Even though it may be hard to get your learner to speak more English at home, there are plenty of ways to help your learner get real-world practice with their English during your tutoring sessions. This post outlines a few of those possibilities.
As my previous posts have explained, getting your learners to speak English at home can be hard. However, I have a few suggestions for how to get your learners that real-world practice that is so valuable.
First, pick a place to take your learner. This could be a coffee shop, a bank, or even the desk at the library where you already meet. Pick somewhere that will be interesting or useful for your learner and not too far out of their comfort zone.
Prep your learner for the conversation with a few words and phrases they might need, as well as any cultural norms that they may not know. After your learner studies the words, practice with them so that they start to feel natural.
Remember that anyone working at a shop or a bank is used to dealing with all kinds of customers - customer service is their job. So, approach the clerk beforehand and explain that you are bringing your learner to practice ordering/checking out/making a deposit in English. They will be more than happy to help you out and play along, as long as you give them a heads up. Assure your learner that the clerk is ready for them and that they shouldn't to be afraid to go for it - making mistakes is part of learning.
This kind of activity is great for a couple of reasons. One, it helps your learner learn useful vocabulary. It also helps them get comfortable with common conversations that they will actually use every day. Remember that these interactions teach culture as much as they do words and phrases. Learning to feel comfortable with people in the community like cops, which may not come naturally to them, is important as well.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas as to how you can spice up your next tutoring lesson.
Happy tutoring!
Natalie Howard
Washington University in St. Louis, Class of 2017
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
As my previous posts have explained, getting your learners to speak English at home can be hard. However, I have a few suggestions for how to get your learners that real-world practice that is so valuable.
First, pick a place to take your learner. This could be a coffee shop, a bank, or even the desk at the library where you already meet. Pick somewhere that will be interesting or useful for your learner and not too far out of their comfort zone.
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| From: http://classroomclipart.com/ |
Remember that anyone working at a shop or a bank is used to dealing with all kinds of customers - customer service is their job. So, approach the clerk beforehand and explain that you are bringing your learner to practice ordering/checking out/making a deposit in English. They will be more than happy to help you out and play along, as long as you give them a heads up. Assure your learner that the clerk is ready for them and that they shouldn't to be afraid to go for it - making mistakes is part of learning.
This kind of activity is great for a couple of reasons. One, it helps your learner learn useful vocabulary. It also helps them get comfortable with common conversations that they will actually use every day. Remember that these interactions teach culture as much as they do words and phrases. Learning to feel comfortable with people in the community like cops, which may not come naturally to them, is important as well.
Hopefully this gives you some ideas as to how you can spice up your next tutoring lesson.
Happy tutoring!
Natalie Howard
Washington University in St. Louis, Class of 2017
ENGLISH AT LARGE
Literacy and Learning for Life
Join the conversation
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