How do we help students develop their speaking abilities?

1. To learn to speak well, students need practice, just as is the case with their writing or any other skill (Tomasello, 2011). 2. When we ask questions, we should direct them to the whole class, give all students time to think about and organise a response, and then call on an individual to respond. When they struggle, we can then help them put their thoughts into words. 3. We can supplement whole-class instructions with small group work to provide students with additional opportunities to practice their language skills. Be sure to that this part of the lesson is carefully planned and monitored so students stay on task.