Teaching speaking in English: from

theory to practice

Name: Φωτεινή Μανιάτη

ID Number: 1563201600108

ASSIGNMENT 1: Write a brief essay (about 250-300 wrds) commenting on the similarities
and differences in the way speaking is processed in L1 and L2 and how the
comparison/contrast of the characteristics of spoken discourse of the two languages is
important for foreign language teaching purposes. In your discussion refer also to the
rules of spoken interaction and the components of communicative competence especially
for teaching purposes.

Speaking is one of man’s most complex skills. It is an interactive process of constructing

meaning that involves producing, receiving and processing information. It requires extensive
interaction, in order to develop. Every developmentally healthy human being has a first
language (L1) and also most of the people nowadays possess a second/foreign language in
their linguistic repertoire.
Speaking is processed differently in L1 and L2. The acquisition of L1, happens naturally,
unimpeded, leading to true communicative competence and also the speaker builds his/her
phonological system based on concrete representations and then proceeds to abstractions. The
assimilation of the phonological rules is unconscious and takes place in a natural setting. The
speakers are more concerned with communication than the linguistic form. On the other
hand, L2 learning occurs in an artificial setting and the phonological system of the user is bult
on a number of abstract representations and then it moves to concreteness. The learners are
taught grammatical and phonological constraints in the form of generalized rules. Our
face to face interaction with other people are governed by a complex set of rule. These rules
of cource are different among culteres. The body posture,the facial expressions, the hand
movements and the speech intonation convey a signal to the interlocutor. Hesitations, turn
taking, turn giving and gestures are parts of the spoken interaction. The
ELT classroom during the 1980s and early 1990s focused on communicative materials which
catered less on structural input and more of scenarios to prompt natural dialogue. The focus
was on fluency rather than accuracy. The term ‘communicative competence’ is a term coined
by Dell Hymes in 1966 in reaction to Noam Chomsky’s ‘linguistic competence’ According to
communicative competence, learners should not only use the language correctly but also
appropriately. Communicative competence consists of the linguistic competence ( the
knowledge of the language code), the sociolinguistic competence (the knowledge of the
sociocultural rules of use), the semantic competence ( knowledge of linguistic and non
linguistic features of spoken discourse) and the strategic competence (the knowledge of the
communicative strategies that speakers implement which accommodate an effective oral
interaction and stop breakdowns in oral communication.

MINI ASSIGNMENT 2 : (250-300 words) Consider a listening lesson from Think Teen (1 st
grade, Junior High school, p 73). Evaluate tasks 1, 2 and comment on the amount, type of
speaking(including pronunciation) that these tasks promote.
Speaking is fundamentlly an interactive process and it is defined by interactivity and
happeds under real time constraints. The learners should speak for a purpose and the
activity should provide conditions that require the learners to use their communicative
competence. Having considered the tasks 1 and 2 from the coursebook I would definetely
not characterise these activities as authentic and purposeful ones. Although the second task
generates some discussion about superstitions and asks students to speak for themselves, in
my opinion students are restricted and they are not engages in realistic communication.
Also, the existance of the listenig task, makes learners to mechanically repeat the suggested
vocabulary and the stress paterns on specific words. Students mechanically adopt the
pronunciation patterns of the listening audio and they are not trained in speakig but they
repeat some ideas and patterns. The task is not related to student’s actual communication
needs and exhibit the feature of control, especially on the pronunciation patterns.

3nd MINI ASSIGNMENT: having considered the examples of the ACTIVITY 32 as well as from
any other two speaking tasks from whichever textbook you have access to, what are the
overall conclusions that you can draw regarding the way speaking skills (including
pronunciation) are taught in the ELT materials?
Offer your personal, well justified view.
Coursebooks, especially those that cater for lower proficiency learners, constist of
manipulative form focused exercises engagind the learners into “speaking to learn”. On the
other hand, coursebooks for higher proficiency learners cater more for fluency and real
communication among students but sometimes they follow an exam pattern which also
restricts them and do not cater for genuine communication.
Especially, I took into cosideration two couresbooks,one for young learners and one other
for proficiency learners. The first one, called “Adventures” caters for the needs of young
learners and each unit has incorporate speaking activities with theory and roles plays with
the language described in each section. As we can see, students have to read, and then
practise what they have read.

This is an other example of ‘speaking to learn’ activity, in which students have to learn the
language and then produce it. The role play offers practice in scropts rather than
grammatical structer. Learners are not free to produce their own language, but they are
guided with structured dialogues and many examples of language drills.
On the other hand, taking into consideration an other coursebook for andvanced learners,
called “Revised New Trends” I noticed that students are more free to produce their own
language. They are guided by some topic vocabulary and they are provided with words and
expressions that are usefull but they are given more freedom to express themselves.

Athough the activities are not so structured as the previous ones, I think that they follow an
exam format anf they do not provide incetives for real and authentic communication.

mini assignment 4
Consider any English coursebook you have access to; examine just some of the speaking
activities that exist. How close are they to the examples we have looked at so far? Do they
engage learners in ‘speaking to learn’ or ‘learning to speak’?
Now, exchange views with your colleagues and compare/contrast the speaking tasks of
the textbook you have used with the textbooks of your colleagues….
The teaching of speaking in the EFL classroom is realized through two very broad and
distinct ways. The first one is “Speaking to learn”, which relates to activities where the
learners speak in order to learn particular components of the language accurately,mainly
through manipulative, form focused exercise. While the second one is “learning to speak”,
which relates to activities which engage learners in spoken interaction in order to achieve
fluency in the spoken language.

I have taken into consideration a coursebook of mine called “Here we go 1”. The coursebook
is for very young learners of the English language and it is a clear example of “speaking to
learn” activities. For example one speaking activity is:
Read the information about two dinosaurs. Ask and answer questions with a partner. Use
the comparative form of the words below. ( tall-heavy- cleaver-dangerous-big)
The students have to read some information about the two dinosaurs and make sentences
using the vocabulary given, for example: which dinosaur was more dangerous? And they
have to answer based on what they have read. This is a clear example of a speaking to learn
activity in which students have to use the comparative form of adjectives. Learners have to
complete to a speaking activity without being exposed to actual communication but they
perform cued dialoges in order to learn grammar.

Assigment 5
Consider any English coursebook you have access to. Examine the speaking activities that
engage the students in pair or group work.
a) Do they conform to any of Nations’ five features? Which features can you identify?
b)Which features from Beaumont’s classification (i.e., control and communication)
are incorporated in the activity.

Group work has many advatages on the language practice, collaboration and participation
are increased and also it enhances student’s motivation. Learners must not only analyse
information but also argue, justify and persuade in order to reach a common decision. They
express their own individuality and they deal with many facets of the foreign language.
I have taken into consideration once again a coursebook of mine called Revised New
Trends”, which engage students into many pair work activities. A common task asks for
students to look at some pictures, respond to some questions and reach a decision. For
example, students have to look at six different pictures and respond to questions like: In
what ways is food important in our lives? And Which two pictures should be used to
advertise a Christmas campaing for the hungry?
Speaking activities in second language learning usually involve language functions which are
common in native’s speakers use of the language outside the classroom. In most cases, they
differ from these outide activities and contain features that are to make them successfull
classroom activities such as: roles, outcomes, procedures, split information and
challenges.The speaking activity I took into consideration conforms to two of Nation’s five
features. I can indentify the feature of the outcome. The activity has a clear outcome,
students have to choose which two pictures are appropriate for the campaing after
agremment. Also, tosome the degree, the activity contains the feature of challenge, as
itmakes the to compeate and reach a consesous. In my opinion, the speaking activity has
not the feature of roles, because the students do no adopt a role, neither procedures nor
the split information. It does not divide the activity into steps and does not split the
information among the learners.
The activity, although seems to be fully communicative it includes some vocabulary in
order to instruct and το guide learners. It has more the feature of control , as the students
have to use some of the given vocabulary and use the language they have already learn in
the unit.