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In this unit, I learned about how to encourage students' use of productive skills (speaking and writing), with special attention to the fact that writing is the most oft-ignored skill in ESL classrooms. I learned about the differences between fluency activities (which allow students to experiment with and be creative with language, usually during the activate phase of an ESA lesson) and accuracy activities (which focus on ensuring that students create language that is 100% correct, the output of which is controlled by the teacher, and usually take place during the study phase). It is important to give the class feedback on how well they communicated with each other (and with the teacher) and to praise them for what they were able to perform well while making mental note of common issues so that they can be addressed later. Recording the activate stage of a lesson may be useful, as it allows the teacher to make note of students' progress in fluency and can serve as a record for what needs to be addressed and corrected in terms of speaking. Special care should be given to students' writing, as many students find the spelling, layout, and punctuation of English daunting (especially if the students' native language is phonetic or has very different rules for layout and punctuation.) Creative writing activities can be used in the classroom to encourage students to develop their fluency while also allowing them to improve their handwriting and practice spelling, layout, and pronunciation, as well.
