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Lecturers Signature: .. Date: ....

SIMULATION A CLT SPEAKING ACTIVITY FOR EFL STUDENTS

Nguyen Phuong Nhung
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University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

1. Abstract:
In this period of international integration in Vietnam, there is a growing demand of learning
second/foreign language, especially English, in a more communicative way than the conventional one.
Therefore, there is also a need for moving the focus of teaching language as well as the objectives of
language course from the forms of language to communication. In order to serve this need,
Communicative Language Teaching has been widely applied in many universities in Vietnam, in which
cooperative method is among the most used teaching methods in classroom activities. Therefore, different
cooperative techniques are put in practice in classroom teaching. These techniques concentrate on the
students use of language, provide students with interdependence, encourage interaction, and use teambased assignments as groundwork of the learning process. As one of the leading institutions in foreign
language teaching and learning, the Fast-Track group at ULIS, VNU has made an attempt to integrate the
real world practices into the limited environment of classroom by including the simulation activity in the
speaking course for third-year Fast-Track students.
This study aims at analyzing the basis of simulation as a CLT activity that teachers can applied to
their EFL students as well as providing information of world-wide studies regarding this activity. That is
to help teachers who are interested in CLT have one more option in choosing activity for their speaking
class. In addition to this, the researcher also hopes that this activity can be included officially in the
curriculum of the faculty so that not only Fast-track students but also mainstream students can benefit
from it.
For the achievements of this purposes, the researchers chose written works to analyze. They are all
informative and have the high number of citations as well as discuss directly to the targeted topic of this
paper. The researchers choice also depends on the prestige of the author, publication year and institute to
ensure the value of information gathered. The researcher also included her own experiences as a
participant and facilitator of the activity to provide the readers a practical insight of the issue.
2. Key concept discussion:
2.1. CLT Approach
The term CLT stands for Communicative Language Teaching which originated from the changes in
the British Situational Language Teaching approach dating from the late 1960s (Richards & Rodgers,
2001). At the present, it has been more and more popular and become a current trend in foreign language
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learning, especially in EFL learning. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is an approach that
specifically focuses on the ability to communicate naturally and realistically as a response to the
recognition of the current need to emphasize communication skills in instruction (Kemp, 2003, p. 7). The
goal of CLT is for learners to achieve communicative competence, which includes not only
grammatical competence but also sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence (Canale& Swain,
1980; Savignon, 1997, cited in Chan, 1999, pp. 11-12). Celce-Murcia et al (1995) emphasizes five aspects
of competence:
Discourse competence is to do with the selection, sequencing and arrangement of words,
structures, utterances/ sentences to achieve a unified spoken/written text.
Linguistic competence consists of knowledge of such linguistic systems as syntactic,
morphological, lexical, phonological, and orthographic systems needed to realize communication
in speech or writing.
Actional competence is defined as the ability to match actional intent with linguistic form
based on the knowledge of language functions and knowledge of speech act sets.
Socio-cultural competence refers to the speakers knowledge of how to express message
appropriately within the overall social and cultural context of communication.
Strategic competence is defined as knowledge of communication strategies and how to use
them for negotiating and resolving communicative problems as well as for compensating for
communicative deficiencies in any of the other four components.
(Cited in An introduction to language teaching method, To T.H. et al, 2012)
In 1984, Howatt proposed an idea of classifying CLT into 2 versions: weak version and strong
version. In weak version, it is important to provide students with chances to use their English for
communicative purposes. This weak version is based on the assumption that the components of
communicative competence can be identified, and thus systematically taught (Ellis, 2003). In strong
version, it is said that language is acquired through communication which means that the students do
not follow the process of learning theory then practice communicating using what they have learnt but
experience communicate in language then find out and learn the rules by themselves.
CLT, as a typical example of language learning and teaching approach, mainly based on:
(1) the view that language is a vehicle for the expression of functional meaning rather than an
isolated set of grammatical rules.
(2) the belief that language learning, therefore, should be about learning to express the
functions that best meet learners own communication needs rather than only learning to master
the linguistic system of the target language.
(3) Informed by the above theoretical positions and beliefs about the nature of language and
language learning, communicative language teaching uses almost any activities that engage
learners in authentic communication.
(To T.H. et al, 2012)
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2.2. Speaking skill

2.2.1. What is speaking skill?
The simulation activity studied in this research is one of the several activities in the speaking
course by fast-track students from ULIS-VNU. To further understand the nature of this activity which is
the action of speaking, in this part, the researchers provide definition and understandings about speaking
skills. Though there are many studies providing profound comprehension of the concept of speaking skill,
very few of them can give explicit definitions.
Speaking skill or speaking in general refers to oral expression, a way to present thoughts and ideas
out loud. According to Mackey (1965), oral expression involves not only [] the use of the right sound
in the right patterns of rhythm and intonation, but also the choice of words and inflections in the right
order to convey meaning. Speaking skills show ones ability in using language, and therefore, becomes a
part of linguistic competence
Chomsky (1994, cited in To, 2012) proposes the conception of linguistic competence including the
knowledge of different linguistic field, such as phonology, vocabulary and syntax. Meanwhile, Bygate
(1987, cited in To, 2012) names this linguistic competence as motor-perceptive skills, and one new
concept known as interaction skills. Interaction skills relate to one making decisions about
communication. This individual has to decide what to say, how to say it, and whether to develop it, and at
the same time, maintain coveted relations with others. (1997, p.6, cited in To, 2012)Interactive speaking
situations include face-to-face conversations and telephone calls, in which we are alternately listening and
speaking, and in which we have a chance to ask for clarification, repetition, or slower speech from our
conversation partner. Some speaking situations are partially interactive, such as when giving a speech to a
live audience, where the convention is that the audience does not interrupt the speech. The speaker
nevertheless can see the audience and judge from the expressions on their faces and body language
whether or not he or she is being understood. Some few speaking situations may be totally noninteractive, such as when recording a speech for a radio broadcast.
Dell Hymes (1974), however, provides a more comprehensive notion: communicative
competence, which is rephrased by Nunan (1999, p.226): Communicative competence includes
linguistic competence, but also includes a range of other sociolinguistic and conversational skills that
enable the speaker to know how to say what to whom
As can be seen from the three definitions, it is obvious that communicative competence includes
both linguistic competence and interaction skills. Therefore, the researchers in this study define speaking
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skill in accordance to Tos (2007) inclusion of speakers linguistic knowledge and ability to use speaking
skill to function properly in social interaction in order to meet the demands of one or more conversational
partners.
2.1.2. What is teaching speaking skills?
Teaching speaking skills is claimed to be communicative efficiency (National Capital Language
Resource Center), which means it helps oneself avoid wrong pronunciation, grammar, or vocabulary, and
most importantly plays the role as an appropriate appliance of social and cultural rules in each
communication situation. Meanwhile, oral fluency is considered the target of teaching speaking (Byrne,
1980). It is essential that learners can express themselves intelligibly, reasonably, accurately and without
undue hesitation. To sum up, teaching speaking skills aims at helping learners understand rules and
structures of grammar, vocabulary, phonology, and cultural norms (To, 2007) so that they can apply them
into oral production and interaction in real communication.
For most EFL learners, the final goal of learning a foreign language is to be able to communicate
in this language. It is through communication that people send and receive messages effectively and
negotiate meaning (Rubin & Thompson, 1994). As well as for teachers/ instructors, the goal of teaching
speaking skill is communicate efficiency in which learners are helped/ instruct to understand and use their
current proficiency to the fullest. Nowadays, speaking skill which is essential in foreign language
communication becomes more and more important than ever.(Zhang, 2007).
2.3. Simulation
2.3.1. Types of activities in speaking skill in EFL learning
Being aware of the importance of speaking skill in learning English, many activities are designed
to enhance this skill for EFL learners mostly in classroom context (Richards, J.C. &Renandya, W.A.,
2002). A combination of language input, structured output and communicative output has been made to be
the core of speaking activities. As suggested in a course book by To (2012), there are five main types of
speaking activities including: Role play, Discussion activity, Opinion sharing activity, Reasoning gap
activity and Prepared talks. Besides these five types, many schools and universities now apply a special
activity in their speaking class known as simulation which is said to be able to engage students in active
learning about events, concepts, and emotions connected to the area of study (Fischer, M., n.d cited in
Simulations Engage Students, n.a.)

2.3.2. Characteristic of simulation activity

Many language educators realize that one of the best strategies to promote communication in a
classroom is to remove the classroom (Hyland, 1993) Since the realistic classroom environment can be
stressful or unable to provide enough opportunity for communicative language practice, there is a need
for language lecturers to solve these problems by creating simulated studying situations. By doing this,
lecturers can break out of the limited shelf of normal learning environment and encourage students to use
their language communicatively. This is the fundamentals of simulation activities (or simulations) in
language learning/teaching.
According to Hyland (1993), Basically, a simulation is a problem-driven activity that occurs in a
clearly described realistic setting. In a simulation students are given a task to perform or problem to solve
together with the necessary background information and environment in which to do it. The learner
responds to the task and acts within the constraints of the environment to complete it. Due to the
different purposes and characteristics of the language lessons as well as the learners, there are many
different types of simulations in terms of settings, formats and levels of the language used.
Although simulation is to some extent related to role play, these two types of language learning
activities is not completely identical. While in role play, students have to act as an appointed role and
adjust their language as well as action based on the roles characteristics, in simulation, they can retain
their own personas and are not required to pretend to be someone else. (SabhalMrOstaig, 2003)
3. Current studies and issues
3.1. Review of related studies in worldwide
Simulation and many of its aspects in different contexts have been investigated in many research and
journals around the world. Cruickshank and Broadbent (1967) are one of the first authors that have great
interest in simulation (cited in Phan, 2011). Their paper entitled Simulation in Preparing School
Personnel (1970) discusses the use and development of simulation as a way for the teacher to prepare for
class.
Many other researchers had also proposed their ideas and studies about this activity, one of whom is
David Crookall (1984), who had a great concern to the use of simulation in ELT. He stated that a
simulation activity basically aims at helping the students gain real-life experiences as well as providing
them with a social environment or situation where they are encouraged to use language in the most
natural way. He also pointed out some problems regarding the use of authentic language in this activity in
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order to ensure the real aspect of it. For example, in his point of view, it is not all the time that
participants are able to believe in the reality of a simulated situation, and if they do not believe, they
cannot use the language spontaneously as expected. Another problem he raised comes from the way of
creating a social situation for EFL students in this activity. He thought that it was problematic when the
situations created in EFL class were mainly designed to suit the teacher or the syllabus-makers purposes
instead of students, and therefore discouraged students to use language spontaneously in the most
normal, complex, and meaningful way that is possible in the classroom (.).
In another way of approaching the subject of simulation, Widgerson (1968, as cited in Phan 2011)
pointed out six advantages of simulation including self-motivation, high involvement, information
gathering and analysis skills, extensive writing improvement, self-discipline and integrated experience
with real life. Wan Yee Sam (1990) seems to share the same ideas with Widgerson as he also agrees that
simulation benefits students in stimulating authentic conversations, creating sensitivity and a sense of
awareness, increasing motivation, and preparing students for real life and unpredictability. Besides these
advantages, Wan has a new idea that he considers simulation a fluency activity, a break from routine and
suitable for consolidation.
3.2. Review of related studies in Vietnam
Simulation activity has long been exploited in education around the world; however, it seems to be
not very popular in Vietnam as we can hardly see this kind of activity appear in syllabus or course outline
of Vietnamese schools or universities. That is the reason why there have been only few studies that
explored about simulation conducted in or about the context of Vietnam and there seems to be no
previous researchers that have examined the aspect of teamwork in simulation.
In 2003, Tran, who considered one of the pioneers in studying this field, conducted a research
named Role-play and simulations as used in developing skills for 1 st year students of English
Department CLF VNU. This early-stage research investigate simulation in comparison with roleplay then discuss some difficulties in carrying on the two activities, thus, many aspects of simulation were
left unexplored.
Following this path, Khuc (2010) investigates deeper on the advantages of simulation in
enhancing speaking skill for third year Fast-track students, also in the context of VNU, ULIS. This studies
show many aspects of speaking proficiency the students think they can gain from the simulation activity
including interacting with others, using expressive devices, processing and compensating language,
improving socio-linguistic knowledge, connected speech, lexical and grammar. The researcher also
expresses concern about the difficulties facing by the participants in both preparation stage and
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performance in the simulation in which the part of preparation stage discusses a little about problem in
choosing topic when the students work together as a team. It seems that there are still many aspect of
teamwork in preparation stage that left unrevealed in this research
Another study about the simulation activity in ULIS is the research paper of Phan (2011), which
performs a fairly comprehensive examination on the exploitation of authenticity in the second simulation
by third year Fast-Track students at FELTE, ULIS. The findings of this research give an overall picture of
third-year Fast-Track students understanding of the term authenticity, their attempt in authenticating their
simulation as well as their improvement of authenticity throughout the two simulations.

3.3. Review of the relation between the issue and researchers teaching context
The researcher has experienced simulation activity from two different perspectives: a student who
participated in and a teacher who facilitated.
Firstly, the researcher would like to provide a description of the simulation in that specific context.
In the preparation stage, the class is divided into groups of 4 to 5 students. Each which, there will be one
group to be the employer whose duty is establishing an imaginative company and setting up a recruitment
campaign for it. The employers job includes choosing the companys name and main filed of interest,
designing a website to introduce the companys history and basic information as well as making an
official announcement of the campaign using poster advertisement. At the meantime, playing the role of
potential candidates to the job, other groups will prepare and send a CV (using fake information to be
suitable to the job) to the employers email. On the last speaking lesson of this week, the whole class will
carry out an interview session with the employer group as interviewers and others as interviewees. The
interviewers will make questions and give marked for the interviewee basing on the IELTS speaking
band. During the session, students are observed and assessed by the teacher basing on their performance
in the interview.
From the view point of a student who has experienced both the role of employer and candidate,
the researcher highly valued this activitys effectiveness in terms of enhancing speaking skill and
preparing students for real context in real life. In order to be a successful interviewer, the student should
not only be fluent and confident in making questions but more importantly, understand thoroughly the
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IELTS speaking band. This understanding plays a vital role in helping students be aware of how their
speaking are assessed and by that pay attention to how to fulfill the high bands requirements. For the
interviewee, as only 5 out of 20 can be chosen as the winner candidates, they can feel the competitive
atmosphere of the interview session as strongly as in a real-life one. It helps them to get familiar with the
situation and thus, be more experienced and confident in their real job interview in the future. Many
students who involved in this activity reported that after graduating from the university and being a
candidate applying for a job, the valuable experience they had got from the activity did help them a lot.
Some said that the questions that their friends gave them in the simulation were even more difficult and
challenging than those of the real one, which made them feel really comfortable and confident.
From the perspective of a teacher, this activity is of great help in creating a lively and energetic
atmosphere for a CLT classroom. Firstly, students in-class involvement is always one of the key concerns
of all teachers. Thanks to this simulation activity, all students are involved in the whole process from
preparation to performance and are provided equally chances to practice their speaking skill. Secondly,
the situation used in this situation (job application) is really practical and closed to students interest
which encourages students to participate more in the activity and thus, levels up the energy inside the
classroom. Last but not least, for teachers who are following CLT approach in their speaking teaching,
simulation activity is a wise choice. It provides students with chances to use their English for
communicative purposes. By participating in this activity, students are able to practice their speaking
skill in the context of a real communicative situation and then receive comments from their classmates to
understand their weaknesses and learn the rules of speaking by themselves.

References

Canale, M.& Swain, M. 1980, Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second

language teaching & testing, Centre de recherches en education franco-ontarienne,
Institut d'etudes pedagogiques de l'Ontario, Toronto
Chan, J. 1999, Integrating simulations in an EFL course for adolescents in Hong Kong: A
holistic approach to language teaching, Masters thesis. University of Toledo.
Kemp, K. 2003, Simulation and Communicative Language Teaching in the Spanish II
Classroom, Masters thesis, University of Toledo.
Language-learning simulations: A practical guide, 1993. In English Teaching Forum, viewed
10 March 2016, http://exchanges.state.gov/
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Larsen-Freeman, D. 1986, Techniques and principles in language teaching, Oxford University

Press, New York, NY.
Mackey, A. & Gass, S. 2005, Second language research, Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, NJ.
Phan, N. 2011, The exploitation of authenticity in speaking simulation by third-year fasttrack students. Undergraduate thesis, University of Languages and International Studies,
Vietnam National University.
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Savignon, S. 1983, Communicative competence, Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley.
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teachers and students, 2010. Undergraduate thesis. University of Languages and
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Language and International Studies, Hanoi National University of Vietnam.

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