Questions begin conversations when answered. In an educational setting, the conversation topic needs not be limited to those typically characterized in textbooks, such as, "That is a tree." Teachers engage language acquisition when they ask a question (Q), learners responds (R) and teachers reply with another question (Q). A meaningful topic makes a more meaningful lesson. This is why many card games in education come attached with carefully worded, topical question sheets for teachers. When Q-R-Q becomes comfortable, learners feel less stressed about perfect articulation. Many conversation games begin with questions which can be easily answered with "yes" or "no" in order to facilitate the next, deeper question.
Once the conversation card game begins, all participants must speak in order to win. This may seem daunting to some learners, but the activity's equality and inclusiveness levels the playing field. Players who dare to attempt a difficult answer dare to score big for it! This can provide extrinsic motivation for competitive learners. Nurturing teachers can design game rules to allow for any mistakes made by learners with less speaking confidence. Therefore, it is important for teachers to ensure that all learners can reasonably understand all questions on the cards.
Game cards can be designed to suit a myriad of conversations. Teachers who frequently use conversation cards could eventually acquire one deck for a wide variety of topics, and select it by the day. Some topics include communicating feelings, compassion, stress breakers and job skills. Teachers can attach a paradigm containing one language for each suit: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. The numbers on the cards could determine the points for the question. Then, a class project: learners could develop their own conversation card game questions. The deck itself could be assessed for language marks and deployed to see if the game succeeds.
The wildest card in education is fun, because learners determine its value. In a 2008 study published in the "Journal of Statistics Education," researchers reported that "...usage of fun is actually effective in enhancing the quality of students’ learning and overall experience" in the study of statistics. The test group of learners in the study recalled and retained more topic information when humor was used. Conversation instructors can translate that into funny questions which are likely to produce funny answers. A fun game makes for enjoyable conversation and language skill development.