how to optimize learning in English and speech classes

Let us admit it. Much class time is wasted doing things that do not contribute to the improvement of our students' language skills. Mentors oftentimes overlook to see that they are wasting their students' time and money teaching them lessons that they already know. For instance in a Speech or English class, the teacher should give emphasis on lessons that students find most problems and difficulty.

Teachers should know where her students are by giving them a sort of diagnostic test, like a simple essay, or a simple self-introduction to know their weaknesses and work from there. In English language, is it grammar? Which area of grammar? Is it preposition or subject-verb agreement? If it is Speech it is very easy to isolate problem speech sounds and to start working on those. Teachers will be able to save a lot of class time as well as optimize student learning if he or she will only work on the students' problem areas.

In Speech for example, the teacher can first make a comparison of the sounds in our own dialect against the sounds of the English language. You will notice that there are many sounds in our Pilipino language that are also found in the English language. For example are sounds like /m/, /n/, /b/, /g/, /h/, /w/ and many more. However, there are also many sounds in English that are not found in our own native language like the sounds /f/, /sh/, /v/, /th/ etc.

Sounds that we have no problem producing may be reviewed but sounds that give us many problems should be given more time.

Always work on something that students have little or no know-how. This is the only way that schools can have relevance. Otherwise, there is no point in going to school when you already know what the teachers are talking about.

what do you do in a speech class?

You, as a teacher, are assigned to teach Speech this schoolyear. It is a new subject to you but you accept it anyway.

What activities can you use in order to optimize the students' time in learning speaking skills? There are quite a number of activities and I will mention those which I had tried and tested in my Speech classes for the past 23 years.

On the first day of meeting, after you have introduced yourself and given the course objectives as well as the importance of the subject, let your students introduce themselves one by one. Do not only require them to give their names and courses. You have to state in black and white what each student wants the whole class to know about her or him---goals, ambition, class expectations. This activity will help you identify this early those with potential and those who need help. While the students are at it, be sure to take note of mispronounced words and take them up with everybody 10 minutes before the class ends. After the self-intro you may now start giving a bird's eyeview of what they will be learning in that subject during the entire semester. This might take only 30 minutes to some and a whole hour to many. After all the blah, let us start going through the different activities Speech teachers can use in their classes:

1. newscasting (for radio or television)--encourage the students to observe professional newscasters and to try to imitate their favorites

2. phone call (irate customer and rep)---they will do this by pairs, one is a native English speaker while the other one is a customer service rep

3. talk show (for television)---done by groups

4. impromptu speaking (individually)---they pick topics to be discussed on the spot

5. debate (choose one method, preferrably Oregon-Oxford)

6. Speech choir (creative or interpretative)

7. jazz chanting (by groups)---with choreography, costume, music