"Miss, I don't know!"

Three weeks ago I began teaching an English class once a week, I am trying a new method that I have been working on to get them to actually use the language. You see, most of my students here have been studying English for 2-3 years already, and have a basic understanding, the only problem is that the bulk of this understanding is through reading and writing, and if I speak to them, they have no idea what I am saying because they cannot see it. Actually I have run into this problem all over Indonesia, most Indonesians have in fact studied English, even up to 7 years, yet they still cannot speak it or understand the spoken word when they hear it. The other thing that I have found is that there are many Indonesians who can understand English, and yet still cannot respond to a question, or really speak it at all. 

As I have been here I have been trying to figure out a simple easy way to get the kids used to using the language, used to hearing it, and used to putting things in the right context. So, one of the things that I have decided to do is to write down a simple conversation, something that I would hear in the supermarket back home, and to read it to them, then they can repeat it, all the time making sure that they understand what the conversation means. After they have read it a few times and repeated it more times than they would like, I make them act it out....I don't know if this is the best method, but I believe that if they can hear what they are reading  perhaps they will be able to understand, at the same time I am trying to get their tongue used to the English words. 

The problem I have faced is that these kids know English, they just don't think they know it. If I speak to them and ask them a question they will undoubtedly say that they do not understand, every time. However, the other day I was talking to a student in Indonesian, and I could not for the life of me figure out what he was trying to say, so I just yelled out "Man, I don't understand, what are you trying to say?!" One of the other kids laughed and repeated what I had said in Indonesian, the only thing was that the kid who understood and immediately translated is one of the ones who does not think he will ever be able to speak English! I pointed it out to him straight away, "You see!" I said, "You understood that and translated it correctly, you can speak English!" He immediately blushed, but there have been a few instances like that. It is difficult to teach kids who don't think they can learn, but Glory to God, we are on our way!