English is an official language in the majority of countries. Not only this but it is also a global medium of communication. The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) has a separate paper on this subject.
Therefore, it is vital to get to grips with this subject, as it not only helps with exam scores but also is a necessary skill in professional life. Students should focus on learning grammar and syntax even when they are not doing exam preparation. Teachers and parents should pay special attention to students who are weak in English. Here are a few tips to enable weak students to perform better at the English subject.
Making mistakes is part and parcel of the learning process. If you tell off your student for making a mistake, they would not be able to undertake the tasks with confidence. Let them make mistakes and then guide them on correcting those errors. English being our second language, not every student can be expected to manifest immaculate grammar.
Reading and listening to native English speakers can help the students overcome their weaknesses. They will learn the idioms and day-to-day expression without making much effort. Also, a student might be hesitant in asking the teacher or tutor questions because of the fear of being called dumb. These questions can be answered by novels and movies. Ask them to join online English learning forums where non-natives help out each other.
Communicating in English tends to remove hesitation among students and builds confidence. The teacher should talk to the students in English and encourage them to do so as well. This way, the teacher will get to correct the mistakes right at the spot.
The teacher can also ask the student to read out loud a chapter in the coursebook. It will help with the correction of pronunciation and increase student’s confidence.
Teachers can ask the students to take practice tests of English grammar. The students can also solve past papers of the English subject. Ask them to consult solved past papers so that they can check the answers at the end. That will help identify the specific areas where the student is weak. It can be punctuation, syntax, or tenses. The teacher can then focus more on teaching about those areas.
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