If it’s the answer to “how are you?” I tell them “all right” or “not bad” is more natural sounding. If it’s the answer to “do you like __?” or “are you good at ____?” I tell them the correct one-word response is “somewhat.”
Remember that ESL kids are learning a language *and* one or more cultures, maybe for the first time. They might not know what’s ok and not ok to have an opinion about in your classroom’s culture. maybe give them some more examples and have a conversation with them about how opinions are fine in the classroom.
Why? There is no need to go our of your way to teach native phrases when the alternative is fine. So so is fine. They are learning English to pass English tests, not to speak like a native.
If they feel “so-so” then I think that should be allowed. My students all started saying “so-so” instead of “fine” (happy/bad/sad) as soon as they learned it. That tells me that it is probably truly how they feel.
Put a poster up that gives them four or six options to point at, where so-so isn’t an option. Make them point to it as they enter the room. Stand by the door.
They’re saying the thing that requires the least effort and follow-up conversation because speaking English is hard and embarrassing, of course! Give them some tools
“So-so” isn’t incorrect, it’s just overused by some Japanese L1 English learners.
At the JHS level, I haven’t been in a class that has overused it to the degree that the students need an intervention from me in years. I’m going to guess that this is a problem learners will solve for free on their own if you just give them enough authentic input and time.
>”How are you?” > >”So-so.”
It’s not an ideal exchange, but is it really something you need to dedicate teaching time to correcting?
Why should I eliminate it at that level? It’s not natural but everyone understands what they mean when they say it.
There are much more important things to focus on at that level.
Now, if the issue is that they default to that response no matter how they’re feeling, you could put up a sort of scale with different emojis and corresponding responses.
But if the “issue” is that they say “so-so” in place of “ok” or “fine” — It’s *not* an issue.
When I ask my students how they are they all just say “sleepy” or “tired”. What did you do on the weekend? “nothing”……… 10/10 responses, good luck with the remaining years of your English studies.
Just tell them the truth when it gets used. It’s not bad, it’s just not what people usually say. Offer an alternative (for example, “I’m okay/alright” for mood and “It’s okay/not bad” for assessing something). Never make them feel like their attempt at output was flat out wrong.
It’s like the first rule of improv theater: “Yes, and…” The goal is not to eliminate that response, it’s to guide and encourage them towards better options by accepting that their attempt at output is genuine. Young learners are sensitive towards correction (God, I know I was!).
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If it’s the answer to “how are you?” I tell them “all right” or “not bad” is more natural sounding. If it’s the answer to “do you like __?” or “are you good at ____?” I tell them the correct one-word response is “somewhat.”
Remember that ESL kids are learning a language *and* one or more cultures, maybe for the first time. They might not know what’s ok and not ok to have an opinion about in your classroom’s culture. maybe give them some more examples and have a conversation with them about how opinions are fine in the classroom.
Why? There is no need to go our of your way to teach native phrases when the alternative is fine. So so is fine. They are learning English to pass English tests, not to speak like a native.
If they feel “so-so” then I think that should be allowed. My students all started saying “so-so” instead of “fine” (happy/bad/sad) as soon as they learned it. That tells me that it is probably truly how they feel.
Put a poster up that gives them four or six options to point at, where so-so isn’t an option. Make them point to it as they enter the room. Stand by the door.
They’re saying the thing that requires the least effort and follow-up conversation because speaking English is hard and embarrassing, of course! Give them some tools
“So-so” isn’t incorrect, it’s just overused by some Japanese L1 English learners.
At the JHS level, I haven’t been in a class that has overused it to the degree that the students need an intervention from me in years. I’m going to guess that this is a problem learners will solve for free on their own if you just give them enough authentic input and time.
>”How are you?”
>
>”So-so.”
It’s not an ideal exchange, but is it really something you need to dedicate teaching time to correcting?
Why should I eliminate it at that level? It’s not natural but everyone understands what they mean when they say it.
There are much more important things to focus on at that level.
Now, if the issue is that they default to that response no matter how they’re feeling, you could put up a sort of scale with different emojis and corresponding responses.
But if the “issue” is that they say “so-so” in place of “ok” or “fine” — It’s *not* an issue.
When I ask my students how they are they all just say “sleepy” or “tired”.
What did you do on the weekend? “nothing”……… 10/10 responses, good luck with the remaining years of your English studies.
Just tell them the truth when it gets used. It’s not bad, it’s just not what people usually say. Offer an alternative (for example, “I’m okay/alright” for mood and “It’s okay/not bad” for assessing something). Never make them feel like their attempt at output was flat out wrong.
It’s like the first rule of improv theater: “Yes, and…” The goal is not to eliminate that response, it’s to guide and encourage them towards better options by accepting that their attempt at output is genuine. Young learners are sensitive towards correction (God, I know I was!).