Promoting spontaneous speech in the EFL class

A common concern of teachers of English as a second or foreign language is how to stimulate their students to use English in spontaneous speech beyond the mechanical level of many textbooks. This article outlines a set of classroom activities to promote free oral interaction for EFL students at the intermediate level. Basically, an initial stage of individual preparation is recommended in order to give the students some confidence to use English freely in class. The responsibility of searching for topics and preparing the groundwork for class discussions rests with the students. The materials suggested for various class activities are newspapers, short articles, poems, and scenes from plays, which provide the students with a more authentic medium of language than the EFL textbooks. The reacher's function is to inform the students about possible resources, lay down the ground rules, and encourage freedom of speech. These activities satisfy not only their need to use English in meaningful exchanges but also their intellects