Teaching/ studying online is getting more and more popular among teachers and students due to the fact of the pandemic. Besides all the good things that this form of teaching can bring, one of the struggles that teachers sometimes have a hard time dealing with is how to motivate these shy kids who can excel in other skills but still find it difficult to speak. Most of the time, they know how to do it but they are merely afraid to do so.
So the question is, how to motivate these children to be involved in activities during classes?
Below are a number of ways that teachers can apply while teaching to have more of an effective class when pupils can speak confidently because as ESL teachers, our job is not only to teach but also to inspire learners to step out of their comfort zone and to reduce their fear.
I hate my own voice, teacher :(
The fact that shy children often hate hearing their own voices can shock many teachers. Actually, this is very normal, so the teacher should be the first "performer" and lead these students to imitate. In classes with more than one student, teachers can let the more confident ones answer first. Or we can give this "exercise" to help timid learners get used to speaking in class, which is to read aloud the word or answer.
Make it easier!
We always want to challenge our students and push them forward by making the tasks a bit more complex than their actual level. However, it should be the opposite for speaking skills since learners have not built their confidence for it. Whenever you run into a shy student, break it down, starting with simple, easy-to-pronounce words that kids might encounter every day. Only then should other sentence elements be added so that the children can see that they are making progress and gradually, their confidence will be firmly built.
More encouragements!
When it comes to learning a completely new language, especially with children, they are not aware enough to understand that it is okay for the teacher to correct them from the smallest mistakes. They may misunderstand that they are being criticized when the teacher constantly points out their mistakes even though we all need to make mistakes in order to be better. Therefore, one thing teachers can never forget is to praise and encourage their students when they pronounce a difficult word, say a single sentence, or even when they make a mistake despite their best efforts, so that they can understand: making mistakes is not scary at all!
Please guide me, teacher!
As children get used to English after a while, one factor that can prevent them from coming out of their fear of speaking is when they realize they don't know what to say.
For example, when a teacher asks "Can you describe your mother" and the students don't know how to respond, it's embarrassing to face the awkward silence. What the teacher can do in this case is to ask leading questions. For example, "Is your mother's hair long or short?", "Does your mother like watching movies or listening to music?" etc. Asking multiple-choice questions can help students easily answer "Short" and "Listening to music" based on the teacher's own questions. Then, the teacher should guide the students to put the answers together into short sentences. After a while, they can speak a whole short paragraph without fear.
Amp up the competition
Everyone loves a little competition. Taking advantage of this, teachers can create activities in the classroom that make students more excited in the learning process.
However, the online classroom can be a barrier to this when we do not have a common physical space for everyone.
However, teachers can still make things more competitive by applying some small games to the practice part or reviewing old knowledge such as competing to see who can list the words in some simple and familiar topics to the children: Colors, fruits, shapes, etc. In this way, not only can we make the class more interesting, but we can also see that the students already know the vocabulary that in some cases, these kids can surprise us with their understanding.
Parents, I need some help!
Parents are still the ones who understand their children best, moreover, it is safer for children when they express their thoughts to their parents in their mother tongue. There is nothing wrong with teachers asking for the cooperation of parents in the process of learning at home, so please discuss the learning situation of students with parents when necessary, teachers.
We can be friends :)
We must admit that talking and interacting with our friends is always much easier. Apply this to your students. Let them know that teachers are very close by asking students how their day was, what their hobbies are, what you and your students have in common. Unlike children in other countries, Vietnamese kids mostly do not have the concept of making friends with people who are much older than them, so they always keep a certain invisible distance. Let's show them that we can make mistakes from time to time, that we also like to eat candies and draw pictures, read comic books, or even still get scolded by our moms even as adults. We can be friends :)
