Korean Job Discussion Forums

[OiGirl]

How do you assess the speaking and listening skills of young beginners who understand 90% of what you say, but still answer in their first language?

What kind of activities do you use to encourage them to communicate in English? I strongly believe that screaming "English only!" at them doesn't work...

[captain kirk]

Some personalities, shy ones, don't come out for months. It's amazing. And when they do I'm like, 'wow, you speak as well as anyone else and maybe better as far as listening, getting the grammer order, and nice one, 100%'. They've been nestled listening and look like the shy type with that 'I'm shy, go around me please' look. When they speak, finally, and I know they know, they start to speak a little more. But still it's their personality to be a 'watcher'. Happily themselves and nestled in that

[kermo]

Well, my studies into language acquisition haven't been too intense, but I'll try to pass on something useful. I think what you're noticing is not only shyness, but also a normal part of language acquisition: receptive language comes well before expressive language.

So, you have a couple of options.

1) You could try looking at a couple schools of thought, like "Total Physical Response", which is totally focused on listening and demonstrating comprehension without words, or perhaps "The Silent Way", a rather revolutionary (and unpopular) approach that allows the students to progress as they are ready.

or

2) You could use what speech/language therapists call "Communication Temptations". That is, look for ways to make their language use really pay off. They're taking a risk by speaking, so they might need incentives like points in a game, or immediate rewards like candy. Hm. I guess it's pretty obvious I've been a behavioural therapist. I like to design games where the students are using language all the way through. For example:
a dice game, where students try to roll their way to a high number without exceeding 10. One student rolls. The group asks "Do you want some more?" The students replies with "Yes please," or "No thanks", depending on whether he/she wants to roll again. If you build the language into the game, they have to use it.

In the case of the second choice, you can focus on very specific language goals, and then have even cooler rewards for those students willing to use a fuller sentence or try out a new phrase.

If you want to encourage chatting in English, I suggest a competitive point system between groups. When you hear English used appropriately, give them a point!

Anyway, good luck.