7 Ways to Help English Learners Speak Up in Class

When I was in college, I did an internship in Francophone Belgium. My knowledge of French was solid, I thought. Replying to emails? Check. Understanding work documents and creating written products? Check. Have a formal conversation in a meeting? Check. And yet, in the lunchroom or during breaks, I was mostly silent, and my colleagues would ask me, “Why are you so shy?”

I’ll admit, I am not an extrovert by any means. But that wasn’t the whole story. The truth is, despite my formal knowledge of the language, I struggled to catch up with the conversation. Once people started chatting casually, using more colloquial language, talking faster, and so on, I was lost! I would form a sentence in my head to respond to the current topic, but by the time I was ready to open my mouth and contribute to the conversation, the rest of the group had already moved on to a new topic. I wasn’t just “shy.” I needed some extra time to process.

This is a common experience among language learners, and something your English learners are going through in your classroom on a daily basis. Even when teachers do their best to engage the whole class, it is not uncommon for English learners to remain silent throughout the lesson. The shyness that educators observe is not always part of students’ personality. More often than not, it is a product of their learning environment, language journey acquisition, and confidence—and even advanced multilingual learners can experience it.

Helping English Learners speak up

While a native speaker understands the conversation and is able to say what’s on their mind at any given time, an English learner is processing what is being said, absorbing the information, wondering about words they haven’t heard before, trying to decipher idioms, ensuring that the answer popping up in their head is grammatically correct, and gathering the courage to say it out loud in front of their peers, who might make fun of errors or not understand them. That’s a lot going on!

Rather than just assuming that English learners are shy, there are several follow-up questions that teachers can ask to pinpoint the underlying issue: Do they need more time? Is the conversation around them moving too quickly? Are they afraid of making mistakes? Are they truly introverted? Here are ways you can create an environment where all students feel like they can speak up.

1. Respect the silent period of language acquisition. For students new to the country, their language acquisition journey begins with a receptive stage, also known as the silent period, a stage that can last six months or more. At this time, students are absorbing the new language, but they are not able to produce it yet. If you have students in this stage, it is best not to force them to speak, but rather rely on nonverbal communication such as gestures and visuals. Teachers can provide low-stakes speaking opportunities such as yes/no and closed-ended questions, and accept alternative ways of assessing progress, such as drawing or pointing.

2. Extend your wait time. For students beyond the silent period, the first and perhaps easiest thing to do is to extend your wait time after asking a question. Extending wait time gives students a few extra seconds to process questions and formulate thoughtful responses. Many teachers assume a three-to-five-second pause after asking a question is sufficient, but for language learners, that is not enough. By intentionally extending wait time, you can give your multilingual learners an opportunity to participate and demonstrate their understanding. This simple strategy also benefits students who are native speakers but might find it challenging to express their ideas clearly in the moment, and need more time to process.

3. Have students write first. You can pair extended wait time with having students jot down some notes in response to your questions. Writing it down first reduces pressure, because students are able to draft an answer that they can read out loud. Instead of being forced to respond quickly, which often leads to opting out of participating, multilingual learners have a chance to prepare and formulate complete answers, making them much more likely to contribute to the discussion.

4. Prioritize ideas over perfect grammar. Focusing first on what students are trying to communicate encourages risk-taking, participation, and confidence in using the language. At the same time, teachers can provide gentle, timely corrections or modeling to support accuracy without undermining self-esteem, as well as normalize mistakes as an important part of learning. The key is finding a balance: celebrate and validate students’ thoughts while guiding language growth in ways that feel supportive rather than punitive.

5. Encourage turn-and-talks. Opportunities for partnered or small group conversations are also instrumental in increasing English learners’ participation in the classroom. Discussing a question with a partner is less intimidating than having to share in front of a whole class, and it gives students a chance to organize their ideas and practice what they want to say. Having turn-and-talks as regular parts of your lessons helps multilingual learners practice their speaking skills and increases student-to-student interaction for all. Teachers can facilitate these interactions by providing guiding questions, visuals, and sentence frames, as well as pre-teaching key vocabulary and phrases that can be used in the discussion.

6. Allow intentional translation. When it comes to translation, many teachers are unsure how much use of students’ first language should be accepted in their classroom. Allowing English learners to briefly process their ideas in their native language can lower anxiety and increase comprehension, especially in the early stages of proficiency.

At the same time, overreliance on their first language can limit opportunities to practice academic English. Translation should be intentional, not permanent: When teachers treat the first language as a bridge rather than a substitute, they honor students’ linguistic assets while still moving them forward. A quick clarification with a same-language peer or jotting ideas down in the home language before sharing in English can make participation feel safer and more accessible. 

7. Rephrase, don’t repeat. Repeating can confuse students or make them feel stuck. Instead, rephrasing presents the same idea in a new way so students have multiple pathways to understanding.

When I think back to my experience abroad, I realize that what would have made the biggest difference wasn’t my grammar or vocabulary: It was more time and space to process and respond, and more confidence in my linguistic abilities. When conversation slowed down enough for me to keep up, I was able to participate more. Our multilingual learners are no different. For them, every attempt to speak is a risk and a step forward. By making a few small shifts in how we engage them, we can unlock big opportunities for them to be heard, understood, and empowered.