A1: The tutor does not:

• give quizzes or exams
• assign grades
• give grammatical explanations
• talk about the language
• introduce new material or modify existing material
• speak English during the tutorial session

A2:The tutor does:

• demand and check for thorough mastery of dialogues (dialogue recitation)
• check on mastery of vocabulary and patterns
• conduct drills and exercises on the vocabulary and patterns being studied
• constantly demand, throughout the course, accurate pronunciation and provide constant correction of pronunciation
• correct vocabulary and grammatical errors
• demand rapid, fluent performance in oral work (that is, does not accept rough, sluggish performance)
• provide for a great deal of student repetition at conversational speed, with constant correction
• use only the target language in tutorial sessions

A: Considerable effort has been expended to locate a native-speaking tutor so that the tutorial session can be a precious opportunity to enter the world of the new language. Using English with the tutor, with each other, and even in whispered asides and comments, undermines the very purpose of the session.

A: Since the tutor is not a teacher, since grammatical questions are out of place, since learning is dependent on prior audio work, the real question is: Why should you be using English? You will find that not using English is easier than you think if you simply try.

A: Follow this procedure:

• Check the text carefully.
• Ask yourself if your question is really critical for mastering the material at hand. Many questions will be answered as you progress through the material.
• If you feel that you must ask such a question of the tutor, do so before or after, never during the tutorial session. Since the tutor is not a trained linguist, don't expect that he or she can answer the question.

A: The "rules" of a language are simply rough guidelines to lead you to speaking and understanding. You need not have an exhaustive intellectual understanding of every language convention to learn the material at hand or to speak the language. We learn a foreign language largely by doing - by example and extension from example.

A: Every speaker of every language speaks some dialect and has some accent. Even among your English-speaking classmates, it is unlikely that everyone speaks English the same way. This sort of variation in a foreign language is to be expected, and is normally well within the range of your learning capabilities.

A: Remember, you develop your comprehension skills through the audio component. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I spending a great deal of time studying the material visually rather than using the audio?
• Am I using the audio with my book open, so that my eyes are really doing the comprehension work, rather than my ears?
• Am I concentrating on learning single words rather than on conversational utterances?

A: Start at the end of the utterance, not the beginning. Work backwards, word by word, toward the beginning, until you can say the entire utterance fluently. You may need to rely on visual material initially, but don't consider the job finished until you can say the entire utterance without any visual help.

A: You will be more embarrassed if native speakers cannot understand you after a semester or a year of language work, and the tutor will be more embarrassed if your poor abilities reflect on him or her. Develop a positive attitude about correction -- It's one of the tutor's key functions and it is certainly in your best interest as a potential language user.

A: In studying a language, many of us are much better in the visual mode than in the aural/oral work. You will want to ween yourself from the visual crutch with audio work and during tutorial sessions,, since your goal is to speak and comprehend the language in face-to-face communication. If you find that your first impulse, when called on in the tutorial session, is to open the book, you can be sure that you are not using the audio component properly.

A: Since you are in a tutorial session for practice and correction, every utterance said by the tutor or by other students is valuable. When you are not in the spotlight for the moment, you can be trying to formulate the correct response to yourself, and you can observe the tutor's correction of others. Concentrate on the tutor's lips and mouth movements, and mimic him or her to yourself or aloud when called on.

A: Remember that you are mastering a skill, which means practice. "Free conversation" assumes control of the very basics which you are now learning. Drills and language-use exercises are part of a learning design to insure that, at some point, you will be able to carry on free conversation.

A: First of all, everyone in your course would want only those words which they feel are useful. But more to the point, the textbooks purposely restrict vocabulary, the easiest thing to master in a foreign language, so that you can concentrate on the more difficult components of learning: pronunciation, sentence structure, and fluency. A massive vocabulary is of no purpose if you cannot use the words in grammatical sentences with accurate pronunciation and smooth delivery. Additional vocabulary can be added quite easily after you are over the major hurdles.

A: You are not being asked to memorize dialogues because that textbook writer assumes that, some day, you will have an opportunity to use all this material verbatim in a communication situation.

Dialogue memorization is useful for the following reasons:

• to promote fluency
• to allow you to internalize examples of patterns for later extension through drills and exercises
• to demonstrate how words are actually used in sentences and social contexts (something a word list can't teach you)
• to introduce formulaic and idiomatic expressions (e.g., introductions, salutations, apologies, etc.), and
• to show the appropriate usage of such expressions in communication situations.

A: Yes, it is. Your tutor should sketch the flow (who says what, etc.) for you on the board with cues.

A: The text is a primer, the starting point for audio work. The following steps may be useful for you in preparation for audio work:

1. Read through the dialogues.
2. Study the grammatical explanations.
3. Note which patterns are being demonstrated in the dialogues.
4. Note how the words are being used in the dialogues.
5. Note what is being said with respect to the communication situation.
6. Test yourself, verbally, in English, to see if you really understand the grammar, usage, etc. For example, ask yourself such questions as:
   • How do I form a question?
   • What pattern do I use to compare two things?
   • What are the restrictions on using this word?
   • How do I express an apology in this language?
7. Never stop here! Proceed to the audio work on the dialogues.
8. After dialogue work, go on to the drills in a similar manner. Make sure you understand the point of the drill before you do it on the audio.

A: There is no upper limit. Language learning, like all other skill training, means overlearning. Eight to ten hours per week at the minimum is a useful rough guide.

A: It will never work! audio work requires such intensive concentration that it can only be effectively sustained for short periods of time. Invariably, attention span and concentration waiver in marathon sessions. Find the limit of your own "audio attention span." It may be as short as 20 to 30 minutes at a given time.

Remember: audio work should be spread evenly over the entire week-- Many short sessions, even on a given day, are preferable to one long session. Incidentally, experience shows that "catching up" on audio work, unlike doing so in reading, is virtually impossible. So don't procrastinate and don't fall behind!

A: Maybe that is the problem: "putting in audio time" as if you are a sponge and time is all that counts. You can "put in time" by mindlessly repeating material while your attention drifts away. This malady, known as "audio hypnosis," often results from undirected, unfocused audio work or from trying to do too much at once. The cure is short, sharply focused audio sessions.

A: Keep in mind that you want to learn to speak this language. Silently mouthing the language (or mumbling it) to a native-speaker will never work, unless he or she is an excellent lip reader. Learning to speak means speaking aloud. Repeat audio material in a strong voice, with vigor.

A: Yes. You've missed the whole point of audio work: to train your mouth and ears. Of course your way is easy -- You're letting your eyes do all the work. Unfortunately, you won't have access to a teleprompter when communicating with native-speakers. As a rule, the text (dialogue or drill) should be studied before an audio exercise, but should not be open during the exercise. Audio work means weening yourself from visual crutches.

A: Most production drills and exercises on audio require comprehension as a necessary ingredient. Therefore, concentrated practice on comprehension only, without speaking, should be a part of your audio work. Practice listening to utterances by turning off the machine and checking yourself closely on how well you really understood what was said. Did you get it the first time? Drills, exercises, dialogues, ‹just about anything on the audio), can be used for this sort of intensive comprehension work.