Dealing with speaking

Time and time again, teachers have told us that production skills in English are the most challenging to improve for students. There are many students who say that they know how to ace a grammar or vocabulary test in school... But when it comes to speaking in class, they simply don't feel like they can contribute. Adding the fact that many of us English teachers have to teach presential, online or hybrid classes... Practising speaking has been pushed to one side in favour of "easier" skills to teach. So, it is safe to say that we see it as a matter of priority to help students develop speaking skills.

In order to get to the root of the issue, we spoke with teachers from different schools. Here is what they told us:

The fact of the matter is: teachers prioritise other skills, like reading and writing, in order to better prepare students for university. But are we preparing our students for life?

Many students told us that they practise speaking English online with English speakers while playing games. Therefore, it's not a question of students being disinterested in English. Students regularly engage with games; therefore, why not use games to help them learn? Why not apply gaming elements to the classroom to help make learning more accessible? Gamification provides a stepping stone to help students connect with English in class, in order to gain confidence in speaking and express themselves better.

Here are some interesting articles that mention the many benefits of introducing gamification into your lessons!