Suzanne Woodward is the author of Fun with Grammar, a teacher resource book of fun and interactive grammar practice activities. She has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) in a variety of programs: community colleges, adult education programs, intensive English programs, amnesty programs and language schools. She currently teaches Academic Writing at Palomar College in California. Ms. Woodward obtained her MA in Spanish Linguistics at The University of Texas (Austin) and a TESOL certificate from UCSD. In addition to the previously mentioned book, she has written numerous articles for educational journals, written VESL, career awareness and reading curricula and is coauthor of the TIDES idea bank, a resource bank of classroom activities, at Palomar College. Ms. Woodward is a frequent presenter at educational conferences on various topics, including interactive and fun grammar and conversation topics.
Does it sometimes seem that you are the only one talking in your ESL class--even when it is a conversation class? How do you rev up your students' energy level and engage them in the subject matter--or just get them talking? Students want to improve their speaking and listening skills to succeed in school and the world, and they need activities that will help them do that. Whether you are looking for ideas for a conversation class, ways to get your ESL students talking about a specific content area or conversation ideas to promote brainstorming, you will find many ideas here. This book is full of fun and lively activities that promote listening and speaking skills for any type of ESL class. In addition to ideas to get your students talking, there are worksheets which you can adapt for your class or use directly from the book.
There are many reasons why students may be hesitant to speak in class. They may be shy, tired, insecure or not engaged in the class. This is true in any class but especially difficult to deal with in a conversation class. Students need to fine tune their listening/speaking skills for interactions outside of the classroom and as they move into more academic classes.