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Practice makes perfect. In order for someone to master a language, that person got to be consistently speaking and using that language. Many students need to dare to speak more English in the classes in order to improve on it. However, the problem is, many are not confident to speak in English – either they don’t know what to say or how to express themselves or they are afraid of making mistakes. Hence teacher’s role is crucial because it is our responsibility as teachers to help them be more confident when they speak in English. There are a few key notes to bear in mind on how to boost their confidence in speaking and using English. The first is to provide a conducive learning environment. A teacher needs to learn how to organize of the physical surroundings because this will affect the kind of atmosphere he or she intends to create during teaching. To allow teaching and learning to happen in a more interactive and less threatening and intimidating manner, it is not advisable to have the classroom arranged in rows. Some possible arrangements could be sitting in a semi-circular manner whereby everyone can see one another, they can get up and move around easily and a teacher can also have more eye contact with the students. Once everyone is seated in a comfortable position, they can be more free to interact and express themselves, as well as to participate in classroom activities. Similarly, sitting in groups can also provide a platform for a smaller group interaction. This gives those students who are more shy and reserved more opportunities to speak within a smaller group. By providing a more welcoming and safe environment, it helps students dare to speak up and participate more, and hence in turn build up their confidence. Find out from them what are their goals; what are they aiming for – then in the lesson planning, make sure to draft the lesson in a way that helps them reach the aim that they’re wanting to reach. The second is to adopt the right methodology. We need to engage the students. We need their participation in our activities and dare to converse in English. Hence choosing the right materials is crucial. Choosing the right topic can stimulate students to speak in English. It could be just choosing the right topic that captures their interest or attention. Besides giving them a platform to share, we need to equip them with relevant skillsets or knowledge that they can use it to talk about a particular topic. Hence, we can do it by demonstrating to the students how to say a particular word, followed by drilling the pronunciation. By repeating the word or phrases, they will become more familiar with the language and hence increase their level of confidence to speak. Once these words or phrases come easily to them, it will also boost their confidence in using them during or outside of classes. We also need to do a research and understand the demographics of the students; what kind of background they come back and something that is more relevant to them. Encourage them to ask questions whenever they cannot understand something. Lastly, a teacher needs to know his or her role. Besides just being an instructor wo gives instructions, it is important for a teacher to play the role of a facilitator and a mentor. A facilitator is the provider of a learning environment; which we have already discussed above. A teacher ought to be a mentor, a role model to them as well. Always praise the students for the efforts that they’ve put in during the lesson, and for taking the step to try to converse and learn something new. Do not discourage or shame the students for the mistakes they have made in the progress of learning but encourage and support them to dare to learn from their mistakes. It is always better for them to fail, learn from their mistakes and try again. Avoid correcting them every single mistake that they’ve done because they will feel as though they’re making too many mistakes. Learning a new language may be challenging, but it is not impossible. It is important for a teacher to help students dare to try and use that particular language. The more they use it, the more confident they become.
