English teacher and author Mark Ibbotson recounts when a fear of speaking in another language has impeded him, and argues why it’s essential that teachers create safe speaking environments for their learners.
For me, the word ‘safe’ brings back memories. Before I came into ELT, I spent the early part of my career working on construction sites; statistically, one of the most unsafe places to work. With people working at dizzy heights, down deep holes, and with hazardous equipment ranging from blowtorches to bulldozers, there was danger everywhere. So, managing safety was a very serious business – and enforcing safe working practices amid the rough and tumble of a construction site often had me standing in the mud doing some very straight talking.
Is there really that much fear in speaking practice?
Against that background, how do I feel about the idea of ‘safe speaking environments’? Isn’t it a bit of an exaggeration to suggest that speaking practice needs to be ‘safe’ – and to suggest that talking in a classroom can engender fear? To answer that, let me share a more recent experience with you.
I do judo and jujitsu, which are popular sports in France, where I live. More often than not, I find myself toe-to-toe with people who are a lot better than I am. But I’ve only ever bottled out of one situation at the judo club. Now, before I go any further, I should say that I’ve lived in France for 20 years, so I’m fluent in the language. But I’m not used to speaking French in front of large groups of people. So when we came to a point in the judo-club meeting where there was something I wanted to say, at the last second I shied away from raising my hand.
Why? Because I was self-conscious about the fact that people I didn’t know (mostly parents of young club members) would notice that I wasn’t a native French speaker. Now let’s be clear, nobody would have judged me negatively. On the contrary, I couldn’t have been among friendlier people, but I still baulked at the idea of drawing attention to myself in front of all those people. So there I was, in the bizarre situation of being more scared of speaking than I typically am about being thrown halfway across the room.
What can teachers do to help learners?
If this is how I felt after 20 years’ living in France, imagine how most learners feel. Speaking up in the presence of other students can be pretty daunting and it’s a phenomenon that extends far beyond the language classroom. I can remember guys from my construction days who walked and talked like gorillas out on site – but when they sat in a meeting room with a dozen or so people, they would be as timid as mice.
Which brings me to my point. I think we seriously underestimate how intimidated many learners are about speaking. Equally, we overestimate their ability to somehow ‘get over it’. So, as educators, I think it’s crucial for us to recognize that the fear of speaking is not just a touchy-feely side issue. It’s a fundamental obstacle to learning. To overcome it, we need to take decisive action by adopting approaches that will help learners feel safe and comfortable about speaking. Only then can they practise speaking effectively and make noticeable progress, so that they can answer that classic question – “Do you speak English?” – with a confident “Yes”.
For practical advice, here are 5 factors for creating safe speaking environments.
These insights have been used in the development of our American English course Evolve. Please visit the Evolve web hub for more information and resources.