Teach Students to Interact, Not Just Talk
Gerard Counihan

The following is a short article with practical tips for EFL teachers who want to get their students (L2s) talking in conversation class as they do when they are outside the classroom and with friends-that is, interacting.
Very often in EFL there are two major types of talk; the teacher`s (usually in the form of a question, or a request to practise a structure) and the L2`s (usually a straight answer to the question posed by the teacher or a drill-type operation which sees the L2 inserting his own information into the gaps provided). This, effectively, is evidence of verbal exchange, but surely at its very minimum, and driest. It certainly complies with a certain pedagogical, learning-driven concept of EFL conversation. But is it interacting as natives do? Do natives participating in a normal conversation have the benefit of a person (a teacher) who is constantly ready to keep the flow of talk going with questions and drill-practise? Is the latter interaction?
Interaction involves both social and personal input, and, forms the basis of the vast majority of everyday talking done by natives. Interaction involves the emotions; creativity; agreement; disagreement; people waiting patiently to get in a word; sighing, nodding, gesticulating and so on. Interaction is not waiting to be asked a question. Interaction is not giving a short, one-sentence answer to this question. In some ways, what goes on in a worst-case EFL conversation class is a series of monologues.
Teacher: Do you think people who pollute should pay heavier fines?
L2 Student: Yes.
Teacher: Why?
L2 Student: Because they are contaminating the Earth.
Real interaction would:
Relegate the teacher to a background, supportive role
Involve the spontaneous participation of the rest of the group of L2s
And this does not happen a lot because the teacher is constantly contributing, egging on and prodding the L2s into participating. Many L2s do not, for some reason, feel free to comment on what another student has said. They, instead, look towards the teacher for guidance and, perhaps, permission to talk. This situation has to change if we wish to use the word "interaction" for what goes on in a typical EFL conversation class.
How to Interact
First of all, we as teachers cannot "teach" L2s to talk. They already do so in their L1(native language). However, for some reason (perhaps the new situation, the unfamiliarity, the sense of linguistic incompetence, ridicule, etc ...), L2s seem to "forget" how to interact in the target language. For this reason, I propose that we "remind" them of the typical features of interaction. Interaction is, once again, when the whole class is engaged in a group conversation. Interaction can involve the teacher but it must involve the L2s.
Interaction happens when:
The L2s direct the dialogue at one another and not at or through the teacher
The L2s comment immediately on what another L2 has just said
The L2s disagree with or challenge another L2`s statement
The L2s don`t have to be invited (by the teacher) to speak
The L2s speak when there is a short silence indicating the end of someone else`s turn
The L2s interrupt one another, diplomatically, to insert an opinion or question, etc
The L2s use the personal pronouns "I" and "You"
They use paralinguistics, such as exclamations, gestures, body language and so on
The L2s are as relaxed as possible
Practical Session of Interaction
INTERACTION: A little word game.
Activity A
Write these two headings on separate pieces of paper:
Words and phrases that cannot be used for answers
Words that should be used in conversation class
Next, the headings should be explained to the L2s. The students and the teacher think up as many words as they can which could prove useful for prolonging (or closing) a conversation in general.
Some examples for 1:
Yes.
No.
I agree entirely.
I don`t know.
Perhaps.
I am not sure.
He is right.
He said what I wanted to say.
I have no opinion on that.
Some examples for 2:
No, because ...
I don`t agree, because ...
I know and furthermore ...
Why? Who? When? How? Which? What?
That is a terrible thing to say!
It makes me angry when ...
I hate it when ...
You are wrong, because ...
Oh, I am not so sure about that, because I ...
You will have noticed that the positive, interactive expressions have suspension points, which means the speaker will say more-he or she HAS to. In heading 1, I put a very symbolic full-stop after the expression: this indicates that the L2 tries to end their contribution-DON`T LET HIM!
Activity B
I tried out the "new-found" (remembered