As an English teacher, the author would like to propose English curriculum for an oral
communication class to the Extensive Education Center at Chin-Yi Institute of Technology. English
Conversation (A) is a beginning course designed to help students develop confidence and skill in using
English for communication. English Conversation (B) is designed for the higher beginning-level adults
who want to develop oral communication skills. Both classes are non-degree intensive evening programs
spread over a term of three months, meeting three days per week. Aims of this program are to encourage
students to express their personal ideas in English, to develop students’ oral fluency through listening and
speaking activities, and to help students think critically.
By using minimal pairs accompanied with pictorial illustrations, teachers conduct oral-aural drills .
Additionally, two other approaches are often adopted to teach beginning and higher beginning-level adult
learners: audio-lingual and grammar-translations. Students have an opportunity to assess their progress.
Every four units, students are asked to fill out a follow-up checklist; in a limited time; to test their listening
comprehension. One of the techniques in Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo and Cross, 1993) is
Memory Matrix. It can assess students’ recall of important course content and their skills at quickly
organizing that information into categories provided by the teacher. By quickly looking over the students’
completed matrices, the teacher can identify problem areas.
