classroom interaction, it is difficult to persuade students that they may self-select when the teacher is speaking. The formal setting of the classroom and large class sizes exacerbate this difficulty. This lesson plan aims at initiating a system which encourages students to self-select whenever they haven't understood.
Common Instructions on Each Student Worksheet You have to choose someone to organize a club for Japanese and foreign students to meet together. The club organizer has to organize social events and other activities such as trips, sport, etc.Each student in your group has information about one candidate for the job.
- Ask and answer questions about the candidates until you know as much as possible about all of them.
- Discuss the positive and negative points of each candidate.
- Try to choose just ONE of them as club organizer.
Underlined words in the second story, which is more difficult, are used to attract interruption.Example 1
Mr. Tall telephoned the doctor in the middle of the night ."Come quickly, doctor. You know my wife sleeps with her mouth open. Well, a mouse ran down inside her!"
"I will be with you in about ten minutes," replied the doctor. "Until I arrive, try holding a piece of cheese in front of her mouth. This may bring the mouse out."
When the doctor arrived, Mr Tall was not holding a piece of cheese. He was holding a fish in front of his wife's mouth. "What are you doing?" asked the doctor. "Mice don't like fish."
"I know," said Mr Tall, "but we have to get the cat out first".
Example 2
My grandmother is 97 years old but she is still a very tough old lady. She lives in the top flat of a very tall building. One day, when she was playing football at the old-age pensioners' club, she tried to kick the goalkeeper, a young man of 75, missed him and kicked the goal-post instead. She broke the goal-post but she also broke her leg. The doctor was called. He came and put her leg in plaster."How long do I have to carry this burden around with me doctor?" complained my grandmother.
"About two months," replied the doctor. "Then I'll come and see you and take the plaster off, but till then you must not climb up or down stairs. Remember, no stairs either up or down."
Two months later the doctor came and took the plaster off. "You've made an excellent recovery for someone of your age," he said.
"When can I play football again?" asked my grandmother.
"Today if you like," said the doctor. "Your leg is as good as new now."
"So I can use the stairs again now, too, Doctor?" asked my grandmother.
"Of course. If you can play football, you can manage a few stairs too." "Well I'm relieved to hear that." said my grandmother. "I was beginning to feel rather tired. You told me not to climb up or down the stairs. The only other way into my flat was by the drainpipe. And that was really hard work for a woman of my age, you know. You ought to think a bit more before giving advice like that to an old lady."