Thanks

 

Cases like the ones you are reporting are pretty common. Unfortunately, there �s so much a teacher can do.

 

Students should be aware of their role and responsibilities as language learners, specially in this case, where the student is about to go abroad. So, I believe the best you can do is to explain the student that he or she must take risks and try. 

 

But, if there is still resistance, I don �t know what you can do. Maybe they �ll learn the hard way when they go abroad.

 

I guess you have been doing your part.

 

Best regards

 

Karina

Drilling drilling drilling NOT through senseless worksheets where she has to fill in the blanks with the missing verb forms or prepositions or else BUT through repetition repetition repetition of what she has/wants to say.

Keep in mind the way a mother tongue is learnt - listening-speaking-reading-writing. You cannot make her speak by asking her to do worksheets because the worksheets make her think about two options (usually). Making up sentences on her own takes a lot more - that �s why she gets the �blockage �.

I would provide her with example dialogues that you two would read together out loud over and over again until she becomes pretty fluent and readsallthewordsandsentencesasiftheywereonlyoneword. She has to get used to the melody and intonation of the language. You must exaggerate because the (British) English language is pretty chirpy and the speakers usually sound excited, so ask her to do it, too. Most of my students are embarrassed of themselves and manage to utter only the first few words (with a rising and falling intonation) when they would burst out laughing. But i keep at them and don �t let them go back to the �robotic � way of reading/speaking.

What i do with Angela (a student of mine who knows all the rules for tenses and other grammar parts by heart, but cannot/couldn �t make a single sentence) is ask her simple Qs to which she would answer. If she makes pauses between words, i ask her to repeat the answer all over again till it sounds likeoneword. I ask the Qn again, and she repeats fluently. I move on to another Qn. When she has mastered the answer, i start all over again from Q1 to the last Qn i asked. To that you MUST ADD the proper INTONATION AND appropriate WORD STRESS.

You might want to check these two threads and make use of them:
http://www.eslprintables.com/forum/topic.asp?id=11190
(The picture association story can provide LOTS of repetition. What i did the last time was put the cards in a circle and roll a die. When she landed on the Flash Card, she had to begin a story. Then i rolled, landed on another picture, repeated what she had said and continued the story. Through this activity, you get a lot of repetition and practice, a bit of fun, you stir her imagination and creativity, a lot of paraphrasing or adding more details to the story, making the sentences longer .. what more could you ask for?? Of course, after the story has been created, you assign your student to write it down.)

And here �s one more thread:

http://www.eslprintables.com/forum/topic.asp?id=6148

P.S. Could you, please, change the title of your post to include the word "speaking" because it will be easy for me/us to find it later and to direct other members to it when they need similar help. I already gave this answer to someone in the past, but i cannot find the thread, obviously because of the inappropriate title. Thanks.

P.P.S. This is what i meant by exaggerating:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ_eMqV7Y7k
It wasn�t a meaningless application of a rule (played - didn�t play), but a meaningful "conversation" where i was ignorant of the Indians� way of life and they were the smart ones who corrected me.

1) This site might be very helpful - www.onlineEnglish.en101.com. And although it is not free, it �s really worth it. Besides, there are also lots of free lessons, to get acquainted with the site. Teachers can use the site at the beginning of their classes as a warming up exercise; as individual tasks for problematic areas; as homework for individual students (first create a supplementary password!).

2) I also give my students short anecdotes (there are lots of different booklets available, like e.g. L.A.Hill. "Introductory Stories for Reproduction", etc.) as homework - they read and prepare the story for reproduction (it means they have to tell it to themselves several times at home!); then in class they tell it to me or to other students (if there are any) and after that ask questions which are given after the anecdote (by heart!).

So my idea would be as follows: Find out which topic might tick off your student and see if you can invite a third party to provoke a discussion!

 

On the other hand I tend to agree with memthefirst. Once in an English speaking country she will have no choice and she will take the hurdle. Sitting opposite her teacher can also make her very self conscious. (like me not being willing to sing or even give a rythm when my husband - a professional musician - is around, but singing my lungs out in front of a full class!)

 

Thanks again everyone!