Resources for conversation classes

[karin]

There's a self-help group that meets locally - mostly East European migrant workers who want help with learning English. I've been teaching them since March, on a voluntary basis. I've helped other migrants on a one-to-one basis, and last year I did the CELTA course.
Can you suggest any course books that provide purely a conversation syllabus? The students are fairly mixed - all ages, all abilities, all backgrounds, and they need "Survival English". I've been told to keep it simple. The students come and go with jobs and shift work, so I'm aiming for ten weeks (90 minutes each lesson) and see how it goes.
Karin

[Lucy]

Hello Karin,

I suggest that you don’t actually use a course book. The fact that the students come and go means that it’s probably difficult to do follow up work and to have continuity between classes. I would aim for each class to be self-contained. Another reason is that migrant workers can progress very quickly quite simply because they have to learn. If you work with a course book you might find that the book will be too easy for them by the time you get to the end of it.

I suggest you take a book such as Discussions A – Z. You can choose suitable topics from this book. It’s photocopiable and comes with notes and suggestions for the teacher. There are ideas for expanding the activities. You can teach the grammar and vocabulary that is associated with the topics you choose.

Best wishes,

Lucy