The classroom is a social construction that is designed to facilitate learning. While learning can occur even when the only active participant is the student, as is the case when a person is reading a user manual, the most effective learning scenarios are those that involve the proactive participation of both instructors and trainees. students. The fundamental benefit of a personal student-teacher type of interaction is that the feedback and control mechanism is firmly established and can always be invoked to keep learning moving towards pre-established goals. Furthermore, the learning process is essentially affected by peer group relationships within the classroom environment. That is, the interactions between teachers and students, as well as between students, constitute the learning network within which the concepts of the lesson are shared, affirmed and constructed.

In a classroom setting, the teacher’s primary role is to impart information and orchestrate experiences that enable students to develop new skills or enhance existing competencies. In addition, teachers also have a responsibility to assess whether students are learning as intended based on the lesson objectives and to make adjustments when challenges are encountered that hinder the achievement of these objectives. On the other hand, students are tasked with absorbing new information, engaging in new experiences, and taking different types of assessment tests that determine whether they have correctly appreciated the concepts of the lesson. Without their active participation in the learning interaction, students will find it difficult to learn new concepts, even when their teachers are competent subject matter experts.

When there is a disconnect between teachers and students, the class dynamic becomes ineffective. Learning stops taking place. In an ESL or EFL classroom, a lack of adequate student engagement almost certainly means cognitive failure, especially when opportunities to learn and practice English outside of the classroom are rare or isolated.

Group or collaborative interactions are critical to the success of contemporary learning engagements. Effective teaching always embraces innovative techniques that encourage feedback, teamwork, and the creation of a highly conductive classroom climate. This means that open and empathetic communication between teachers and students must be established as early in the learning engagement as possible. Additionally, students’ interpersonal skills and attitudes need to be developed in a way that makes the learning process more compelling, collaborative, fun, and effective.

As it is, one of the most common challenges ESL/SFL educators face is unresponsive students who always tend to avoid any interaction with their teachers. Such a passive scenario can cause considerable frustration and disappointment among both teachers and students. For example, a teacher who initiates a dialogue in English may inadvertently be performing a monologue in her place, as students refrain from sharing their input. The reasons for students’ hesitancy or aversion to participate are many, including fear of making a mistake and subsequent ridicule from their peers. The reason can also be as fundamental as students not knowing what the teacher expects simply because the objectives are not clear or because there has been a linguistic break in communication. However, there are instances where students still choose not to participate even when they clearly appreciate the objectives, understand the question, and know the answer. The possibility of getting questions from this type of student, much less constructive feedback, is almost always nil.

ESL/EFL teachers who experience minimal, poor, or no student engagement in their classroom interactions should immediately implement several measures that encourage student engagement and build strong motivation to learn. Otherwise, the investment put into classroom interaction by all concerned will simply go to waste. In many cases, the time, effort, planning, and money that teachers, students, and institutions invest in establishing the learning environment are considerable, such that simply proceeding with faulty student-teacher interaction is almost criminal. .

If you are a native English speaker who has decided to teach ESL or EFL classes, the following tips will help you establish an open atmosphere in the classroom, allowing you to not only generate strong participation in class, but also facilitate interaction. constructive participation. feedback from your students. According to various research conducted by educators around the world, these hands-on methods have been shown to improve the level of student engagement in ESL/EFL classes.

1. Develop and demonstrate your own enthusiasm and motivation. There is only one thing that is more contagious than having a strong and positive attitude towards language learning: the lack of it. If your students perceive that you are not enthusiastic about what you teach, what will make them interested in it? At first, radiate your positive attitude about learning English. Think about why your students need to know what you are teaching them. Talk to students about how learning English can tangibly enrich their lives. Research anecdotes and news stories that show the value of language learning, and then enthusiastically share this information with your class.

2. Build positive and nurturing relationships with your students. Never give them a reason to fear you or be intimidated in any way. Natural shyness and fear of saying something wrong are already obstacles that your students face. Adding an intimidating teacher image to the preparation will further discourage your students from opening up, lowering their chances of achieving the lesson objectives. Talk to them using their names and learn about their customs, hobbies and interests. Nothing breaks language barriers better than common interests.

If there are unusually callous students in your class, take the time to engage them individually. Use email or other means to encourage them to communicate.

3. Hold students accountable for their learning progress. To accomplish this properly, you may need to complete assignments, assignments, quizzes, and the occasional exam. Make the process more exciting and enjoyable by integrating interesting group games and activities that require your full participation.

4. Adopt different activities that are highly relevant to their own socio-cultural contexts. Remember that the more knowledge a student has about a subject, the more things they can communicate about it.

5. Foster collaborative dynamics within your classroom. Whenever possible, pair students or groups that maintain a balance between active and passive students. In this way, passive students can be encouraged to participate more.

6. Use humor whenever possible. Humorous situations generally lower the level of inhibition between people, and feeling light about the seriousness of the lesson can lead to more positive feedback.

7. Give your own objective but positive feedback. Quickly correct students when they make mistakes, but never in a way that embarrasses them. Give due credit or praise whenever possible to build confidence and reinforce learning.

8. Practice variety in your teaching approaches. Nothing creates boredom more than doing the same thing over and over again in the same way. Games, contests, group projects, movie viewing, art and music appreciation, and other activities should be used to enrich your classroom learning experience.

Due to their very nature, ESL and EFL classes require the active participation of the students. Since language proficiency is highly dependent on practice and reinforcement, encouraging students to become more involved in the learning process is critical to meeting all course objectives. The end result is that teachers project a positive but not intimidating image and design lesson plans that clearly state the benefits of participation for students.