English as a means of communication

Traditionally, learning a language meant knowing about the language (learning the grammar and vocabulary in isolation), but students could not use it in a real context. Nowadays the focus of foreign language teaching has evolved towards the importance of communication, because it is the main purpose of any language. And communication in English is a need in an international world, English being the lingua franca used in the 21st century.  

The most natural way of acquiring a language is by listening to that language and trying to interpret it. From the time babies start developing their communicative skills, they start by listening and imitation, so it could be the same for the students. In this way, the students will start getting used to the sounds of that language rapidly and thus fostering an easier acquisition of the language once it is introduced in writing. 

At Luyferivas we know about the importance of producing learners who are capable of an uninhibited communication that is intelligible to a native speaker; so, in order to achieve that, we foster the development of speaking skills and the interaction among students. We as teachers must bear in mind the aforementioned facts when using speaking activities in the classroom, starting with the speaking strategies that should be taught, which will help the students expand their knowledge of the language and, mainly, their confidence in using it. All of the students at Luyfe are able to use minimal responses, recognise familiar situations, or use language to ask for clarification (learning to overcome the misunderstandings in a conversation by asking for meaning or repetition). 

In YLE and KET classes, students are regularly given the opportunity to practice their English conversation by speaking in pairs with their classmates or in small groups with a native English teacher. The results of the emphasis put on speaking at our school are evident in the high scores achieved on the Speaking portion of the official exams.