Our students’ voice is drowning under the teacher’s method

**TESOL_MAN** · 27-12-2005, 02:49 PM

Asslam Alaikum dear brothers and sisters. I’ll grab the chance of being able to contact your knowledgeable minds and share with you a topic about our dear students.
Have been teaching for more than five years, I have noticed that Saudi high-school graduates have a serious problem in doing presentations. They are suffering from some main obstacles. First, they don't have enough courage and confidence to stand in front of their colleagues and speak. Here I mean they are struggling with psychological barriers. When they come out to do a presentation, they feel that everyone is looking at them and every colleague is trying to find their mistakes. It's strange that they fear their colleagues even if they are close to them. The second problem is that our students have poor speaking skills. They don't have enough vocabulary, and don't know how to connect sentences.
I think there are two reasons for this problem. First, some teachers don’t try to break the psychological barriers. They never asked a student to come out and speak in front of his/her colleagues. I’m sure if you observe his class for a while, you won’t find any speaking skills or at least encouragement for students to speak. Second reason, some teachers concentrate on grammar more than anything else. They don’t try to equip students with some useful vocabulary. Another, some of our students still look at English as a passing course. This type of students look at English as a boring subject, and the teacher is the most boring one among others.
In order to come over this problem, I suggest we do the followings: 1. implement the importance of speaking, 2. break the psychological barriers by giving the students the courage to speak out in front of their colleagues at least once a week, 3. provide the students with new vocabulary at least one word a day, 4. get rid of the classical way of teaching by introducing some exciting learning games, 5. encourage pair-work and group-work between the students, 6. be an optimistic and interesting personality.
Finally, let’s decide from now to improve our students’ talents and trigger the creativity they have before they lose it. Let’s give our students the chance to speak English out in public with full courage and confidence. Thinking about the problem is much better than seeing it and remain silent.
Note: this is my simple opinion from my own experience. I might be right or partially right, and might be wrong or partially wrong. Please be generous and enhance my perspectives about this topic. Let’s hear your opinions and suggestions about this problem.

**الغاليه** · 27-12-2005, 05:33 PM

u r sooo right

but I've tried my best to improve my students speaking skills, encouraged them to speak freely

and I also gave them new words that they can use in daily life

and what did I get??? the usual "empty looks" on their faces

except one or two girls who really wanna learn English

but the rest think of it as an "extra" subject with no importance at all

mostly, they think of it as a " torture" they have to go through to pass the exams

thank u dear brother TESOL_MAN

interesting opinion

keep it up

**Abo Lama** · 28-12-2005, 04:23 AM

tesol_man

thanx alot my brother for arising these problems which i believe most of us face in our saudi context

to overcome the difficulty in reading or even in vocabulary we might push our students to write more by giving them some articles or any chosen pages form the newspapers

it seems to be an old method of teaching, but we r saudies and we hardly read and we r sure that our students may never read
in this case, i find writing as a good solution for overcoming some of our student's problems

it is actually a very wide topic, and i just wanted to share and participate in ur valuable thread

thanx again

**English Lover** · 30-12-2005, 02:38 PM

Thanx

tesol_man

I'm agree with you

you show us how we have much mistakes

I'll try to do some as I can

**DR AHLAIN** · 30-12-2005, 07:42 PM

Wa alaikom aslam brother

Thank you for your interesting topic

I would like to participate in this lovely discussion

I totally agree with you.We shoud work harded to improve student's English

I think one of the major problems is (students are not serious).

Yes we do encourage them to practice english but they consider English as one of various subjects which they got bored of

for example ,if you pronounce the letter (R) they laugh.....that teasing has been built in them!!! In my point of view this has nothing to do about class control...They come to shool bacause of their family!!!

I tought in an English Language Center whom students are very active.They respect English and they do what ever I ask them to do.

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What we can do is to Motivate them according to their levels

6. be an optimistic and interesting personality

I try my best to be as well

Note: this is my simple opinion from my own experience.

Honestly,I respct your opinion and I agree with you

Thanks again

I wish you asuccessful life

**Dr_subahi** · 31-12-2005, 08:42 AM

Tesol_man
U r right but it is not the students fault it is our poor curriculum
So, let's pray for them
Thank u for ur lovely post

dr_subahi@yahoo.com

**TESOL_MAN** · 31-12-2005, 10:31 AM

الغالية,
ابو لمى,
English Lover
Dr. Ahlain
Dr_Subahi
I really had the honor to get your comments on my topic. Thanks and let's insist to improve our students' skills in ENGLISH