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It is really important that the students put into practic3e what they are learning, especially if they are learning another language. it is also important to let students make mistaskes when they are talking, because they are communicating. therefore, I would like to know what kind of activities I can use to make my students speak in English. I have done different activities bu they are not very confident when speaking in English because they are afraid of making mistakes.I appreciate any tips you can share.

Luisa Fernanda

If you can remove those things they fear, you might be able to empower them with the courage to try. Have you tired writing? Writing is a tool for thinking, and if they are given an opportunity to write in English, they will be thinking in English. It's not too far from writing to speaking.

First give them opportunities to write free of fear and judgement. Perhaps introducing freewriting--an uninterrupted written recording of their thoughts as they think about a specific topic. Have them writer without stopping whatever comes into their minds. They don't stop to think about what they want to write. They simply write whatever comes into their minds even if it seems off topic. This of course should be in Englsih, but they won't be being scored on correctness. Cooperative learning groups work best for this type of activity as you will want to have them share their best part of their writing. This is easier if done in small groups. By having them share their best part, they are reflecting and analyzing their writing. Doing this on a daily basis develops writing, thinking, and speaking skills.

Allowing them other writing opportunities to write will also encourage more thinking, and if they are afraid, perhaps they could choose pen names to use when they write. This would remove their fear of being wrong or silly as you would be the only one who knew their pen names.

Also, please, please check out the National Writing Project Website.

http://www.nwp.org/