Ester Boldú

Don’t take notes! Find all the information and resources at:

http://anglester.blogspot.com

Outline: 1. Definition of “Speaking”.

2. Definition of “Teaching Speaking”.

3. Elements of a Speaking Activity.

4. Activities to Enhance Fluency

5. Designing a Speaking Activity

6. Assessment and Grading

7. Advices and Resources

1. Definition of Speaking:

“Speaking" is the process of building and

sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of context”.

(Chaney, 1998, p.13).

1. What is “Speaking”?

Speaking is the primary mode of

communication

All humans learn to speak as part of their natural biological development

An important component of the language

teaching

Speaking exercises are integral in the adoption

of another language

1.Components of a Speaking Activity

• Contextualized practice - clear the link between linguistic form and communicative function

• Opportunity to personalize language - students can express their own ideas, feelings, preferences and opinions

• An awareness of the social use of language - appropriate social behavior and the language that accompanies it

• Opportunity to build confidence - build confidence in students to produce language quickly and automatically

1. What are the types of

classroom performance ? Imitative (this should be limited) – repetition drill

Intensive – practice a grammatical/phonological feature

Responsive – to respond to a question

Transactional (dialogue) – to convey information

Interpersonal (dialogue) – to interact socially

Extensive – monologue (intermediate/advanced)

“Teaching Speaking" is to teach ESL learners

to select appropriate words and sentences

according to the proper social setting,

audience, situation and subject matter.

2. Definition of Teaching Speaking:

• Speaking is the most important skill, as it is

the last step in language acquisition.

• It is a tough job for teachers to engage

student to speak, because there are some

barriers and affective filters.

• You can write or read or learn grammar or

listen individually, but you can not speak

with yourself so teaching speaking needs

more consideration.

2. Some Teaching Considerations:

2. How Do We Teach Speaking? Present new vocabulary words and

grammatical structures in situational and communicative contexts.

Use the language quickly and confidently with few pauses, which is called fluency.

Produce the English speech sounds and sound

patterns.

Use word stress, intonation patterns and the

rhythm of the second language.

2. What are the principles for

Teaching Speaking ?

Focus on fluency and accuracy (depending on objective).

Develop speaking strategies and motivating

techniques.

Use authentic language in meaningful contexts.

Provide appropriate feedback and correction.

Optimize the natural link between listening and speaking (and other skills).

Give students the opportunity to initiate

oral communication.

2. Stages for Speaking Activities.

Pre-communicative: Where mainly accuracy-

based activities are used. They tend to be the most controlled.

Practice stage: These are fluency based

activities where they tend to be less controlled.

Communicative interaction or production stage: Free activities and improvisations.

2. Some examples for teaching

speaking

Interviews

Guessing games

Ranking exercises

Discussions

Problem-solving activities

Role plays

Simulations

2. What are the common

speaking strategies ? Asking for clarification (what? Pardon?).

Asking someone to repeat something.

Using fillers and conversation maintenance cues (uh-huh, right, yeah, okay, hmm).

Getting someone’s attention.

Using paraphrases for structures one can’t produce.

Using formulaic expressions.

Using mime and non-verbal expressions.

TASK 1: Brainstorming

Discuss with your partner possible reasons why

learners do not speak English in class. Write a

couple of these reasons on a paper sheet.

Come up with a couple of ideas to encourage

students to speak.

2. Why Learners Do Not Speak?

2. Why Learners Do Not Speak? They have nothing to say.

They feel silly speaking a language in which they know

they are making mistakes.

It is artificial to communicate with your classmate in a

foreign language.

They do not have the English level to express the

concepts that the teacher wants them to express.

It is very tiring to concentrate on producing in a foreign

language; especially when your level is low.

The topic is boring.

Lack of curriculum emphasis on speaking

skills.

Teachers limited English proficiency.

Class conditions do not favor oral

activities.

Limited opportunities outside of class to

practice.

Examination system does not

emphasize oral skills.

2. Reasons for poor speaking Skills

2. Suggestions: Create a purpose for class communication.

Allow enough time for thinking.

Give enough input before students speak.

Select topics suitable for the learners’

proficiency (level, age…).

Create a reward/punishment system for speaking in English. (extra points – 0,25)

Avoid over correction (Accuracy vs. Fluency)

Organizer: Get Ss engaged and set the activity.

Prompter: Provide Ss with chunks not words.

Observer: Analyze what causes communication breakdowns.

Participant: Do not initiate the conversation.

Feedback provider: Tell Ss how proficient their performance was.

Resource: Provide Ss with tools to improve their oral performance.

Friendly: Establishes a good rapport with Ss.

2. Characteristics of Teacher in

Speaking Activities:

3. Teacher’s Role:

Increase the Learners’ Role and Responsibility… Use learner centred activities Focus on the learner talk time

Adjust Feedback/Error Correction… Choose the right time to correct students Choose the right way to correct students

Integrating Skills Combination of listening, speaking, reading,

and writing in classroom activities. Teachers create activities that imitate real

world language use.

3. Elements of a Successful

Speaking Activity:

Provide Appropriate Input

Integrate Skills

Use Variety of Aids

Create a Purpose for Speaking

Base your Lesson on Real Life Situation

Tailor to the Needs

3. Getting students to speak

• Games: surveying games, bandit and sheriff, shopping games, taboo…

• Drilling: standing in circles then throw the ball to question-answer each other, using pictures (from books or cards), ask and answer questions in pairs/groups, telephone game

• Singing: We’re table number one, The finger song, Can I have a pen?

• Chanting: What time is it?,

• Storytelling: retelling stories

3. Communicative Activities: Classroom activities are designed to get learners

speak and listen to one another (communicate).

TASK 2: Question

Which of the following is a communicative task?

a) Students read a prepared speech.

b) Students read a story and look at the picture.

c) One student reads the instructions and the

other fixes the machine.

…And a speaking task?

Find the Difference

Discussions

Debates Projects (News)

Benefits? Fostering critical thinking

Quick decision making and justify themselves

Disagreeing with the others politely

4. Activities To Promote Speaking:

Examples

Oral presentations Celebrations/News

Role-Play

Simulations

Benefits? Motivating the students

Increasing the self-confidence of hesitant

students

4. Role-Play & Simulations:

<http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/speaking/lesson-plans/pdf-

content/speaking-skills-lesson-plans-the-wedding-party-

worksheet/teachers-notes-intermediate/149714.article>

Example:

4. Storytelling & Story Completion: Storytelling

Story Completion

Benefits? Fostering creative thinking

Expressing ideas in the format of beginning, development and ending, and teaching the

characters and setting of a story

Picture Describing (comparing&contrasting)

Picture Narrating

Benefits?

Fostering the creativity and imagination.

Improving public speaking skills.

Finding similarities and differences.

Speculating feelings and future actions.

4. Picture Describing &

Picture Narrating:

4. Interviews & Reporting:

Interviews

Reporting

Benefits?

Giving students a chance to practise their speaking.

Helping them becoming socialised.

Example:

www.finchpark.com/books/TWA_China/pdf-files/045_news_interview_1.pdf

4. Brainstorming & Playing Cards:

Brainstorming

Playing Cards

Benefits:

Never criticise learners’ ideas.

Collaborative working.

Teacher should state at the beginning of the activity some rules (Ss are not allowed to

prepare yes-no questions, they should

answer with complete sentences, etc.)

TASK 3: Your Example

Create one activity covering these points. Then, critique one of your peers’ activities using these criteria.

Controlled – Creative?

Level (s) of production?

Teacher roles?

Accuracy, fluency, communicative?

Language focus?

Other skills?

Stage in a lesson?

Seating arrangement?

What Mistakes Do ESL Teachers Make

When Designing a Speaking Activity?

5. Designing a Speaking Activity:

Do not provide enough input or sufficient vocabulary beforehand

Do not provide authentic materials and shared knowledge.

Do not monitor students’ performance.

Setting inaccurate time limit.

Give limited opportunity for students to speak the target language and do not involve all students.

Focus on the dominant students and ignore shy ones.

5. Mistakes of ESL Teachers (I) :

Do not prompt students to speak more.

Increase teacher talk time in class.

Usage of one mode of interaction.

Distract students by correcting their pronunciation, grammar or word choice.

Give offensive signs when commenting on a student’s response or pronunciation.

Give no or unconstructive feedback

5. Mistakes of ESL Teachers (II):

Challenges of assessing speaking activities:

What to test

How to test

When to asses.

Scoring

6. Speaking Assessment Challenges:

What to test?

Fluency

Accuracy (Grammar)

Pronunciation

Task Completion

Vocabulary

Appropriateness

Comprehension

Communicative Competence

6. Speaking Assessment Challenges:

How to test?

Question/ Answer

Picture Test

Situation Response

Role-Play

Formal Presentation

Tense

6. Speaking Assessment Challenges:

When to assess?

Provide appropriate feedback and correction.

Takes notes while pairs or groups are talking.

Address problems to the class after the activity without embarrassing the student who made error.

You can write the error on the board and ask who can correct it.

6. Speaking Assessment Challenges:

6. Overview = confidence

Calendar

Sequence and Examples

6. Feedback

Sample Scoring System:

Fluency (20%)

Pronunciation (20%)

Accuracy (20%)

Vocabulary (20%)

Task Completion (20%)

6. Speaking Assessment Challenges:

6. Audience Comments Returned

to Students

Speaking Checklist:

Things to be aware of when evaluating speaking (pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary):

Pronunciation:

Individual sounds

Stress and Intonation

Pausing and Phrasing

Reductions

6. Speaking Assessment Challenges:

Speaking Checklist:

Grammar:

Verbs

Noun Phrases

Sentence Structure

Individual Grammar Problems

Functional Phrases

Vocabulary:

Word Choice

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

Appropriateness

6. Speaking Assessment Challenges:

7. Advice (I): How to improve my

conversation skills? Don’t be shy and self-conscious!

Communication errors can be solved.

A conversation is an interactive activity involving listening and speaking from both parties.

It’s all about listening and asking questions.

Do some research!

Lulls are normal.

If a conversation is going wrong, it may not be your fault.

7. Resources (I) www.eslflow.com

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

http://www.onestopenglish.com

http://www.englishclub.com

http://www.eslgold.com

http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans

http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl-printables-worksheets.html

http://www.waze.net/oea

7. Advice (I): How to improve my

pronunciation?

Listening and reading aloud

Writing

Networking and making friends

Greeting people on the street

Having small talks in public

Joining one-on-one conversations, conversation and common interest groups

Watching foreign movies with English

subtitles

7. Resources (II) Daily Conversations:

http://www.worldenglishclub.com/daily-english-conversations

EBooks:

http://www.gutenberg.org

Phrases and Expressions for Speaking:

http://www.eslgold.com/speaking/phrases.html

7. And Rememeber…

Keep It Simple …Less is MORE

Any Volunteers?

Any Volunteers?

7. Common teacher statements “My students are too shy to speak in a

group”

“Their English level is too poor to give their

opinion”

“There are too many students in the

classroom to do a speaking activity”

“They are not motivated to speak in English”

Etc.

No more excuses!

Thank you for listening

Ester Boldú

Blog: anglester

Mail: esterboldu@gmail.com