of all the four skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) speaking seems intuitively the...
TRANSCRIPT
SpeakingOf all the four skills (speaking , listening, reading, and
writing) speaking seems intuitively the most important.
Most foreign language learners are primarily interested in learning to speak.
ObjectivesTo become aware of what is involved in
speaking.To become aware of the implications for
classroom practice.To identify different task types.To be able to evaluate a variety of speaking
activities and adapt speaking tasks.
What Needs to be TaughtTo communicateTo have a genuine purposeTo interact, negotiateTo choose own vocabularyTo understand that we can’t predict
responsesTo use all resources to produce and
understand communication
Theory Learning a foreign language is not just a matter of
memorizing a different set of names for the things around us; it is also an educational experience. Since our language is closely linked with our personality and culture, why not use the process of acquiring a new language to gain further insights into our personality and culture? Learning to talk about their likes and dislike may bring about a greater awareness of their values and aims in their lives for students.
Traditional textbook exercises do not, as a rule, forge a link between the learners and the foreign language in such a way that the learners identify with it.
Learning is more effective if the learners are actively involved in the process.
Research Shows…The characteristics of a successful speaking
activity are:Learners talk a lot-as much as possible of the
period of time allotted to the activity in in fact occupied by learner talk.
Participation is even- all get a chance to speakMotivation is high- learners are eager to speak:
because they are interested in the topic and have something new to say about it
Language is of an acceptable level- learners express themselves in utterances that are relevant
Research Shows…The problems with speaking activities are:
Inhibition- students are worried about making mistakes, fearful of criticism or losing face, or simply shy of the attention that their speech attracts.
Nothing to say- they have no motive to express themselves beyond the guilty feeling that they should be speaking.
Low or uneven participation- this problem is compounded by the tendency of some learners to dominate, while others speak very little of not at all.
Mother-tongue use- in classes where all or a number of the learners share the same mother tongue, they may tend to use it: because it is easier and because it feels unnatural to speak to one another in a foreign language.
What the Teacher can do to Help Solve Problems in Speaking
Use group work Base the activity on easy language Make a careful choice of topic and task to stimulate interest Give some instruction on training in discussion skills Keep students speaking the target language Talk together with students as much as possible Give a lot of encouragement and praise Provide a lot of pair and group work so that everyone gets a chance to
speak Teach learners to be tolerant to each other Correct mistakes at the end of the lesson in private Don’t correct all mistakes Teach your class ‘helping’ language Base the activity on easy language. Teach or review essential vocabulary
before the activity starts. Delegate some teacher’s responsibilities to dominating students: let them
help each other and monitor group work Set tasks with clear purposes relevant to students’ age and interest. Make
sure that all the students are motivated.
Practical Application/Teaching TechniquesTypes of activities:
InterviewsSurveysQuestionnairesGuessing gamesCommunication gamesDramaDebatesSimulationsRole playsProblem-solving activities
Testing SpeakingTesting speaking is listening to students and
evaluating how effectively they communicated.What will be the aim of the task?What language will be produced?What will the communicative features be?Will the learner be able to equally participate?Will it be suitable for learners?What will be the language preparation?What are the instructions/ what will be the
procedure?Will there be any follow-up?
ReferencesBooks:
Channell, Joanna. Vague Language. Oxford University Press. 1994.- Complete Text
Klippel, Friederike. Keep Talking. Cambridge University Press. 1994.- Complete Text
Tsui, Amy B.M. English Conversation. Oxford University Press. 1994- Complete Text
Ur, Penny. A Course in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press. 1991.- Module 9 Teaching Speaking
Internet Links:www.notewordy.com/PDFs/Impromptu_Stratefies.pdfhttp://www.nclrc.org/essentials/speaking/spindex.htmhttp://flankerpress.com/jmoore/2040/guidelines.htm
Conclusion
A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his/her influence stops.
Henry Adams