Chapter 9 Teaching Speaking Skills.

Teaching Speaking
• There are three key reasons to have students speak in the classroom:
o Rehearsal: Speaking activities allow students to practise real-life speaking
situations in a safe, controlled setting.
o Feedback: Speaking tasks using a variety of language provide feedback for
both the teacher and students to evaluate progress and pinpoint any language
problems.
o Automaticity: The more opportunities students have to use their stored
language, the more automatic and fluent their language use will become,
leading to greater autonomy.
• Effective speaking activities should go beyond controlled language practice,
encouraging students to use all the language they know to achieve a specific goal.
This approach focuses on speaking as a skill rather than as a way to simply practice
specific language constructions.
• Creating a "talking classroom" culture, where speaking activities are frequent,
helps students gain confidence and improve their speaking abilities.
Examples of Speaking Activities
• Photographic competition (upper intermediate to advanced): Students work in
groups to judge a photo competition. They first establish criteria for judging, then
apply those criteria to select a winning photograph. Finally, they explain their choices
and reasoning. This activity encourages the use of a wide range of language for a
purpose, allowing the teacher to observe and address language issues.
• Role-play (intermediate to upper intermediate): Students participate in simulations
or role-plays of real-life scenarios. An example is provided where students take on
roles in a police interview, each with specific motivations and information. This
activity can be structured to either simulate reality as themselves or have students play
different roles, each offering distinct advantages.
• The portrait interview (almost any level): Students are divided into groups and each
group is given a portrait to analyse. They generate questions for the people or objects
in the portrait and then take on the roles of those figures to answer questions from
classmates. This activity encourages students to use their imagination and language
skills to engage with art in a meaningful way.
Discussions
• While spontaneous discussions can be engaging, planned discussions can also be
beneficial if structured well. Students need time to gather their thoughts and rehearse
before participating in a discussion. Teachers can provide support by:
o Organising pre-discussion activities in small groups.
 o Supplying argument prompts or cards.
o Making the discussion the culmination of a larger activity, such as a webquest.
o Helping students rephrase statements to reflect their opinions.
o Offering encouragement and suggestions to keep the discussion flowing.
More Speaking Suggestions
• Information-gap activities: Activities like "Describe and draw" and "Find the
differences" encourage speaking and listening skills by requiring students to exchange
information to complete a task.
• Telling stories: Students can practice storytelling by:
o Reconstructing stories from a sequence of pictures.
o Creating stories that connect a series of objects or pictures.
o Retelling stories from books, newspapers, or the internet.
o Sharing personal anecdotes.
• Favourite objects: Students describe their favourite objects, explaining their
significance and any associated stories.
• Meeting and greeting: Students role-play formal or business social events, practicing
introductions and conversations.
• Surveys: Students design and conduct surveys, interviewing each other or people
outside the classroom.
• Famous people: Students discuss and decide on appropriate gifts for various famous
people or plan a dinner party guest list, considering conversation topics and food
choices.
• Student presentations: Students research and present on a chosen topic, with
classmates listening and providing feedback.
• Balloon debate: Students represent different characters or professions and argue for
their survival in a hypothetical hot air balloon scenario.
• Moral dilemmas: Students discuss and propose solutions to ethical dilemmas
presented by the teacher.
Correcting Speaking
• Correcting speaking errors during fluency-focused activities should be approached
differently than during controlled language practice. Constantly interrupting can
disrupt the flow and discourage student participation.
• It's generally best to observe and take notes during the activity, then provide feedback
afterwards, highlighting both positive aspects and areas for improvement. Teachers
can discuss errors with the class, write them on the board, or address them
 individually. The focus should be on helping students identify and correct their own
mistakes.
• It's important to establish a clear and supportive correction approach with students,
taking into account their preferences and the nature of the activity. Gentle correction
techniques, such as reformulation, can be less intrusive.
What Teachers Do During a Speaking Activity
• While it's beneficial for teachers to observe and monitor speaking activities, they can
also participate if done appropriately and without dominating the conversation.
• Teacher intervention might be necessary if the activity stalls or students struggle.
Prompting or briefly taking on a role can help move the activity forward. However,
such intervention should be sensitive and focused on student needs.
Conclusions
• Speaking activities should be designed to encourage "speaking as a skill", providing
a purpose for communication beyond simple linguistic practice.
• These activities offer opportunities for rehearsal, feedback, and motivation, helping
students gain fluency and autonomy.
• A variety of speaking activities can be used, including decision-making tasks, role-
plays, interviews, discussions, and storytelling.
• Correcting speaking errors during fluency-focused activities should be done
thoughtfully, with feedback provided after the activity to avoid interrupting the flow
of conversation.
• Teachers play a crucial role in facilitating speaking activities, providing support,
prompting, and intervening when necessary.