Speak English Only
Dear Shannon Sensei,
Dear Annie,
You are not alone. This is something that every teacher deals with and I, too, have had my fair share of kids who refuse to speak English only in class.
Many kids will speak in their native language a lot when they first start taking English lessons. They do this because they cannot understand what you are saying to them and they feel bored and resentful that their parents are making them come to English class. As time goes on, they should start speaking more English.
There are a few times when I will allow the native language to be spoken in my classes. First, when the kids honestly don't know how to say something in English and want to know how to say it. Second, when there is an emergency (the child is sick or hurt). And last, when a child doesn't understand a particular concept or game idea and other students want to explain in the native language.
One of the best ways to combat native language speaking is to give them the language necessary to ask how to say things in English. Thus, when you have a new student or students in class, the first thing you should teach them is "How do I say ***** in English?" This will allow them to be able to ask when they need help.
It's especially helpful if you understand a bit of their native language. Then you can translate for them. Students want to communicate with you, but they don't always know how. For example, in my classes sometimes a new student would come in and say "Ahh...Tsukureta yo!" Because I could understand what they were saying, I could say back to them "Oh, you are tired?" Do this enough times and they will be able to say it in English.
If you're talking about just general goofing off, however, I've found that there are two ways of dealing with this...rewards or punishment.
You can offer some sort of reward, such as a sticker, to students who speak English only throughout the lesson. Whether you can do this depends on your school. My first school would not allow me to give stickers to only some of the students. I had to either give them to everyone, or give them to no one. This can work out to your advantage though, because then the class has to work together as a whole to speak English only in order to get their stickers. They will put a group pressure on other students to not speak in the native language. You can give them a certain number of "accidents" where they can still get stickers. For example, as long as the native language is spoken less than 10 times, everyone gets a sticker.
We'd all prefer to use rewards, but I've had some students who will only respond to punishment. In those cases, I've always had to lay down the law as soon as the students entered the classroom. I'd explain the they had three strikes. The third time that they'd speak their native language, they'd have to go to the corner. If they spoke in the native language a fourth time, after being in the corner, then they'd have to go talk to the principal of the school. (I never had to send anyone to the principal...)
Also, if you're playing a game which has points, you can take away points if someone speaks in the native language. This can be a very effective way to get your students to speak English only.
I hope that these ideas work out for you. If you still have problems, let me know.
Love,
Click here to go from Speak English Only to the Main Advice page.
How can I make my students speak English only in class?
(I try everything to work it out but finally they end up stopping speaking or asking any questions in English. It's so bad. What can I do, please help me out with many thanks.)
Annie
Shannon Sensei