by Belen » Fri Nov 03, 2017 7:49 pm
*LOOK AGAIN AT THE SPEAKING ACTIVITIES MENTIONED IN EXERCISE 1: ROLE PLAY, SHOW AND TELL, DEBATE, CONVERSATION AND CHAT. DO YOU USE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPEAKING ACTIVITIES? WHY / WHY NOT?
First of all, I try to use as many different activities as possible, specially speaking activities, although it is not always easy. The main problem I always find is that the students give up very easily and turn into their mother tongue as soon as they don’t know a word or can’t find a way to say something. The Role play activity is excellent because they can prepare it beforehand, and since it is not “real”, they can really “adapt” their language to the role they are acting out. Show and tell is also an easy to manage activity, as the students prepare beforehand what they want to say and there is no room for improvisation, not at least during the oral presentation. For the debate or conversation, even if the students have time to prepare the, it is difficult to make them speak in front of everybody.
* HERE ARE SOME OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES, WHICH WE LOOKED AT IN EXERCISE
2:WHAT DO YOU DO TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS?
For the mistakes, I would only concentrate in the mistakes that are really hindering the communication or in very repetitive mistakes. To help the students to introduce their ideas, I would introduce some key phrases like: From my point of view, I think…; My opinion is…, to help them build correct and simple sentences.
Not all the students are very keen on participating, and I think we should respect that somehow. Anyway, to make them participate I ask them to speak in two occasions at least, so they just need to concentrate on speaking in those two moments. Also, the idea of working in small groups is a good one, as they will feel more confident.
When the students are not interested in the topic I don’t blame them, as the same happened to me when I was a student (and still today as a teacher, with the topics we fins in books). The fact is not that they don’t have things to say, but that when they have to say them in English, then they are not as interested as they are in their mother tongue. I have sometimes tried to agree on a topic with them, but I have not really seen a big difference.
*LOOK AGAIN AT THE SPEAKING ACTIVITIES MENTIONED IN EXERCISE 1: ROLE PLAY, SHOW AND TELL, DEBATE, CONVERSATION AND CHAT. DO YOU USE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SPEAKING ACTIVITIES? WHY / WHY NOT?
First of all, I try to use as many different activities as possible, specially speaking activities, although it is not always easy. The main problem I always find is that the students give up very easily and turn into their mother tongue as soon as they don’t know a word or can’t find a way to say something. The Role play activity is excellent because they can prepare it beforehand, and since it is not “real”, they can really “adapt” their language to the role they are acting out. Show and tell is also an easy to manage activity, as the students prepare beforehand what they want to say and there is no room for improvisation, not at least during the oral presentation. For the debate or conversation, even if the students have time to prepare the, it is difficult to make them speak in front of everybody.
* HERE ARE SOME OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES, WHICH WE LOOKED AT IN EXERCISE
2:WHAT DO YOU DO TO SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS?
For the mistakes, I would only concentrate in the mistakes that are really hindering the communication or in very repetitive mistakes. To help the students to introduce their ideas, I would introduce some key phrases like: From my point of view, I think…; My opinion is…, to help them build correct and simple sentences.
Not all the students are very keen on participating, and I think we should respect that somehow. Anyway, to make them participate I ask them to speak in two occasions at least, so they just need to concentrate on speaking in those two moments. Also, the idea of working in small groups is a good one, as they will feel more confident.
When the students are not interested in the topic I don’t blame them, as the same happened to me when I was a student (and still today as a teacher, with the topics we fins in books). The fact is not that they don’t have things to say, but that when they have to say them in English, then they are not as interested as they are in their mother tongue. I have sometimes tried to agree on a topic with them, but I have not really seen a big difference.
