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This lesson talks more about the productive skills: the speaking and the writing. Although, students of ESL study English to speak, writing should never be neglected because it is also as important as speaking. Writing requires degree of accuracy while speaking requires fluency. However, accuracy and fluency are both equally important and again one should not be neglected. Everyday we communicate for reasons, such as wanting to say something to someone or listening to something from someone. In class activities, accuracy is more focused in the Study phase as it checks the students understanding and it is controlled by the teacher. After the students understand and have absorbed the lessons enough, they are then expected to try and use it in Activate phase creatively where fluency is focused. Speaking activities are sometimes controlled, guided and most of the times produce creative communication. Controlled activities are accuracy based activities where the language is controlled by the teacher. Few examples of these activities are drilling and prompting. Guided activities are also accuracy based but more on creativity where the output is controlled by the teacher but the language is not. Examples are Model Dialogues and Guided Role-play. Creative communication is however focused on fluency where the teacher only picks a scenario and it’s up to the students to produce content. Examples are Free Role-Play, Discussions, Debates, communication games, etc. Some of the students do not speak in class because of the lack of confidence. They are afraid to make mistakes, feel intimidated and sometimes lack interest in the topic. Therefore, a teacher must encourage students and overcome these difficulties by creating a comfortable atmosphere. A teacher must encourage students to talk to other students to create confidence and a teacher must always be readily available in times of the students’ needs. A teacher must always give time to students in finishing their activities with no pressure. In class, a teacher should know what to do and how to do it. Before the lesson, he or she must somehow guess any problems that might occure in class. How long the lessons and activities might take should also be considered. Instruction must also be carried out simply. During the activity, necessary materials must be prepared and it should arouse the students’ interest by relating it to the their own experience. The activities done by the students must be carefully monitored however, without interruption except providing necessary encouragement. Evaluate the students’ performance but wait until the activity has finished before correcting. After the activity, there should be a feedback. The students should know what they were able to achieve. Focusing on bad evaluation is highly discouraged. It is also important to note down the students’ errors. Individual mistakes can be discussed in private to avoid humilation. Writing skills are diffirent from speaking. Grammar is more contracted in speaking but not in writing. Vocabulary in writing is more formal however, than in speaking. A good penmanship must be encouraged to the students. Incorrect spelling can create misunderstandings and often percieved as lack of education.
