English is an important language that plays a major role in bringing people across different cultures together. Being an economically strong country, and the need for interacting with experts from other nations in various fields, English is considered the preferred mode of communication. Students aspiring to pursue their higher education in foreign countries also need to have strong fundamentals in the language. This has to be cultivated right at the school level. Let us see the best teaching tactics for this.
- Clarity of objectives
While teaching any English lesson, this is important and needs to be shared with the students. This will help them understand why it is being taught so that they can have a better focus by recollecting the related knowledge they already have. Eventually, it also helps the teacher focus on how far he has covered the objective. Such small efforts create strong fundamentals in the language that helps in scoring well in the IELTS Exam at a later stage.
- Comprehending the students’ background knowledge
Once the objective is clarified, it is essential to understand the related knowledge the students already have. Based on that, the teacher can focus specifically on their requirements to help them grasp whatever is being taught. For example, if an activity involves reading something related to Swami Vivekananda or Nelson Mandela, then students should be briefed about the character so they just don’t do anything blindly. This will bring contextual clarity and help them to complete the task assigned to them in a better way.
- Using graphical representations
Visual inputs, besides auditory inputs, make a topic more interesting for the students. Hence, when a complex topic is taught, charts can be used along with some visual examples to help students remember the concept. This has to be followed by tasks for speaking, writing, listening, and reading to reinforce the learnings. Doing group tasks in the classroom instead of simply teaching the students about the language leads to better outcomes.
- Speaking slowly with pauses
This may sound simple and easy to implement but is often ignored. So, teachers need to record themselves while speaking to check if they are going fast, which makes it difficult for students to grasp what is being taught. Pausing in between lines is a good practice that can allow students some time on the topic and translate it into English in their minds. The same needs to be followed while asking a question to a student. This will significantly improve the quality of responses.
- Assigning meaningful homework
Classroom learning is effective but limited, which increases the chances of forgetting the concepts easily. Therefore, assigning homework tasks related to whatever was taught in the calls will help the students to revise and have stronger concepts that will be retained in their memory for the long term. The tasks related to real-world videos in the form of movie trailers, inspiring speeches, news, or music videos can be used for practicing language skills. Tests can be conducted for checking the progress. In the process, it is important to ensure that the students are not overwhelmed with numerous tasks as this would negatively impact on the learning outcomes.
Few Tips for Teachers
Students will gain confidence in speaking in the new language under following the scenarios:
- They are allowed to present information using various mediums.
- Demonstration of language comprehension through physical expressions
- Encouraging them to interact with others in the language
- Using handouts in English and their local language along with cue lists
- Using learning stations to reinforce the concepts taught in the previous class
- Using word search or crossword for introducing vocabulary
Conclusion
Consistent practice is the key to attaining perfection in any subject, including the enhancement of language skills. Helping the students put theory into practice is the best thing that teachers can do to level up their English speaking skills. Moreover, the learning pace of all the students is not the same. Some may learn quickly but others may take more time for the same thing. If needed, teachers should be willing to focus on specific students as per their learning pace and specific needs based on their performance in the assessment tests.