Pine Lake, Wisconsin TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

Speaking and writing are both productive skills which are used for the same purpose - to communicate. Speaking requires a greater degree of fluency as students have very little time to construct accurate sentences when speaking. Writing often uses more formal language, less contractions, slang, and requires more accurate punctuation and spelling. It also often calls for a particular style of writing such as a formal letter, report or play where layout is important. In speaking accuracy and fluency are of equal importance. Accuracy activities should come during the engage and study phases of the lesson, as it is important to encourage accurate speaking and pronounciation of words and phrases before students practice them in the activate phase. A three by three drill would be an example of an accuracy-based study activity. Creative communication is where students are encouraged to apply the language they have learned in more fluency-based activities such as role-plays, discussions, debates or communication games. As with any language activity it is important that the teacher consider a number of factors such as; - the relevance of the language and content to the students own experiences - that the level of English is appropriate to the students - students learning needs are being met - whether the content of the lesson will be engaging and interesting - giving students enough time to engage and complete study phases - giving students time to discuss in pairs or groups (this is a chance to practice speaking and sharing ideas). - focusing on what is important at each stage of the lesson (such as leaving feedback/correction until the end of the lesson and giving group feedback according to evaluations of grammar, punctuation during the lesson). In writing, handwriting can be an issue, especially for those students' whose first language does not use English lettering. Training in letter formation may be needed as poor handwriting can present issues for the reader. Spelling can also create misunderstandings and therefore it is important to draw students attention to the rules of spelling, and the sounds that different letter combinations can make. Opportunities for creative writing such as poetry, story writing or plays, give students the chance to apply all of these writing skills and to draw from their own ideas and experiences. In a typical creative writing lesson the teacher will give students examples of a style of writing and ask the students to generate language and ideas in the engage phase. In the study phase students will have the chance to practice appropriate language before activating, by creating their own texts.