6 tips for improving speaking fluency in the EFL classroom

Why do the majority of students study English, and what are they trying to achieve? The number one reason is to learn how to communicate in English, especially through speaking. In order to become better at speaking in English, it seems logical that our students need to practice at every possible opportunity, especially through well thought out classroom activities.

In theory, this all sounds so easy, so logical, however, as all English teachers know, there are numerous reasons why students may not be able to speak as much as we would like them to during our lessons.

These include:

• Lack of confidence and low self-esteem
• Natural shyness
• An inability to speak in public, or with others in either English or their native language.
• Tiredness
• The style of teaching or the particular activity is boring.
• A lack of interest in the subject
• Fear of ridicule or bullying

To prevent any of these reasons from lessening the efficient results of students learning, there are a few things that you can do as part of your regular classroom practices:

Right off the mark, open each class with a speaking activity
Help your students to become more accustomed to speaking in class by conducting speaking activities as often as possible. An excellent option is to choose to commence every class with a speaking activity as this will make sure that your students have the opportunity to speak a lot and are well prepared by making speaking a part of their regular routine.



Use pairwork and groupwork.
Speaking in front of the whole class can be a daunting task for most people, even if it’s in their own language. Putting students in pairs or small groups for speaking activities means that students will only need to speak in front of a small group of people which is not as intimidating. By doing this style of activity, and then later, as their confidence and fluency increases, introducing full class presentations, students' confidence will naturally increase, as will their fluency.

Don't push too hard or too fast.
Don’t feel nervous about a classroom that is full of silent, thinking students. It doesn’t mean that your students don’t know what to say or that maybe they don’t want to say anything, it might just mean they are simply contemplating what to say. When asking a question, don’t expect an immediate answer or butt in with your own ideas or comments when nobody says anything for a few seconds. Silence doesn't always have to be awkward, or negative. First, give the students a few minutes until you are sure that no one has anything to say before you push the activity along yourself.

Delay giving corrections
There is nothing worse than a teacher who walks, listens and corrects every mistake that students make, it destroys their confidence and lessens their desire to learn. The best course of action is for the teacher to wander around the classroom listening to the students whilst making mental notes of the different mistakes that they hear. NEVER CORRECT STUDENTS PERSONALLY!!! After the activity is concluded, stand at the front of the whole class and then outline all of the mistakes that you heard, but rather than mentioning the individual students, use it as a lesson for the entire class so that everyone learns. Also, make these lessons positive, give your students encouraging comments, congratulate them and make them believe that the mistakes and suggestions which you are mentioning are for the benefit of everyone.

Mixed language. The combination of their native language and English.
Allow students to use their native language as part of their conversations and presentations. How much they use will of course depend upon their level of English, but by using a combination of their mother tongue, and English, they will develop confidence and fluency. When students combine the languages in a manner that is contextually correct, congratulate them and let them know that their efforts are well received. Naturally, as they study more, and their level of English increases,the increase in their use of English, and decrease in their use of the native language should be carefully monitored and assessed to ensure that their goal of communicating solely in English is achieved.

English Grammar and 11 Guidelines for Making it More Understandable.
https://englishforyoutheteachersvoice.blogspot.com/2020/07/understanding-grammar-11-key-rules-for.html

Making the Rules of Grammar Easy to Understand
https://englishforyoutheteachersvoice.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-essential-rules-of-english-grammar.html

Allow them preparation time.
For each speaking activity, allow students a few minutes to organize their thoughts and brainstorm what they want to say. Keep in mind that our students not only have to come up with their ideas, but they have to work out the best way to say them in English as well. This can be difficult to do straight off the top of their head, so by giving them time to think, you will help them to have more to contribute to the activity.

 


Speaking out loud in our native language, let alone in a foreign language can be a stressful time for anyone and our students are no exception. Don’t get too discouraged if your students are not as talkative as you would like them to be, give them time and encouragement, and soon you should see results.

Good luck, and good results!

This article was first written in 2011 and then rewritten and reposted in 2019