Somehow, in every Intensive English Program I’ve taught in, practical English gets shoved aside. We rush through it, almost dismissively, trying to hurry students into higher levels, you know, the level they need to pass those English proficiency exams.
It’s like we forget they’ll be living in an English-speaking community for YEARS while they work on their degrees.
Will this be on the test? vs. Does anyone really say it that way?
I’ve always loved it when a student interrupts to ask, “But does anyone say it like that?”
The answer, too often, is no.
We don’t speak in the formal, stilted English we teach, the English they need for those overly-important proficiency exams. We’re bringing students to a finish line that sits on the edge of a cliff.
The students who only learn test English? They’re easy to spot at university. They’re the ones sitting with others who speak the same first language. The ones who aren’t chosen for group projects. The ones others avoid for pairwork because conversations feel difficult and stressful.
But the international student who is comfortable socializing in English? They’re sought after. Others want to know more about them, their culture, their perspectives.
They didn’t come just to pass a test.
Students traveled thousands of miles when they could have been taking online classes in their pajamas. They want to make connections. They want to talk with new friends, classmates, and neighbors.
Is the English we teach in the classroom helping them with that?
We can help them master all the rules and give them all the practice they need to get the score they want. But then what? They spend the next few years with books as their closest companions?
Here’s what to do instead.
Give them role-plays. Give them conversation prompts that go deeper than surface-level small talk. Give them the scaffolding: essential vocabulary lists, dialogues to unscramble and practice, scenario cards, scripts to build from.
Let them practice practical English in your classroom first, that risk-free environment where you know about the affective filter and how to create a supportive context.
Because THAT practice gives them the confidence to try it outside your class. And frankly, that’s where the magic happens. Not in your classroom or under your direction. But you will have made it possible.
Then they can be active participants in university discussions. They can meet their group project members to go out, not just work on the project. They can make connections they’ll remember for a lifetime.
Because THAT is why they traveled thousands of miles. Not just to pass a test and get a degree. They wanted more.
Help them get that practical English.
That’s it from me. See you in the next post!
FREEBIE ALERT
Going out to eat is a common social event in just about any culture. Food makes a great starting point in conversations. Hands have something to do, and chewing provides a few extra moments to think before responding. Plus, we’ve all got to eat, right? Subscribe to my newsletter and grab this FREE page of dialogue prompts for your students to use in pair work.
