Silence is not golden!

Abstract

“Silence is golden” is an adage used to explain the fact that saying nothing is better than speaking something. But in an English language classroom this is not true. Silence is a mechanism adopted by the learners because of phobia towards the language. Learners who are silent may not have a golden future. Methods of teaching should be adopted based on the needs of the learners and time should be given to students to open their mouth and break the silence that sleeps in the language classrooms. The class should be learner-centered. Teachers must constantly work with the learners and be keen in scanning the problems of the learner. They should ensure that the material and the tasks are communicative, nonthreatening, exciting, relevant, and presented according to the favoured styles of learning of the learners whenever possible. Teachers must take action to reduce anxiety. Teachers should sharpen their teaching spirits and help students win over their fear so that they bloom into flowers of myriad colors. This paper states the factors behind the silence and also focuses on the skills that should be enhanced by breaking the silence in the language classroom.