voices in the foreign language classroom

TESOL Spain National Convention Madrid 25/3/2006

Lack of Voices in the FL Class?Lack of Voices in the FL Class?

By Lluís Figueras

(IES Vilassar de Mar / University of Barcelona)


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Questions

Do you think that students need to improve their

speaking skills?

Do you think computers may be useful?

Website to download this presentation:

http://www.xtec.net/~lfiguera/


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Summary

• Presentation of a study case• Results• Criteria for selecting Multimedia applications• Criteria for selecting software• Useful computer tools• Specialized software• Questions


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Type of study taken (experimental /control group)

GENERAL FEATURE FOR BOTH GROUPS• Middle-low socioeconomic class• 100% speakers of Spanish• Studying English since 8-10 years old• Eleven 55-minute sessionsExperimental group: Number of students tested• First 14 reduced to 10 pre-tested, ages 16-18 years

oldControl group: Number of students tested• Pre-test with 10 students and a post-test with the

same ones. No absences.• Pre-test taken in February 2002. Sessions ended in

May 2002


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Methodology

• Always half group (Experimental 15; control 20)Students in the experimental group: • Pair-work 10-15 minutes with computers Specific

software for pronunciation (Pronunciation Power and Connected Speech).

• 10 -15 minutes conversation with a native assistant teacher in groups (4-6 people).

• Remaining 10 -15 minutes: Self-Access class for other purposes (Vocabulary, Grammar, correction of activities…)

Students in the control group:• 10 to 15 minutes for conversation• Remaining time for tradicional type of class: reading,

correcting activites, just with the teacher intervention.


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Type of syllabus covered with both groups:

• Long and short vowels (especially sound /i:/)• Vowel /:/• Initial Consonant clusters ( sp, sk, st, etc)• Suprasegmental work, linking words.• Stress of words in the sentence, in an isolated

way, especially in two-syllable words.• Correct intonation in interrogative sentences.


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PLANTILLA DE CORRECCIÓN Y EJEMPLO FONÉTICO DEL ESTUDIO DE CASO EN 1º

DE BACHILLERATO (texto 1)

• ‘Consonant clusters’ (/sp/, /st/, /sl/) (7 casos)

• Contraste vocálico (i: / I) ( 9 casos, ‘he’ (7 casos sólo cuentan como 1)

• Diferentes formas de pronunciación del pasado regular /-ed/ (4 casos)

• Diferenciación de sonidos /ch/ /sh/• Algunos de los aspectos del texto 2 se

incluyen también aquí


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PLANTILLA DE CORRECCIÓN Y EJEMPLO FONÉTICO DEL ESTUDIO DE CASO EN 1º

DE BACHILLERATO (texto 2)

• Trabajo específico del sonido // • Acentuación correcta en palabras

polisilábicas• Suprasegmentales (Enlace, pausa y

acentuación correcta)• Contraste directo• Algunos de los aspectos del texto 1 se

incluyen también aquí


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Results

• All fields analyzed in the Experimental group had improvements.

• All fields analyzed in the Control group had improvements as a whole but not individually; those were less significant than the ones found in the experimental group.

• The Methodology with computers with a specific time assigned worked with the experimental group.


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Interpretation by Pastore (2003), inhttp://teacherworld.com/potdale.html

Useful hints when working with computers

http://teacherworld.com/potdale.html







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Advantages and disavantages of Multimedia resources

• Safe learning environment• Flexibility for individual

needs• May stimulate

demotivated students• Present info in different

ways• Teachers may review the

way they teach and how students learn

• Non-judgemental• Non-threatening

• Amount of money• Equipment• Renewal (5 years?)• Reading is more tiring and

28% slower in a computer screen

(Thibodeau, 1997) • Technophobia • Anxiety• Lack of control (Weil y Rosen, 1997)

Brown y Howlett (1994) Egbert et al. (1999), Brett (1999)


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What do we need in the FL class?

• The number of students IS NOT a problem if

all of them have a clear idea about what they

have to do.

• Working areas are necessary (at least 3-4).

• Adequate space / room may be important

but not a must.


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Working areas

• Students work in pairs or groups of three

• Typical areas to develop are: GRAMMAR,

VOCABULARY, LISTENING, READING…

• New types of working areas include

computers with special requirements.


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Computers and special requirements (i)

• Individual or pair work is the maximum

number of people allowed for optimal

performance. Use splitters to maximize users.

• Higher number of students provoke other

problems to arise, such as: room / space,

indecisions, arguments or lack of cooperation.


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Computers and special requirements (ii)

• The use of a computer may be considered as an

award and it is just a working area, for a

specific time and day, not a permanent place to

be in.


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Three different situations for working with software:

• Guided production through Reading and

Listening

• Guided production through Pronunciation

• Free production through an authorable

software


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Tell me more / Talk to me by Auralog

Guided production through Reading and Listening


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• The S.E.T.S. (‘Spoken Error Tracking System’) technology:

• A) The software detects a word pronounced wrongly (red)

• B) The user may click on it and work individually.

• WHAT CRITERIA DOES THE SOFTWARE USE FOR S.E.T.S?

• ???

http://www.auralog.com/


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Tell me more / Talk to me SAMPLE PRODUCTION


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Pronunciation Power

• Products and demos:http://www.englishelearning.com/en/

• Professional software review at CALICO: http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/review/propower.htm

Guided production through Pronunciation

http://www.englishelearning.com/en/

http://www.englishelearning.com/en/


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Improving oral aspects

• http://evaeaston.com/pr/t-d-Id-pattern.html

Guided production through Reading and Listening


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Recommendations when working with computers

• Re-start again after a class period to release memory

• Older computers need extra time to think (extra clicks blocking system)

• Pair work or individual work only• Limit the time of a computer activity / • Limit the computer activity itself• Select your microphones with noise reduction• Set working areas according to the room / space


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Connected Speech software

• http://www.proteatextware.com.au/• Professional review at CALICO:

http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/review/conspeech00.htm

http://www.proteatextware.com.au/


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What is an authorable software program? (I)

• It is a language specifically designed to produce educational software.

• The software may be adapted by adding data which may fit the user needs with different levels of difficulty, interest, culture, etc. allowing a high degree of autonomy (Wachman 1999).


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What is an authorable software program? (II)

• This type of software allows extra flexibility in the areas of:• Visualization on the screen, addition of

graphics and pictures.• Answer opinion: accept more than one

answer.• Recordkeeping: store the different

performances of students.• Branching or looping: may vary the contents

for different users.


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Oral Testing Software

• http://creativeworks.byu.edu/hrc/index.php?userid=812-1123555014-053&category=OTS

•Free production through an authorable software

Professional review at CALICO: http://calico.org/CALICO_Review/review/ots.htm

http://creativeworks.byu.edu/hrc/index.php?userid=812-1123555014-053&category=OTS

http://creativeworks.byu.edu/hrc/index.php?userid=812-1123555014-053&category=OTS


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Thanks for your attendanceDon’t forget to check

http://www.xtec.net/~lfiguera

to copy interesting links

voices in the foreign language classroom

Education

working areas students

half group experimental

higher number of students

years old control group

fl class

computers specific software

tradicional type of

bachillerato texto