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Linz · Joined: 17 Jan 2004 Posts: 44

Hey guyz.. I am writing a report for my school. The topic is "How to motivate the children to speak more english outside the classroom and even inside the class too. I just need to hear some other peoples thoughts on this topic? Anyone?
Thanx Brando

Celeste · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 5:35 am Post subject:

I suppose that depends on whether or not you are in an EFL or ESL situation. If you are in an EFL situation, it is very difficult to motivate students to speak English outside of class time because they will encounter few people to speak with. (Please do not encourage studnets to run up to perfect strangers screaming "Hello!!!!! I want to speak English!" We other ex-pats don't react so well to that kind of behaviour.

One of the best motivators for children to use English to communicate is their own curiousity about others and their own need to make friends. In an EFL class, I think it is very helpful to form a sister school relationship with a school from another country. The sister school does not have to be a school where the native language is English. It is equally motivating for kids to communicate in English with other English learners.

With today's available technology, students can converse online with text, voice, and even video conferencing. I Also like to have students do snail-mail pen-pal and video projects with their sister schools.

For ESL students, I assign them reseach and interview projects within their own communites to be completed as homework. I send them to local businesses and communitycentres and libraries and give them lists of questions to ask. (Most times, I forewarn the businesses, etc and get permission, depending on how many students I am sending to ask how many questions.)

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

Question: do you have the parents' cooperation with this? If so, there are all sorts of things you can do.

Otherwise, how about an audio diary? Just a little bit a day. Nothing too challenging to start with.

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 6:49 am Post subject:

Hey guys. (Yawn, <=just got up)

How to motivate kids. Well, I suggested penpals, epals, and chatting on the i-net via QQ, ICQ and other messengers. I have several students saying they like using the microphone and videocam on the net.

Just a thought. I cannot though, however hard I try, to get them to speak to me in CHinglish outside the class. Only Mandarin. Open to ideas....

LA

Linz · Joined: 17 Jan 2004 Posts: 44

Thanks for the suggestions.. How about children around the Kindergarten age?

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 9:42 am Post subject:

teach them a shi-te loada songs......seems to work

LA

Cleopatra · Posted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 12:05 pm Post subject:

I always have to laugh when I come across teachers who lecture at their students to take every opportunity to speak English - despite the fact that they themselves haven't bothered to learn a word of the language of the country they're living in!

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

kindergarten, eh Linz?
It's probably easier there than at primary schools, but don't expect miracles!
I taught the same kids in a kindi for two years, but after only 3 months some of them would use qualifying remarks in plain English:
"Beautiful!" "Ugly!" (followed by a hearty giggle).
I suppose my immersion incited them to use English because I wouldn't allow any Mandarin (which was not their first tongue anyway) in my classes.
They had to draw and write, to do physical exercises - all under my instructions in English only, which grounded them in English even though they didn't know Chinese equivalents for some of the things we spoke about.