WHOLE-CLASS WORK

6.1 Encouraging students to speak

My students hate speaking. They say almost nothing in class, especially in wholeclass work. So, I end up speaking a lot. It doesn't feel right.

Aim

To get students talking to each other as much as possible.

Introduction

Speaking is daunting for many students who find it hard to get the courage to open their mouths, especially in front of the whole class. They may be frightened of making mistakes, of saying things their peers will deem foolish, of not having anything to say.

Whereas you might (just) be able to get away with a physics lesson in which mainly (or only) the teacher spoke, it wouldn't be much of a language lesson if the only person to get practice using English was the teacher. Encouraging students to speak is an important part of classroom work, and it's important to find ways to encourage all students to take part.

Technique: Creating the conditions for speaking

Some ideas that may help learners feel more able to speak.

• 1 Build an atmosphere where people want to say things

• For whole-class discussions, keep the mood relaxed, engaged and lively. Being asked to say something should feel like a great chance for learners to give their ideas, rather than having a huge spotlight turned on them.

• 2 Create reasons to speak

• Frame your topics as questions, puzzles or problems, rather than as plain statements.

• 3 Use picture cues

• Show pictures to help inspire reactions and ideas.