developing exam speaking skills online: First, Advanced, Proficiency
part 1Wednesday 22 April 2020
John Potts
webinar house-keeping• note that this webinar will be recorded
• please keep your microphone muted
• please don’t enable your camera
• please don’t click on other tabs/buttons (eg Share)
• you can use the conversation tool to ask questions etc > chat box
• pdf of slides & the recording available afterwards
forthcoming Cambridge English webinars
• Cambridge Assessment English is running a programme of webinars on teaching for exams, with webinars on the speaking, writing, listening and reading papers respectively
www.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/resources-for-teachers/webinars/
• you can watch previous webinars on the Cambridge English YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/p9x7rk9
reminder: CUP extra resources
• here is the link to five collections of online resources from CUP: www.cambridge.org/gb/cambridgeenglish/covidsupport
• more tips and help from CUP: https://tinyurl.com/y9rqf8x8
• CUP guides to teaching remotely:www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2020/03/27/how-to-teach-remotely-with-compact/
some YouTube channels for useful videos
• Cambridge English: www.youtube.com/user/cambridgeenglishtv/videos
• CUP: www.youtube.com/user/CambridgeUPELT/videos
• OUP: www.youtube.com/oupeltglobal
Part 2 (29 April) and questions
• part 2 will be broadcast next week on Wednesday 29 April at 17.00
• please use the message tool to ask questions
• I’ll try to answer as many as possible at the end of each webinar
• Swiss Exams will compile some FAQs based on the webinars
over the two instalments, we shall look at:• some synchronous & asynchronous approaches & activities
• using screencasts & voice recording apps
• creating your own materials
• using Padlet for workflows
• some suggested apps & tools, including Quizlet (pay-for teacher version), Vocaroo, WhatsApp, Otter, TED, YouTube channels, Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary iSpeaker tool (pay-for)
reminder: synchronous vs asynchronous
• synchronous: live video conferencing (eg Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Hangouts)
• asynchronous: recorded screencasts & other voice recordings - accessible via a platform or sent directly
• asynchronous: plus other content hosted via a platform for learners to access “on demand” (eg pdf of useful exponents)
reminder: some video conferencing tools
• Zoom: https://zoom.us
• Microsoft Teams: https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
• Google Hangouts: https://hangouts.google.com/
• Google Meet (part of Google G Suite for Education, needs a free institutional account): https://edu.google.com/products/gsuite-for-education
• Skype: www.skype.com/en/
some asynchronous approaches & activities• today, we’ll focus on the asynchronous side of online teaching, so it
doesn’t involve any video tools such as Teams or Zoom
• it’s relatively straightforward to prepare & design lessons in advance
• you can send materials, tasks etc by email, or host them on a platform
• it places lower tech demands on your learners (and you!)
• you don’t need to schedule live lessons, so more flexible for learners
your toolkit 1: ideally, you need one of each!• video conferencing tool (eg Zoom, Teams)
• hosting platform (eg Edmodo, Google Classroom, Padlet)
• voice recorder (smart phone, Vocaroo, Padlet etc)
• slide creator (PowerPoint, Keynote etc) – make pdfs
• screencast tool (eg Capture, Screencastify, Loom)&• other apps, websites (eg Quizlet, Otter, TED, Oxford iSpeaker)
your toolkit 2: some resources• your exam coursebook & related resources (eg workbook)
• individual exam handbooks
• YouTube channels (Cambridge English, CUP, OUP etc)
• Flo-Joe: also has a newsletter linking to updates of its resources
• Russell Stannard tutorials: www.teachertrainingvideos.com
speaking focus is on task & content
• task requirements are met (content points, length etc)
• content points are developed/expanded
• focus, relevance, lack of repetition etc
• interaction in shared tasks (eg C1 Advanced part three)
speaking focus is on sub-skills
• openings
• maintain fluency
• initiating & responding
• turn-taking
• sharing task when required
• interactive communication
• developing answers by giving reasons & examples
• re-expressing / rephrasing
speaking focus is on language
• linking & organising
• grammar resources
• vocabulary resources
• accuracy
• pronunciation
• use of stress
• use of question tags
• discourse management
making your own materials for exam practice • worksheets of exponents for different speaking sub-skills
• pdfs or slides of materials – eg for First/Advanced part two
• self-assessment/peer assessment worksheets
• voice recordings and/or screencasts
• worksheets for online videos (TED, Cambridge sample tests etc)
• Quizlet cards to practise stress, intonation etc (pay-for version)
C1: compare and contrast slides 1, 2 & 3
Compare these two aspects of public transport and say how the people may be
feeling
images © Guardian News and Media Ltd
comparing
both pictures show a ...!neither picture shows a ....!they have x in common!they are quite/very similar in that they show...!they share some similar points/features!they are almost/nearly the same in some respects!there are some similarities between the two pictures/situations
contrasting
while the first picture shows x, the second shows z !
the first picture shows x, whereas the second shows z !
on the other hand, the second picture... !
unlike the first picture, the second shows... !
they differ in that the first picture... !
a major/key/crucial difference between the two is... !
in contrast, the other picture...
C1: compare and speculate: slides 1 & 2
speculations: what do you think
is happening? how do you think the women are feeling?
images © Guardian News and Media Ltd
• How to speculate...
• It could / may / might be some kind of...
• It must be / can't be a restaurant because...
• It looks as if / as though it was taken in a restaurant
• I have / get the impression that he's...
• It seems to be a farm or something like that
• It looks like a traditional event
how did I do that?• I used pictures from the Guardian’s daily collection of images:
www.theguardian.com/news/series/ten-best-photographs-of-the-day
• I inserted them into a slide in Apple’s Keynote app (you could also use Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides)
• I added a text box for the tasks, & copyright acknowledgment
• I created bullet-point lists of exponents, again in Keynote
• I exported the slides as pdfs for easier hosting/delivery
make mini-lessons using slides
• use PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides to make short self-contained lessons focusing on a particular part of the speaking test
• you can export the slide show as a pdf for ease of use
• host the pdf in Edmodo, Google Classroom, Padlet etc
• or send by email (size may be an issue)
reminder: screencasts
• screencasts are videos that record your desktop, or a window within your desktop
• you can record a voice-over, show your mouse etc
• can be saved as mp4s for your learners to view at any time via a platform (eg Edmodo, Padlet, Google Classroom, your own blog or website etc)
reminder: some screencast tools• TechSmith Capture (free via Screencast: www.techsmith.com/screencastcom.html )• TechSmith Snagit (pay-for, inexpensive: www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html )• TechSmith Camtasia (expensive and probably more than you need)
• Loom (free for education users): www.loom.com/
• Screencastify (free, 5 minute limit) – integrates with Chrome & Google• www.screencastify.com
• Padlet Backpack (pay-for) has a screen recording tool
screencast: talking your learners through a task• record a screencast with guidance on a particular task (eg C2 Proficiency
long turn)
• provide a task or tasks (use the Handbook, or course materials, or make your own)
• make a peer and self-assessment sheet
• provide other support – eg guidance on approaching the task
• host the lesson online (eg Edmodo, Padlet, Google Classroom)
Proficiency 2-minute talk: talking learners through the task• I recorded a screencast (using TechSmith Capture, free) as I talked
through a pdf I’d made for the 2-minute talk
• link via my screencast platform: www.screencast.com/t/d6dybN7b
• I also embedded it into a Padlet time-line https://tinyurl.com/ycgfkrboalong with the pdf mentioned above and other materials
Proficiency mini-lesson: 2-minute talk pdf• here’s one hosted in Edmodo
Proficiency 2-minute talk Padlet time-line• and here’s the Padlet version: https://tinyurl.com/ycgfkrbo
how did I do that?• I took a screenshot of the task from the C2 Proficiency Handbook
• plus made a pdf of slides outlining strategies etc
• I made a screencast as I talked through this pdf (using Capture)
• I recorded myself doing the task (using Vocaroo, Padlet etc)
• I made a self-analysis checklist document (Word)
• I made a Padlet time-line incorporating the above resources
voice recordings• use your smart phone and an app like Voice Memos (iOS) or Easy
Voice Recorder (Android)
• use online tools such as Vocaroo https://vocaroo.com
• there are free apps for Google Chrome – eg Voice Recorder
• some other apps have a voice recorder built in eg Evernote
• you can record directly into Padlet (via app, or Firefox, or Chrome)
voice recordings: teacher, learner(s)
• you can record yourself: eg talking learners though a task, giving a good (or deliberately not so good) model of a speaking task, modelling intonation & stress patterns, giving help with language (exponents, key vocab etc)
• learners can record themselves:eg doing a task and comparing it with teacher version, or evaluating it using a checklist (and perhaps re-recording a better version)
• learners can share recordings – with teacher or fellow-students
voice recordings: Vocaroo (free)
https://vocaroo.com
• records online via website
• various sharing options, including QR code, WhatsApp and email
• downloadable mp3
reminder: using Padlet to host activities
• it’s an online pin-board that hosts notes, docs, pdfs, visuals, video, URLs (etc)
• Padlet has a basic free version (three boards)
• Backpack is a pay-for version for teachers & schools
• your learners can also post to the board (various settings)
stages of an asynchronous speaking activity 1• learner checks the task & key exponents
• listens to poor model (made by teacher)
• analyses & identifies areas to improve
• listens to a much better model (also made by teacher)
• then does task & records it, and compares with good model
a Padlet lesson: https://tinyurl.com/yad3zax7
my preparation for that lesson
• used C1 Advanced practice test for the visuals (screenshot)
•made poor version and a better version using Vocaroo, or Padlet built-in voice recorder (etc)
•made self-evaluation sheet as Word doc
• posted all the materials to Padlet as a time-line
stages of an asynchronous speaking activity 2• learner checks the task & key exponents
• learner records first attempt (using smart phone app)
• s/he plays back and analyses/evaluates
• s/he records second attempt
• s/he compares with first attempt
a Padlet lesson: https://tinyurl.com/yclpo8s7
my preparation for that lesson
• used C1 Advanced practice test for the visuals (screenshot)
•made set of exponents as pdf
•made self-evaluation sheet as Word doc
• posted the materials to Padlet as a time-line
• (optional) added recording of a model of task (me)
lesson follow-up – some suggestions
• language work – identify some action points & work on them
• focus on range of exponents (doc, pdf, or Quizlet cards?)
• pronunciation work – model some expressive stress & intonation patterns (using Quizlet cards or WhatsApp?)
• task organisation: eg comparing the two pictures in one minute (eg using a true/false worksheet)
reminder: Speaking Part 2 on 29 April• part 2 will be broadcast next week on Wednesday 29 April at 17.00
• a pdf of the slide show will be available for download from Swiss Exams
• a recording of the webinar will also be available
• Swiss Exams will compile some FAQs based on the webinars
Thank you, good luck, and stay healthy
Our previous webinars:
• online practice resources 1 & 2
• writing skills
•www.cambridge-exams.ch