The number one complaint among English Learners is not about
missing background information or gaps in vocabulary—although both are
critically important. No, the #1
complaint by my students is:
“My teacher talks too fast.”
Pacing is an overlooked and grossly underestimated aspect of
teaching multilingual students. Speech
is habitual, and it is extremely difficult to be objective about it. If you’ve ever had to give a speech and practiced
slowing your pace, you know how hard it can be.
ELs are engaged in constant, silent
translation between English and their first language.
They need time to process what’s heard in English, then translate
those words into their native language—and that’s assuming they were able to
understand what was said in the first place.
How fast do you speak?
I recommend audio recording one minute of your classroom
instruction. You can use an app like
Speechnotes or SpeechTexter to change spoken words to written text, then simply
count the words. This will give you a
sense of your current rate of speech. 140
– 160 wpm seems to be a desirable rate for making oneself clear to an audience
of native speakers. This means a target
rate for teachers of ELs might be 120 – 130 (the English proficiency of the students
will also be a factor, but this is a good rule of thumb).
It’s going to feel awkward at first, but that’s
okay!
I still have to force myself to stay mindful of slowing my
speech when I meet with parents. I’ve
been told many times that my speech is “clear”, but I think it’s a slower pace
that makes it seem so. A few tricks to
slow down:
·
Take deliberate pauses
·
Take more frequent breaths
·
Make eye contact
All students benefit from hearing slower speech.
In addition to aiding comprehension, slowing down will create
a more relaxed atmosphere in the classroom, and will help all students feel
more at ease. And doesn’t that make it
easier to learn?
Here's what 120 wpm sounds like.
And here's some help for slowing your speech.
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