Slow Down!

Over the long weekend, I found a new ESL teacher blog I'm enjoying reading.  It's called Raki's Rad Resources.  The author, Heidi Raki, is a primary school teacher from the United States who has moved to Morocco with her family.  She blogs about her experiences adapting to a new country and culture as well as her new position as a teacher in a private school.  I'm especially enjoying her Tuesday TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Tip. 

Here is TESOL Tip #2 from Heidi Raki:

ELL Teaching Tip #2: Speak Slowly
If you’ve ever tried to speak or understand another language, the first thing you notice is how fast every seems to speak. Actually, most native speakers of any language speak at about the same rate, anywhere between 150 and 200 words per minute, (give or take some, depending on dialect and whose doing the counting). However, when you are learning a language, and you don’t know all the words, your brain processes what you are hearing at a slower pace... 


She gives some great video examples and goes on to remind teachers to slow down AND allow for processing or "wait" time before calling on students.  Go and read her TESOL Tip #2...right now!!! 

Thanks, Heidi, for a great tip!  I believe I will share it with my regular classroom colleagues this week. 

Mrs. Gumby practicing "wait time"!