Teaching Speaking - Advice
Some advice for different aspects of your teaching related to the skill of speaking.
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Teaching isn’t a job that is a walk in the park. It’s very heartfully rewarding but it can take years to get it right. Partly, it is about finding the right teaching position that suits who you are as a teacher, your beliefs and talents. Still, there are a lot of other things to consider.
Here, I outline some thoughts and advice for different aspects of teaching. Some might hit home, no matter your level of teaching experience.
The Teacher's Role: The teacher's role will depend upon the the subject and the content. But in general, teachers should act more as facilitators, especially language teachers. Model speaking with students as participants. Teachers should deliver lessons as much as possible in English. Teachers too, are engineers of human souls, so be conscious of your impact on students as a role model. You, the teacher are a kind of magician, it’s up to you to create the right atmosphere in class to lower students’ affective filters and anxiety.
Preparation: A speaking lesson must be thought through and prepared as much or more than any other skill-based lesson. Don’t assume the contrary. Be prepared for problems that might arise. Have a plan B if the lesson doesn’t get students engaged or understanding.
Classroom Management: A speaking focused lesson can get pretty noisy and loud. That’s great but also make sure students can hear each other. Model voice control by speaking softly, students will catch on. Further, have some basic management signals to start, pause and stop activities. Seating should be so students can face each other and also walk around.
Wait Time: Teachers need to pause and wait for students to process the language and provide a response. Count at least to 5 after asking a question and wait for a reply! Cognitive overload is a big issue in 2nd language learning. Further, you should speak clearly, pausing longer than usual between sentences. Avoid “teacher talk” and slowing down your speech so it’s unnatural.
Teacher Talk Time: Teacher Talk Time (TTT) is a contentious issue. There are times when a teacher might provide valuable input to students by speaking a lot. However, the focus should be on student speaking time and students learning English socially by interacting with their peers. Take a constructivist approach.
Modifications: Lower-level students might need you to modify the lesson materials. Provide lower-level students with appropriate leveled materials and supports like a text copy, subtitles or images to support understanding. However, the focus should be on language production, general understanding and not understanding every letter of the lesson materials.
Materials: Try to be materials light. Not a lot of materials. The objective is to get students speaking like they would in the real world, without a piece of paper or reference to a text. Slowly move students away from speaking supported by text. Use pictures, flashcards for example.
Lesson Delivery: Try to teach inductively. Often the speaking part and activity of a lesson is cut short by the school bell. Turn your lesson plan upside down and do the speaking activity first. Let students have a “shot” and then assess what needs to be explained, directly taught. Often, you’ll find students enjoy this flipped “give it a go” approach more.
Correction and Feedback: Although students often expect immediate correction, try to focus on communication during the lesson and less on accuracy. After the lesson activity, as a whole class, you can note some errors many students are making. If you do correct immediately, do so through echoing and repeating correctly the student’s error.
Activity Length: If students are speaking and actively engaged, let the speaking continue! Don’t stick too strictly to your lesson plan. It should be a guide. If there is a lot of communication in English going on – that equals success so just keep it going.
Assessment: Keep assessment simple and transparent. Let students and parents know how their learning will be assessed. Use formative assessments, ongoing and low-stakes, allowing you to modify instruction as needed. If possible, even build the criteria for assessment with students, so they know your expectations.
Teacher Well-Being: Learn to forgive yourself and start each day refreshed, anew. Let go of old failures. Keep positive. Keep trying your best and eventually, the stress, the friction will abide and you'll find your teaching groove. Find ways to get away from teaching mentally, be they sports, hobbies, friends or just getting away. Learn to be able to step back so to jump further ahead.
Take a look at these questions about teaching speaking. How would you answer - reflect and learn.
See our full list of Teaching Speaking, suggested activities and more …