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This unit focuses on the two productive skills, writing and speaking. Writing is the most neglected skill in English language courses, for many reasons. However, it is very important and shouldn?t be forgotten. I often find it difficult to motivate my students to practice writing. Some people don?t need to write on a daily basis, so it?s not a priority for them. I think that sometimes it's not as fun for students because it focuses more on accuracy than fluency. Accuracy based activities are controlled by the teacher more than fluency based creative activities. To encourage participation, teachers should make sure that one of the reasons for communication is present. These include having something to say, wanting to listen, being interested in what is said, or needing to communicate something. Other ways to encourage speaking are: group and pair work, controlled practice before the fluency activity, and allowing students time to think. During a free speaking activity, feedback should be held until the end and the teacher should not overcorrect. There are several factors that are not present while speaking but can be a challenge when writing. Handwriting, layout and punctuation can be very difficult for learners whose native language does not use the same alphabet. Spelling is also a challenge because English is not a phonetic language. Reading is a great way to help improve spelling. Written work should be checked for grammar, vocabulary, punctuation, layout, spelling and style. Creative writing and games are very effective learning tools for the ESL classroom. There are two types of games: competitive and cooperative. They can also be either linguistic or communicative. I?ve been hesitant to play games with my business English adult students, but when I can find something appropriate for their level, it is usually fun and engaging.
