TESOL Georgia

This unit explains the importance of teaching Productive Skills, i.e. Writing and Speaking. Encouraging speaking: An ESL teacher needs to ensure participation of all students in class, which could be especially challenging if some students lack confidence, are afraid to make mistakes or simply lack the interest. Participation & interaction can be encouraged by changing the classroom dynamics, pair-work, grouping and allowing students time to think before they speak. Challenges w.r.t. teaching writing: Students could have difficulties with spelling, since English is not a phonetic language, or could have difficulties with handwriting if their first language is written in a different script altogether. A lesson plan needs to encourage writing, irrespective of the special individual training that may be required ESL teachers need to place equal importance to fluency and accuracy of the English produced. Accuracy based activities, where the language is controlled by the teachers are: Drilling & Prompting. Fluency based activities, where the language is controlled by the students are: debates, role-plays, information gaps. And guided activities that focus on both creativity and fluency are: guided role plays & model dialogues.