Speaking workshop summary

Spoken language is very different from written language Theres less / different Grammar And theres more: Ellipsis [leaving things out e.g. good weekend?] Use of formulaic expressions [Ill let you know, the thing is, at the end of the day, I take your point, but] Use of fillers to fill pauses [e.g. umm, er, and that, you know, sort of] Self-correction False starts Repetition Rephrasing

Speaking [in real-life] is unplanned, interactive and purposeful [NB think of different speech events such as a job interview, buying vegetables at the market, discussing a film with a family member, chatting with a colleague as you wait for the elevator] Purposes very generally two: 1. Transactional [to get information across] 2. Interactional [building relationships] To be a good speaker of language you need more than enough grammar, a good vocabulary, and clear pronunciation. production skills arent enough, you also need : Interaction skills Competent speakers know: How to shift topics How to indicate the beginning and end of turns How to ask for clarification How to interrupt people and stop people interrupting you How to paraphrase to make yourself clearer Typical structures for different events e.g. ordering a take-away, checking in for a flight]

What words or phrases do you associate with each? E.g. changing topics = anyway -

Teaching and practicing these skills

A: Students listen again and tick the phrases they hear. so anyway do you agree with me? happily, actually, well in addition god it was you know in the end

B: Students find 3 words / phrases that dont have a meaning, they just tell us the speaker is continuing their story and they want us to listen. 1 phrase that the speaker uses to emphasize the next thing they say. 1 word that means something good happened next. 1 phrase that means the speaker is going to tell us what finally happened in the main part of the story. 1 word that means the speaker is changing the topic a little.

C: After pronunciation work, students make their own story, using the phrases from A. Have planning time to make notes (not write the story). Tell a partner / the teacher, who ticks phrases they hear.

2. interrupting game ss try to interrupt politely / stop others interrupting them 1 point each time they take the turn 3. sticky questions saying something negative in a polite way 4. giving bad news soft language Im afraid etc. 5. changing the subject ss try to change the subject in a conversation using phrases 6. mistakes game (clarification) T tells a story that includes mistakes either re-telling a previous story and making changes, or saying things in the story that do not match with the things before e.g. I got up at 6 am and went for dinner with my friends. er ahh ehm sorry? did you say? do you mean? can you say that again?

Scaffolding speaking
To be successful students need useful language vocabulary prompts (words / sentences or visuals) planning task rehearsal (practice) ideas interest in the topic motivation to do the task

The importance of Useful language Get them started Supports real communication Can be learned like vocabulary (in a chunk) Task success motivating and confidence building Allows other language and pronunciation to be focused on during speaking Natural phrases life and exams

Ways to introduce useful language categorizing / ranking match halves gap fills order the words phonemic transcriptions

EXAMPLES Put the phrases in the box into the three columns. OK, why not Id rather not Shall we Lets Yes, maybe I could do that Making a suggestion What about . ing You could Thats a good idea Mm, Im not sure Why dont you Agreeing to a suggestion Rejecting (saying no) to a suggestion

Order the phrases 1 6. 1 = Strongest agreement a. Thats a good idea. b. I dont think so. c. OK, why not. d. Thats a great idea! e. Yes, maybe I could do that. f. Id rather not. 6 = strongest disagreement

Gap fill

Why d_____ you get a Sh____ we go to What a____ buying a ... What about g_____ to

Thats a g_____ idea! Mm, Im n____ so sure. OK, why n____.

Ways to drill useful language use visual prompts half class for A and B individuals mark pronunciation features NB always drill at sentence level

Encouraging students to use the language big cards on the wall surround them with it leave it up on the board / screen monitors tick the phrases used who can use the most? (or teacher acts as monitor in 1-1 situation)

Tasks that have a purpose; repetition

Speaking case study a typical lesson (Basic Fluency p39-40) Stages of lesson 1. Open the book to page 39. read the dialogue T checks understanding Possible problems No context / interest generated Things to add Pre activity for context and vocabulary elicit vocabulary for activities as much as possible use visuals

2. Focus on structure with duoc and biet with different examples 3. Practice Ss write questions and answers using structure and vocabulary given in book p40. 4. Practice 2 Ss make positive and negative sentences and questions orally for each picture on page 40

No link between dialogue and structure (examples not from the dialogue). vocabulary introduced after structure takes away from current focus on new structure

Use dialogue to highlight structure form and meaning, then move onto other examples Introduce / review vocabulary earlier, ready for use at this stage

Oral practice not realistic or meaningful .

Use this activity only to drill for pronunciation. Make practice meaningful by interviewing teacher / each other and then making statements about the teacher / each other after asking all the questions. Ss add their own activities to ask questions about. E.g. speak Chinese, cook, play piano (with teachers support How do you say ?

5. Speaking Ss go out into office to interview VLS staff about things from p 40.

No preparation / rehearsal No personalisation questions based only on book No round up or end point

The above activity will help prepare students for this speaking activity T should also give them time to prepare any extra questions.

6. Teacher follows and joins in / corrects the students mistakes while they are asking their questions. 7. T and Ss go back to the room to continue with the next part of the lesson.

Interrupting students does not let them develop speaking skills and they wont remember the correction. No feedback or review

The teacher stands back and lets the student do the activity.

Ss report back on what they found out e.g. Trang can play guitar, but she cant swim. Linh can sing but she cant dance. Teacher gives feedback on any mistakes from the interview activity or the report back write mistakes on board and asks Ss to correct / writes sentences on board and works on pronunciation. Next lesson starts with review .