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TEACHING SPEAKING
22 November,
2004
Teaching speaking is a
big topic and unavoidably it must be connected to teaching listening. If
someone speaks, normally the goal is to communicate something to a listener.
Our session, however, chose to focus on the productive speaking aspect rather
than actively trying to develop students' listening skills.
Teaching speaking can
include how to teach pronunciation, controlled drills and free conversation,
how and when to correct, classroom management, teaching fluency rather than
accuracy (or vice versa) or simply how to motivate students to speak. That
is, as the communicative method states, giving them a real reason to
communicate.
Our meeting focused
mostly on the latter point. It was a brainstorm of techniques, tricks and
ideas to get students speaking.
One of the biggest
challenges in China, we found, is creating an atmosphere where students are
willing to take risks, can build confidence, are aware that ALL learning
needs mistakes and where no-one need lose face.
Here's what we came up
with.
1. Guided dialogue
2. Talking about you
3. False name cards
4. Using movies
5. Scene dubbing
6. Eye contacts, grunts and body language
7. Create chaos
8. Presentations
9. "Just a minute"
10. Mirror pronunciation
11. "Truly, madly, deeply"
12. "Talk show"
13. Shadow reading
14. Tongue twisters and idioms
15. Pass the microphone
16. Alibi
17. The chicken lesson
18. Silence
19. A note on error correction
1.
Guided dialogue
Here the teacher gives
the students a dialogue script (handout or on board) and Ss practice it in
pairs, then develop it, substitute parts of it and extend it at their will.
The idea is they have a crutch to lean on, a basis on which speaking can be
built. What's more it's a familiar base for Chinese students (the written
word) that will make them feel comfortable. Then, they can be slowly taken
away from the written word and thrown more into the realm of speaking.
2. Talking
about you.
Here the students are
given simple questions/ topics they can use to speak to each other. These
include greetings, job, family, hobbies and so on. Use your imagination, or
better still use theirs'! Students come into the class with a wealth of
material that can be exploited: their past, a personality, a family, a job,
cooking skills, feelings, frustrations, ideas and so on. The trick is how to
exploit them. When students have something meaningful to communicate, then
there's an opportunity for real learning to take place.
If vocabulary is tricky
or specialised, then this is a great opportunity to teach students explaining
and circumnavigating skills. ("It's a roundish thing with holes in
it", "I feel you know... not sad but not happy..." and so
on.), This is a very powerful tool students can use to describe things, words
or ideas they think they don't know how to say in English. All native
speakers use these tools and students may need them even more.
3. False name
cards.
Have you ever been so
bored at a party that you've started handing out other people's name cards
and introducing yourself as that person and creating a whole new persona for
yourself???
Well from this novel
idea came an idea for teaching. Give Ss each a name card (not their own) and
ask them to introduce themselves to each other. They then have to introduce
the person they met to a new person (hence testing their listening and
paraphrasing skills). This new person can then introduce the person they have
just met to another student....and so on.
4. Using movies
Give students a short
script of a familiar storyline (maybe a film or story they know).
T. and S1 stand at
front of class. S1 begins reading a line first, and then teacher repeats that
same line. They continue thus through the script. Then, they reverse the
order, the teacher speaking first, and the student listening then repeating
each line.
Then the other students
are given an opportunity to go through this exercise. Familiarity with the
storyline should help comprehension and build confidence. Also, plenty of
opportunity here to practice pronunciation, intonation and expressing
emotion, as well as creativity and imitation.
One follow up idea is
to give the script without punctuation and ask Ss to punctuate it. This
should help with punctuation (obviously) and awareness of chunking and
pausing in speech.
5. Scene
dubbing
Show a clip from a film
with sound down. Ss watch then in small groups discuss what the dialogue
could be about. They watch again and try to imagine the exact words. Third
time around they have a go at dubbing their own dialogue on top.
Finally, watch with sound
up and compare their scripts to the original.
6. Eye
contacts, grunts and body language
Watch extracts of
interviews, adverts or movies, focusing on how people use eye contact, body
language and grunts to indicate interest, disinterest, turn taking, taking
the floor and so on.
These can make Ss aware
of nonverbal communication in different cultures, as well as the ways people
show they are actually listening (yep, I know, huhu, mmm, ,and other grunts!)
Useful strategies, especially for telephoning.
7. Create chaos
This will appeal to Ss
who love speaking in an atmosphere of turmoil, noise, interruption and chaos
(a bit like at Beijing railway station).
Give each S a piece of paper. T shows them how to fold it carefully, once,
twice, three and four times. They then reopen it. In each "square"
they write the answers to questions T asks, such as "How old are
you?" "What's your favorite food?" "What colour are you
wearing today?" and so on. They can write the answers in any square at
random.
They then fold back and
hand in to T. So far, quiet has reigned. Now comes the chaos.
They each come to front
desk and pick one at random, open it, and try to find out whose it is, by
asking (or shouting) questions, moving around the room, etc.
You'd be surprised at
how much English is spoken when Ss are highly motivated and involved 100% in
the activity.
8.
Presentations
Ss choose and prepare a
topic and then speak for 2-3 minutes on that topic. Choice should motivate,
preparation should build confidence, getting them up in front of the class
will push their comfort zone.
Ss can also practice
their presentations in pairs or small groups, giving each other feedback,
support and advice. This gives more speaking practice, gives individuals more
confidence and builds group rapport.
When presenting, the T
could give rest of class a simple observation sheet ("Can you hear
them?" "Are they interesting?" etc..) so Ss have a focus and
more reason to pay attention.
9. "Just a
minute"
This is based on the
well known BBC Radio 4 (Do people still listen to radio 4????) programme
"Just a Minute".
If you are not British
and are thinking "but that means nothing to me!" don't worry, it
doesn't mean anything to me either!
So here goes, S1 begins
speaking for 1 minute on a surprise topic. Anyone can take over their turn if
S1 pauses or hesitates.
If S2 takes over, he
continues on the same topic for one minute. However, the same rules apply; if
he hesitates another S can take over. And on it goes. Great for spontaneity,
fluency, focusing everyone's listening and generally getting everyone
involved.
10. Mirror
pronunciation
Practice pronunciation
in the mirror every morning. Not as crazy as it seems. Try it. Going back to
using videos, have Ss watch out for lip and mouth movement in native
speakers; it can be very revealing.
If you are a female T,
try bright red lipstick to get your students to focus on your mouth movement!
(Not my idea, before you ask!)
11.
"Truly, madly, deeply"
Coming back to famous
programmes, there is a famous British (sorry, again) film, "Truly,
madly, deeply".
I haven't seen the
film, but I want to after hearing the game adapted from it. It involves Ss
hopping up and down for 3 minutes whilst telling their "life
story".
Seriously, the
introduction of drama and movement is a great aid to language learning. Also
here there will be a distraction effect, so they aren't only focusing on the
language, but also on movement. This is significant in reducing the
"affective filter", i.e. reducing learning stress.
12. "Talk
show"
Try to get S to join in
a "Talk Show", i.e. they are expected to imitate any one of the
native speakers, he/she's interested or good at, in a film, a tape of
textbook, or a TV show etc. in whatever forms. This may be an opportunity to
for students to show off, to be more confident and get themselves enjoyed.
Don't forget to encourage and praise "the Best" in front of the
rest of class.
13. Shadow
reading
Read aloud together
with the tape (of native speaker): read aloud either with the reference of
the transcript or without; read either consciously or subconsciously; read
whatever kind material he /she likes and read just for 5-10 minutes each time
(better one time each day). This is helpful in improving students' sense of
language, pronunciation etc.
14. Tongue
twisters and idioms
Tongue-twisters,
proverbs, idioms or even children's poems, etc. are what many Chinese people
enjoy learning in speaking. They are eager to get to know more about foreign
cultures, not only daily conversations.
Ss can also make their
own. For example, give one group a letter, eg "T", and then
different letters to other groups. In their groups they then brainstorm words
that begin with their letter. Next, they try to make phrases with mainly
those words. T can guide and help "tidy up" sentences. They then
practice their very own tongue twisters in front of each other. They can say
them quickly, slowly, many times and so on.
15. Pass the
microphone
This is more of an anecdote
than an idea. Ss were doing one on one interviews in a very disinterested
way. The teacher stopped the class and got a volunteer to stand up. T then
began interviewing her, as he did he inadvertently placed an imaginary
microphone in front of her.
All Ss immediately
re-started interviews using the same technique with an unbelievable increase
in dynamism and motivation.
Whatever happened
there, it has worked time and time again.
16. Alibi
The activity is based
around a short video clip of a crime. Any crime scene will do. The video
doesn't even have to be in English as you can do it with the sound off.
You should split the
class into two groups and tell one half that they are going to be the police
and they are going to interview the witness to a crime. Their task is to work
together with the other police and prepare questions that they will ask the
witness.
Tell the other half of
the class that they are going to witness a crime. You'll need to have the
classroom set up so that only the 'witnesses' can see the TV screen. If you
trust your students enough you could actually send 'the police' out of the
class or to another classroom, to work on their questions while the witnesses
watch the crime.
When the crime scene
video clip has been played, put the students into pairs so that each of the
police is with a witness. The police should then interview the witness and
get as much information as possible about the crime.
Make sure that the
police take notes as they listen. If you have artistic students you could
also get them to work together on a picture of the criminal or a diagram of
the crime scene reconstruction.
17. The chicken
lesson!
Set the scene: Africa,
a poor village has been given 200 chickens so they can use the eggs to help
them survive.
The NGO involved
returns some time later to find the village ate all the chickens on the first
night in a big feast!!
Now the villagers ask
for more chickens. The NGO has to think about it!
Back in the class,
divide the class into pairs; one an NGO rep and one a villager. They argue
their case. Then NGO Ss group up and villagers likewise, to discuss their
views. They can split again, regroup and maybe have a final big conference.
You can manage it as you like.
An interesting
observation is to make the story external to the country you are teaching in.
That is, don't make it relevant by setting the story in China. The fact it is
in Africa enables Ss to externally criticize and take a more objective
approach to the villagers.
18. Silence!
It's a bit mystic, but
becoming aware of the silence around words, can help the student and teacher
focus enormously! It can be truly amazing and it does work, try it!
19. A note on
error correction.
1. When Ss write,
instead of correcting just send back an improved version, with more natural
sounding English. The idea is to create models, rather than correcting and
saying this right and you are wrong.
2. Ss language and
mistakes at the start of a class create the focus for that class. T goes with
the flow and lets the Ss language control the direction of the class.
3. Ss do an activity. T
notes good and incorrect use of language. Activity finishes and T puts
language notes on board. Ss identify which are examples of good language and
which "need improving". Ss and T can correct the latter. The idea
is to change the focus. Don't just focus on what they've done wrong, but also
what they have done well. (This is from Mario Rinvolucci).
And for a bundle more
of excellent ideas go to...
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/speaktry/speaking_activities.shtml
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