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Communicative activities that don't place the learner in the spotlight work wonders with EFL students in Japan, who, by the way, tend to lack confidence in speaking aloud, and not necessarily because of 'previous experiences' but more deeply so because of culture:
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I agree. Those are the kind of activities I use. However, once in a while I ask students to speak aloud in class while everyone is listening. They need to develop confidence. They live here, but their lives don't permit them to use English nearly as often as they should. They can't be afraid to speak up. They're going to need to do that soon enough. I don't ask for much - just one answer to one question. For example, one person asks a "have you ever" question. We get an answer from the person sitting next to him or her. Then that person asks the same "have you ever" question. We go around the room until everyone has asked the question and everyone has answered. This sort of thing is usually spontaneous. It works well for mixed levels, which is what I have. If it's too easy for some of them, it becomes a pronunciation lesson. French speakers need some pronunciation coaching. Some of them have to scrape final syllables of the ceiling. They're getting better though.