This is the sound... of silence

        I would say that any teacher who prepares interactive classes, not lectures, is afraid of silence. The more inexperienced you are, the more you fear that you will ask questions and your students will not answer them. And the range goes from "How was your weekend?" to "What do you think about this video / film / song?". Desperating!

        As we can never know for sure what is going to happen during a class, it is always good to have an ace up our sleeve. But before resorting to other strategies, let's think about silence? Is that synonym of lack of interaction? Why aren't students talking?

        Let me ask you some questions! 

1. Do you pay attention to your teacher's talking time?

We cannot deny that some teachers love attention. Being on the spotlight is, for many people who choose the career, the best part of the job. This behavior, however, is not ideal for two reasons. First, you end up not noticing your students' needs and fears. Also, the class is not about you or your opinion. It is about giving your students the opportunity of developing linguistic and social skills. In short: when planning your classes, try to think of ways of making your students interact more. Instead of explaining things more than once, ask them to tell you what they understood. If someone asks you a question, ask if someone else knows the answer before you step in. Do not lecture. When introducing a topic, check the previous knowledge your students have. It is going to make your classes much more thought-provoking.

2. Are you empathetic?

Sometimes we have a whole syllabus to cover, and then we forget we are not teaching a book. We are teaching people. I remember one day that I had this whole class planned, we were behind schedule and a really sad thing happened: a friend of my students, who were all teenagers, died in a car accident. They were devastated and had this deep need of talking about the boy and what they did together. I let them talk, cry, cherish their memories. Then, some minutes later, we continued the class. A very hard day!

3. Are you giving your students time to think?

When you plan your classes, do you consider the time your students need to organize ideas and verbalize them? I myself have done it many times. Students would have to discuss about too many topics, all at once, and did not have time to interact or even look up the vocabulary they would need. We have to acknowledge that, for some of us, even speaking in the first language is hard. How do we expect someone who is learning a new language to perform so naturally? That's why we should give students opportunities to build knowledge, step by step. As a student, I hate language teachers who do not go through the presentation - practice - production procedure and ask me to produce something. I feel dumb and angry at the same time. So, teachers, give your students time, opportunities and guidance. It will probably solve half of your interaction problems in class.

4. Are your activities actually interactive?

It has happened to me so much! I would prepare activities that did not require my students to talk. In some cases, they would not even need to be in groups. They were sitting down side by side reading a text, or answering a form. What for? Then, it hit me. I needed to rethink my notion of interaction and conversation. Also, it was necessary to give clearer instructions. 

Some examples of activities that might work:

1. You have five minutes to read this text and then discuss about the topics you agree and do not agree upon;

2. Sit in pairs and make a list of places you both you would like to visit and why. If you do not give clear instructions here, they will simply write places down. Not a word said.

3. You have to listen to this audio and, in pairs, decide the most important themes it addresses. Then, you are going to share your point of view with the others.

5. It is not always abou you!

I know for sure that there are people who do not like anything. You try discussing about music, culture, politics, books, films, clothes, games, and nothing seems to interest them. I know that in some situations your students do not click with you. And honestly, it is hurtful at times, but we cannot take responsibility for every time your students do not feel like talking. As teachers, it is our job to engage them and make them curious. However, the classroom is made of forces that will act as a response to different stimuli. It is not always about you. People have bad days, might be angry or tired. On the other hand, it is important to keep accessing your teaching practice. Thinking about your decisions is what makes you a better teacher!

Along with the tips above, I would like to say that silence is not always a bad sign. We need silence to place our thoughts and develop strategies. We need it to understand what is going on around us. The world is so noisy that we are associating noise to production. It does not have to be like that! 

How about you? Are you afraid of silence? Which strategies do you use to improve your students' talking time? Please comment the post to let us know!