Developing Oral Communication Skills

• Speaking plays a central role in language proficiency• Interpersonal mode of communication used more

than presentational mode (often integrated)• Linguistic competence AND• Sociolinguistic competence• Communication: express, interpret, negotiate

meaning• Classroom environment is artificial: need strategies

for effective development of speaking• Teachers must attend to psychological and affective

factors

1. Conceptualize: planning the content—appropriate to skill levels, constructed in context

2. Formulate: words, phrases and their sequence3. Articulate: producing the utterances

phonetically accurate enough to understand4. Self-monitor: L2 speakers identify mistakes and

self-correct

A central goal is “Automation:”The assimilation of linguistic structures such that L2 speakers can produce them automatically (or almost automatically)

Optimize Classroom Conditions

1. Ample opportunities to engage actively in meaningful discourse in context

2. Develop ability to “play” with language: understand the rules and then extrapolate and recombine

3. Have students produce language from day one4. Opportunities to participate in planned and

unplanned discourse5. Personalize topics, encourage students to produce

their own meaning6. Take affective variables into account (motivation,

anxiety, etc.)—be sensitive to students’ feelings

Design and Sequence Communicative Speaking Tasks

1. Goal: spontaneous communication2. Need “scaffolds”: tasks that move from structured

activities to spontaneous speech3. Integrate immediate and numerous processing

skills

Examples of Tasks Using Simplified Linguistic Demands

A. Use the same scripted questions for interviewing each other:1. Do you have any brothers and sisters?2. What are their names?3. How old are they?4. What are your parents’ names?5. What do they do for a living?

B. Higher level: respond to unknown teacher-scripted questions1. Student A: Do you have any brothers and sisters? What

are their names?2. Student B: What are your parents’ names? What do they

do for a living?

Both A & B work well with student-centered interactions (mingling, pair work.

Examples of Tasks Using Simplified Linguistic Demands

Use cues. Instead of having students read and act out a scripted dialog, use only cues Example: customer and salesperson (lexical cues)

C: looking for sweater S: size?C: large S: this one—largeC: nice-white, red? S: unfortunately notC: price S: $59

Example: Invitation (functional cues)

A: ask somebody to go out and see a movie, suggest day and timeB: deny, give excuse (busy, no money, no time, etc.)A: make another suggestionB: provide affirmative answer

Contextual cues:

Complete the conversation logically

S: Hi! My name is John Smitth B: Hello! I am Bill Bailey.S: ______________________ B: From Switzerland. From Bern.S: From Jena. B: ____________________S: ______________________ B: teacherS: ______________________ B: French and Social StudiesS: I am a student B: _____________________S: At the university in Jena. B: _____________________S: biology B: _____________________S: no. I am single B: ____________________S: ______________________ B: I am married.

Students develop their own questions: open ended, higher level

Have students describe routes on an authentic map.

Possible Configurations1. Pair work2. Base and expert groups3. Open interactions4. Groups of Three or more5. Chain reactions (teacher

centered)6. Centric rings or shifting rows

Base and Expert Groups

1. All participants involved equally2. Students are prepared adequately3. Clear instructions and model examples4. Ample opportunity to interact with different

partners5. Content appropriate to level, interest, 6. Circulate among students: stay in TL, be

unobtrusive7. Time limit8. Goal oriented9. Stop activity when ¾ are finished10. Control number of peers11. Follow up

Theme: buying clothesFunctions: describe clothes, express opinions about clothing, express measurement using metric

Step 1: instructor asks questions in TL about where to buy clothes, reviews colors and patterns (who is wearing a blue shirt?) (speaking skills: short answers; guided questionsStep 2: instructor role-reads dialog titled “shopping at the department store”; while reading stops to point out meaning (gestures, examples)Sept 3: students complete a fill-in-the-blank activity to check comprehension: “The costumer needs ________.” and then follows up with questions: “What does the customer need?” (speaking skills: reproductive, controlled answers)

Step 4: instructor plays recording with brief conversations between sales clerk and customers. Students listen for discrete information: colors, sizes, etc. instructor checks listening comprehension: “What do the people need?” (speaking skills: reproductive; one-word and controlled answers)Step 5: students role-read dialog in pairs, change roles (speaking skills: articulation and pronunciationStep 6: instructor models some personal questions and clarifies meaning if necessary: “What is your favorite color?” Students answer individually in writing. Students interview at least two other students in class. Instructor follows with questions: “Whose favorite color is red?” (speaking skills: reproductive, one-word & short answer; planned)Step 7: pairs: students write dialogue, use studied expressions, then role-play dialogue with script, then without script, instructor asks for volunteers to perform. (speaking skills: planned; articulation and pronunciation, semi-spontaneous)

What would be a good way to use a series of pictures in a communicative task?

Hello Michael.Hello, Phillip.How are you?I’m fine. How are you?I’m doing fine. I’d like you to meet Jason.Hi, Jason.Hi, Michael. How are you?I’m fine.Have a seat.Thank you. So, Jason, where are you from?I’m from England. How about you?I grew up here in Seattle.Wow, that’s interesting

• Greet Michael• Greet Phillip• Ask Michael how he is doing.• Respond to Phillip.• Introduce Jason to Michael.• Greet Jason. Ask him how he

is doing.• Respond to Michael. Ask him

the same question.• Offer Michael a seat.• Ask Jason where he is from.• Say that you are from

England. Ask Michael the same question

• Say that you grew up in Seattle.

• Respond to Michael, making an affirmative comment

Step 1: four different sets of want ads in four corners of the room

Step 2: Divide the class in groups of four (base group). Each student gets a letter ABCD representing one of each of the four corners. Hand out set of questions. Make sure students understand questions. Send students to assigned corners to find answers (expert groups): What kind of job? How much does it pay? What are the hours? What skills/qualifications? Where can one inquire about the job?

Step 3: Return to base groups and exchange information.

Step 4: follow up: Which job would you like most? Least? Why?

Information Gap

Omaggio: pages 238-257Create two lessons, one novice and one intermediate. Or create one lesson with a novice version and an intermediate version.Identify the following:1. Context2. Function3. Grammatical Features4. Communicative Mode5. Student Task6. Follow-up7. Student Task (homework)