Platte City, Missouri TESOL Online & Teaching English Jobs

Speaking and writing are equally important productive skills. Although writing is the most neglected one (because teachers don't prefer "quiet time" in the classroom, and therefore writing is often left for homework), it shouldn't be ignored. In order to create a successful lesson, a teacher must create a desire and need for communication. There are two types of activities: accuracy activities (usually take place in the study phase), and fluency activities (usually take place in the activate phase). Regarding speaking activities, controlled ones are more accuracy based, therefore L2 is controlled by the teacher (drilling, prompting, ...), guided ones which are accuracy based as well, but more creative (guided role-play), and creative communication being fluency based (free role-play, debate, discussion, ...). Due to for example lack of confidence or fear of making mistakes, some students are unwilling to speak L2. There are several techniques which can help to overcome this obstacle: pair-work, group-work, lots of accuracy activities prior to fluency activities, etc. Regarding writing skills, a teacher has to pay attentions to handwriting (especially with students whose native language uses different alphabetical system, spelling (which can be quite difficult since some words are written the same but pronounced differently, and vice versa), layout and punctuation (which again is more difficult for students whose L1 is quite different from L2).