Not easy, is it?

As teachers we often say, “give me your opinion” in order to hear our students speak. We really don’t care one way or another about their actual opinions. We just want them to produce language so that we can give feedback and help them discover new vocabulary and grammar. However, giving opinions is a big deal, especially to people who might not be used to doing it in their first language, let alone their second. When you ask for an opinion, you might be asking students to share their private thoughts, their weaknesses, and even their lack of knowledge of a particular subject. This kind of activity doesn’t lower the affective filter. It does the opposite. It makes students feel nervous and perhaps ashamed. Yet, giving opinions is an important skill for living and working in English-speaking countries, so we need to do something to help our students learn how to speak their mind.

Here are a few opinion-generating activities that will help lower the stress of giving opinions in class. These activities can be done in one-on-one lessons or large classes.

Become an Actor

This is a fun activity for students who don’t have a strong opinion on the topic that you’re discussing or who are too shy to give their opinions about controversial topics. After you introduce the topic that will be discussed, students choose a picture of a random person or a celebrity. (Get photos from magazines, newspapers or the Web.) Have students make up some background information about the person and then introduce themselves. Finally, ask them to give their opinions about the topic while in character.

Take Both Sides

This activity will allow students to have conflicting opinions about a complex story. (This is closer to reality, after all.) After reading (and discussing) an online news story together, ask students to read the reader comments below the story. Ask them to categorize the comments into two types: ‘agrees with author’ and ‘disagrees with author.’ Next, tell students to choose a comment from both sides that they agree (or partially agree) with. Have them present both sides to the class or a small group and explain why they think both sides are correct.

Devil’s Advocate

Use the same activity above, but instead of asking the students to support the opinions on both sides of the issue, ask them to take the opposite side that they would naturally take. You can turn this into a debate, and then have them change sides midway through the debate.

Research and Share

Why not let students prepare their opinions ahead of time? Most people don’t feel comfortable giving an opinion if they haven’t had time to think about all the angles. After discussing an article in class, give students a homework assignment to research what other people have to say about the story. You might have them prepare a short statement, a speech, an essay, or a tweet about what they believe.

Here are a few links to stories that could be used with these activities:

J. Crew’s Pink Toenail Controversy

E-Books Killing Paper Books

There are many ways to get students to share opinions in class, but we thought we’d share a few that have worked for us. We’d love to hear your ideas.

If you teach English as a second language, you can use this site to help your students:

• Write better search queries in English
• Improve their Web research in English
• Improve US cultural literacy
• Gain confidence in using the English web
• Help them take responsibility for their own learning

To help students learn how to search for the answer, you can click on “Show Answer” under the question. This will give the search terms that can be used to find the answer. (UPDATE: The questions get harder as the week goes on.)

Please leave comments below on how you might use this Website in your classes.

Learn how to use prepositions by reading advertisements!

Let me tell you a secret. You can learn English without a textbook or a teacher!

You can learn from the English that is around you every day. All you need to do is look for it.

Think about all of the “teachers” you have:

friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, waiters and waitresses, cashiers, taxi and bus drivers, flight attendants, sales people, landlords, hair stylists, the person sitting next to you at a party, supermarket signs, brochures, newspapers, advertisements, billboards, email, junk mail, TV, radio, books, magazines, websites, blogs, videos, food packaging, menus, instruction manuals

These are your teachers, and they’re (mostly) free to use!

Read the paper, and look up words you don’t know. Listen to how cashiers and flight attendants talk to you. Listen for different styles of language. Watch TED videos. Read the back of your cereal box. Watch TV sitcoms to learn slang. Read signs more often.

Write your observations in a notebook.

Let the English that is around you be your teacher. (If you’re not living in an English-speaking community, you’ll have to try a little harder and be more creative, but it’s possible to find many of these things if you have access to the Internet.)

Go on, look. English is all around you.

Ovient English Instruction

Clients often ask me which is better, private lessons (1-1) or classes? My answer always depends on what the client wants to learn. I often ask two questions, “What do you want to improve?” and “What kind of classes have you taken before?”

Regarding the first question, if the client wants to learn how to speak up in meetings, get comfortable with small talk, improve listening, practice negotiating, learn to debate, or gain confidence in public speaking, I would say, “classes.”

If the client wants to improve speech clarity and pronunciation, learn how to speak in 1-1 settings,  improve writing, learn industry-related vocabulary, practice interviewing, or have all of his errors analyzed and corrected, then I would answer, “private lessons.”

As for the second question, if the client says that he has taken classes before and didn’t like them because he didn’t get personal attention from the instructor, then I might suggest 1-1, with an option of trying out some small groups at some point. Some people have had bad experiences in classes, and I don’t want to force them into a situation in which they come to class already thinking that it’s not going to help them. However, if a client says, “I really want to improve my communication with my international colleagues,” I would immediately suggest a class. Regardless of what research and experience has taught us about learning in groups and classes, in order for a learner to improve, he or she needs to believe that the environment is right for him or her.

That said, the cost and time will also dictate which option a client will choose. Classes are usually much less expensive than 1-1 for obvious reasons, but if the client wants to have a flexible lesson schedule, then 1-1 would be better. As you can see, the answer is not so simple.

In addition to thinking of the answer in terms of the client, we must also think about what the instructor wants. Jason Renshaw wrote in his blog that he prefers to teach classes, and you can see from comments on his post that instructors have various opinions. Personally, I enjoy teaching 1-1 and very small classes.

Here are some additional points to consider when thinking about teaching or taking a class or private lesson:

Classes (or Small Groups)

• Interacting with classmates can be more effective than learning from an instructor.

• Mixed-level classes can help everyone learn more. The lower-level learners will be pushed more than if they were alone, and the higher-level learners can cement their knowledge by helping others.

• Questions and additional information from other learners in class add to the instructor’s lesson plan.

• Learning in a group can take the pressure off each individual.

• Class members can make friends and business connections.

Private (1-1) Lessons

• The lessons can be personalized and reflect exactly what the learner wants/needs.

• Instructors can give individualized attention and feedback.

• Lesson times and locations can be more flexible.

• Learners can work on sensitive work-related material that they don’t want to share with a class.

When considering the ideal class size, we need to consider the learner’s needs, learning-style and motivation. We also need to consider the instructor’s needs, teaching-style and motivation as well. I believe there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to this question, but there is likely a perfect fit for the circumstances.

Use “the” before a noun when…

• the listener knows the exact thing you are talking about “The speech was really long.” (The listener knows the speech you are talking about.) “The car that drove by was speeding.” (The listener saw the car.)
• there is only one in the whole world. “The Internet has made my life easier.” (There is only one Internet.)
• the noun represents a place in a community that everyone knows or shares. “I went to the bank.” “I went to the grocery store.” “I went to the library.” (Even if you don’t go to the same back, you should still use “the.”)

Don’t use “the”  when…

• the noun is a proper noun (a name, city, company). “I searched for it on Google.” “I live in California.” (However, we DO use “the” when referring to “the United States.”)
• you use a pronoun with the noun. “I washed my car.” “Your pen is on my desk.”

Use “a” or “an” before a noun when…

• you do not define the noun. The noun is general.  “I saw an interesting website today.” (You don’t explain which website.) However, when you talk about this same website again, you will say, “The website was interactive.” (Now, you use an article because the listener knows that you are talking about the website you saw earlier.)
• the noun is one of many. “I ate an apple for lunch.” (There are many apples, and you ate one.)

Use “an” when the noun that follows it starts with a pronounced vowel: we say, “an underachiever” but  “a university.”  The u in underachiever is pronounced as a vowel, but the u in university is pronounced with a “yu” sound.

Don’t use “a” or “an”  when…

• the noun is a plural. “Universities are getting more an more expensive these days.”

Quiz: Add or remove “the” or “a/an” in the sentences below.  (Answers are listed at the end.)

1. Wasn’t speech amazing?

2. Most of banks in America are safe to deposit money in.

3. Did you see the my car?

4. A scuba diving tank is a underwater breathing apparatus.

5. He used to work at Google, but he quit to start the new company.

6. I need to go to a bank before work this morning.

7. The keynote speaker talked about the Web 3.0.

8. I always think a meetings at work are too long.

9. My favorite hobby is watching movies.

10. United States has many national parks.

Answers

1. Wasn’t the speech amazing?

2. Most of the banks in America are safe to deposit money in.

3. Did you see the my car?

4. A scuba diving tank is an underwater breathing apparatus.

5. He used to work at Google, but he quit to start a the new company.

6. I need to go to the bank before work this morning.

7. The keynote speaker talked about the Web 3.0.

8. I always think a the meetings at work are too long.

9. My favorite hobby is watching movies.

10. The United States has many national parks.

First, find out what kind of learner you are. Answer these questions to get an idea of how you learn best.

•    Do you need to “see” it on paper to understand?
•    Do you need to “hear” it to understand?
•    Do you learn better when you are having fun?
•    Do you remember more when you are moving around?
•    Do you need to memorize rules?
•    Do you learn by talking to people?

You can learn more effectively if you understand your strengths and use them to help you. Think about what has helped you in the past.

Use a variety of strategies when studying.

Talk to speakers, use a textbook, memorize vocabulary, write sentences and paragraphs, listen to various recordings, study grammar, read newspapers, magazines, and books.

Don’t forget the 4 skills.

Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing

Learn with someone.

Find a language-learning partner. If you meet with someone who is also studying the language, you can help teach each other and practice together.

Organize your studying.

•    Set achievable, short-term goals. (For example: My goal is to finish a book this month; to learn 10 vocabulary words; to be able to tell a story; to be able to ask questions in meetings)
•    Create a study notebook with material that you have studied. Review it every month or two.
•    Study in short intervals. (10, 20, or 30 minutes a day)
•    Tell someone about your study plan, and talk about it frequently.
•    Plan out when, where and how you will study.

Answer these questions to help yourself get started on a self-learning program:

What is your first goal? I will be able to  (                              ) by (deadline).

When will you study?

How will you study?

Your biggest obstacle is fear. Don’t let it stop you. Good luck!

I origionally posted this information for English language learners on my Knol site. You can read the full article here: http://knol.google.com/k/blythe-musteric/learning-english-on-your-own/1js5hgjj9kl0b/2#

(c) 2009 Ovient English. All Rights Reserved.

Here are my observations of why classroom discussions fail and what you can do about it.

20 reasons why classroom discussions fail:

1. Instructor talks too much.
2. Instructor interrupts discussion with error feedback.
3. Instructor stands up in front while the learners sit.
4. Classroom seats aren’t set up to be conducive to a discussion.
5. No transition from an instructor-led class to a learner-led discussion.
6. Learners are not given enough time to answer questions.
7. Learners are embarrassed by their language ability.
8. Learners are afraid their comments aren’t intelligent.
9. Learners don’t want to offend others with their own opinions.
10. Topic is too broad.
11. Topic is embarrassing or too personal.
12. Topic is not timely or relevant to learners’ lives.
13. Learners have never thought about this topic before and therefore have never formed opinions on it.
14. There is nothing to engage visual learners.
15. Learners don’t know how to use the ‘language’ of discussions.
16. Discussion has no ‘ground rules.’
17. Learners stop paying attention halfway through the discussion.
18. Learners don’t ask questions of each other.
19. Learners can’t hear or understand each other.
20. Learners don’t see how the discussion fits into the lesson.

20 ways instructors can improve classroom discussions:

1. Limit your talking. (Record a discussion to get an idea of how much you talk!)
2. Tell the learners that you will not be analyzing their language for errors, so they can speak without worrying about being graded.
3. Sit among the learners and be a participant.
4. If possible, move the seats so learners can see each other.
5. Assign a ‘discussion leader’ who starts and finishes the discussion so there is a clear distinction between the instructor-led class and the learner-led discussion.
6. When a question is posed, wait at least 5 seconds before trying to encourage learners to talk or making a comment yourself. They need time to think!
7. Don’t interrupt with error correction. (See #2.)
8. Encourage learners to give positive feedback to one another. That was an interesting comment. I’ve never thought of that before.
9. Encourage learners to use language that respects the opinions of others while stating their own.  I feel differently because…. While I don’t agree with you, I think that’s an interesting perspective. You made a good point, but….
10. Focus the topic on an idea that can be discussed in the time limit you have set. Discuss “Your use of social media to connect with friends” rather than “The Internet.”
11. Consider the different cultures and backgrounds of learners. If you’re not sure if the topic is too sensitive, then wait until you know your learners better.
12. Choose something that they know and understand. Don’t ask learners in Japan to talk about the NFL Superbowl.
13. Remember that learners may have never thought deeply about this topic before. Give them time to think and form opinions. Perhaps have them brainstorm vocabulary or do some freewriting beforehand. (See #6.)
14. Engage the learners by showing them a video or picture to stimulate discussion.
15. Teach learners language to help them participate in discussions. (Opinion language, language for making connections to what people have said.)
16. Give learners rules.  Everyone must talk at least once. You must comment on statements made by at least two other participants. Don’t look at the instructor when you talk; look at someone in the class.) There also may be some cultural differences in how people have conversations. Discuss the ‘rules’ of talking in a group in your culture vs. their culture(s).
17. Tell learners to take notes during the discussion. Have them summarize the discussion as a writing assignment.
18. Make learners responsible for asking a certain number of questions.
19. Break learners into smaller groups. Do a jigsaw discussion.
20. State the objective of the discussion beforehand. Tell them why they are having a discussion, even if it is to simply practice having a discussion.

Of course, every classroom is different. Learners bring different styles and abilities to the class, and depending on the culture(s) represented, you may have to alter your own definition of what a discussion is. To conclude, I recommend that you do your own classroom research and find out what works for your learners. Discuss with them (if possible) what your expectations are and how they feel. This might turn into a great discussion!

Comments welcome!

(c) 2009 Ovient English. All Rights Reserved.

I recently heard from a client who said that one of his coworkers always harps on him for his language ability (or lack of). He gets very nervous whenever he has to speak in front of this person. Native speakers often don’t realize that the more pressure they put on the speaker, the worse the nonnative speaker’s language will sound!

This is a well-documented concept in second language acquisition theory. Doubt and anxiety decrease a learner’s ability to process the language, creating a “mental block” for language learning. [Krashen, S. (1988), Second Language Acquisition and Second Language, Prentice Hall]

What can be done about this? For the nonnative speaker, the solution may be to make his colleague aware of his challenges. He doesn’t have to say, “I don’t like to speak in front of you,” but he could say something like, “It makes me really nervous when I speak in front of you because I’m afraid I’m going to make a mistake.” Or, the nonnative speaker could use the language class as an excuse to open a dialog with the coworker. He can explain that he is working on his language, and explain what he is studying. I’ve seen situations in which a native-speaking colleague actually starts to take an interest in the improvement of the language learner.

For the native speaker, the goal is to ELIMINATE negative language like this:

-“You’ve lived here X years. I can’t believe you don’t speak better.”

-“Why can’t you say it like me? You listen to me every day.”

This does nothing to help the learner improve his English, and can actually hinder improvement.

Such language should be replaced with language like this:

-“It’s impressive that you can do business in two languages.”

-“How is your English class going?”

Taking an interest in the nonnative speaker’s learning can foster a more relaxed and comfortable English language speaking experience for the learner. This, in turn, will help him become a better speaker.

A little patience can go a long way.

A Single, Clear Voice, With Visuals, that is Paced for Learners.

1. A Single, Clear Voice

Many of our clients who have recently arrived in the U.S. from overseas complain about the difficulty of comprehending American English conversation.  When they are speaking with one other person, comprehension is excellent.  Add an additional person, and comprehension decreases almost immediately.  Put the client with 5 Americans in a meeting, and comprehension can be almost zero.

Comprehension can be improved, and James Earl Jones’ voice in Earth is an excellent place to start.  Opportunities to listen to a single native speaker, for an extended period of time, in a relaxed environment are few and far between.  The visual cues in Earth offer hints of what Jones is saying in his narration, but the narration is often witty, attributing human qualities to the animals on the screen.

This presents a challenge to the nonnative speaker who is forced to reconcile the dialog with the visuals, but it is a manageable challenge because there is only one voice.  As the movie progresses, the voice stays the same.  For the learner who is listening carefully, comprehension should increase as the move movie progresses and the listener becomes more accustomed to Jones’ voice.

2.  A Voice with Visuals

Nonverbal communication plays a significant role in comprehension.  We have a natural desire to communicate with our face as well as our voice.  Nonnative speakers especially rely on nonverbal cues because they offer additional clues to comprehending the message being conveyed.  Even most native speakers of English have greater difficulty communicating over the phone than in person, which is probably why we are so excited about the opportunities presented by video phones.

In many classroom listening activities, learners hear a voice with no visual input. Learners are faced with the option of staring at a CD player,  their desk, the ceiling, or their gap-fill exercise. Most real-life situations call for visual input, and learners need to learn that listening is indeed visual.  In Earth, the voice is faceless, but the scenery adds additional input that the listener can use to “check” his understanding.

3. Paced for Learners

Much of the native speech that learners hear on a daily basis is intended for either conversation or news reporting.  While listening to podcasts and watching television dramas are great tools for improving listening skills, learners often get frustrated at the small amount that they actually understand.  On the other hand, audio that is intended for learners is often too slow, and many intermediate or advanced speakers feel that it is too far from the natural English they hear every day.

The pace of the audio in Earth is much slower than a newscast or a reality TV show.  It could be labeled a “story-telling” pace — fast enough to keep your interest, but slow enough to let it sink into your imagination.  It is intended for native speakers to understand and enjoy, and because of this, it’s a good speed  for a nonnative speakers.

Taking it Further

In addition to being a great movie for listening practice, Earth is also a movie that can be a catalyst for a discussion of our planet, the environment, and animals.  These topics could easily be expanded into other activities such as debates, speeches, reading assignments, and essays– not to mention getting learners excited to watch another famous environmental movie by a former Vice President.

To learn more about the movie, go to: http://disney.go.com/disneynature/earth/

(There are additional “educator” materials (not ESL) on this site, as well.)