assessing speaking skills

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República Bolivariana de VenezuelaUniversidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador

Instituto Pedagógico de CaracasMaestría en Enseñanza del Inglés como Lengua

ExtranjeraEstrategias de Evaluación

Authors: Maite Sangroniz María Aurora Ovalles

Nairuby Mata, Professor: Rosa Virguez de Olivo

Assessing Speaking

Authors: Maite Sangroniz María Aurora Ovalles

Nairuby Mata, Professor: Rosa Virguez de Olivo

June, 2011

Teaching speaking

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What is Speaking?

¨Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information¨ (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997).

According to Kramsch (1986) cited in O´Malley and Valdez (1996) ¨Speaking means anticipating the listener´s response and possible misunderstandings, and arriving at the closest possible match between intended, perceived, and anticipated meanings¨.

Assessing Speaking

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Characteristics of Spoken languageSpoken language is different from written language for many reasons.

One important reason is that it usually has to be understood immediately whereas written language can be read many times. For that reason, spoken language has many different features.

Spoken language has the following characteristics (Halliday, 1989, p. 31):

Variation in speed (generally faster than writing) Loudness or quietness

Gestures - body language Intonation

Stress Rhythm

Pitch range Pausing and phrasing

Assessing Speaking

5 04/10/23Source: Brown, D (2004)

Assessing Speaking

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PICTURE-CUED STORY TELLING (intermediate level sample)

Source:http://www.google.co.ve/search?hl=es&biw=1259&bih=573&gbv=2&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sequenced+pictures+for+story+telling&btnG=Buscar&oq=sequenced+pictures+for+story+telling&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=54413l75052l0l31l30l2l0l0l3l905l6206l0.2.11.4.1.1.1

Source: Brown, H., 2004. Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices.

PICTURE – CUED STORY TELLING

(OBJECTIVE: SIMPLE PAST)

Assessing Speaking:

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Interactive SpeakingChoosing the best test format

ROLE PLAYStructured role

play (information gap)

Structured interview

Unstructured Interviews

ROLE PLAYUnstructured

role play

Assessing Speaking: Interactive Speaking

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Interviews: (stages)

Warm up: 1. small talk

Level check: the test taker

2. answers Wh-questions

3 produce a narrative without interruptions

4 reads a passage outloud

5 Tells how to make something or do something

6 engages in a brief, controlled, guided role play Probe: The test-taker:

7 responds to interviewer´s questions about something the test taker doesn´t know and is planning to include in an article or paper.

8 talks about his or her own field of study or profession.

9 engages in a longer, more open-ended role play (e.g. simulates a difficult of embarrassing situation) with the interviewer.

10 gives an impromptu presentation on some aspect of test-taker´s field.

Wind down:

11 feeling about the interview, information or results, further questions

Role Plays

Discussions and conversations

Assessing Speaking:

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Extensive Speaking

Translation of an extended

prose

Oral Presentations

Picture-cuedStory Telling

Retelling a story

Source: Brown, 2004

Oral Presentations

Specify the criterionSet appropriate tasksOptimal outputPractical, reliable scoring

Source: Brown, H., 2004. Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices.

ORAL PRESENTATION CHECK LIST

ConclusionsSpeaking assessment is very difficult.It is important to determine what criteria to use to

assess whether accuracy or fluency. Such criteria can be based upon created models or adapted ones.

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References Brown, D. (2004). Language Assessment, Principles and Classroom Practices. Longman

O Malley, M. and Valdez L. (1995). Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners. Practical Approaches for Teachers. Addison-Wesley Publishing

Company.

Weir, C. (1990). Communicative Language Testing. Prentice Hall.

Bailey, K.M., & Savage, L. (1994). "New ways in teaching speaking." Alexandria, VA: Teachers of

English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Brown, H.D. (1994). "Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy.“

Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents.

Burns, A., & Joyce, H. (1997). "Focus on speaking." Sydney: National Center for English Language

Teaching and Research.

Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (1995). Grammar and spoken language. "Applied Linguistics, 16" (2),

141-158

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