Why..

Here's a list of practical reasons to do a conversation lesson, in no particular order:

1. Students like them, and want them. If you work in a “commercial” school, as I do, that's reason enough!
2. Students may believe that free conversation is the best way to learn a foreign language (whether they are right or not, depends on your view of language learning theory).
3. Many students feel they have “failed” in more traditional learning situations and so be unwilling to try a course which they perceive as “grammar-based”
4. Talking to people is fun and motivating
5. Speaking a foreign tongue, actually getting the words out of your mouth with the right pronunciation and in the right order, is a “learned habit”, (arguably) - you need to do it quite a lot before you get good at it.
6. Conversation lessons also involve listening (to the teacher, to other students). Listening is an important skill!
7. Conversation lessons are a fantastic opportunity with monolingual groups (i.e. all Italians, all Japanese) for an experienced teacher who knows the students native language. Listening to what students say, the teacher can identify typical problems and give correction or specific teaching to raise students' awareness of the differences between English and their own language. A very focused and effective form of teaching!
8. If there's a native speaker teacher, students get a model for pronunciation, vocabulary and structure
9. Conversation lessons are great for making new friends!
10. Your boss will like this one: conversation lessons are easy to sell, either on their own or as an “add-on” to a normal course.