|
Chapter III. Activities as a way of good communication
3.1 The role of activities in developing speaking skills
Nowadays, the value of learning and teaching speaking is general, that speaking is paramount, and it is difficult to overestimate it. Learners of all ages, starting to study foreign language primarily want to learn speak the language. At first, they should know the aims of target language speaking skills. As mentioned in many resources speaking like any other skill are not formed themselves. For formation and developing speaking skills, it must be used special activities and exercises, focusing mainly on the development of the skills.
Many linguistics and English teachers agree on that students learn to speak in the second language by "interacting". Communicative language teaching and collaborative learning serve best for this aim. Communicative language teaching is based on real-life situations that require communication. By using this method in classes, students will have the opportunity of communicating with each other in the target language. In brief, English language teachers (ELT) should create a classroom environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities, and meaningful tasks that promote oral language. This can occur when students collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task.
Tasks enable language learning by employing the target language primarily for conveying meaning. It develops learners' confidence by providing chances for "free and meaningful use of target language". They are liberal to use their existing linguistic knowledge with their limited grammar resources to accomplish the task which eventually leads to confident use of the target language. It is stated that most of the tasks are derived from everyday language; real world tasks and the pedagogic tasks are very closely connected together. While performing a task learners have the facility to use their own knowledge and their perceptions, and this makes language learning interesting.
A language scientist Nunan mentions five features of task-based approach: an emphasis on learning to communicate through interaction in the target language, introducing authentic texts into the learning situation, enhancing learners' own personal experiences, as important contributing elements to classroom learning, and linking classroom language learning with language activation outside the classroom. Hence task plays the role of a facilitator; it gives opportunities and challenges the language learners in various stages. It also works as motivator as it encourages the learners by providing real world experience of using language in the form of pedagogical tasks. Pedagogical tasks provide learners opportunity to produce language in a natural context which is relevant and blend with their own personal experiences.
While doing a task, learners play a vital role; they interact and negotiators who have the authority to control their language. Learners who are engaged in tasks produce language more spontaneously as there is less pressure and more freedom in performing it.
In today’s world it is required that all the EFL learners should be capable of the following qualities:
Produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns
Use word and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language.
Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter.
Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence.
Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments.
Use the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency.
Usually teachers begin to teach the basics of speaking like pronunciation skills, forming lexical and grammar skills, listening skills. On the beginning stage of learning, to separate these skills is almost impossible. Teacher should introduce the listeners with the new structure. It involves the study of new words, sounds, intonation.
Learners often think that the ability to speak a language is the product of language learning, but speaking is also a crucial part of the language learning process. Teachers help students learn to speak so that they can use speaking to learn.
Language learners are often too embarrassed or shy to say anything they do not understand another speaker or when they realize that a conversation partner has not understood them that misunderstanding and the need for clarification can occur in any type of interaction, whatever the participations` language skill levels.
In teaching to speak communicative exercises are organized as information transfer (extracting certain pieces of information from a non-verbal from e.g. a table, graph, a map or diagrams etc.). Another type of exercises is information gap (information is conveyed from the person who possesses it to the one who lacks it). Information gap can take the form of jigsaw (each learner has only some information, which is the part of the whole and is to be brought together by means of oral communication).
In order to teach second language learners how to speak in the best way possible, some speaking activities and games are provided below, that can be applied to English classroom settings, together with suggestions for teachers who teach oral language.
Now many linguistics and ESL teachers agree on that students learn to speak in the second language by "interacting". Communicative language teaching and collaborative learning serve best for this aim. Communicative language teaching is based on real-life situations that require communication. By using this method in ESL classes, students will have the opportunity of communicating with each other in the target language. In brief, ESL teachers should create a classroom environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities, and meaningful tasks that promote oral language. This can occur when students collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task.
Broadly speaking, there are two main reasons for getting students to speak during a lesson:
to give students practice of language items (vocabulary, grammar functions etc.) – a language practice aim
to develop students’ ability to speak fluently and interactively – a speaking fluency aim
If the speaking activity is preceded by activities that present and give controlled written practice of grammar or vocabulary items, the speaking activity will have a language practice aim. If the speaking activity comes before a text (reading or listening) or just involves speaking for speaking’s sake, then the activity will have a speaking fluency aim. With speaking fluency activities, it often doesn’t matter what vocabulary and grammar students use and whether it’s accurate nor not. The learning outcome is for students to gain confidence in speaking English. However, you often need to give students time to prepare and think about what they’re going to say before they speak.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: | 
