Speaking in Class

I recommend spending the first 5-10 minutes of each lesson checking your students’ lives, events and jobs. Speaking to them increases the willingness of fellow classmates to listen, since it could be them being the narrator. Besides it enhances the knowledge of each other’s lives.

Furthermore it’s an excellent way to start the class; after hastily switching from their previous class it gives them a chance to settle down before diving into new grammatical issues or otherwise demanding tasks.

Suitable topics to be used: anything current such as “how was your weekend?”, or the last major feature film they watched in the cinema, up to size of their family [siblings] will do. Steer clear of nasty details regarding going out and amounts of alcohol intake, since it will only result in giggles and many people in class feeling left out since they did not witness aforesaid situation.

Omitting your regular “speaking” for 5-10 mins will quickly result in students enquiring after it, since they too enjoy a break from routine! If you want even mor merit to come from this, write down their hobbies and future plans. They will enjoy you enquiring after their sports achievements and what not.

At the top of this page there’s a YouTube clip from a student who spoke out to his history teacher about being more engaging. Someone taped it and after that it went viral. 

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