Students who have studied English six years still can't speak it. The best textbooks, teaching materials, syllabi, and even regular visits from a native speaker will ultimately fail, however, if the ordinary classroom English teachers do not model and use English communicatively in their classrooms. As the primary exposure students have to living English, the regular English teachers are the most important people in the English education of their students.
Always Use English When Opening and Closing The Class
It's not very important that elementary students learn exactly what Let's begin means in the their native language. They will understand the basic idea if you use it at the beginning of every class.
Teach Your Students "Classroom English"
Teach the students classroom expressions appropriate for their level; for example, I don't know, I don't understand, Once again please, Just a minute, What's ~ in L1 (English)?, etc.
Try To Use Only One Or Two Expressions For The Same Activity
By limiting the number of classroom expressions the teacher uses, the students will learn the expressions faster. For example, in an elementary class you could use Open your books to page ~, even if the students' books are already open. Later, you can introduce the expression Turn to page ~. Some students will only understand ...page ~ anyway, so both expressions will have the same meaning to them. Other students, however, will figure out the two meanings without being explicitly taught.
Use Handouts For Written English Communication
Use English for very simple instructions such as Please write ~, Answer the following questions, English only, please, etc. Read the instructions to the students and explain the instructions by modeling what you what them to do (e.g., pretend to write answers as you read the questions aloud, or interview a student and pretend to write down what she or he says).
Teach Grammar In English Too
For teachers who have never taught grammar in English, nor seen it done, it may seem like an impossible task. But it can be done easily. Start with what the students know. For example, if you are teaching present progressive (be doing), you can start by reviewing the present tense. Show the students a few sentences like
She plays soccer every week.
He cooks spaghetti every Tuesday.
Make sure the students understand these sentences. Then change every week or every Tuesday to now, plays to is playing, and cooks to is cooking.
She is playing soccer now.
He is cooking spaghetti now.
Give the students a few more sentences in present tense. After changing every week into now, ask a couple of students what to put in place of the verb in present tense.
At the elementary level, pictures will make it a little easier for the students to understand and help you avoid the temptation to translate vocabulary.
Have Confidence In Your Own Ability
This is essential. The students need a model of a confident ESL speaker to inspire confidence in themselves. Though communicating in English for an hour at a time is difficult for many teachers, the practice you get in class will make it increasingly easy and more habitual.
Correct But Don't Criticize Your Students
If you want your students to experiment, guess, and practice, you should encourage these behaviors. Let the students know you are pleased that they are trying even if what they say is incorrect. When they make a mistake, praise them for answering and then ask them to try again, tell them the correct
Conclusion
A thousand meetings, the best textbooks, creative teaching materials, even native speakers visiting the classroom aren't going to "give" ESL students English communicative ability. Only by using English communicatively with their teacher and classmates will students develop the ability to speak English.
Conversely, your students won't attempt to communicate in English if you are unwilling to do so yourself. You aren't just teaching spelling, vocabulary, and grammar in class, you are indirectly teaching your students the value of communicating in English. If you don't show your students by using English that you think it's important, they won't think it is. If students are taught primarily in their native language, they may learn how to read English, they may learn how to write English, they may learn how to translate English, but they aren't very likely to learn how to speak English.
Appendix I: Classroom English for Teachers
For non-native speaker English teachers who are worried about using non-grammatical or non-idiomatic expressions while teaching, here's a list of classroom expressions based on American English..
These expressions are not for the students to study per se. But, in context and with appropriate gestures from the teacher, the students should roughly understand the meaning and be able to respond. If you must translate any of these expressions because gestures didn't clarify the meaning, only translate them the first few times you use them. Words in parentheses ( ) are optional. When words are separated by a slash /, choose only one.
Greetings:
• Hello.
• Good morning (class/everyone).
• Good afternoon (class/everyone).
• That's all for today.
• Goodbye.
• See you tomorrow/next week/Friday.
Directions:
• Stand up.
• Sit down. /Be seated.
• Open your (text)books/notebooks (to page ~/chapter ~/section ~).
• Turn to page ~.
• Look at page/part/number ~.
• Close your books/notebooks.
• Take out your pen/pencil/notebook/textbook/homework/~.
• Put your pen/papers/books/everything/~ away/in your desks/in your bags.
• Pass your notebooks/tests/papers/homework to the front/to me.
• Here is/are your tests/your homework/your notebooks/~.
• Take one (handout/test/copy/~).
• Come to the blackboard/front.
• Translate this into English/L1.
• Write the answer on the chalkboard/in your notebooks.
• Listen carefully.
• Read page ~ (aloud).
• Repeat after me. /Repeat ~./Again.
• Practice (~).
• Check your/your partner's answers.
(Please can be used with the above expressions.)
Transitions:
• First (of all)...?
• Next...
• For example...
• Now let's ~.
• After that...
Questions:
• Who knows (the answer)?
• Who knows (~)?
• Who understands?
• Who can tell me (~) ?
• Who will volunteer (to ~)?/Who will do it?
• Who has a question (about ~)?
• What's ~ in English?/What does it/~ mean in English?
• What's ~ in L1?/What does it/~ mean in L1.
• What's the answer?
• Do you understand?
• Do you know (~)?
• Do you have any questions?
• Can you tell me (~)?
• Will you volunteer (to ~)?/Will you do it?
• Who's absent today?
Disciplinary Expressions:
• Be quiet./Stop talking./No talking.
• Calm down.
• Stop that./Stop it.
• Don't do that.
• Put that/~ away.
• Listen (to me)..
• Look (at me).
(Please can be used with the above expressions--but if the teacher is very angry or frustrated she or he probably wouldn't use it.)
• What are you doing?
• Are you listening?
• Are you paying attention?
Appendix ll: Classroom English For Students
Lists of expressions like these seem to be circulating everywhere for good reason. Students need to learn these kinds of expressions if they are to communicate in English in class. Naturally teachers should help them with pronunciation, meaning, and usage. Especially at the elementary level it may be useful to provide the meanings in L1 or ask the students to write them in. Teachers may want to suggest that the students paste the list inside the front cover of their notebooks so they can refer to it easily during class. As with Appendix I, there are many other good expressions which aren't listed here.
• Excuse me?
• (Are you speaking to) me?
• I didn't hear you.
• Again, please.
• More slowly, please.
• Just a minute, please.
• Ms. ~/Mr. ~.
• I'm thinking.
• I don't understand. (Huh?)
• I don't know.
• How do you say this word?
• What does ~ mean?
• What's ~ in English?
• What's ~ in L1?
• I think ~.
• One more please.
• That's easy/difficult/strange.
• Please help me.
