Coaching Conversation
The teacher will be kept busy. There will be a kickoff lesson and a wind up talk on the speech target, management instructions, timing and monitoring of the organizational structure. Monitoring of the students' conversations can be productive if one or two minute mini lessons and student demonstrations punctuate the class. The teacher is the coach, alert and responsive - strict with slackers, sympathetic with the frustrated, quick with praise whenever success is found, and ready with advice and demonstrations for those who need help.
The teacher as coach urges the class to agree to temporarily put aside differences in learning style. The class is asked to assume a single learning style. From this perspective this approach to conversation teaching does not seem like a year - long idea. Don't chuck out the course book yet.
On the other hand, if coaching is your strong teaching style some use of this approach may help you bring out the best in your students. One thing is certain. You will bring out into the classroom lots of learner language. Some folks call it data. Next thing you know you'll be able to write home about your research.