What is your approach for teaching speaking skills ?
As for me , we usually have debates on topics the students are passionate about.
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I try to make sure that the student understands that to start speaking he/she has to literally start speaking! Even though it sounds funny, without getting over your fear of making mistakes and sounding stupid, one will never learn how to speak. And my job is to encourage the student all the way.
Through conversational practice. The student is usually more relaxed and speaks more. That way you can correct their pronunciation, sentence structure and teach them more words if need be.
Beginning with what is easier to pronounce and practice
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For me ,i usually have Topics for discussion related to the level and field of the learners,organize group work or working in pairs ..storytelling etc.
Uno degli approcci del mio insegnamento è incoraggiare la studente o lo studente a imparare dai propri errori, diventando protagonista attivo del suo stesso apprendimento. Come in una sorta di teatro potrà parlare col tempo in maniera fluida di ciò che gli interessa, fino a sviluppare col tempo il proprio talento e la propria creatività.
Oral communication or conversational English should be taught according the students requirements. If the student is a Doctor medical terminology is essential. This applies to any profession. Conversational English must not be used in emails.
The first thing which is needed is to start with some basic conversations such as greeting and asking for directions in order to increase the confidence of the students and get them interested. These conversations must be based on daily activities so that the learners can actually see their effect in their real life. The next phase would be to introduce some basic grammar structure such as the combination of subjects and auxiliary verbs to help them produce short sentences and then get into the real grammar because without grammar speaking is impossible.
We listen to short podcasts then we talk about the topic discussed in the podcast, same thing we do with watching short videos, we play games that trigger critical thinking topics, we choose topics and we make a spontaneous conversation or debate all along. There are plenty of ideas especially when allowing technology in the classroom.
Well with young learners under age 12,I will first highlight the key words,and then use different colors to tag each phonetic sound,after they can speak out the key words by themselves,they can read the sentence in the conversation.For adults,I guess you use the letter signs after each key words and change the roles in the conversation,practice again and again.
- LafestaTESOL certified English teacher. I have experience teaching Russian and Ukrainian languages.
In my opinion, question and answer based approach is the best.
For me, I use clear pronunciation, appropriate pacing, and volume. I also believe in providing constructive feedback on the student's speaking skills and I highlight areas for improvement and offer strategies for improvement. Expanding students' vocabulary by introducing new words and phrases, and providing opportunities for students to use them in speaking activities.
