“Shut up!”
When you are on a first date, or in a job interview, silence can be awkward. Staring off into space, or directly in front, or even staring directly into another person’s eyes. It’s weird and unnerving.
BUT…
Silence is also golden…when you’re the teacher. If you have the upper hand, if you call the shots in the classroom, you have the ability to create that same awkward silence. But this time, it can work to your advantage. One of the ways I provoke my students to participate in speaking exercises in the classroom is to simply stare at them. Well, first I ask them a question, and then I stare. I wait. The silence is indeed uncomfortable, but not for me. 9 times out of 10, the student will begin to fidget, say I don’t know, and then answer (usually correctly.)
It’s tempting to talk too much when the target language is your native tongue. As teachers, our duty is to provoke our students to action and success. Use that awkward silence to your (and your student’s) advantage. In my experience, once I get a student speaking, they tend to follow the snowball effect and participate more and more.
If your students are quiet and uncomfortable speaking, they’re going to be content remaining that way until you push them out of the nest. They’ll never tell you, so I will: shut up!
Please share your methods of pulling that timid student out of his/her shell.
Go to the next:
What They’re Not Telling You (5 of 10)
