My favorite speaking activity

There are four language skills that an EFL learner has to master: writing, reading, listening and speaking. Some might say that the skill of speaking is the most infamous one. In other words, speaking is considered to be the most challenging one to teach and to acquire.

Pedagogically speaking, the EFL teacher has to acknowledge two main things. First, providing the students with various opportunities to speak is fundamental. There must be different types of speaking activities throughout the lesson. Second, speaking is hard to master mostly because it has a lot to do with confidence, or the lack of it. The teacher has to make sure the students feel comfortable enough to speak freely and confidently within the classroom by providing a tolerant, safe atmosphere for them to explore and make mistakes.

In my classes, I try to encourage my students to speak as much as possible even though it is not always easy. When I was a college student, I was observing an amazing English teacher in an elementary school in Holon and she had a wonderful speaking activity, which I adopted, Each student receives a sheet with common personal questions, such as Where do you live? What is your favorite season? When is your birthday?. There are between 30-41 questions, depends on the grade level. Firstly, we go over the questions together and the students write down their answers. Then, the students practice asking and answering in pairs or groups. Later on, each lesson a student is given the chance to be the "Pupil on Duty", in which he is to answer the other pupils` questions without looking at the sheet. Thus, the pupils get the opportunity to speak English freely using memorized chunks.

Over the years I have seen that this activity is very relatable and enjoyable for all ages since the students get to speak about themselves, their habits and their interests. Also, the teacher can adapt the content to the learners` level. Another reason I like this activity is that being able to ask and answer personal questions in English is something that can help them in various situations in life.

What is your favorite speaking activity?

Tomer