How important is it for a student to be able to fluently converse in English? This is a question as valid as asking how important oxygen is to human lives. English speaking skills are the fundamentals of a student’s academic life. It is a global language, and hence, it is important to inculcate at least some basic English speaking skills. That’s just the start. Moving ahead in school or university, students must aim to develop exemplary speaking skills in this language.
English speaking is essential for students as it affects all areas of their lives. It is not limited to the classrooms, however; it is a great place to begin with. Remarkable communication skills help students cope with other academic subjects, ace their homework and projects, and also shape their personality.
A good command of communication skills boosts one’s self-esteem. It is the medium that enables people to project their thoughts and perceive others’. English speaking for students is not just an academic skill. It is a life skill that is best acquired at the beginning stages of life.
Here’s how students can improve their English speaking skills while acing at school.
1. Identify the areas of progress
Students often know how to communicate in English. But they are not necessarily good at oral communication. Or even if they are, there is always scope for development. To improve English speaking skills for students, they must lay down their areas of progress and define their learning journey accordingly. Some of them include:
- Having a hard time looking for words.
- Unable to get the right pronunciation of certain words.
- Lethologica, or the tip of the tongue phenomenon,
- Unable to comprehend what others are saying.
- Grammatical errors
- Inability to hold a conversation in English
If students face issues with any of these matters or anything similar, they must particularly work on these areas to achieve the right results.
2. Go beyond the academic syllabus
The academic curriculum is extremely helpful in learning English speaking and its application as well. But when it comes to learning, the sky’s the limit. Looking for resources beyond the school curriculum is a type of blended learning that is interesting and effective. Aside from educational resources, students can refer to English movies, documentaries, series, and podcasts too. This introduces them to the comprehensive as well as colloquial use of the language.
3. Build a personal dictionary
What is the best way to develop your English vocabulary? Ideally, there are innumerable ways to do this. But let’s look at this less explored but foolproof way of learning and enhancing the English vocabulary. Students can create their own library of words and note their meanings. This helps keep a record of the new words that they have learnt, and they can use it as a reference for their school homework as well. A personal dictionary is a customized learning method that helps students learn new words with their meanings and applications.
4. Use creative learning methods
Speaking of personalized learning methods, there are many ways for students to improve their English speaking. One can channel their interests into upgrading their communication skills. For instance, students can use the brain-sketching technique to better remember the new words that they learn. They can also indulge in creative writing, speech shadowing, or join a book club. Using learning methods that students are comfortable with can improve the quality of learning and help them build better recall.
5. Indulge in communicative activities
Learning is effective as long as it is simultaneously put into practice. To improve their English speaking skills, students can join online discussion forums. This makes for an effective digital learning experience that is productive and helps students explore subjects of their own preference. The topics of discussion do not necessarily have to be educational. Besides that, they must also actively give school presentations. Now that schools and universities encourage children to learn through digital learning and experiential methods like giving presentations individually or even in groups, students can make the most of this opportunity to improve their English communication skills.
6. Retell a story
Students can tell or even retell a story in English that they know in their native language. They can do that in the privacy of their own space or find an audience amongst their peers, friends, and family. Storytelling is interactive and actively helps students improve their speaking skills in a fun way.
7. Use online resources
The benefit of using online resources to learn or improve English speaking skills is that they are innumerable. This could also be a downside, as students might get overwhelmed with the number of options available. Pearson’s ActiveApp can be the right companion for students on their journey to improve their English speaking. It encompasses blended learning that ensures students have a wholesome and valued learning experience. It has multiple learning styles that are suitable for students with varied backgrounds.
These productive and diverse tips can help students improve their English speaking skills. Furthermore, the digital resources let students learn at their own pace and time without compromising their academics.