How to make my painfully shy one-on-one student talk?

amandajoy99 · Post by **amandajoy99** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:36 am

I tutor a painfully shy fourteen year old girl three hours a week. I would say her English is at the lower intermediate level. I spend the entire lesson trying to coax her to talk, and most of the time when she does I can´t hear her! I´ve scoured the idea cookbook but haven´t found anything particularly applicable. Last week I had a good lesson teaching her how to tell me how to do things, walking around the school and pretending I didn´t know how to open a door - I think an active class is best. Would appreciate any ideas you have, or activities that have worked for you! Thanks!

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:19 am

I think you're on the right tracks by focusing your (and her) attention away from her, and towards things in the world. If you think back on how many conversations start, often there is no "Hi I'm A, what's your name" and endless questions to B, but a simple mutual "Hi!" and some comments, shared and negotiated, about the weather, the beer, the music, what's on the TV etc (I'm imagining a bar here, things are admittedly less interesting intially in a sparse classroom devoid of alchohol - well, at least for teenagers!). So, I'd continue in that vein - sitting side by side rather than across from each other, flicking through magazines or watching videos and making little comments and quips. That is how two people usually spend their time together, outside of language classrooms, at least.