Great,you know, but I've been having problems with my students' performance, I haven't been able to see any progress in second language acquisition.
A: Why do you say that?
Yeah,for example today they saw a list of common vocabulary in a store, but they couldn't put together a complete idea.
Ok I see, do you use any textbooks?
Yes of course, you lived there for a long time, and I think you were immersed in an Anglo-Saxon culture, in a natural context in which I'm sure you had the opportunity to practice and learn on many occasions, in a second language ESL environment, however, remember that your students do not have or share the same context that you were in. The context they are in is that of English as a foreign language. EFL
I see your point but I'm not sure that's the best thing for them,
Not really, you know I lived for many years in the USA. And I can teach them what I learned there.
You should try, you know, having or being in a formal context, using a syllabus,doses so much in vocabulary and non-complex structures that might help your students get confidence and see that they are slowly producing in the target language.
But, what you suggest might restrict me as a teacher. If I did what you say, I wouldn't be able to teach them idioms, phrasal verbs, or things like that.
on the contrary it would enrich your teaching, in a formal context it would not only help you with diversification of the activities and resources that textbooks normally contain, but it could also modify your register (in level of language formality) plus it could reduce the TTT Teacher Talking Time and give your students more practice opportunities. Creating tasks in which they recreate a real situation such as buying food, or a ticket, or in a supermarket, through role- plays. In addition to that, you could organize a school trip to a local tourist area and set challenges so that students have to speak in the target language with foreigners who come to our country and experience the process of negotiating communication not only with native English speakers but also with foreigners who could be EF users.
I will try what you are telling me, it doesn't hurt to try,