Teaching Oral Communication

Rhodalyne Gallo-Crail rgallocrail@niu.eduCOTSEAL WorkshopUniversity of California, LA, CASpeakingListening

Presentation OutlineIssues in Teaching Oral CommunicationListening ApproachesSpeaking ApproachesPrinciples in Designing Listening and SpeakingStrategies and ActivitiesAssessment

Issues in Teaching Oral CommunicationThe Place of PronunciationAccuracy and FluencyAffective FactorsThe Interaction EffectThe Role of Listening

Approaches that Promote ListeningTotal Physical Response (TPR) worked by James Asher (1977) which gives emphasis to comprehension where students were given ample amount of language to listen before they were encourage to respond orally.

The Natural Approach also recommended a significant silent periodStephen Krashen (1982) emphasized the importance of comprehensible input.Other studies also showed the importance of training students to use different cognitive strategies to process the input. These strategies may include the following:RetentionFeedbackInteraction

Principles for Designing Listening and Speaking Techniques (Brown, 1994)

Techniques should cover the spectrum of learner needs from language based focus on accuracy to message-based focus on interaction, meaning and fluency

Techniques should be intrinsically motivatingTechniques should utilize authentic language and contexts

Provide appropriate feedback and correctionCapitalize on the natural link between speaking and listeningGive students opportunities to initiate oral communicationEncourage the development of listening and speaking strategies

Listening StrategiesLooking for key wordslooking for nonverbal cues to meaningpredicting a speakers purpose by the context of the spoken discourseassociating information with ones existing cognitive

TYPES of Classroom Listening Performance

ReactiveIntensiveResponsiveSelectiveExtensiveInteractive

Speaking Strategies

Asking for clarificationAsking someone to repeat somethingUsing fillers and conversation maintenance cuesGetting someones attention

Using paraphrases for structures one cant produceAppealing for assistanceUsing formulaic expressionsUsing mime and one-verbal expression

TYPES OF SPOKEN LANGUAGE (Nunan, 1991)Monologue (planned and unplanned)storytellingnews broadcastreadings (short stories, poems, etc.)Dialogue (Interpersonal and Transactional)

Types of DialoguesScripted DialogueSemi-ScriptedUsing Picture Cues to present scenario for dialogDiscourse Chain

Scripted DialogALING TOYANG: Hoy, Mila kumusta ka na? Matagal na tayong hindi nagkita.MILA: Oo nga, lumipat na kasi kami ng bahay.ALING TOYANG: Saan?MILA: Doon sa bayan ng San Juan.ALING TOYANG: Talaga, may mga pinsan ako sa San Juan. Ibigay mo sa akin ang address mo para pagpunta ko, mabisita na rin kita.MILA: O Sige, doon ako sa 188 kalye San Jose. Malapit sa munisipyo at istasyon ng pulis.ALING TOYANG: Parang hindi naman mahirap hanapin ang bahay mo. Magtatanong na lang ako. MILA: Aasahan ko ang pagdalaw mo.

Semi-Scripted DialogueALING TOYANG: Hoy, Mila _______? Matagal na tayong hindi nagkita.MILA: Oo nga, lumipat na kasi kami ng ______.ALING TOYANG: Saan?MILA: Doon sa ___________.ALING TOYANG: Talaga, may ______ ako sa San Juan. Ibigay mo sa akin ang _____ mo para pagpunta ko, mabisita na rin kita.MILA: O Sige, doon ako sa _______. Malapit sa munisipyo at istasyon ng ______.ALING TOYANG: Parang hindi naman mahirap hanapin ang ______. Magtatanong na lang ako. MILA: Aasahan ko ang _________ mo.

Using Picture Cues

Discourse Chainsend your son to the storeTell mother you will go buy what she needs

Greet the store keeper. Tell her/him what you want to buy, ask how much.

Pay her and say goodbye.Store Keeper

Tell what you have and how muchMotherSon

Techniques for Teaching Oral CommunicationsPronunciation Stress, Intonation, Pitch, GrammarDiscourse (Speaking and Listening)Interactive Techniques Interviews, Guessing Games, Discussions, Roleplay, Simulations, Problem Solving ActivitiesIndividual Practice (Oral Dialogue Journal)

ASSESSMENTActivity-BasedOral InterviewsRecorded journals

This part of our workshop this afternoon hopes to review some of the approaches, techniques and strategies in teaching oral communication which covers both listening and speaking.The following are some of the issues in teaching oral communication that will help us reflect on the different teaching techniques and strategies for our own classrooms.1. Although, majority of our students would never acquire an accent free command of the language, I still believe that an ample emphasis begin in teaching pronunciation in any type of classroom experience (communicative - fluency or linguistic - accuracy)2. In the late 70s until the late 80s there has been a great diversion in teaching that focuses on linguistic matters(articulation, grammar and accuracy) to more natural communicative language. Both extremes lack something. Accuracy and fluency both need emphasis in the classroom.Fluency is probably best achieved by allowing the stream of speech to flow, then, as some of this speech spills over beyond comprehensibility, the river banks of instruction on some details of phonology, grammar, or discourse will channel the speech on a more purposeful course.3. Affective Factors - Teachers need to provide a classroom atmosphere that would encourage students to talk no matter how broken and incomprehensible the spoken language is.4. Emphasis on conversation in any form is important in the classroom. Oftentimes, our classroom is the only community they have in using the language. Seize that opportunity and make it work for the students.Oral communication is intertwined with ones ability to listen. Listening as in language is a very important component of oral communication. The silent period is often times the most crucial in the language development.

Good listeners are good responders. Good listeners know how to negotiate meaning, give feedback, ask for clarification, maintain topic to make understanding or comprehension complete. A 4th century Chinese Proverb says it more eloquently:Not to let a word get in the way of its sentenceNor to let a sentence get in the way of its intentionBut to send your mind out to meet the intention as a guest: That is understanding.

Retention - students need to make decisions on what to retain for long term, short term.Feedback - responding informationInteraction - engaging in conversation

Interac