Teachers of English as a second language need classroom communication activities to help students develop communicative competence. A procedure which uses a group-learning approach and which ensures real communication is the "Strip Story," an adaptation of scrambled story exercises in which each student is given one sentence of a story or anecdote at random; the sentences are numbered and the story must be reassembled strictly through verbal interaction. Five adult Japanese students were given the Strip Story exercises for a period of four weeks, with the hypothesis that student and group-oriented techniques like the Strip Story--wherein students have ultimate responsibility for their learning, the teacher is a 'facilitator of learning,' and adult learner characteristics are respected--produce increased listening comprehension and a more positive attitude toward English. Results showed that: (1) listening comprehension is an active process (not passive as is generally thought); (2) students use extralinguistic cues to convey meaning; (3) students produce real unpredictable communication, the problem itself stimulating interest; (4) a non-threatening atmosphere is more conducive to learning; (5) students are able to retain their own identity, as they draw on their own resources; and (6) students generally felt more positive about learning and speaking English. Further research is suggested, and strip stories and test results are appended. (Author/MHP)