DEVELOPING SPEAKING SKILLS IN THE

CLASSROOM
 Introduction
How can we, as English teachers, make our learners use the
language to communicate, to express ideas, to send a message
back and so on?
 Pedagogical Implications
Clearly we have to devote a high proportion of class time to
developing oral productive skills.

Consider what will happen when the learners try to use the
language for themselves outside the classroom, where they no
longer have any control over what is said to them.
 Listening comprehension
For example, the samples of spoken language in the course-
book, which have been skilfully made as models for oral
production, do not usually contain a sufficiently high
proportion of the features of natural speech which we noted
(e.g. hesitations, false starts etc.).
 Listening comprehension
Learners will need much more than this if they are going to be
able to cope with real-life language situations.

Learners have to be taught to listen as well as to speak.

 Speaking and listening

Video:
Putting speaking and listening together - Mike McCarthy (22’
- 32:12’)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9EgQNEz5D0&t=17s
 Oral Production
The main goal in teaching the productive skill of speaking will
be oral fluency.

This can be defined as the ability to express oneself intelligibly,

reasonably accurately and without too much hesitation .

What can you do in class in order to achieve this?

 Fluency

Video:
Fluency - British Council – BBC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3vUe3Y9bJU
 Oral Production
Give students :
(a) practice in the manipulation of the fixed elements of the
language (phonological and grammatical patterns, together
with vocabulary);
(b) opportunities for the expression of personal meaning.
 Oral Production

Video:
Teaching Speaking with Task Based Learning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QirhNeIwQ0w&t=13s
 Interdependence of oral skills in
communication
The next diagram (Byrne, 1986) shows what happens in a
speech situation and incidentally, therefore, what is involved in
oral ability.
Interdependence of oral skills in
communication
 Interdependence of oral skills in
communication
The two skills are integrated through situations that permit
and encourage authentic communication (e.g. especially
through talk and discussion in small groups)

And also that the learners are taught how to keep the channel
of communication open in such situations (e.g. by asking for
repetition and clarification; by interrupting; by showing
agreement or disagreement , etc.).
Involving students

Video:
Involving learners – primary
 Intelligibility
Intelligibility is conventionally defined in phonological terms;
for example: being able to make the difference between key
sounds such as /i:/ and /I/.

It will be necessary to concentrate on essential features such

as the differences between key sounds, weak forms, basic
stress and intonation patterns, and even here more attention
will need to be paid to reception than to production.
 Oral ability and motivation

Video:
Rapport in action
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPVq8oiasXk
 Oral Ability and motivation
The development of oral ability is a good source of motivation
for most learners.

(a) Try to find ways of demonstrating to the learners that they

are making progress in the language all the time.

(b) Ensure that controlled practice (when you will monitor and
want to correct the learners' performance) is matched by
opportunities for free expression.
 Oral Ability and motivation
(c) Show the learners how to make the best use of the little
they know.

Sometimes they cannot express an idea because they do not

have the precise language they have in mind.
 Oral Ability and motivation
If we are looking for sources of talk, whether guided or free, it
is apparent that many of these will come from reading and
writing activities.

A reading text on an interesting or relevant topic may be much

more productive, often because the ideas are presented more
directly.

Similarly, a writing activity, done collaboratively in pairs or

small groups, will be accompanied by a good deal of talk that is
needed to get something done.
Oral ability and motivation

Video:
Motivation: What advice would you give?
 From practice to production
As a first step, is a transition phase where the learners get
plenty of guidance (either with language or ideas or both) but
at the same time are given the chance to talk to one another
without constant supervision - or correction - from you.
Two things are needed to put this into effect:

(a) a change from whole class practice to pair work;

(b) appropriate activities for the students to do.
 Two types of pair work
We can identify two other ways of getting the learners to work
in pairs:

(a) Fixed pairs, each student completes an activity with the

same partner.
(b) Flexible pairs, for this each student interacts with a number
of students in turn in order to complete a task.
 Procedures for pair work
(a) Make sure the students know exactly what they have to do.
(b) Divide the students into pairs (taking advantage as much as
possible of the way they are seated).
(c) Carry out selective checking i.e. by walking round the class
and listening in.
(d) Control noise level by stopping an activity and asking the
students to start again more quietly.
(e) Estimate the amount of time an activity should take.
(f) Provide any necessary feedback.
Examples of pair work activities
Mini dialogues
Examples of pair work activities
Picture sets
Examples of pair work activities
Single object picture cards
 Examples of pair work activities
Gapped dialogues

These are dialogues where one of the speakers has to supply

the missing utterances. E.g.
A: Like to come out tonight?
B: _____________________
A: How about tomorrow, then?
B: _____________________
A: OK. See you about (eight), then.
B: _____________________
 Pair and group work

Video:
Pair and group work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woNZzjJL9bQ&t=6s
 The problems of the learners
Psychological
Although many students are happy to speak in chorus or under
your guidance when doing some kind of drill, they are
embarrassed when they are asked to express themselves freely
in the presence of the whole class.

That´s why, you should avoid unnecessary correction and,

when you feel you have to do it, do it carefully rather than
directly, so that the learners perceive their mistakes for
themselves.
 The problems of the learners
Linguistic
Sometimes, students do not know enough of the language to
express themselves with ease.

They must be given opportunities to try out language for

themselves and to make the best use of what they know in a
variety of situations.

As for mistakes, it is better that they should occur in the

classroom.
 The problems of the learners
Cognitive
Here we must consider the question of providing the learners
with something to talk about: a topic, a theme, a problem of
some kind.

The stimulus doesn´t need to be verbal: a picture (or a set of

pictures).
Involving students

Video:
Involving learners – secondary
 Group work
a. Forming groups

b. Group leader

c. The role of the teacher:

Select activities carefully
Work out the instructions for an activity carefully
Present the activity to the class
Monitor the students' performance
Provide feedback
 Group work

Video:
Using Roles in Group work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjBMuHK1TXM&t=33s
 Group work
d. Duration and frequency

e. Problems
time
lazy students
use of the mother tongue
discipline
 Group work

Video:
Different ways of grouping learners