Teaching speaking: Activities to promote speaking

Teaching speaking Activities to promote speaking SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HOÁ TRƯỜNG THPT YÊN ĐỊNH 1 SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM TEACHING SPEAKING ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE SPEAKING Người thực hiện Lê Thị H[.]

SỞ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO THANH HOÁ

TEACHING SPEAKING: ACTIVITIES

TO PROMOTE SPEAKING

Người thực hiện: Lê Thị Hà

Chức vụ: Giáo viên

SKKN thuộc môn: Tiếng Anh

THANH HOÁ NĂM 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS I

PART A: INTRODUCTION 1

1 Rationale 1

2 Aims of the study .2

3 Scope of the study 2

4 Methods of the study 2

PART B: CONTENT 3

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 3

1.1 Review of Language Skills 3

1.2 What is speaking and Why teach speaking skill? 3

1.2.1 What is speaking? 3

1.2.2 Why Teach Speaking Skill? 3

1.3 Elements of successful speaking 4

1.3.1 Inputs: 4

1.3.2 Skills: 4

1.3.3 Knowledge: 4

1.4 Principles in teaching speaking 4

1.4.1 Beginning Levels .4

1.4.1.1 Limit the objectives to avoid overwhelming the learners 4

1.4.1.2 Mix the speaking activities with comprehension work 5

1.4.1.3 Provide activities which involve dialogues and functional use of the language 5

1.4.1.4 Do not emphasize the significance of mistakes 5

1.4.1.5 State the purpose/ goal of the activity to the student 6

1.4.2 Intermediate and Advanced Levels 6

1.4.2.1 Focus on and work toward real spontaneous speech: 6

1.4.2.2 Design activities which encourage natural interaction between speakers .6

1.4.2.3 Place students in pairs , triads or small groups 6

1.4.2.4 Provide topics of interest to the students .6

1.4.2.5 At the advanced level, especially in free production , allow only speech in the target language (English) 6

CHAPTER 2: THE CURRENT SITUATIONS 7

IN TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING AT YEN DINH 1 HIGH SCHOOL 7

2.1 An overview of the current situation of teaching and learning English at

Yen Dinh 1 High school 7

2.2 Findings from the current situations .7

2.2.1 Results from asking questions 7

2.2.2 Results from observation 7

2.3 Solution 8

CHAPTER 3: ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE SPEAKING 8

3.1 Always present yourself as an English speaker, right from the start .8

3.2 Interrupting story 9

3.3 Interviews .9

3.4 Role play .10

3.5 Find someone who 10

3.6 Twenty questions .11

3.7 Brainstorming .12

3.8 Providing a dialogue 12

CHAPTER 4: EXPERIMENT AND RESULT 13

4.1 Participants 13

4.2 Data collection instruments 13

4.3 Results 13

4.3.1 Results from the test 13

4.3.2 Results from the questionnaires 14

4.3.3 Results from observation 15

4.4 Findings 15

PART C: CONCLUSION 16

1 Suggestions for further study .16

2 Conclusion of the study 16

REFERENCES 17 APPENDIXES I APPENDIX 1: SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS IN TEACHING SPEAKING I APPENDIX 2: SOME MORE OTHER ACTIVITIES CAN BE USED TO TEACH SPEAKING SKILL I APPENDIX 3: TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER IN ENGLISH .III APPENDIX 4: TALKING ABOUT YOUR FREE TIME AND HOBBIES

IN ENGLISH IV APPENDIX 5: HOW TO DESCRIBE A PERSON IN ENGLISH .V

PART A: INTRODUCTION

Title: “Teaching speaking: Activities to promote speaking”.

1 Rationale

As you know education plays an important part in developing society Learning a foreign language is necessary in a modern world Every student has

to learn a foreign language when they are studying at college or university Nowadays more and more people learn English because it is thought to be an

“international language” Most of high schools in our country teach English Is teaching English effective in the Upper Secondary schools? Are pupils interested in learning English? What is the aim of teaching English? There are

so many questions that we-the teachers of English -have to answer Teaching English not only teach pupils how to read a word or how to speak a sentence in English but also provides pupils knowledge about English people, England, culture, famous people, some problems that the world are facing with v.v

There are many things to teach in teaching English Beside three aspects: pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, there are four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing All these things are very important in teaching and learning English Among these, speaking is the most distinguishing feature

of human beings from the other living creatures because it is the natural state of language that all human beings are born to speak their native language In learning a second or foreign language, most of the learners find speaking the most difficult skill to have a success because it needs oral communication that consists of both speaking and listening

In the part speaking was not considered much in language learning and teaching Primarily, learning structures, rote memorization of sentence patterns and vocabulary, and using literary language were of great importance Grammar Translation Method defends this However, in the mid-nineteenth century, by the travelling, the trade and interpersonal connections of Europeans, the primacy

of grammatical and literacy language decreased, and the use of conversational skills increased Nowadays, with the rapid development of economy and technology which makes people in the world closer and closer, more and more people recognize the importance of speaking skill

I have been teaching English in a Upper Secondary School for a few years As far as I observed, most of the language teachers’ lessons are taken up with grammar We teach grammar and we think that our students have learnt it

In examinations we test what we taught in written English so the results become very well The students can answer all the written questions about the grammar topic However, when you ask a simple question orally, they have difficulty in answering it They cannot use their knowledge of grammar for their verbal communication

Generally speaking, language is a tool of communication If you cannot speak, all your effort is in vain Thus we have to give importance to seeking in

our English lessons right from the beginning because there is no use of knowledge about of a language without having the skill of using it

As I stated I have been teaching English for a few years and during this time period I have observed that many of the students have difficulty in speaking English although they are very successful in grammar Most of the students are silent and do not want to say anything or cannot say anything Participation may be dominated by certain students Therefore, the question came to my mind Why? Why are the students successful in grammar but not in speaking Then I wanted to have a research on this topic with the hope to build

up the habit of speaking for students and design activities to motivate their students to learn in the most efficient ways

2 Aims of the study.

The specific aims of this study are as follows:

- Give out the principles for teaching speaking skill

- Put forward some activities that promote speaking

- Apply these techniques in some specific lessons to do my bit in innovation English Teaching methodology and raise the quality of English teaching and learning

3 Scope of the study

This study aims to examine the effective techniques on the development

of learner’s communicative skills in speaking English in Yen Dinh 1 school, which is located in the countryside where teaching and learning conditions are limited My students pay much attention to other subjects, but not English So I only choose some methods that I think can apply to the students in the Secondary Schools in the countryside as my school

4 Methods of the study

To gain effectiveness of the aims the researcher has just mentioned

above, the following methods were used:

- Survey questionnaire for students in class 10A3 and 10A5 at Yen Dinh 1 High School to collect information about their views of the current situations and their feelings about lessons which are used motivated activities

- The results of tests to check the speaking ability of the students in class 10A3 and 10A5 at Yen Dinh 1 High School

-Beside these instruments, classroom observation is used to record more information from teachers and students during lessons

- Constant discussions with the supervisor and colleagues are of great significance

PART B: CONTENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL

BACKGROUND 1.1 Review of Language Skills

For the purpose of analysis and instruction, language has been divided into different skill areas These can be discussed in the framework of how we learned our first language A child first learns to practice language through the skill of listening Later, a child uses language by speaking, combined with listening Then, when school begins, children learn the skills of reading and writing The first two skills, listening and speaking, are called the oral skills The last two, reading and writing, are called the literacy skills

As learners grow in their language ability and use, the different skills are often integrated with each other so that they are being used in coordination with each other In conversation, when one person is speaking another is listening After listening and understanding, the hearer respond by speaking In an academic setting, while students are listening, they may also be writing notes or reading a handout

However, for the purpose of teaching language, we may divide language into the various skill areas and concentrate on one at a time This study focuses

on teaching the skill of speaking I begin with speaking because second (foreign) language learners often neglect or have difficulty with oral production (speaking) Some learners have memorized hundreds of words and many grammar rules, but they still cannot speak well Many learners can read better than they speak This is very much unlike a child who learns to listen and speak long before learning to read and write

After learning to speak, it is easier to develop reading and writing skills in the foreign language classroom However, language teachers have found it difficult to develop their student’s speaking skill

1.2 What is speaking and Why teach speaking skill?

1.2.1 What is speaking?

Speaking is “the process of building and sharing meaning through the use

of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts” (Chaney, 1998, p.13)

1.2.2 Why Teach Speaking Skill?

In today’s teaching climate, it is easy to forget the importance of oral language, or speaking and listening skills With all the focus on reading and writing to prepare for students to take part in GCSE examination, sometimes teachers neglect this more basic aspect of language! Yet students need to learn speaking skill and have opportunities to practice making their voices heard in a safe and constructive environment Speaking skill is important because:

- Skilled speakers can effectively present their own points of view

- Skilled speakers are often better readers and writers

- Skilled speakers are more confident participants in a variety of contexts- both in and out of school

- Skilled speakers are able to advocate for themselves and get their academic and emotional needs meet

1.3 Elements of successful speaking

To speak English well, a learner must know (knowledge) and know how

to do (skills) many things

1.3.1 Inputs:

- interesting topic

- ideas and questions to respond to

- teacher’s and students’ enthusiasm

- personal experiences

- listening

- readings

- short video clips

- memories

1.3.2 Skills:

- being able to pronounce clearly

- being able to organize and develop ideas in real time

- being able to produce chunks (phrases)

- being able to ask for clarification

- being able to check understanding

1.3.3 Knowledge:

- knowledge of grammar systems

- knowledge of appropriate language

- knowledge of suitable exchange patterns

- knowledge of phonology

- knowledge of topic

- awareness of what the listener knows and is interested in

1.4 Principles in teaching speaking.

The following principles are divided into two groups: Beginning Levels,

and Intermediate and Advanced Levels It is important to remember that the goal in language use is natural communication and the principles for the beginning levels point to and prepare for the principles given for the intermediate and advanced levels It is all too easy to be satisfied with unnatural

or repetitive speech But the goal is natural communication in which real information is transferred through speech

1.4.1 Beginning Levels.

1.4.1.1 Limit the objectives to avoid overwhelming the learners

- Provide the students with enough structured practice so they can begin interacting at a basic level

- This will reduce students fear and encourage more speaking

- Later, more free conduction can come after structured practice.

Example of structured practice for a beginner:

Teacher asks: What is he wearing?

Student answers: He is wearing _

Example of a non-structured assignment:

Teacher asks: Please describe what he is wearing

Student: ???

(Such an open-ended question can overwhelm a student if they have not first been prepared through adequate practice)

1.4.1.2 Mix the speaking activities with comprehension work

- When the students listen before they speak, it leads to more natural speech

- Comprehension work fosters an interaction between speaking and listening

- Remember, we listened first before we began speaking, so speaking should involve listening as well

Example using comprehension work:

Teacher has students first listen to or read a dialogue The class can discuss the meaning of difficult words After understanding the text, they can practice the dialogue (Speaking, or rather reading aloud, without understanding has very little benefit There is often no comprehension involved in reading aloud.)

1.4.1.3 Provide activities which involve dialogues and functional use of the language.

- Focus on language use rather than knowledge about language

- Functions involve a focus on meaning

- Dialogues are more concrete and controlled than less structured drills

Example of knowledge about a language:

A student can describe the structures and parts of speech in a language

Example of knowing how to use a language:

A student can introduce himself or herself, great others, request information, apologize, etc

1.4.1.4 Do not emphasize the significance of mistakes.

- This encourage students to speak without fear of correction

- This increases focus on meaning and communication rather than grammatical correctness (though such structural errors can also hinder communication.)

- Corrections should especially focus on problems affecting clear communication or language already taught to the students

1.4.1.5 State the purpose/ goal of the activity to the student.

- This provide a context or focus to help comprehension

- It also allows the learners to concentrate on the task and understand why they are doing it

Examples of purposes in speaking

“Now we will practice describing our friends”

“ In this exercise we will learn to talk about clothing.”

“ In this activity we will practice asking for information.”

1.4.2 Intermediate and Advanced Levels.

1.4.2.1 Focus on and work toward real spontaneous speech:

- Avoid form-bases drills (repetitious or grammar- based exercises)

- Remember real speech is most often unrehearsed or unpracticed

Examples of questions leading to real spontaneous speech:

What did you do last night?

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

What do you think about the new television program?

1.4.2.2 Design activities which encourage natural interaction between speakers.

- Human speech most often involves interaction (Monologues are rarely used)

- Interaction integrates speaking and listening

1.4.2.3 Place students in pairs , triads or small groups.

- Smaller groups, and pairs are student-centered

- This increases the quantity of speech spoken by students

- This decreases the vulnerability of the students and lowers their anxiety level

1.4.2.4 Provide topics of interest to the students.

- Interesting topics increase student motivation

- This also fosters a focus on meaning (and their personal feelings and thoughts)

- It is good to ask students what they are most interested in

1.4.2.5 At the advanced level, especially in free production , allow only speech in the target language (English).

- This greatly increases the amount of English spoken

- Having a clear guideline reduces the temptation of students to “hide” in their native language

- Students may dislike this but should be discouraged from using their own language without the teacher’s permission

CHAPTER 2: THE CURRENT SITUATIONS

IN TEACHING ENGLISH SPEAKING AT YEN DINH 1 HIGH

SCHOOL 2.1 An overview of the current situation of teaching and learning English at Yen Dinh 1 High school.

The study was conducted with students in grade 10 at Yen Dinh 1 high school Most of them have been learning English for at least 4 years at secondary schools

2.2 Findings from the current situations.

To find out some current situations in teaching and learning English speaking at Yen Dinh 1 high school, the researcher surveys the current situations

by asking questions and observation The researcher found out some following results

2.2.1 Results from asking questions

Most of the students did not know what to say They could not get the ideas Besides, they had so few words to express their opinion Some students were always silent in class and did not want to say anything In speaking lesson, many students might be inhabited by fear of making a language mistake Some

of them complained that they did not understand what to do in speaking activities They also had difficulty in pronouncing, they were afraid of mispronunciation Sometimes, they got trouble in grammar, they could not put the verbs in the correct tenses Besides a small number of the students believed that they were very bad at English when they were at lower high school And they thought that they cannot put the words in correct order In addition, a number of the students could not remember all structures ,students could not apply all structures correctly Besides, having a small number of the students said that the lack of teaching aids at school is other difficult of them

The researcher asked students about the main causes of these difficulties Most of the students said the method that teacher used is not suitable In addition, they don’t know the good way to learn English structure, English vocabulary, pronunciation Meanwhile some them were bad at English speaking when they studied at lower school and they also thought that the lack

of learning aids at school is other main reason that they have difficulties in studying English speaking

2.2.2 Results from observation

 Results from the teacher

Most of the teachers think that speaking is not very important They only teach grammar and the meaning of words to prepare the students to take part in GCSE in which speaking skill is not tested Almost the teacher applied the traditional methods such as: translation, audio-lingual or using PPP model