When the learners are called on in class,
they commonly get haunted by the shame of making mistakes and being laughed at.
That’s because we have stigmatized mistakes and consequently blocked their involvement
and engagement in most classroom activities which consists of speaking, giving
opinion or negotiating meaning. When we stop correcting them all the time, the
students feel independent and become a little more daring in expressing their
thoughts. They can think aloud despite the hindrance of their language
imperfection. Gradually their responses or comments go from scattered words to
phrases then to sentences and statements until the students reach the stage of
being capable of presenting their ideas trying hard to make them intelligible. The
teacher should seize the opportunity to shift with this new skill they get into
leading them to the ultimate stage of delivering speeches. They will surely be
pleased to speak publicly (within the restricted classroom context first) surmounting
all their fears and disinclination.
Whenever
they have an idea, no matter how imperfect their language fluency is, they
stand up in front of the class to deliver what they have in mind. It works well
with most students. As for those who still couldn’t get rid of the stage fright
and the mistake phobia are given models to exploit for more insurance and
self-confidence, and this works pretty well as a shelter from making mistakes
or getting stuck.
Training
the students on public speaking is not a superfluous activity; it is a priority
nowadays because communication has become the key for success in business and
in almost all careers. How the students can express their ideas clearly counts
a lot, and for this reason they need to practice public speaking as early as
possible and with a public as restricted and confined as their own classmates.
