Fostering community is important in your classroom, no matter what age group. Keep balance by laying down rules and implementing discipline (especially with children or teenage learners). Besides the rules (which you will put in place on the first day), keep classes fun and casual. Get to know everyone's names and some information about them. Make sure the class gets to know one another as well. This will help students feel much more comfortable in the classroom. If students are too afraid to make mistakes or do not feel comfortable, they may not speak during speaking tasks, which might make it difficult for you to evaluate their progress. Start off the first few classes with name games or games in which each student reveals a fact about themselves. Be sure to reveal something about yourself. If the teacher is also willing to share, it makes students feel a little bit less inhibited about exposing themselves to the class.
Sitting and listening to you drone on about grammar or English phrases can only prove to be so effective. Your students need practice speaking as well as listening. Keep up with the news or think about topics you may discuss with your friends, and share these ideas in class. Go over vocabulary for the subject first, and then ask students their opinions on a variety of topics. Organize debates. If you see students not participating, ask them their opinion. You can also ask students to write skits or small sketches based on something you have been learning, such as using the future tense or ordering food in a restaurant.
Print off several pictures of something you have been discussing in class, such as different events taking place, paintings or holidays people celebrate. Use your imagination. Tape the pictures throughout the classroom and have students make up stories about the pictures. Ask them to identify someone in the picture and write a diary entry about the person. How is that person feeling? What were their thoughts as this picture was taken? You can also have students break off into pairs and have a student describe the picture to the other student, or have one student ask questions about the picture to another student.