“You’re going to make
1,000,000 mistakes...
…so start making them today!”
How to teach ‘speaking’ in the ESL
classroom—
·
Activities
may include:
o
imitating
(repeating),
o
answering
verbal cues,
o
interactive
conversation,
·
Speaking
activities inherently engage the practice of listening skills as well
IMPORTANT: Imitation.
Provide
audio/visual opportunities for students to hear native speakers: speeches,
videos, movie clips, songs, television, etc.
Have “Mimic
Competitions” – challenge students to try to sound like the people in the above
mentioned settings.
Read
everything you can aloud – hear yourself, let others hear you, strengthen the face/mouth
muscles for specific non-native (to you) sounds in the target language.
MUSIC –
fluidity, pronunciation, auditory training (NOT grammar! L )
(Jesse)
Conversation
Tips
- Speak about location: Americans love to talk about
location. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they are from and
then make a connection with that place. For example: "Oh, I have a
friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says it's a beautiful place to
live." Most Americans will then willingly talk about their
experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.
- Talk about work: Americans commonly ask
"What do you do?". It's not considered impolite (as in some
countries) and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
- Talk about sports: Americans love sports!
However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most
Americans understand "American Football", not soccer.
- Be careful when expressing ideas
about race, religion or other sensitive topics: The United States is a
multi-cultural society. Especially in the last few years, Americans are
trying very hard to be sensitive to other cultures and ideas. Talking
about sensitive topics, like religion or beliefs, is often avoided in
order to be sure not to offend someone of a different belief system. This
is often referred to as being "politically correct".
Addressing
People
- Use last names with people you
do not know:
Address people using their title (Mr, Ms, Dr) and their last names.
- Always use "Ms" when
addressing women:
It is important to use "Ms" when addressing a woman. Only use
"Mrs" when the woman has asked you to do so!
- Many Americans prefer first
names:
Americans often prefer using first names, even when dealing with people in
very different positions. Americans will generally say, "Call me
Tom." and then expect you to remain on a first name basis.
- Americans prefer informal: In general, Americans prefer
informal greetings and using first names or nicknames when speaking with
colleagues and acquaintances.
Public
Behavior
- Always shake hands: Americans shake hands when
greeting each other. This is true for both men and women. Other forms of
greeting, such as kissing on the cheeks, etc., are generally not
appreciated.
- Look your partner in the eye: Americans look each other in
the eyes when they are speaking as a way of showing that they are sincere.
Good Links:
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