tips for speaking english

Upload: aneesayyub

Post on 04-Apr-2018

239 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    1/36

    Understanding andTeaching Spoken English

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    2/36

    Outline

    Features of the spoken language

    Teaching spoken English: Principles and

    practice

    How to useA Speaking Course

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    3/36

    Part One: Preview

    Features of the spoken language

    Prosodic features

    Shortened forms

    Features resulting from limited

    processing time

    Organizational features

    Accent and dialect

    Functions of the spoken language

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    4/36

    1. Features of the spoken language (1)

    1.1 Prosodic features:

    stress rhythm

    pitch tempo

    intonation

    e.g. She sells seashells on the seashore,

    the shells she sells are seashells Im sure.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    5/36

    1. Features of the spoken language (2)

    1.2 Shortened forms

    ContractionElision

    Ellipsis

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    6/36

    Contraction:

    a reduced form often marked by an

    apostrophe in writing

    e.g. cant = cannot

    Ill = I will

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    7/36

    Elision:

    the omission or slurring (eliding) of

    one or more sounds or syllables

    e.g. gonna = going to

    wanna be = want to bewassup = whats up

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    8/36

    Ellipsis:

    the omission of part of a

    grammatical structure

    e.g. You bored? A bit,

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    9/36

    1. Features of the spoken language (3)

    1.3 Features that result from the

    limited processing time

    False start

    Repairs

    Fillers

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    10/36

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    11/36

    Repairs:

    an alteration suggested or made by

    the speaker, the addressee or theaudience to correct or clarify a

    previous conversational contribution.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    12/36

    Fillers:

    - no particular meanings

    - provides time to think,

    to create a pause or

    to hold a turn

    e.g. er, uhm, ah, well.Compare with the Chinese filler neige.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    13/36

    1. Features of the spoken language (4)

    1.4 Organizational features

    Back-channeling

    Turn-taking

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    14/36

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    15/36

    Turn-taking:

    a typical, orderly arrangement in

    which participants speak with

    minimal overlap and gap betweenthem.

    Short-turns: one or two sentences;

    long turns: can be an hours lecture.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    16/36

    1. Features of the spoken language (5)

    Accent: the ways in which words are

    pronounced. Factors: age, region or

    social class, e.g. RP

    Dialect: The distinctive grammar and

    vocabulary associated with theregional or social use of a language,

    e.g. Bernard Shaws Pygmalion.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    17/36

    1. Features of the spoken language (6)

    Different functions

    Interactional talk: Conversational language

    for interpersonal reasons and/orsocializing. E.g. chitchat. Primarily

    listener-oriented.

    Transactional talk: Language to get thingsdone or to transmit content or

    information. Primarily speaker-oriented.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    18/36

    Part Two: Preview

    What should be taught and what can be

    taught?

    The roles of a spoken English teacher

    Basic principles in teaching spoken English

    Some suggestions for the design ofactivities

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    19/36

    2.1 What should be taught and what

    can be taught? (1)

    What are the possible aims of a spokenEnglish course?

    Notions; Situations; Topics; etc.

    Which spoken model should we present to

    our students?RP or a standard American accent?

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    20/36

    2.1 What should be taught and what

    can be taught? (2)

    What should be corrected and what should

    not be corrected?

    What are the possible sideline productions?

    Training of communication skills, publicspeaking skills, and skills to organize

    thoughts within a short time

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    21/36

    2.2 The roles of a spoken English

    teacher

    Three stages and respective teachers roles:

    Presentation: an informant (+ a

    model provider?)Practice: a conductor or a classroom

    manager

    Production: a guide or a facilitator

    Does teaching have to be in this order?

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    22/36

    2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken

    English (1)

    The importance of stress and rhythm

    Difference between English and Chinese

    English: stress-timed

    Chinese: syllable-timed

    e.g. I saw a big tree on the top of themountain.

    The use of songs in the teaching ofpronunciation:Do Re Mi(Unit 1)

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    23/36

    2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken

    English (2)

    Communicative stress: the less the better

    How to reduce this stress?

    The listener: peers; one is better than manyThe situation: private; familiar; relaxing

    The language: same for speaker and listener

    Status of knowledge: information about the

    topic or issue and the vocabulary needed

    So: group and pair work are better thanindividual and class work.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    24/36

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    25/36

    2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken

    English (4)

    Correction: when and how?

    Relaxed attitude towards mistakes, esp.

    at the beginning.Beginning of a semester: establishing a

    good rapport with the students; help

    learners to build confidence in speakingin English

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    26/36

    2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken

    English (5)

    Correction: when and how?

    Relatively privately, e.g. in the process of

    pair or group work.

    In class if necessary without mentioning

    names of students. Take notes while

    supervising pair or group work.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    27/36

    2.3Basic principles in teaching spoken

    English (6)

    The importance of encouragement: Pygmalion

    Effect- Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968),

    children aged six to twelve years, all drawn

    from the same school, given an IQ test.Children were then assigned to an

    experimental or control group. When teachers

    were told that the children in the experimental

    group were "high achievers", these children

    showed significant IQ gains over the course of

    one year, despite allocation to group having

    been in fact random.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    28/36

    2.4 Some suggestions for the design of

    activities

    The use of pictures

    The use of jigsawThe use of games

    The use of drama

    The use of role play and simulation

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    29/36

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    30/36

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    31/36

    3.1 A Speaking Course

    Principles in organization and design of

    content

    1) Objectives, warming-up, activities,review, tips

    2) Presentation, practice, production

    Models are usually provided.3) Situations and topics are close to the

    life and future needs of the students.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    32/36

    3.2 Teaching big classes

    Big classes: 50-60 students in one class

    Difficult, but not mission impossible.

    1) Carefully design tasks with clearlearning goals

    2) Use pair work and group work

    3) Maintain discipline: Be firm and fair

    4) Feedback: One or two groups or pair

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    33/36

    3.3 Teaching mixed ability classes

    Let the more competent students do some

    of the teaching.

    Pair work and group work benefit themore capable students more.

    Leave different types of assignments for

    the students to choose from.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    34/36

    3.4 Motivating the students

    Involve the students in the design of tasks

    Interesting tasks

    Varied design of activitiesEncouragement and some training of

    learning skills

    Make learners aware of the sidelineproducts of the training of spoken

    English.

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    35/36

    Tell me and I'll forget;

    Teach me and I'll remember;

    Involve me and I'll learn.

    Benjamin Franklin?

  • 7/30/2019 Tips for Speaking English

    36/36