Opportunities for Learning


Real Life Opportunities for Speaking English
By N. Yanjmaa

Exchanging real information- communicating- is every English teacher’s goal for his or her students.  Planned activities during the communicative stage of the lesson are, of course, essential.  However, many real life opportunities for speaking English can be found in the classroom every day. 

One of these opportunities is when students need to ask permission to be excused from class.  For example, a student may need to see a doctor or to meet his parents.  I have the student make his request in English and also explain his reason in English. 

When a student is late to class, there is another opportunity to have the student explain in English his reason for being late. 

Even asking permission to go to the bathroom can be an opportunity to use English! 

These tasks are difficult for some students.  They often need to look up words in the dictionary.  If a low-level student can’t explain at first, I help him.  In this way the students increase their vocabulary.

Real communication means successful language learning. 

N. Yanjmaa is an English teacher at Secondary School No. 1 in Bulgan Aimag and an EXCEL graduate.