TEYL - Get Young Learners Talking

Summary

This video script offers insights for English teachers to foster an engaging classroom environment that encourages students to speak English confidently. It advises against explicit error correction for young learners, as it can be embarrassing and ineffective. Instead, teachers should focus on creating a comfortable atmosphere with meaning-focused activities and teach students to use classroom language through posters and practical phrases. This approach helps build students' confidence and promotes more English communication in the classroom.

Takeaways

• 😀 Creating a fun, interesting, and motivating classroom atmosphere is crucial for encouraging students to speak English.
• 🎶 For very young learners under 7 years old, songs, chants, and simple games can be effective tools to practice speaking English.
• 📚 As learners grow older, teachers need to help them become more confident in using English in the classroom.
• 🙅‍♂️ Explicitly correcting students' errors can be embarrassing and is not effective for promoting more speaking in class.
• 🗣️ Speaking activities should be meaning-focused, and teachers should foster an environment that encourages students to speak out.
• 🚫 Avoid explicitly correcting students' errors to maintain a comfortable atmosphere for speaking.
• 🔍 Teach students useful chunks of language they can use frequently in class, such as 'I don't understand', 'Can you repeat that?', and 'What page is it?'.
• 📜 Use posters with expressions to encourage the use of classroom language, pointing to them when the situation arises in class.
• 🏫 If you don't have a permanent classroom, you can set up posters at the beginning of class and take them down at the end.
• 🌟 Teaching classroom language will help students become more confident in speaking English and encourage more use of the language.

Q & A

What is the primary goal for English teachers when encouraging students to speak English?

The primary goal is to create a classroom atmosphere that is fun, interesting, and motivating, making students feel comfortable and confident to speak English.

Why is it important for students to feel comfortable in the classroom before speaking English?

Feeling comfortable is crucial because if students are not at ease, it will be very difficult to encourage them to speak out and practice their English.

What methods can be used for young learners under 7 years old to practice speaking English?

Songs, chants, and simple games can be used to engage young learners and encourage them to practice speaking English.

How should teachers approach correcting students' errors in the classroom?

Teachers should not correct students' errors explicitly, as it can be embarrassing and ineffective. Instead, they should focus on creating a comfortable atmosphere that encourages speaking.

What is the correct answer to the question 'Should teachers correct students' errors explicitly?'

False. Explicitly correcting errors is not recommended as it can hinder the promotion of good oral communication.

What is a useful tip for teachers to promote student use of classroom language?

One useful tip is to teach students useful chunks of language that they can use frequently in class, such as 'I don't understand, can you repeat that?' or 'What page is it?'.

How can posters be used to encourage students to use classroom language?

Posters with expressions that students should use can be displayed in the classroom. Teachers can point to these posters during relevant situations to remind students of the phrases.

What can a teacher do if a student asks to repeat instructions in the teacher's native language?

The teacher can encourage the student to ask in English by saying 'Please ask me in English,' and then pointing to the relevant poster with the phrase 'Can you repeat that, please?'.

How can teachers help students learn English words for common phrases they might not know, like 'porfavor'?

Teachers can guide students by asking 'How do you say porfavor in English?' and then teach them the correct English translation.

What is the suggested method for using posters with classroom language expressions in a classroom without a permanent setup?

Teachers can put up the posters at the beginning of the class and take them down at the end to create a temporary, English-speaking environment.

What is the overall strategy suggested in the script for creating a comfortable English-speaking environment in the classroom?

The overall strategy includes not correcting errors explicitly and teaching students to use classroom language, which can help young learners become more confident in speaking English.