Bringing External Situations into the ELT Classrooms Through Dialogues

smail akr, Turkey

Ismail akir is an assistant professor at the Department of English Language and Teaching,
Faculty of Education, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey. He had M.A. and Ph.D degrees in
English Language Teaching. His research interest is in Foreign Language teaching to young
learners, the use of Multiple Intelligences Theory in TEFL, language teaching and language
teaching methodology, teaching grammar and teaching culture. He has several publications on
Foreign Language Teaching.
E-mail: ismcakir@yahoo.com
Menu
Introduction
What is dialogue?
Why do we use dialogues?
Do dialogues enhance communicative competence?
What do they offer to language learners?
Some general key points in presenting dialogues
Conclusion
References

Introduction
In foreign language teaching classroom, every teacher inevitably encounters dialogues
specially designed by the text book authors in line with the course syllabus. Therefore,
teachers mostly rely on are often tied to text books and other teaching materials at their
hands. In these situations the name of the game is often to follow the text books offered or
suggested. Invariably, teachers have to tackle with these materials, and need to know how to
handle the dialogues presented within the units. Keeping all this in mind, this study aims at
presenting some key points in teaching dialogues in the EFL classrooms.
What is dialogue?
To start with it would be better to define what it means. In general, dialogue is a special kind
of discourse employing distinctive skills to achieve mutual understanding. Linguistically
speaking, it is a term used very frequently in applied linguistics to refer to conversations
serving to fulfill one or more purposes in language teaching such as contextualizing or setting
the scene, focusing the attention on the meaning, familiarization, creation of new utterances,
etc. According to Pat Pigg (1976:291) dialogues are meaningful natural excerpts of
conversation focused on one point of English usage and capable of stimulating further
conversation. That is to say, a dialogue in foreign language teaching, as we usually understand
it, is a natural conversation to be presented either orally or in writing, practiced, and drilled in
class (Pilleux, 1969:203).
Why do we use dialogues?

It is accepted that language is primarily speech and its primacy is valid in a correct
communication. We, foreign language teachers, believe that communicative skills should be
developed as much as possible if we want our pupils to communicate appropriately in the
target language. However, Albright (1979) claims that most students cannot reach a
satisfactory level of proficiency if text books do not present materials designed to develop
communicative skill. One of the reasons for using dialogues, most probably the underlying
purpose, is to enable learners to promote their communicative competence through which they
can get the ability to be able to use the target language appropriately. The other factors could
be to stress on the language items such as vocabulary, structure, pronunciation and culture.
Do dialogues enhance communicative competence?
Needless to say, the importance of communicative competence in learning a language has
been put forth by Hymes (1972). In this respect, in an attempt to develop students'
communicative competence, a large number of conversations exemplifying real life situations,
and communicative activities on all four language skills should be abundantly used in
language teaching curriculum. From the dialogue teaching perspective, it can be stated these
fours skills are integrated when the principles to be mentioned below are followed. What is
intended in dialogue should be not only rules but also communication since knowing just the
rules do not always lead to satisfactory communication. For that reason, the dialogues to be
taught need to convey this issue and they should not totally violate linguistic or social
principles.
Taking this issue into account, as both dialogues and conversations share much in common
they have to fulfill certain linguistic and social rules in order to be successful. In most
everyday conversations the speakers and the listeners are not aware of the rules they obey,
because more attention is paid to content than to organisation. Nevertheless, some
organisation is essential in order to accomplish certain speech acts such as greetings,
inquiries, comments, invitations, requests, refusals, promises, etc. On the other hand, it would
not always be possible to select a grammatically correct dialogue if we are stick to teach the
target language as it is. What is important here is to present the target language in social
contexts and teach the language itself and not the grammar. Last but not least, we all know
that it is pivotal to be able to use the language where and when necessary which is what the
communicative competence requires. Moreover, it is true that linguistic competence is not
always enough to communicate unless it is furnished with the communicative competence.
What do they offer to language learners?
As aforementioned, dialogues play an increasingly important role for a myriad of language
teachers especially in the presentation stage of the lesson. When viewed through teaching
materials, it can be said that they are an ideal way of bringing external situations into the
classroom and demonstrating the use of the new structure in natural context. Put another way,
it certainly offers a milieu where most of the intended teaching points can be practised without
making the lessons boring but more enjoyable. In this respect, it can be added that the use of
them in the classroom adequately helps learners grasp the target language more efficiently due
to the natural, meaningful contexts they provide with new structures and vocabulary.

In a word, while working on dialogues in the classroom we automatically create an

opportunity for learners to practice language in terms of its pronunciation, stress, intonation,
pitch etc. Their listening comprehension skills also develop and they learn new vocabulary in
the social contexts. Moreover, culture of the target language is presented via the various
discourses within dialogues.
Some general key points in presenting dialogues
We should keep in mind that dialogues are useful source of materials to present the functional
language and students mostly enjoy working on them when they are presented appropriately.
We can either teach new vocabulary or stress on the pronunciation or focus on a language item
with the help of dialogues regardless of learners ages and levels. To get learners attraction
and teach the target point, here are some general principles that we can implement in the
classroom. Teachers, of course, do not have to rely on these steps; they can adapt and change
them depending on the levels of learners and their intentions etc. Here are the steps and
activities that can be followed while teaching dialogues.
Before presenting the dialogue
Teach new words and structures (vocabulary and grammar).
Set the scene for the dialogue. (Using some materials such as stick figure drawings on the
blackboard, flannel board figurines, or puppets, or the illustrations in the students book)
While presenting the dialogue
Read the dialogue at normal speed, once or twice, indicating the different speakers as you
read. As you read different exchanges, you may change your voice, change your position, use
facial expressions and gestures or point to the figurines, pictures or drawings.
If the books have CDs or cassettes, let students listen to the dialogue a few times so that they
can hear the native speakers.
Read the dialogue again, sentence by sentence and have the students repeat each sentence
after you in groups and individually. Split up long sentences for easier repetition, but
remember to put the sentences together again.
Students open their books and read the dialogue aloud. Three or four individual pairs/groups
of students should be asked to read. Be ready to do any pronunciation work at this stage, at the
end when students finish reading the dialogue.
Ask questions on the dialogue. These questions should test the students understanding of the
meaning of the dialogue.( Books open or closed.)
Put key words (cues) or visuals for the dialogue on the board. These should be content, not
structure words. Get students, books closed, to reconstruct the dialogue from these key words.
Mime or various visual aids can be used instead of, or in addition to key words. Three of four
individual pairs of students should be asked to reconstruct the dialogue like this.

Give cues for substitutions in the dialogue. Remember that the substitutions must fit in with
the sense of the whole dialogue. Students should also be encouraged to use their own
substitutions. We do this step to show that the pattern is not always used in the situation given
in the dialogue.
After presenting the dialogue
Get students to continue where the dialogue stops. (a writing or speaking activity)
Get students, working in groups, to compose other dialogues arising from the situation of the
dialogue (group work, collaborative working).
Gradually erase is another exercise that students enjoy. Teacher puts the dialogue on the board
and erases a few words each time. This continues until it is totally erased.
Dictate the dialogue and check the spellings.
Conclusion
To sum up, as dialogue is one of the teaching activities taking part in language teaching, we
need to know how to handle them skillfully keeping in mind that an authentic dialogue always
brings external situation into the classroom along with the new structure and vocabulary
inherent in. In teaching setting not only are students needed to be active, but teachers need to
bring their creativity to the fore as well. They should be able to create a relaxing and attractive
teaching atmosphere by means of the audio-visual materials, and students should be
encouraged to get involved in this process enriched with teaching activities such as reading
aloud, role-play, acting out, repetition, substitution drills, pair work, group work,
reconstruction of the words or sentences, question and answer, problem solving, continuing
the dialogue...etc.
References
Alright, R. "Language Learning Through Communicative Practice" in the Communicative
Approach To Language Teaching, ed. C.J. Brumfit; J.K Jhonson. OUP.1979.
Demirezen, M. Phonemics and Phonology Theory Through Analysis, Bizim Bro Basmevi
Ankara, 1986.
Hymes, D. "On Communicative Competence" In Sociolinguistics, ed. J.B. Pride; J. Holmes.
Harmondsforth: Penguin, 1972.
Lavery, C. Having fun with dialogues. 2006. http://www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistantteaching-tips-dialogues.htm
Liz & John Soars, Headway Pre-Intermediate Coursebook and its cassette, OUP, Oxford,1994
Oxenden, C.& Seligson, P. English File and its cassette, OUP, Oxford,1997.

Pigg, D. "Choosing and Using Dialogues" in TESOL vol.10. September,1976.

Charleston Latin 21,06,06, 10;34
Pilleux, M. The Dilogue:A Useful Tool in Language Teaching. TESOL Quarterly, vol 3. No3.
pp 203-206
The Making the Most of a Coursebook course can be viewed here.
The Methodology for Teaching Spoken Grammar and English course can be viewed here