Unit VI What’s on your mind?

Vocabulary

brainstorming

case studies

role-play

simulation

mind map

information gap

learner talking time

mixed-ability class

monitoring

personalization

problem-solving activity

productive skills

teacher talking time

communicative efficiency

faulty pronunciation

scaffolding

Teaching Speaking

Many language learners regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language. These learners define fluency as the ability to converse with others, much more than the ability to read, write, or comprehend oral language. They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments in spoken communication.

The goal of teaching speaking skills is communicative efficiency. Learners should be able to make themselves understood, using their current proficiency to the fullest. They should try to avoid confusion in the message due to faulty pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, and to observe the social and cultural rules that apply in each communication situation.

Students often think that the ability to speak a language is the product of language learning, but speaking is also a crucial part of the language learning process. Effective instructors teach students speaking strategies - using minimal responses, recognizing scripts, and using language to talk about language - that they can use to help themselves expand their knowledge of the language and their confidence in using it. These instructors help students learn to speak so that the students can use speaking to learn.

1. Using minimal responses

Language learners who lack confidence in their ability to participate successfully in oral interaction often listen in silence while others do the talking. One way to encourage such learners to begin to participate is to help them build up a stock of minimal responses that they can use in different types of exchanges. Such responses can be especially useful for beginners.

Minimal responses are predictable, often idiomatic phrases that conversation participants use to indicate understanding, agreement, doubt, and other responses to what another speaker is saying. Having a stock of such responses enables a learner to focus on what the other participant is saying, without having to simultaneously plan a response.

2. Recognizing scripts

Some communication situations are associated with a predictable set of spoken exchanges - a script. Greetings, apologies, compliments, invitations, and other functions that are influenced by social and cultural norms often follow patterns or scripts. So do the transactional exchanges involved in activities such as obtaining information and making a purchase. In these scripts, the relationship between a speaker's turn and the one that follows it can often be anticipated.

Instructors can help students develop speaking ability by making them aware of the scripts for different situations so that they can predict what they will hear and what they will need to say in response. Through interactive activities, instructors can give students practice in managing and varying the language that different scripts contain.

3. Using language to talk about language

Language learners are often too embarrassed or shy to say anything when they do not understand another speaker or when they realize that a conversation partner has not understood them. Instructors can help students overcome this reticence by assuring them that misunderstanding and the need for clarification can occur in any type of interaction, whatever the participants' language skill levels. Instructors can also give students strategies and phrases to use for clarification and comprehension check.

By encouraging students to use clarification phrases in class when misunderstanding occurs, and by responding positively when they do, instructors can create an authentic practice environment within the classroom itself. As they develop control of various clarification strategies, students will gain confidence in their ability to manage the various communication situations that they may encounter outside the classroom.

(The National Capital Language Resource Center, Washington, DC)

Task 1

Which of these do you think are characteristics of efficient EFL speakers?

• Speed – fluency, high tempo

• Economy – ignoring inessentials and the ability to carry out the task using minimal means

• Expressivity – emotionality

• Accuracy – detecting and rejecting errors

• Anticipation – thinking and planning ahead

• Reliability – confidence

• Speaking without pauses

Task 2

Work in pairs. Choose from the list below 6 important criteria for speaking tasks. Then choose three most important ones.

• Productivity

• Purposefulness

• Interactivity

• Challenge

• Safety

• Authenticity

• Time limits

• Topical restrictions

• Scaffolding

Task 3

Comment on such techniques as drills, chants, games regarding their role in building communicative skills. Provide examples of the activities based on them.

Task 4

Work in groups. Choose and act out one of the given activities in class. Comment on advantages and possible problems of each of them.

• Milling activities

• Information gap activities

• Discussion bingo

• Problem-solving activities

Task 5

Work in pairs. Work out the criteria for a good speaking class. Think of:

• the teacher

• the learners

• the atmosphere

• correction

• activities

Be prepared to discuss your results with other students.

Task 6

Comment on the following opinions.

Teaching natural English

"I have been teaching English for more than 5 years and love it. I have found your site very useful and thought-provoking. I'd like to ask a question which must be typical problem of any given ESL class; the question is how can we make our students speak purely and spontaneously English; because as far as I know, at least in the institutes I have been teaching, English being taught is not in a way a native person utters words.

How can we non-native teachers teach our students to speak in a native context?"

This question is from Reza Sa'ee Dehghan, Iran

Jose Martin, Mexico

I've been teaching English in Mexico for five years, and I've found that the thing that matters is not speaking and sounding like a native, it is true that the closest our pronunciation is to that of natives the best we are going to make ourselves understood, but the most important thing is to be able to communicate in the other language.

I have shown to my students through video interviews that they can actually interact with natives even when their pronunciation is not as "good" as that of a native. It's really rewarding when you see students talking to natives without worrying about their pronunciation, and making their best to learn and practice the language.

Tjang Kian Liong, Bandung, Indonesia

You ask how we can make our students speak purely English spontaneously. What about through simple but interesting games? If we play a competitive game in which all instructions, questions, and scoring are conducted in English, and if the game is interesting enough for students, then in no time the students will focus on the game and forget that they are doing a lesson. And, if we do this quite often, the students will gradually get used to doing things in English. After that, through different simple activities, we can gradually drive our students to unconsciously move towards simple dialogs or even simple group discussions, for example, starting from very simple data collecting, and aims at more difficult brainstorming in the future. At last, the students may hopefully be ready to be introduced to more serious group discussions, role plays, or even presentations. Of course it will take some time.

Inés, Argentina

I will answer back with another question: should our goal in teaching be helping students speak as native speakers do? I think this is quite a far fetched objective. We are not natives and neither is the environment where we teach. Shouldn't we try to help our students become "intercultural speakers" instead? Speakers who are able to communicate in a foreign language, but who also are conscious about and try to shorten the cultural gap that exists among speakers?

Sabine, Germany

I agree with those saying there are several Englishes in our modern world. In a way there are all natural, and only very few of them are really perfect. Of course, everybody learning a foreign language automatically tries to "imitate", or "copy" native speakers. On the other hand, telling your students they have to speak or write like native speakers shouldn't be the primary goal of an English lesson as it is very difficult to achieve.

The primary goal is communication. We as teachers should try and create a learning environment encouraging fluency and - most importantly - a self-confident usage of the language. Therefore, we should interrupt our students' speech only if their mistakes really disturb communication. They should learn that their speech doesn't have to be perfect to be understood.

A very good way of showing them how much they are able to do in the language is a little game called "Just one minute", which works with all levels perfectly well (and which some of you very probably know). Have your students work in pairs and give them a topic, (such as "Shopping", "Watching TV", "Mobile phones", "Walking through the desert", ...) and have student 1 speak about it for one minute. Stop the talk and give the next topic for student 2. This can be repeated for 4-5 times. Try not to interrupt your students. The only person who is allowed to do so is the second partner of the pair if she/he doesn't understand. However, monitor your students but again not too closely not to restrict their "feeling of freedom". Note down major mistakes and discuss them in class after finishing the activity.

The main aim of this activity is to overcome the fear of mistakes (which is a typical German problem). Students realize, "I can speak English on a lot of different topics and I'm understood!"

Getting students to speak

I've been teaching English for 7 years. What troubles me is that my class is completely teacher-centred. The students like to listen and write notes. They just keep silent and do not say a word. I always try my best to encourage them to say as much as they can. But no co-operation. It seems to me that this is a common problem for my colleagues as well. They also feel headache about it. What on earth shall I do?

This question is from Yingying, People's Republic of China

Mei, China

You may assign tasks for them to practise oral English among themselves because in a student-centred class, they must be the main performers to be actively involved in a variety of relevant activities if they want to progress. Then check and give them a grade/score because otherwise, they may still refuse to talk and fail the test. Incentives are useful for all of us in life. If you start with topics relevant to their daily lives, students may usually become interested as they can see the immediate benefits.

From my experience in China I understand that teachers and students have been too busy with the teaching and learning loads that they do not like to spend time on what would not be tested. They simply could not afford the time to do that in an exam-driven system because the salaries and promotions of teachers are closely related to the outcome of the learners. Assessment methods in China are now changing and I hope that more students will be interested in oral English with the new assessment policies coming into effect in the future. With more practice students will gain confidence, which will have a positive effect on them, I think. I've been out of touch for some time but I think new approaches must be introduced to keep up with the communicative nature of TESOL in the present world in the 21st century.

Lynda Finn, New Zealand

Have them work in pairs or small groups. One person has a picture of something (perhaps a giraffe) and must describe it to the others who cannot see it and they must guess what it is. They can ask questions about the picture. Each student in turn has a picture.

Also, play 'Ten Minute Teacher'. This game entails each person being the teacher for ten minutes. Give each student a task, 'Tell us about the indefinite article' (something they have already learned and are familiar with.) Or 'You are taking us on a trip, tell us where we will be going and what we have to bring.'

Shahram, Iran

In my opinion, you should ask them to come to the board to talk about their field of interest. Even though it would be difficult at the beginning, with your help they will get motivated. In some cases ask them to prepare a lecture about any subject. As you know, they say the first step is always the hardest.

Walter Joyner, U.S.A/Germany

Why do they have to talk to you? The important thing is that they talk! Present the target language, divide them into groups and let them talk to each other. They will be less scared of mistakes and embarrassment. Monitor the groups for mistakes that are common and correct them AFTER the discussion period is over without pointing out who made the mistake. Next month you will be asking how to keep them quiet…

Reflection

Reflect on your own experience. What do you think are the challenges of speaking English? What is the best way to cope with them?