How do you help a long-term student who has plateaued in speaking?
Hi everyone, I’m a Mandarin teacher and I’d love to hear some advice from other tutors.
I have a student who has been learning with me for about two years. She is a serious and committed student, especially in the earlier stages, but I’ve noticed that her speaking progress has been very slow.
The main issue is that she does not have many chances to practise speaking outside class. When she cannot find the right word during conversation, she often gives up immediately instead of trying to explain it in another way. Over the past year, because her speaking has not improved much, I can also feel that she has become less motivated.
I’ve tried quite a few things to support her:
I adjusted the lesson structure to include more speaking time.
I try to encourage her more and correct her less often.
I suggested self-speaking practice outside class, such as talking to herself in Mandarin.
I encouraged her to use topics she genuinely likes, so she can practise expressing her own interests.
I recommended suitable YouTube channels, films, and TV shows for extra input.
However, she still seems stuck, and I’m not sure what else I can do to help her move forward.
For tutors who have had similar long-term students, what kinds of speaking activities, lesson structures, or mindset shifts have helped your students break through this kind of plateau?
