USING a language actively is the only way to learn it. So, the whole range of classroom techniques and strategies means maximizing and increasing language output inside and outside the classroom.
Chuck Sandy, an English teacher at Chubu University, Japan, believes that the best way to increase learning and therefore output is to create classrooms in which people feel comfortable enough to be themselves and take risks.
Too often language teachers tend to see themselves as practitioners of a craft or people armed with activities and tasks, exercises and games. Yet too often these things become a wall between teachers and students, blocking real communication and output more than fostering it. In a recent study it was shown that output actually increased when students did not do tasks and communicated freely with the teacher.
This is not to suggest in any way that teachers should dispense with activities, games and tasks, but to point out that it's often the less structured moments of a class which prove the most fruitful. Teachers should be aware of this and be ready to follow such moments wherever they lead. A good language teacher usually creates a comfortable classroom with positive group dynamics where spontaneity is valued and everyone has a chance to be heard.
In addition, the effective language teacher uses relevant, intriguing materials as a springboard and not as a means to a particular end. Such materials allow for digression and leave room for spontaneity, allowing both teacher and students to ask real questions of value which go far beyond the simple comprehension questions most of us rely upon. Therefore, the effective language teacher thinks about the types of questions he or she asks and realizes that it's not the teacher's voice in the classroom that's central, but the voices of the students. Moreover, the effective language teacher understands that although some people may need more encouragement and support than others that everyone should have at least have the chance at a turn.
Finally, like all the best teachers, the good language teacher is approachable outside of class as well as in it. This is something that's often difficult on a bad day, but one of the most effective ways to increase output outside the classroom is to leave the office door open.
