Anxiety brought on by public speaking is felt by everyone, even the most seasoned speakers! What does this mean for English Learners? What does the research say about providing opportunities to make mistakes? How do English Learners perceive themselves and speaking assignments? Join us as Brent and Ixchell explore ways to support ELs when it comes to conversation.
What the Research Says:
Anxiety hurts students’ perceptions of themselves and the learning process. Mental block brought on by speaking assignments can limit a student’s communicative competence. Furthermore, socio-economic background can impact the number of previous public speaking opportunities that a learner brings with to the classroom; their level of experience may additionally add to their anxiety.
It is suggested that language educators create an environment where learners need to be independent. Finally, learners must be given ample opportunities to practice the target langauge and assess themselves.
Read the articles here:
- Advances in Language and Literary Studies: Influence of Speech Anxiety on Oral Communication Skills among ESL/EFL Learners (2015)
- Developing Autonomy through Conversation Exchange: A Case Study of ESL Learners by Junko Ueno in the Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language
Classroom Application
We discuss a number of classroom applications for giving the students more opportunities to talk in low stakes environments.
Fun Finds
- Ixchell – Packr – packing app for long-term business trips
- Brent – Gindaco Takoyaki at Sagami