How can English Teacher Engage Students with Activities

Learning English can be fun but at the same time teaching the language to children can be a challenge. Repetitive method of learning can create boredom for them. The nature of the language is such that it keeps on evolving, so it is important to continue finding out alternative methods of teaching that are engaging and helping students learn better.

Use of phonics:

Reading and recognition of letters and words can be initially difficult for students. So teachers can use phonics in order to make learning easy and interesting. Phonics is a method for teaching, reading and writing in English language. The fundamental purpose of phonics is to enable readers to decode long or new words by sounding them out.

 Use of phonics to learn the spelling and pronunciation of the word can be an interesting exercise if the whole class is engaged in it. So it is easy to grasp different words and their meanings by teaching phonics as a group activity.

Use students' interests and fascinations while giving grammar lessons: 

We tend to learn things more easily if we already have interest in them. So by finding out students' interests, teachers can develop new methods of teaching. For example, teenage students love watching cartoons. So if teachers can create interesting animations using their favorite cartoons, it can make learning grammar interesting, which is otherwise an activity that can cause boredom. So using ingenious methods that are engaging can retain interest.

Essay writing and Elocution competition: 

Assigning tasks and arranging competitions can be an effective way of  testing students based on their writing and speaking abilities. Awarding the top-performing students can also be a boon as it can create a competitive spirit amongst the students thereby encouraging them to perform better. It can also shed light on the shortcomings of the students and help the teachers to take measures that can be beneficial for the students and help them in the long run.

Arranging debates and group discussions:

Debates and group discussions can be an effective way of improving speaking skills. It can also be helpful in learning correct ways to present a point of view. Moreover, it can enhance thinking abilities and nurture learning by improving approach towards a particular subject.

Publishing:

Teachers can further motivate children to keep performing well by appreciating and valuing their work. So teachers must find out ways in which they can provide incentives to the students. One of the ways of doing it is by finding out mediums where they can publish work done by the students. Teachers can tap into sources such as local newspapers or magazines to publish articles or stories written by their students. Or teachers can encourage managing bodies of the schools to publish their own magazines. Doing so will encourage students and will also nurture learning.

Arranging short skits and plays:

 Arranging skits and plays can have multiple benefits. First of all, It can certainly diminish 'stage fear' that is faced even by adults. The other thing is since it is a group activity, children can learn team-work and have a cluster of ideas based on different opinions that can be conducive to creative thinking. Other than that, a play or a drama altogether involves activities such as craft, writing, singing, dialogues, etc., which can further help in learning and retaining student interest.

Engaging students in various activities can be an onerous task for English teachers. But in order to be effective and impart quality teaching, teachers must experiment with different ideas based on their understanding of students' interest, strength, and weaknesses. Involving in activities can contribute in learning and overall development of the children.