How to get your learners talking

Hello there!

This new podcast has only been online for a short time and I'm already getting positive reactions and honest questions from teachers! Thank you :-)

Let's tackle the age-old question today: "How to Get Your Learners Talking?"

Why are they silent?

Silence in the classroom when you actually want to hear your learners talk doesn't always mean they know nothing or have nothing to say. It may mean they need more time, support, or a reason to speak. If you've ever wondered, "Why won't my learners talk?", it's worth asking a second question: who is doing most of the talking in the classroom?

When the teacher takes up most of the airtime, learners have fewer chances to practise. But getting them to speak isn't simply a matter of asking more questions or telling them to be confident.

"Silence doesn't always mean a lack of knowledge."

Many learners understand more than they can say. Their passive knowledge (the language they can understand when they hear or read it) may be much greater than their active knowledge.

Fear can also keep learners quiet. If they have learned that mistakes are embarrassing, staying silent may feel safer than trying to express an idea imperfectly. Our job is to help them build the confidence to take that risk.

Build towards speaking, step by step

Learners need time to move from understanding language to using it independently. Are you guiding them through these phases?

• Receptive: learners listen or read and show what they understand.

• Reproductive: learners imitate or repeat language they have encountered.

• Productive: learners use the language to express their own ideas.

For example, when working with a photo, you might first describe what is in it while learners point to the relevant details. Next, they name items in the image, perhaps using words on the board. Later, they describe the photo in full sentences of their own.

That progress takes practice. A new word may need to appear in many different activities before learners are ready to use it actively.

Give learners a reason to speak

Questions and answers are a simple starting point. For beginners, ask specific questions such as "What's your name?" or "Where do you live?" At higher levels, invite more open responses: "What would your ideal day look like?"

Information-gap activities create an even clearer reason to communicate: each learner has information their partner needs. In an A/B dictation, for instance, each person has a version of the same text with different words missing. They must read their words aloud and listen to one another to complete it.

"The aim isn't perfect speech. It's helping learners communicate, build confidence, and gradually do more of the talking themselves."

Make space for real communication

Speaking opportunities don't have to be limited to a planned activity. Greet learners in the target language, ask how their weekend was, or start a conversation after a break. Treat ordinary moments as chances to interact.

And when learners do become genuinely engaged, pay attention. I once had a class discussion that grew out of watching a brief comedy sketch. The activity was meant to take only a few minutes, but the passionate conversation that followed lasted an hour. I let the lesson plan go, and I still remember that class as one of my best!

Listen to the full episode, How to Get Your Learners Talking.

Happy teaching!

Peter Schoenaerts