Student life
Speaking in tutorials
Home > Student life > International students > Speaking in tutorials
Many students sit in a tutorial week after week without saying anything. Why is that? Maybe they do not know the purpose of a tutorial. They think it is like a small lecture where the tutor gives them information. Even if students do know what a tutorial is for, there can be other reasons why they keep quiet.
- Language worries
- The tutor doesn't include everyone
- Inter-cultural communication
- Feeling stupid
- Ways of joining in tutorials
People who speak English as a second language often think other people won't understand them. They say:
My English isn't very good. When I speak it's hard for people to follow. It's better if I keep quiet.
It's easy to think that nobody understands you. However, if you stop speaking then you will never improve. It's better to have someone say "I beg your pardon." so that you can try again than to keep quiet for ever. Everyone has times when people don't understand them. It's a part of communication. Just try saying the same thing in a slightly different way.
A common reason for not speaking is shyness. You probably think that all the students who speak English as their first language feel confident all the time but they don't. They can also worry about shyness. If everybody thought about problems of understanding and shyness in tutorials there would be no interesting talk and less understanding of the whole topic.
When you speak, people are interested in what you say more than how you say it. Speak clearly and say something short the first time if you want to build up your confidence.
The tutor doesn't include everyone
Unfortunately some tutors do not make it easy for everyone to join in. Sometimes they are so pleased to have anyone speaking that they forget to include all students. As a member of the group you can do something about this. Don't wait to be asked; just speak. Remember that tutors who are actually senior students themselves may feel just as nervous as the students, especially at the start of the academic year.
Another reason why some students say very little in tutorials relates to different ‘rules’ for talking in different cultures. As two students said:
I don't know when it's my turn to speak.
Every time I leave a space before speaking, someone else comes in and fills that space.
It's not always clear who is supposed to be speaking and how to get a turn. Here are the three most common ways people get a turn:
- Look at the tutor so he or she knows you are ready to speak.
- Start speaking as soon as the last person stops speaking.
- Say "Can I say something?".
Many students new to university think:
I've got nothing important to say. If I try to speak people will laugh at my ideas.
Everyone here is smarter than me. What if I say something stupid or wrong?
In every group there are students who think like this. The advice of a student who used to feel stupid but now take their turns at speaking is this:
At first I started speaking really quietly and just said a few words. Then I found out that I wasn't any more stupid than everyone else. I wasn't cleverer either. Just somewhere in the middle.
Now you have identified why some people stay quiet in tutorials, perhaps try exploring the following ways to join in:
- Agree with the last speaker
- Add information
- Ask for more information
- Give opinions
- Disagree with something
- Show interest in what the last person has said
- Learn from others
- Agree with the last speaker
The most common (and the easiest) way of keeping the talk going is to agree with what someone else is saying. Say something like That’s right, Yes, Okay or even Uhuh. Even if you do not feel ready to speak up yourself you can agree by saying something like this:
I was thinking that myself.
Yes, I know what you mean.
Of course if everyone simply said "That’s right" the tutorial would soon stop. You can add to the last speaker's remark to keep the topic going. Try saying one of these:
Yes, that reminds me…
I have another example of that …
There's something about that in Chapter …
If you are interested in what another student has just said, ask for more information:
Do you have any other examples of that point?
What do you mean by…?
Are you saying that…?
What does that mean exactly?
Sorry, I don't quite get your meaning.
What do you think about the topic being discussed? Putting your opinions into words is another way of keeping a discussion going. Opinions are usually introduced with phrases like these:
I think…
It seems to me…
In my opinion…
Your opinions don't have to be permanent; in fact many people use language that shows they are not absolutely sure:
I was wondering if…
Do you think that perhaps…
Just supposing that…
It could be that…
Maybe it’s …
Part of tutorial discussions is disagreeing with a point someone has just made. This is not quarrelling, as some students think. As we saw in the examples about giving opinions, the person disagreeing may not even be sure that he or she does disagree. Putting doubts into words is one way of finding out what you think yourself and thinking of new ideas as a group. For example, you can say:
That doesn't seem right to me.
Maybe…but I think it’s more likely that…
Sorry. I don't agree. I think…
Even if you have nothing new to say yourself, you can keep the conversation going by showing interest like this:
Really?
Is that true?
When you are at a tutorial, start listening to the ways students join in. Here are some points to watch for.
- How do people get a turn to talk?
- How do they show that they are listening to one another?
- How long does each person usually speak for?
- What words do they use to question other people’s ideas?
- What words show they are not sure if their own ideas are right?
For further advice, see Chapter 8 of Study Skills for Speakers of English as a Second Language, by Marilyn Lewis and Hayo Reinders.
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 6XS, England
USA & Canada site | Australia site | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Contact us
