478. Speaking led to mutual love: Charlot & a blind girl!


From British Council – BBC teaching-English website. September 7.


Help! How to teach a native speaker of French to speak English?

Dear all,

My private student is a young lady from France. Basically, she knows nothing about English and I have very limited knowledge of French. The textbook we are going to use is "Interchage" published by Cambridge University Press. I'm very worried about our fist lesson. How could she understand me if I do't speak much French?

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks a lot. Effie



Hello Effie and everyone,

Calm down ;) Be, as you well know, welcoming and polite. I don't know the objectives this lady wants to attain with your private speaking classes. You yourself can mark a short and realistic set of objectives - make a plan and write it down.

I would tell you not to speak any French. All in all, don't worry if some words in French slip out during the conversation. But those classes of speaking English must be so, in English, all the time.

A piece of advice: classes should not last more than three quarters of an hour. Anyway, do whatever you decide, obviously.

Use the photos of Interchange - I know that series. It's sensible you would speak in English a lot, very slowly, about specific points of one photo. For example, describe and repeat and repeat basic things about the picture - not many details. Sort of "This is a woman, this is a man, they are speaking by telephone". Mime the gestures of speaking by phone. While you are describing the photo, point with a pen on the people and the main object.

Don't make her tired with the same photo, though.

When you ask her a question to be responded by the English word of one object of the photo, and she answers correctly, you can nod, slightly smile, say ok.

Your learner needs visual aids. You can write the word "telephone" also, on a notebook, with clear characters, for her to match the written word with the picture. Next day make a quick revision of the photo, quickly - nod and smile.

It seems also good that she would listen to you saying a rather longish speech: she will notice the special texture of the English language. And this, definitely, make her more acquainted with listening and understanding your English.

So as to involve the learner more into the process of learning, frown your forehead and ask her how she says that word in French, and you sort of say oh, I see, this is a ("telephone" in French).

Show her she is making quick advance. When learning a new language, each word is a step forward, and the learner notices his or her advance, more quickly than an advanced learner.

Little by little you can step forward, you can proceed into longer conversations. Longer but basic.

At your entire disposal.

Fernando

Teacher of English. Teacher trainer. Granada

http://fernandoexperiences.blogspot.com

/ Photo from: city-lights-petit-big City Lights, premiered 1931 in New York. From: www sinepil org

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