1.
Developing
Classroom Speaking Activities Theory to Practice
The
mastery of speaking skills in English is a priority for many second or foreign
language learners. Learners consequently often evaluate their success in
language learning as well as the effectiveness of their English course in the
basis of how well they feel they have improved in their spoken language
proficiency. Oral skills have hardly been neglected in EFL/ESL courses (witness
the huge number of conversation and other speaking course books in the market)
though how best to approach the teaching of oral skills has long been the focus
of methodological debate. Teachers and textbooks make use of a variety of
approaches, ranging from direct approaches focusing on specific features of
oral interaction (e.g. turn taking, topic management, questioning strategies)
to indirect approaches which create conditions for oral interaction through
group work, task work and other strategies (Richards, 1990:67).
In
designing speaking activities or instructional materials for second or foreign
language teaching, it is also necessary to recognize the very different
purposes for which our students need speaking skills.
2.
Functions of
Speaking
Numerous
attempts have been made to classify the functions of speaking in human
interaction. Brown and Yule (1983) made a useful distinction between the
interactional functions of speaking (in which it serves to establish and
maintain social relations), and the transactional functions (which focus on the
exchange of information). In workshops with teachers and in designing my own
materials I use an expanded three- part version of Brown an Yule’s framework
(after Jones 1996 and Burns 1998): talk as interaction: talk as transaction:
talk as performance. Each of these speech activities are quite distinct in
terms of form and function and require different teaching approaches.
a.
Talk as Interaction
This refers to what we normally mean
by “conversation” and describes interaction which serves a primarily social
function. When people meet, they exchange greetings, engage in small talk and
chit chat, recount recent experiences and so on because they wish to be
friendly and to establish a comfortable zone of interaction with others. The
focus is more on the speakers and how they wish to present themselves to each
than on the message.
Some of the skills involved in using
talk as interaction are:
1)
Opening and
closing conversations
2)
Choosing topics
3)
Making small talk
4)
Recounting personal incidents and experiences
5)
Turn-Taking
6)
Using adjacency-pairs
7)
Interrupting
8)
Reacting to others
b.
Talk as
Transaction
This type of talk refers to
situations where the focus is on what is said or done. The message is the
central focus here and making oneself understood clearly and accurately, rather
than the participants and how they interact socially with each other.
In interactions talk is associated
with other activities. For example, students may be engaged in hand-on
activities (e.g. in a science lesson) to explore concepts associated with
floating and sinking. In this type of spoken language students and teachers
usually focus on meaning or on talking their way to understanding. Jones
(1996:14).
Some of the skills involved in using
for transactions are:
1)
Explaining a
need or intention
2)
Describing
something
3)
Asking
questioning
4)
Confirming in
information
5)
Justifying an
opinion
6)
Making
suggestions
7)
Clarifying
understanding
8)
Making
comparisons
9)
Agreeing and
disagreeing
c.
Talk as
Performance
The third type of talk which can
usefully be distinguished has been called talk as performance. This refers to
public talk, that is talk which transmits information before an audience such
as morning talks, public announcements, and speeches.
Some of the skills involved in using for
performance are:
1)
Using an
appropriate format
2)
Presenting
information an appropriate sequence
3)
Maintaining
audience engagement
4)
Using correct
pronunciation and grammar
5)
Creating an
effect on the audience
6)
Using appropriate
vocabulary
7)
Using
appropriate opening and closing
