Improve your teens’ English communication skills with a progressive high school in the Philippines

One of the major challenges parents face with growing children is their lack of proficiency in both oral and written communication. It’s not that the students don’t know what to say – it’s how they say it that’s often the problem. 

Complicating issues further is the challenge to speak near-flawless English, as the Philippines is known for being an English-speaking country. People who do not pronounce English words properly are often looked down upon by those who can, and they get laughed at when they commit grammatical errors. 

The same is true for those who misspell English words and those who cannot write perfect sentences and paragraphs in English. Because teenagers cannot express their thoughts and ideas fluently, they tend to just keep quiet and not participate in discussions in the classroom and real-life conversations.

Common communication barriers

There are numerous communication barriers that a progressive high school in the Philippines must resolve among their students. The major one is arguably the translation of a Tagalog thought to an English sentence. The Tagalog language is very straightforward, unfortunately, not all words have a direct English translation, which results in grammar errors and the use of wrong words.

Another communication barrier is the lack of confidence in pronouncing English words, out of fear of being made fun of by peers. 

Those not used to pronouncing schwas, as well as the F and V, soft TH and hard TH sounds properly often react negatively to those who can, calling them “maarte” just because they make an extra effort to get the sounds right. As a result, teens tend to mispronounce – sometimes on purpose – words so that they will not be mocked by their classmates.

Lastly, when engaging in a conversation, a lot of teens listen with the intent to respond, and not to understand. They get so preoccupied with what they will say and how they will say it correctly that they fail to grasp the message the person they are communicating with is trying to convey. This leads to hesitant answers and misinterpretations, which can be a source of conflict.

Overcoming communication issues

As a progressive high school in the Philippines, we make it a point to equip our students with the skills and knowledge required for them to communicate effectively. We don’t just teach the grammar rules and how to spell – we apply those in real life so that students can have a practical application of what they learn in the classroom. 

We engage our students in regular conversation, taking care to correct errors in a constructive way. We also encourage them to participate in activities that are geared towards making them better communicators, such as classroom debates, oratorical exercises, declamation, and public speaking activities such as delivering both written and memorized speeches, to name a few. 

We converse with our students in English as much as possible and enforce an English Only Policy (EOP) whenever applicable to help them become well-versed in the language.

Contact us today to learn more about our English curriculum.