This paper is developed from the author's firsthand experience in leading his English Conversation students through a yearlong class exercise designed to train them in a variety of skills. The activity, the actual production of a television sitcom, forces students to use English toward the accomplishment of an established goal. Along the way, they also learn a variety of interpersonal skills that will prove essential to success in their various careers. This pragmatic article demonstrates, in a step-by-step fashion, how energetic instructors can wean their students from a teacher-centered class with a focus upon a textbook, toward a more motivational and holistic student-centered method of learning and language use that takes advantage of the strengths of each individual.
