You Must Speak ONLY English in Your English Lessons

Todd: Ah, so, Ruth, we are both teachers.

Ruth: That’s right.

Todd: and that we have students and that we teach our students English, and English isn’t their mother tongue, what does one neutralizes class when students don’t speak English? Once they speak their own language instead?

Ruth: At the beginning, I will give them a stern look, even though that does not always work, but, you know, if I’m setting an activity and I want them to participate in, I always confirm that, I will ask them first of all which language they’re getting to do the activity in, and any student who’s not getting to speak English has got to put their hand up and usually students do not like to be the odd one out in order that they don’t put their hand up.

Todd: That’s a reasonably good strategy.

Ruth: What does one do?

Todd: Um, well, i do not know, I mean, i have never had much success really, so I’ve actually been pretty casual about it. I just allow them to speak occasionally to every other in their own language.

Ruth: Really?

Todd: Yeah, and then, I just encourage that they speak English but I figure as long as their trying to talk in English and that they do the bulk of it in English, that once they need to speak a touch little bit of their language, that’s OK, I mean, as long as it’s quick, and..

Ruth: i actually think English should be the sole language they speak in school if they’re learning English.

Todd: But don’t you think that that just too hard, that perhaps that really brings them down, they strain too hard, that sometimes it’s just easier for them to speak really quickly, and then switch back to English.

Ruth: i feel it’s specialized for them to, i feel as a challenge. I’m not saying it is easy for them, but I do think it’s good for them, and that i think it helps their English to enhance more quickly.

Todd: Yeah, I guess. Maybe I should try it. I’ll provides it a try, but it’d be too late cause I’ve already allow them to, you know, not do it, so!

Ruth: So does one think you would possibly start this week?

Todd: I’ll try, but I even have to take care because i do not want to shock them an excessive amount of.

Todd: By the way Ruth, are you learning another language, and what do you feel about it?

Ruth: I am actually learning Chinese at a language learning centre, I feel Chinese is difficult, especially learning the Chinese tones and Chinese characters, but I try not to speak English in my Mandarin class, I will only speak English when I really don’t understand what the teacher is talking about.