How do you encourage students to speak in Spanish?
- Dual Dialects
- Aug 19, 2025
- 1 min read
How do you encourage students to speak in a new language? Even though it can be challenging, encouraging students to speak more in a non-native language begins with creating a safe, supportive classroom environment where mistakes are seen as part of learning! It is important to include activities that are low-stress speaking activities such as pair work, role-plays, or “turn and talk” exercise. These types of activities give every student frequent chances to practice without the pressure of speaking in front of the whole class. Presenting sentence starters, visual prompts, and familiar topics helps reduce anxiety and gives students the confidence to respond more easily.
It’s also important to make speaking purposeful and fun! Activities like classroom surveys, games, or debates tap into students’ interests and create authentic reasons to use the language. When students see that speaking helps them connect with others and express their own ideas, they’re more motivated to participate and practice consistently.
These are a good start:
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