KOTESOL: Troubleshooting Speaking – What to Do When Your Students Won’t Speak

It’s a language teacher’s nightmare: a conversation class in which students don’t speak. Confronted by blank stares and a deafening silence broken only by your own voice, what’s a teacher to do? Here are a few questions you might ask yourself, and you can use the answers to help pinpoint and troubleshoot the problem. Your students will be chatty in no time! 

Am I talking too much?

Do you believe a teacher must be at the center of activities in order to maintain control? That you must be communicating information at all times, or it’s not really teaching? Do you fill uncomfortable silences after you ask a question, or do you repeat everything the students say? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might be talking too much.

This is one of the hardest lessons for teachers to learn, because it feels so counter-intuitive; but really, sometimes teachers need to just shut up. Here are some easy ways to reduce your teacher talk time:

a) If students can say it, let them say it. Instead of the teacher counting off students to make new groups, why not let the students say the numbers/animals/colors while the teacher just gestures? Instead of the teacher naming each picture on the flashcards, why not ask, “What’s this?” and try to elicit the word from the students? (Better yet, hand the flashcards to a student, and let the student take on the teacher’s role.) Are you naming the characters in the story you’re creating, or is that something the students could do? Look for places in your lesson where you’re telling instead of asking; you might be surprised how often it’s possible to elicit from the students!

b) Stop parroting. When students say something, don’t repeat it unless you’re intentionally rephrasing their answer to fix grammar or pronunciation. If a student is speaking too softly for others to hear, don’t repeat it for them; instead, walk away from the student and from a distance, ask him or her to say it again, more loudly this time.

c) Remember to KISS: Keep It Short and Simple. Strip down your sentences so they’re less complicated—but don’t compromise grammar to do so. It’s also worth planning out your instructions in advance so they are as short and clear as possible. Remember that gestures and modeling can go a long way! Student models can also help communicate meaning. Instead of endlessly, fruitlessly repeating your instructions, indicate students who are doing what you’ve asked, and simply say, “Like this.” Once the meaning is clear, you can use that instruction more easily in the future.

d) Stop answering your own questions. Students need time to process and formulate an answer. You might have to wait up to ninety seconds for a response, but it’ll come—as long as the students have understood the question.

2. Are the topics interesting and relevant to students?

This might seem obvious, but it’s vital enough to bear repeating: if students aren’t interested, they’re less likely to be motivated to talk. Personalizing the topic can help with this. Who cares how many brothers and sisters “Tom” has? How many brothers and sisters do your students have?

Related to this is the idea of accessibility. The topic and ideas must be accessible and relevant in order for students to connect with them meaningfully. For example, my university’s English textbook has a lesson called “Would you mind?” that involves talking about chores such as mowing the lawn and raking the yard. My students understand the meaning, but these tasks are generally outside the realm of my students’ experience. They’re less likely to engage with these concepts than something that has meaning to them. As much as possible, try personalizing the topics, bringing in your students’ interests, culture, and home life. Your students probably have a lot to say about these topics!

3. Am I giving the students time to reflect and practice?

You might need to give your students more time to think and/or an opportunity to practice with a partner before speaking in front of the class. Many teachers use a “think-pair-share” formulation, which gives students time to think about their answer alone, discuss their ideas with a partner, and then share their answers with the class. This can be very effective; if a student has practiced their response or compared their answers with a partner, they’ll be more confident and thus more willing to speak in front of the class. After all, if they’re wrong, their partner is wrong, too, so the responsibility is shared.

4. Do the students understand what I’m asking them to do?

So you’ve got an interesting topic, you’re routinely asking and eliciting instead of telling, and now you’re patiently waiting for an answer to your question. And waiting. And waiting…. The trouble in this case might be that students don’t understand what you’re asking. They might not even understand that you’ve just asked them a question! Make sure your question is clear and simple (see “Remember to KISS,” above), and you might wish to preface it with, “I’ve got a question.” If there’s still no response, you might try letting the students discuss the question in pairs. That will let them check their understanding of the question, privately ask for clarification, and begin to craft an answer they can be confident about.

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Gwangju-Jeonnam April Chapter Meeting

Date: April 12 (Saturday), 1:45 pm

Place: Chosun University, Main Building, Left/North Wing, Room 4211

Featured Presentations

• Montessori Method for ELT – Seneca Ryan
• Communicative Activities for Large Classes – Matt Stonham

Swap-Shop: Share your teaching ideas and activities with the group.

Details at: http://www.koreatesol.org/content/gwangju-jeonnam

Admission: No Charge

Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL

Website:    http://koreatesol.org/gwangju

Email:        gwangju@koreatesol.org

Twitter:      @GwangjuKOTESOL

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The Author

Lindsay Herron is Treasurer of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of Korea TESOL (KOTESOL). On behalf of the Chapter, she invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops at their monthly meetings and special events. Lindsay is a visiting professor at Gwangju National University of Education, where she has taught for the past six years. She is also presently the National Membership Committee Chair of KOTESOL and a chair on the International Conference Committee.