Helping Unmotivated Students Improve Their English Skills

Helping Unmotivated Students Improve Their English Skills

Question: How do you handle students that are unmotivated to improve their English? How do you reach someone that is only taking classes because their job demands it?

In my opinion, we shouldn't have to "reach" students. English language teachers are not typically social workers. Adult English language learners should be "adult" enough to understand that they are the ones who enrolled in English classes for their own purposes. Therefore, they should be meeting us halfway.

Many of our learners want to use English, not just learn or hear about it from teachers.

On the other hand, perhaps these customers are the victims of classroom experiences where the teacher simply focuses rigidly on the lesson. Many of our learners want to use English, not just learn or hear about it from teachers. 

As a result, they may become demotivated in this type of learning environment and think every English class and every English teacher is the same. I’ve encountered this far too many times. 

A third reason is that some teachers may overcorrect their students. As a result, these students feel they can’t say anything right, and just remain quiet, giving little effort.

That said, when I encounter customers with this lack of motivation (and it is fairly often), I look for their interests. I try to find something practical to talk about whether it’s branching off from their introduction or asking about their interests. 

... adult ESL learners may actually be interested in the lesson topic rather than free-talking.

And perhaps to the surprise of some teachers reading this, adult ESL learners may actually be interested in the lesson topic rather than free-talking. So that may be another demotivator as well.

But it doesn’t stop there. Language learners must be allowed to respond. As ESL teachers, we need to find ways to provide non-disruptive, discreet feedback. I often use the chat feature in classrooms or other meeting software to accomplish this. 

Instead of interrupting students while they speak, I type feedback in the chat. That permits them to continue speaking while seeing where they can make improvements (even incorporate it into their responses).

There are more things we can do such as ... 

(1) simply being quiet enough to let learners speak, 

(2) politely encouraging them to answer questions with more detail, and 

(3) challenging them to give more information in their answers by telling them that it offers them more opportunities to practice using the language while the teacher can give them feedback (i.e., the more they speak, the more feedback we can provide to help them improve), and so on. 

But that's another answer. 

END

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Author: Jerry S. 

Author bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years and Senior TESOL Certificate Instructor affiliated with Midwest Education Group, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, ESL e-learning materials, academic papers, and more. 

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

5 Reasons Why the 70-30 Rule Is Still Needed in 2024 

There is a long-standing guide known as the 70-30 rule that many veteran ESL teachers are aware of. If you need a refresher, check out more below. 

The 70-30 rule is the ratio of student talk time (STT) to teacher talk time (TTT). Total class talk time during one ESL conversation class period can be anywhere from 60 minutes, to 50, to 45, 30, 20, etc.. 

The class time represents 100% of the potential opportunities to speak by English language learners and English language teachers. The 70-30 rule states that 70% of the lesson talk time should be student talk time. The remaining 30 percent should be teacher talk time. 

Seventy-thirty provides a formula for monitoring who might be speaking more in ESL conversation classrooms. Ideally, the learners are afforded more opportunities to use the language and gain confidence while allowing teachers to provide more feedback. And it is an effective method for gauging yourself as a teacher.

Although the 70-30 rule isn't a hard and fast mandate in the TESOL industry, where measurements need to be made, it is a good rule of thumb that can help teachers manage their conversation classes. However, there are some teachers that believe it is an archaic concept. What follows are five reasons why the 70-30 rule is still needed in ESL classrooms. 

1. More Opportunities for Feedback

The more learners talk, the more feedback you as a teacher can provide, the more you can focus on their needs. A class dominated by the teacher’s voice offers very little in giving students real feedback. And it is feedback that matters. 

Students need to know more about how they can improve instead of learning more about the language. When a teacher talks beyond 30, the tendency is to talk about unimportant matters. The 70-30 rule gives students more possibilities to receive relevant feedback for their specific needs. 

2. It Limits the Amount of ‘Teaching’ Teachers Do

Keeping talk time to 30 inhibits excessive teaching on the part of the teacher. Human minds can only receive a certain amount of information in one sitting. Because of that, a 70-30 rule prevents teachers from overwhelming students with ‘information.’ Teachers who speak more than that tend to overtalk points.

English language teachers sometimes add more than is necessary for the target language of the immediate lesson. So instead of being allowed to exercise the target points, they have been given, students listen to more than they need to. 

As a result, they lose time using English. The 70-30 rule pushes teachers to focus on the important issues—the areas that need improvement. And it allows students more opportunities to use the language. 

3. The 70-30 Rule Promotes Fluency

Like practicing the hula-hoop, the more you do it, the more proficient you become. The 70-30 rule invites students to not only speak more, but it also gives them opportunities to develop fluency. By restraining ESL teachers from much speaking, learners are gently encouraged to add more information in their answers.

When language learners are prompted to speak further, they must access more vocabulary and structure. This in turn helps build more ability to use the language in a fluid manner. When learners are afforded ample amounts of time to practice the language, they gain the confidence that leads to improved fluency. The 70-30 rule can be thought of as a teaching aid in that respect. 

4. More Satisfied Students 

One of the biggest complaints I have heard over the years is when students say the teacher talks too much. And in many cases, it's true. Another complaint I hear is students saying that their teacher never gives them opportunities to speak. In fact, most ESL student complaints involve something to do with speaking. They feel that they never have a chance to speak.

Teachers must be aware that they are not just teaching students but managing customers.

Why? Because the teacher has ignored the 70-30 rule. Teachers must be aware that they are not just teaching students but managing customers. As such, he/she must be concerned about what the student not only needs but wants. And they want to be able to talk when they pay for a class. They want to maximize their investments. By giving people what they pay for, the 70-30 rule helps teachers improve student satisfaction. 

5. Why Not Let Students Talk More? 

The class is not about you the teacher, but about the learners. Since the class is for them, it just makes sense to give them more opportunities to speak. They may want to share their answers to questions. They may want to share their life experiences. They may want to express their opinions about a matter.

Whatever they want to share, it is their time to do so. They paid for it. The ESL classroom is not a platform for teachers to share their opinions, thoughts, experiences, or ideas. That belongs to students. 

It may be difficult at times for teachers to remain quiet when they have an opinion about something that comes up in class. It takes practice—believe me, I know. But it's better to deflect the response to class members, giving them opportunities to interact with each other. 

Remember, your role as a teacher is to support not oppress; to facilitate not dominate. 

If it is a one-on-one class, the 70-30 rule ensures that the teacher’s opinions are kept to a minimum. Share just enough to provide an example of how a student can respond, but don't take center stage. Remember, your role as a teacher is to support not oppress; to facilitate not dominate. 

6. What About Low-Level Learners? 

One argument I hear against the 70-30 rule is that the teachers ‘must’ speak more in lower-level classrooms. But is that true? The teacher may feel he/she needs to talk more. But it just means lower-level learners need more time, encouragement, and structure to produce their thoughts.

They need more patience—i.e., there will be more need for silence, not more need for teacher talk (TTT) to fill the silence. Some teachers are uncomfortable with silence. However, silence is a necessary part of language development as language learners take time to think about their responses. If an ESL teacher must speak, perhaps he/she could give a brief example answer or gentle prompting.

Conclusion

The 70-30 rule is a necessary component in conversation lessons. It gives teachers more opportunities to give feedback and students more feedback. 

It keeps the teaching to the bare necessities. The 70-30 rule promotes fluency by allowing students more time to speak. It helps ensure a more satisfied customer. And it just makes sense to let English language learners speak more.

Even at lower levels, students can be afforded the courtesy of 70-30 by giving them the time to create statements in their minds then produce them without interruption. The 70-30 rule is useful, it works, and is still needed today.

END

This is an update of a blog post I wrote for ontesol several years ago. 

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Author: Jerry S. 

Author Bio: Jerry is a marketplace English language trainer of 21 years, with a wide range of experience and education ranging from bachelor to doctorate degrees in various fields, who writes articles, blogs, devotions, e-books, academic papers, and more. 

Photo by Sam Balye on Unsplash.

Should Finishing the Lesson Be Our Goal

You’ve just spent two hours working on your lesson targeting the use of the present perfect tense to describe travel experiences. You’re ready with handouts, multiple-choice questions, visual aids, and fill-in-the-blank exercises. Everything is timed perfectly. You know it will be a great lesson. And you’re determined to get through it.

Stepping into the classroom you see smiling faces on class members eager to develop their English skills. So, you begin with an overview of the present perfect verb tense. A few learners ask questions—but no problem, you’ve got this.

A little later you show your visual aid and a few more questions arise. But not everyone seems to be getting your explanations. As delays cut into your timetable you start getting flustered. You check the clock and notice you’re behind about 10 minutes.

Now things get more hectic. You finally get to the exercises and some people are having problems. You don’t understand why—you thought your lesson was well-prepared. You think, if they could just understand, they’ll learn something new about English. The end of class is coming fast and you still need to get to your handouts!

So, what do you do? You have to finish the lesson. You hurry through, blow through a couple of questions and quickly get to where you need to be. Meanwhile, your class members have befuddled looks on their faces because they’re waiting to use this new language.

You’ve finally finished the class and did indeed complete your lesson. After the students leave you congratulate yourself. Whew! I did it! Time to get ready for your next class . . . 

Time to Change Perspectives

But, if we could go back in time, what would your students say? Perhaps, “Wow, our teacher was really focused—I was afraid to ask questions”? Looking at the lesson from their perspective, how did they benefit? True, they learned something about English, but did they gain skills to use the target language in authentic communication? Was English viewed as a subject to master or a language to use?

What Is the Goal of an ESL Lesson?

This raises the bigger question: Is finishing the lesson the real goal of an ESL teacher? Students come to us for specific language learning goals, united by the desire to be able to use English in a target language environment. Language points have useful purposes but that’s only part of the equation. What about learning to use English?

When the teacher focuses on the lesson instead of the learners, they’re more interested in “doing their job” than helping people. In that sense, learners become passive recipients of the lesson material, and the class nothing more than a subject class. But when the focus of the lesson is developing individual English language skills, we use the lesson to provide opportunities for students to use the language in engaging and meaningful ways.

Not a Subject but a Language

We tend to forget that people come to us wanting to learn how to use English, not just learn about it. They may have studied English for years, but they don’t know how to use it. For example, in the language lesson above, students can study the present perfect tense at home but need a chance to use it in meaningful interactions with others. As English language teachers, one of our main purposes is to provide these opportunities.

Flip the Script

When preparing a lesson, ask yourself:

●     Will the learners develop their communication skills also?

●     Will they have opportunities to exchange their experiences?

●     Will they have opportunities to talk to each other, to you?

●     Will they have opportunities for feedback from the teacher after using the target language?

Instead of focusing on presenting structure and creating materials, provide opportunities for the students to interact and share their own experiences through the target language. This is where mingling activities, pair work, and lessons focused on speaking can be so useful.

For example, at its simplest form, in the example above the teacher could have presented the present perfect verb tense on the board with blank spaces for the students to complete and share with their own experiences.

“I have never been to [place] but want to go,”

“I’ve wanted to try authentic [cultural food] for a long time,” 

“What countries have you visited”

“Have you ever forgotten something important for a trip?”

“Have you seen any fantastic or popular sights?”

“Have you ever missed a plane?”

Final Thoughts

When you don’t finish the lesson, it isn’t a crime against TESOL! In fact, it may very well serve to facilitate more authentic interactions and foster a better understanding of a language point. 

The next time you prepare a lesson, consider how the content can be used authentically by your class members. Then, take your time without stressing that you have to finish the lesson. Your class members will appreciate it.

Teaching Language Acquisition

This is an article I wrote not so long ago but is still relevant today. We stop short as ELTs when we seek only memorized responses from English language learners. Focusing on acquisition helps prepare learners for the real world.