Improving Students’ English Speaking ability

劉艷梅

Abstract： Of the 4 skills in learning English， speaking， to some extent， sets an obstacle for most Chinese students. This essay talks about the factors affecting students speaking ability and proposes 4 strategies to improve students English speaking ability.

Key words： English speaking ability；factors；strategies

I. Introduction

After teaching English for several years in Senior High Middle School， What motivates me most is the challenge to learn to speak a foreign language well when someone doesnt have the chance to their countries， or the opportunity to interact with any native speakers. For this reason， my main aim in this essay is how to create suitable atmosphere to foster speaking skills as tools for communication.

II. Factors affecting students speaking

1.Insecure motivations and the fear about speaking. Nowadays， most Chinese senior students learn English for the success in NMET. Some regard English as a ladder， which can help them enter college and later find a good job. Though students initial motivation may be quite strong， under the strain of learning a new language with all its complexities such as pronunciation， vocabulary and so on， motivation may decrease.

2. Emphasis on grammar and neglect speaking. In spite of the new methodology， teachers always give more time in explaining grammar than in practicing their oral skills， as they themselves are cultivated from traditional teaching methods.

3. Atmosphere filling more Chinese and less English. In China， the big trouble for English learners is the lack of a helpful environment even in schools. There is little chance of meeting or talking with the native speakers of English， especially in the countryside.

III. Strategies to encourage students to speak

1. Improving the teachers own speaking ability. By speaking English accurately and fluently， English teachers will demonstrate the elegance of the language itself vividly. And with a harmonious and friendly relationship between teachers and students and a good English-learning atmosphere， students will be extremely motivated to participate into the well-designed English-speaking activities.

2. Reviving students motivation. Our own personality outlook may provide the students with fresh motivation. If we have a genuine interest in the students and their welfare， if we smile often and give them praise where it is deserved， if we are responsive to the difficulties students have， and if we show faith in their abilities， they will try harder to succeed in speaking English.

3. Using all kinds of teaching aids and activities to set the language context for the students. With a piece of chalk， objects， people， animals， settings are created on the blackboard ， the students interest and attention are aroused and a relaxed atmosphere is created. Another technique is to use multimedia to create situations for students to act out their dialogue or play their roles against the background of a restaurant， street， or campus. We can use an over-head project， and then the students can talk like real “native speakers”.

4. Giving more chances， few corrections and appropriate expectation on English speaking. Naturally， conversation practice will be a time of some errors in pronunciation， grammar or vocabulary. We want to correct errors but we should not interrupt the flow of conversation with constant minor mistakes. Therefore， while making assessment of students' performance， teachers are expected to use encouragement to fill students with a sense of success.

IV. Conclusion

As the use of the language as a communication tool is becoming more and more important， speaking ability needs paying special attention. With the encouragement and guidance of the teacher， students can improve their speaking skills and achieve their goal of using language.

（作者單位：山東省廣饒縣第一中學）