Today, I was sent by my immediate superior to attend an ASEAN Conference in Princess Chulaphorn’s College (one of the leading academic institution of Phitsanulok, Thailand) but was surprised to find out that it wasn’t at all related to ASEAN but a seminar on acquiring strategies in teaching speaking skills which was intended for Thai English teachers as the medium of instruction is Thai.

But because I was already in the venue and there was no way out for me, I welcomed the opportunity to learn something from the speakers with the aid of the hand-outs they gave us which thankfully were in English language. Surprisingly, I ended up staying up to the last minute of the training because I felt like taking a refresher course of the lessons I took up with my professors way back my university years in PNU.

And as a Foreign Language Teacher, the inputs I gained are truly helpful. Here’s something that I would like to share:

Suggestions for Teachers in Teaching Speaking:

♦ Provide maximum opportunity to students to speak the target language.

♦ Try to involve each student in every speaking activity.

♦ Reduce teacher speaking time in class.

♦ Indicate positive signs when commenting on a student’s response.

♦ Do not correct students’ pronunciation mistakes very often.

♦ Circulate around the classroom to ensure that students are on the right track.

♦ Provide opportunities for students to talk by using work or pair work.

♦ Provide language input beforehand.

♦ Diagnose problems faced by the students.

The purpose of going to that place didn’t turn out as it should be, nonetheless the experience proved to be meaningful and worthwhile after all.