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The Language Teacher | |
Observations of adult EFL classes across Asia might reveal similar circumstances: Students sitting in neat rows listening attentively to the teacher and obediently following each stage of the teacher's instructions. The teacher directs questions to specific students, and occasionally calls for volunteers, but students generally seem reluctant to respond. When the teacher switches to group work, however, the air is filled with the sound of the students talking, for the most part, in the target language. One cannot help wondering why these students, relatively high achievers in their own fields, appear so reluctant to speak up in English class. Cultural AttitudesAmong the many factors that have helped shape students' attitudes are a number of frequently quoted platitudes praising the virtues of silence, such as "Silence is golden." Asian children are still taught not to talk back to their elders and are warned to be extremely careful what they say, according to the saying, "What has already been said cannot be unsaid." In traditional Asian societies, silence is a virtue: Only when one has something meaningful and important to say should one venture to open one's mouth. In other words, it is better to seek anonymity within the group rather than risk ridicule by speaking out on one's own. In my adult Business English Oral Communication class, I used a questionnaire to find out more about how students felt about speaking in class. Some of the results were:
These answers, which were similar to the findings of another study (Cohen & Norst, 1989), indicate fear of losing face, insecurity, and lack of confidence--all of which slow down progress and impede success in foreign language learning. It should therefore be one of the teacher's top priorities to help students overcome these feelings of insecurity and fear by creating a positive atmosphere in class in which the students feel safe and at ease, thereby enabling them to build up their confidence and self -esteem, while at the same time making their learning enjoyable. In this paper, I will describe, based on my own experience teaching business communication in Thailand, how the teacher can make positive changes in the classroom and suggest what teachers can do to improve themselves so that they can bring out the best in their students and lead them to success in English. Classroom AtmosphereIn the average primary school classroom, the walls are a riot of colour: posters, maps, magazine clippings, students' projects, and essays. It is widely recognized that young minds with short attention spans are easily motivated when exposed to classroom environments which are rich in visual stimulus (Ur, 1996). As the years progress, however, the pressure to pass entrance exams to high school and university takes over, and attempts to create a rich and warm classroom atmosphere disappear. Students are confronted with a sterile learning environment: four blank walls. This is made worse by the classroom layout: Students sit in long straight rows and the teacher stands at the front or is seated behind a desk. This is hardly a congenial environment for an EFL conversation class. To remedy the situation, teachers need to brighten up their classrooms by adding as much colour as possible in the form of posters, pictures, drawings, or student work on a poster board. During the lesson, the teacher could introduce realia or props to bridge the gap between the world of the classroom and the real world. Equally, it could mean introducing music or songs into the class, which could be made an integral part of the learning experience, in addition to helping the students to relax and overcome their nervousness. When the students' minds are relaxed, their ability to think and learn increases (Lazanov, 1979). ActivitiesRelating activities to the students' experience Students will be more motivated if they are exposed to activities to which they can relate, which encourage them to use the target language, and which allow them to choose what they want to say. They will be motivated to engage in an activity if they feel it is cognitively challenging. Activities with elements of problem-solving are recommended (Brown, 1994). A simple activity in which students introduce themselves in groups and talk about their hobbies or interests can be adapted for business majors by assigning a realistic business purpose to the task. While students are introducing themselves, other members of the group listen and take notes about the speakers' interests and hobbies. Based on the data they have collected, they decide what kind of products or services a company might create for these groups. Another activity for business majors requires students to make use of their combined knowledge of business and English. Students take on the role of a business executive. They introduce themselves, where they are from, what company they represent, and what it sells. A sample introduction would be: "My name is Somsri. I come from Thailand. I work for the Jim Thompson Company, which is based in Thailand. We produce high-quality silk." Managing turn-taking Giving 25 students in one class the opportunity to speak is a challenge to the teacher's management skills. The teacher should introduce some kind of system that automatically allocates turns to each of the students, for example by using tokens or small topic-related picture cards. In my Business Communication class, for instance, I sometimes use mini-erasers in shapes of food to allocate turns when discussing food-related topics. Tokens in the shape of hearts, birds, or stars can be used symbolically--to lift up the students' spirits and build up their confidence. Building up security and confidence Most Asians tend to be conformists. They are group-oriented and value harmony above all else. Consequently, students feel more secure working in pairs or in groups, since they will not be the only ones to shoulder the blame or to lose face if they answer incorrectly. To get all students to speak, the teacher should maximize pair and group activities with specific goals and monitor the students' language production as they work. Letting students take the initiative Classes in which the teacher has students raise their hands to volunteer to answer questions are not so common, although not improbable. The teacher may also get into the habit of walking into the classroom and, instead of asking the students questions, give the students a topic of the day and have them ask two or three questions on that particular issue. Students could also ask open questions which require others to answer. Each time that students' different ideas are accepted, their self-esteem will increase (Christison, 1997). The TeacherThe teacher is probably the most critical factor in motivating students. One study (Cohen & Norst, 1989) confirmed that the teacher's warmth, friendliness, empathy, and sense of personal commitment help students build confidence to participate more in class. The teacher should set realistic, achievable goals, and praise students' progress and help them develop strategies for tackling problems. It is vital that the teacher acknowledge the students' progress and achievements by giving them some form of reward for their attempt to learn, and feedback on their performance so that they can improve themselves. It is very important that the teacher maintain an open line of communication with students so that they can speak out when they have learning problems. ConclusionMaximizing students' oral skills does not require any dramatic changes on the part of the teacher. It could start with the teacher's developing sensitivity towards the students' feelings. Once teachers understand students' insecurity and fear, they can start building up their confidence by making a few slight adjustments, starting with creating a positive class atmosphere. Teachers then gradually adjust their style of teaching, sidestepping their traditional role as imparter of knowledge or lecturer, and gradually adopting the role of facilitator or mentor. This does not require a radical re-orientation, but it does require sensitivity, planning, and action. Finally, through self-reflection, teachers can determine whether they have provided sufficient support for students to try and improve their oral skills.
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