tutoring speaking /conversation skills

[Sniderman]

I am presently teaching an 18 year old high school student in English. While there are many opportunities to improve speaking skills in classroom situations I am searching for ways to help him improve his speaking skills in our 1:1 sessions-any ideas? Sniderman

[Heads Up English]

It depends on the length of your one-on-one classes, but present him with a series of questions based on a topic. Preferably choose a topic he's interested in, such as movies, music, travel, or something that will encourage him to give thought to the topic and questions before the private lesson. Then use the time in the private lesson to discuss these questions. This will help him develop fluency, as well as support his opinion. However, it's also important to take notes during each lesson so as to provide feedback in the last five or ten minutes. You can correct any mistakes, review grammar or vocabulary, and generally fine tune his ability.

As additional work, you can always ask him to research some information on the topic. Wikipedia is a great source because it's so readily accessible, and the student can research in his own language before browsing through the English information.

If the class is longer, say about one hour or more, then give him a short article connected with the topic. This can serve as a jumping off point to the discussion, and also allows him to reuse information from the article to substantiate his opinions.

I hope these ideas help.

Chris Cotter
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[Luizao]

like the tips....

[Luizao]

...another idea to help and work on pronounciation is to invest in or borrow a small cassette recorder or dictaphone so you can record parts of the conversation or problem words which you can then play back to them and work on together.
It often helps students to hear themselves speak and hopefully notice the difference in both of your pronounciations. It can also be a practical aid when you play it back and can spot mistakes more easily afterwards.

it also provides a welcome diversion in a lesson and after you've got over the initial embarrassment and laughing at how ridulous you each sound on cassette can prove to be an invaluable tool as well as making the student feel he is receiving even more personal care and attention.....

win win all round really