Speaking

Let's talk about speaking!

I could make this email really short: Speaking does not improve English proficiency. Speaking just shows the English that students have already acquired. Therefore, requiring students to speak doesn't do anything to help them learn more English--only reading and listening can do that.

However, it's not as simple as all that. Part of school is showing what you have learned, and a big way of doing that is speaking, either by volunteering answers in class, doing a presentation, or even just talking with classmates in a discussion or for a group project. Therefore, sometimes students will have to talk. It's also vital for students to feel comfortable enough speaking that they can ask their teacher for help or for clarification.

So what can we do to encourage speaking in our emergent bilinguals and help them feel more comfortable? Here are some ideas.

  • I feel like I say this in every email, but: create a relationship. Students are more willing to take a risk and talk in their non-native language if they are comfortable with the teacher and class. You can do this through simply smiling at them (if they REALLY don't speak much English), chatting with them, learning some phrases in their native language, etc.
  • Provide alternatives. Instead of participating in a class discussion, allow them to write down their comments. Instead of giving a presentation in front of the whole class, allow them to do it with just you or with a small group.
  • Give examples of what you're looking for. It could be sample comments for a discussion, possible questions they may need to ask you, or even an example speech (given by you or shared from YouTube).
  • Give sentence starters or cloze sentences. "I agree with ______________ because..." "I'm having trouble with ________________." "The topic of my presentation is ______________." "I got ______________ for number 1."
  • Partner students with those who speak their language, other ESL students, or any sympathetic student.
  • And finally, adjust your expectations for English learners. Recognize that they are speaking in their non-native language and are going to have difficulty. You can make accommodations, modify the assignment, and/or justify your grading, taking their level of English proficiency into account.

I hope this gives you some ideas for how to handle and encourage speaking in our emergent bilinguals!