“How can I improve my oral English?”
If you haven’t gotten this very general question already you certainly will at some point in your ESL teaching career.
This question can be quite difficult to answer. The shortest answer to this question is simply,
“Speak English as much and as often as you can.”
If students use their English it will get better; even if they are all alone and speaking to themselves. You can also suggest that they talk through actions in their every day life (e.g. “I am pouring milk into my cereal bowl. I am picking up my spoon and using it to eat my breakfast”).
Getting students to speak in the classroom
Now we know that speaking is the best way to improve oral English. The next question is how to get every student to speak while they are in class. The only way to do this is to make students feel relaxed and not worried about making mistakes, looking stupid, etc.
Creating a relaxed atmosphere in the classroom
The goal is to make a relaxed atmosphere without losing control. Some teachers will act very animated, loud, and crazy in class to get students laughing and make them feel more comfortable. This is usually not the best way to create the relaxed speaking environment you are looking for, especially with a middle school class. Middle school students will take you as a “joke” and think that they can just goof off on your classroom. They will say, “she’s the fun, crazy teacher that doesn’t care about discipline or ‘real’ teaching.”
Here are 5 good tips for creating a relaxed speaking environment and getting your students to use their English. http://www.teachabroadchina.com/esl-class-teaching-english-ideas/
Comments
Leave a Reply