There are many benefits to having only English spoken in your ESL classroom. The most apparent thing right off the bat is the level of noise and chatter drops dramatically. All of a sudden, when students are required to use English, that hot topic they wanted to talk about doesn’t seem so important. There are other, more substantial benefits to an English only classroom. Students start to learn useful, real world English such as expressing their feelings and desires as well as the textbook English. But most importantly, requiring students to speak only in English will help them become more comfortable and confident expressing themselves in, and communicating through, English.

By following these 5 steps you will be able to eliminate any native language speaking and replace it with English. Better yet, you’ll be able to do it in less than 5 days. Let’s get started!

HAVE A PLAN
The first step is to have a plan. How will you reward those students who choose to follow the new English only rule and how will you discourage those who break the rule? Without a reinforcement plan in place, you’ll be hard pressed to get your new rule to stick. I will say more on encouraging good behavior and discouraging bad behavior in the last step but for now, just remember to have that reinforcement plan.

BE FIRM & CONSISTENT
The day you decide to replace the native language with English, do so firmly. This requires you to walk into your class, tell the students NO MORE Korean (or whatever language they speak) and stick to your guns. At first many students will make mistakes or think you’re joking. You might even slip up yourself. For anyone who breaks your rule, implement your discouraging reinforcement, even to yourself if you have spoken the native language. Being very firm might feel very cruel at first as you may be punishing students who were otherwise very good. You might also be able to hear a pin drop as everyone has clammed up and the class comfort level plunges. This is ok. The first day is the hardest for everyone. Don’t give in. Don’t allow the English only rule to be broken, not even in the final moments of class.

Within 2-3 days your students will switch to English or be quiet as soon as the class bell rings. Either way, everyone wins.

Remain consistent in your diligence to enforce the rule. Slacking off one day will let the students know that maybe they don’t always have to follow the rules. The firmer you are and the more consistent you are the less your rule will be broken.

MODEL GOOD BEHAVIOR
There is something in that old saying, “monkey see, monkey do”. Don’t be a monkey. As the English teacher you should always be speaking English. If the students see you speaking their language, they will think that there are some things that are too hard to express in English. Additionally, if you are explaining a complex subject through English, the students will catch on and then realize that they heard AND understood an English explanation. What a boost in their confidence!

GIVE THE STUDENTS THE TOOLS THEY NEED
If you are building a house you need a hammer. If you are baking a cake, you need a pan. If you are communicating, you need words and sentences!

Just telling the students that they can only speak English is half the work. You then must equip them with the vocabulary and sentences they need to get through the class, not just the lesson. For example, I noticed my 6-year-old students had to go to the restroom quite a bit during their long, one-hour class. While I do understand what the fidgeting, legs crossed gesture is, isn’t it better just to ask, “May I go to the restroom?” Quite a long sentence for a 6 year old who doesn’t know the word ‘book’. But that’s what my students would ask me? And upon completing the question, they were rewarded with the bathroom pass. It’s a win-win situation.

Other useful expressions are:

• How do you spell ___?
• May I have a ___?
• I don’t understand.

But as English gets more complex and it becomes harder and harder to rely on flashcards and realia, you’ll also need to create a space where native speaking is OK to communicate an abstract idea or structure. That’s when, “Teacher, may I speak (Korean)?” comes in very handy.

With these tools students won’t feel trapped if they are stuck and must express themselves, but they must have them otherwise they may rebel or turn off.

ENCOURAGE THE GOOD, DISCOURAGE THE BAD
This English only rule will only work if the students are rewarded for their good behavior and ‘punished’ for their bad behavior. I personally like to start off each class with everyone’s name on the board and a smile next to their name. Finish the class with a smile; you get a stamp, sticker, a pencil, etc… Break the English only rule and I erase your smile and no reward is dolled out. This is enough for 90% of students.

How do you encourage the English speakers? If you have a student speaking a lot of English or answering your questions or helping another student spell a word, reward them publicly. All of a sudden the whole class will be doing what that student just did.

Discouraging the rule breakers is usually as simple as taking away their reward or the possibility of the reward. Doing this once or twice is usually enough to stop the bad behavior.

TROUBLESHOOTING
You’ve followed all the steps but there’s still that one class or student that is not responding to the rules. Here are few scenarios that may arise that make the English only rule harder to implement and their respective suggestions.

The Large Class: If you have a class of more that 15 students, constant monitoring of the students becomes a full-time job. Depending on the size of the class, assign two to four students as “Monitor of the Day” and give them the task of enforcing the rule. Make sure the monitors alternate every day or every week.

The Older Classes: Imposing rules on adults or young adults might be considered a little rude and inappropriate. Additionally, these students usually have more invested in the course and are there because they want to speak English. If you are having trouble with an older class that isn’t speaking English, explain to them that it’s in their own interest if they speak English. Usually this is enough.

The Defiant Student: Every once in a while there is a student who has no regard for your rule and does not respond to your reward system. You must ask yourself why is this student rebelling? More often than not, they are in a class that is too difficult for them and have become frustrated to the point of giving up. Seek to move the student to a more appropriate level or spend more time with the student before, after or in class.

That’s it. Follow these five steps and you’ll have all your students speaking only English, learning more English and paying more attention in class.

Enjoy.

Comments welcome!

These days I'm getting a lot of second thoughts about the whole English only rule. The reason for this is that now that I am in a team teaching situation I welcome much of the input I get from my Korean co teacher this is really useful when it comes to discipline, or explaining how to play a new game.

Sure the whole English only thing works in theory but I have some classes with 45-50 students. Not that I want to make a return to Grammar translation syndrome i think that you need to make the transition gradual

The one obvious danger you have with the English only rule is that you might have some students who are just parroting you. In other words they may be repeating without understanding.

Absolutely! I think taking advantage of the native co-teacher can be really useful for the students. When I've had co-teachers I usually explain/say everything in English first, check their comprehension and then, if their are misunderstandings, ask the co-teacher to help. The problem with always using the co-teacher is that the students will come to rely on the translations and never be challenged to try and understand what you are saying in English.


Those are tough numbers. It is difficult to monitor the students in classrooms that size.


That's where comprehenion checking questions come in. After I explain something, whether it's difficult or easy, I always ask comprehension checking questions to make sure they understood exactly what I meant.

Thanks for the comments, fishead soup!
eric

It's sounds like you're in a good situation. By the way do you ever have to rely on the students mother tongue.

Here are a few I 've used

Ceasa- Start bali bali hurry up kyo young i Quiet
Dar Haseyo listen and repeat
Op- dili- Opoche- Get in the push up position.

I've just seen this!

it seems very useful. I'm going to go work on learning that in Japanese.

I have found that the only English concept to be irrelevant when teaching elementary school kids. The kids learn just as quickly in either environment. The kids that respond well to an all English environment function just as well when their native language is included sometimes, and the kids that struggle in the all English environment obviously are happier when some explanations are in their native language. The key is to keep the class fun, and all the students will learn at their own pace.

I know this goes contrary to prevailing opinion, but I have personally seen no benefits for the students from using an all English classroom, for students up to age 8 or 9. After that, the benefits do increase, but only minimally, especially when you are teaching alone in a class of over 30 students, the negative effects of classroom chaos can overwhelm the teacher and the students.

I am frankly tired of this all English classroom argument. It certainly didn't help me to learn a foreign language to be stuck in a classroom with only that language. What helped me more was to be able to get instant, solid feedback, which doesn't happen in an all English classroom.

Well, this is always an issue, teaching strategy and I always fall into the arguement that 'it's not what but how that matters.'

In high school I went from a school where French class was taught via English to a high school where french was taught via French. I was shocked that my fellow students could speak! The students were asking questions in french and interacting with the teacher in French. I was intimidated and worried on the first day. The teacher came over and told me not to worry and that I'd get used to it. And I did and it was great.

Maybe you underestimate the flexibility of children and their ability to be and do in the environment they're in. Or maybe that style just doesn't fit you as a teacher. I don't think anyone is forcing you to do this and you can stand your ground on effectivenesss for you as a teacher using the other method. we all tend to teach how we learn. We see it as the best way and it's hard for us to teach another way.

Have you tried teaching a class all in English?

You'll also need to give up grammar explanation as a fundamental teaching tool and have to rely on teaching understanding and teaching meaning. You can still use grammar but just 'this to that' as a teaching method gets thrown out the window.

Also, where are you getting your effectiveness stats? I'd really like to read up on it?

I used to teach 100%, but now teach about 99% of my class in English. So basically, I agree with you. Especially for kids over 3rd grade. You and the research are very correct in the assumption that an all English class is the only way to go, most of the time. But to assume that all English will work 100% of the time is the same as Monbusho hiring only non native speakers for 50 years assuming students would be able to learn English well. They also had research to prove their approach would work. As with anything else in life, a balanced approach is the best approach.

For some kids, especially younger ones, communication is the most important point. If that communication is sometimes in their native language, and that stimulates their interest in you, English, and multicultural experience, I believe that is much more important that than sticking to a hard pedagogial rule.

Children are very flexible, as you have mentioned. So flexible, in fact, that if you tell them that today is an all English day, they will respond in kind. In fact, if they catch me using their native language, they get bonus points. (A great way to enforce all English days!)

My data? Nothing scientific. Enrollment in my after school English club is up over 300% since I joined the school. The previous teacher was an all English proponent. Granted, other factors are much more important in that statistic. 2nd, the mention of English in the kid's diaries in my classes is much, much greater than a coworker's classes who uses English only, all the time.

Don't get me wrong. I agree with you 99% of the time. But there is a time and a place for the students native language in the classroom. It isn't a large amount of time, maybe only 1%. But like you said, the students are flexible, and in my experience, can even understand way I sometimes use their native language--which is to improve the experience for children at risk of being left behind.

I apologize for that first post. It was hasty and harsh.

I really like your statement "it is not what, but how that matters." That is exactly why I teach the way I do. That is why I responded to your post in the first place.

Again, I am sorry and a little embarrassed at coming on so strong in that first post, especially considering I generally agree with you. I could delete, but I will leave it there as punishment to myself. Two more Dohs

Have a great day!
Tom

edited for spelling

Hi: My name´s Diana Vera. I´m from Colombia. I just finished my career in English teaching and I´m working for the first time.

Your article was really interesting and fruitful. I felt lost here because in Colombia classes are very large. I have classes with 45 and 50 students!!!

Can you believe it? Here, it´s normal. Even private schools have at least 30 students per class. I brought a lot of ideas for teaching but sometimes I lose my faith and my energy...

But this article gave me more ideas to continue and bring the English language back... Because, as my classes are large, I haven´t been able to speak the language all the time.

Thanks and if you have more ideas or advices, please let me know. I´ll be glad to hear from you.

Sincerely, Diana Vera.
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one question for you. if you decide to do the english-only classroom how r ur students whose L1 might not be english suppose to understand what you are trying to portray to them if they dont understand the language. I mean if a native spanish speakers comes to your classroom and maybe is in an ESL program for 1 year or so they still wont know enough english to understand the content in class. these students will them become disruptive and after a couple years will drop out because they dont feel wanted or accepted in the classroom.
i personally think that the english only approach is the worst approach. it makes students whose L1 isnt english feel inferior to the native english speakers. it makes the students feel as if their culture and language isnt important. also they wont be able to get the learning they need to know english fluently or keep their L1.
in my eyes i believe that the dual language program is the best for our students. it helps the students not only learn english but also gives them a chance to improve their L1.
if im wrong please let me know but this is what i believe is best for ELL students
thank you!

Yes, ignoring the one or two non-native English speakers in a regular class would be insensitive and a lot of time can be spared by explaining in the student's native tongue, if possible.

That said, I think the context of this English-only policy is when ALL the learners are non-native speakers in an ESL/EFL class. When an English-only rule is not enforced, especially when all the students have the same L1, then it's far too easy for students to fall into their more comfortable language and the opportunity to have them use the English they know is easily lost.

My German teacher in 1st year uni taught us with German-only in my absolute beginner class. Many of us didn't even know "Guten Morgen" on day one. I personally knew nothing. We picked up everything by context, repetition, and because she taught us what we needed to say. Creating the German-only atmosphere was really effective for me since I'm shy and resorting to L1 was always a temptation.

Great discussion and wonderful, detailed, and illuminating article.

Here are three factors that make an English-only rule more possible - at least in an ESL context as opposed to an EFL context.
1. Partner students with speakers on another language. If you have a truly multinational, multi-lingual class, English becomes the best - and only - way for students to speak to their classmates. This global classroom aspect makes teaching English in universities often more satisfying. I currently have students from at least 15 countries.
2. Allow students to bring in both paper and electronic dictionaries. This allows students to find missing words without crossing the room and asking a fellow speaker of Russian, Korean, Spanish, or Chinese.
3. If you can't cajole students into working in international groups with soft words, than you have to assign both seating and groups. Many university students - especially in engineering - are used to working on group projects and plan to work on international teams where English is the default language. Emphasize English as the global tongue - in the real world and in your classroom.

What if everybody speaks another language? I don't know the answer, but I would be tempted to challenge the students to create a solution. State the problem. Elucidate the short term and long term consequences. Ask the class to find at least five solutions, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each one, and make a recommendation. I might even have a class election to select our class policy to enforce the English-only rule.
Would it work? I don't know, but this exercise would teach critical thinking skills and democratic values ... and probably reduce the amount of L1 chit-chat too!