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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Super nervous students
Super nervous students
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chosen1
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Super nervous students
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Hello everybody, Can someone be so kind as to help help students who get extremely nervous when it �s time for them to speak. The program calls for oral exams. Something I do is that I encourage them to do their best in class, because that gives me a better idea of their understanding than when they �re doing the oral exam. But even the simplest exposure to speaking they get super nervous. Any ideas?? Please. I want to help them speak. Thank you!! |
27 Jun 2013
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MarionG
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How old and what level??
I find that puppet theaters are a a great way to help them overcome fear of speaking in English in front of others. It allows studetns to (literally) "hide" behind the puppets and any mistake can be considered a funny trait of the character they portray.... |
27 Jun 2013
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chosen1
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Hi Marion, She �s 12. And she �s in the last stage of pre-basic. I �ve noticed that when I �m "not present" she can strike up a conversation, the problem is that she makes mistakes and doesn�t use the grammar correctly. I give them time to talk to improve their fluency, but they also have time to apply the information communicatively.
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27 Jun 2013
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GIOVANNI
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I also work with puppets. It �s amazing what comes out from behind a puppet.
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27 Jun 2013
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manonski (f)
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I rarely ask my students to stand up in front of a group to speak out. I usually place them in small groups. For example, group A presents to group B; group C presents to group D. Then I remix and A goes with C and B with D. That way, they present the same thing more than once and the shy students are more confident the second time they present. The groups paying attention to them are smaller and it �s less intimidating. Also, as a teacher I get more than one opportunity to evaluate the same students. If they mess up, they have a chance to try again.
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27 Jun 2013
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dutchboydvh
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I struggled a great deal with this issue growing up. The bottom line is without practice they will never get used to public speaking. That being said, try and make it a less formal thing. Let them remain seated rather than standing, or divide them into teams of 3-4 students and have them present to their teammates. I also tell them that their "self talk" is important. What they are thinking, or saying to themselves inside their heads. If it is "i �m going to screw up./I �m going to look like a fool./I hate this." they will feel nervous. Instead try and think positive thoughts "I can do this./if I make a mistake its not the end of the world." This will help keep them calm. Often as a kid, if I could fool myself into thinking it was no big deal, for me... it wasn �t. Tell them you empathise with the way they feel, and that many other students feel the same way. Slowly go from informal to more formal over time. When they accomplish their goals, have the class applaud their efforts. That will make her feel good.
Eventually they will be able to do it. She will probably always feel a little scared before hand and at first, I still do. But after experience I know I can do it, and in the end even if I make mistakes, I will do just fine. She will too.
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28 Jun 2013
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