Reason for speaking Students need to feel that there is a real reason for speaking. This is often referred to as the communicative element. Make sure there is a reason for speaking; i.e. that the students are communicating something the others don’t know or that the others would like to hear about. Examples of tasks involving real communication include: information gap, tasks involving an element of persuasion, problem solving and role play (see examples below).
Finally, as with all aspects of teaching, it is important to introduce variety and to choose topics that you think will interest your students.
2. Teaching dialogue and monologue Dialogue and monologue are taught together in practice but their teaching methods are looked through separately. If we compare these two types of speech with each other we can see exact difference between them.
To teach following types of dialogue are recommended at secondary schools:
1. Information – exchange dialogue
2. Plan – dialogue ( outlined in order to work together)
3. Discussion – dialogue. To speak one’s own ideas.
Every of them involves private language material and also it may belong to different stages of education.
In the information – exchange speech the interlocutors will exchange concrete information with each other. Its aim is to inform interlocutors mutually or unilaterally (one-sided) and it is used at initial stage of education because of being capable to utilize ordinary and less language materials. Whereas plan – dialogue is much more complicated in the form and deeper in the meaning. That’s why the learner should know future simple tense, imperative sentences, how to refuse his/her interlocutor’s opinion and to know how to defend his/her ideas in plan – dialogue. It is suitable at the middle stage of education. While complementing discussion – dialogue it is demanded to know subordinate clauses which linked due to relation of cause and effect and to be able to use different means of modals. While using discussion – dialogue it is indispensable to know how to prove his/her opinion, how to persuade his/her interlocutor, to be critical and to find and prove faults. The attention of the speaker is given to the core of speech. Speech experiences become developed. Discussion – pair speech is used at higher levels (lyceum and colleges). Dialogue is taught in two ways: deductive (from general to private) and inductive (from private to general) .
In deduction entire sample of dialogue is considered as a main source. At first the sample is given to listening as a collection of dialogue identity then it is learned by heart afterwards there will be lexical changes, and it is worked on part to part and then it will be performed. According to opinion of the supporters of this trend this direction is accustomed to learn language naturally i.e.” from the top to the low” (deductive). But in this direction learner cannot use language materials in his/her speech independently and he learns everything unconsciously and cannot have independent ideas.
In induction learners learn how to work independently with beginning of simple units. Here it is not forbidden to use mount – sample but it is not for learning by heart, it is just for imitating and working on speech activities language material is also learnt. Due to this resolve to learn identity of dialogue by heart, to utilize phrases together, to make grammatical and lexical changes in replicas are not forbidden.
Usually dialogue begins with phrases which tempt to speak, to ask and to inform. At the beginning stage it is better to use questions and urgings, in the middle and higher stages information is suitable. Speaking manners of the members may be controlled beforehand - programming (algorithmic) or without controlling may be performed as a free conversation (asking questions and answering). In situational dialogue attention is given to the theme, aim and roles. Theme is to choose a topic for dialogue, resolve of speaking is to determine right commitment and roles mean to find suitable interlocutors. All mentioned things are loaded for teachers. Every member of dialogue is considered as actors of roles. It means learner is an “actor” whereas teacher is a producer, a listener and a prompter in one time.
The dialogue which is used for developing and forming of speech practice is recommended to teach by special speech activities except prepared ones. To teach dialogue involves to learn pieces of practice: to know his/her own speech task, to make a plan for conversation, to make partly changes during conversation, to be initiator, to make a situation to his/her partner in order to perform his/her task, reaction to his/her partner according to speech situation and to attract his/her partner’s attention to conversation.
If these dialogue experiences are developed, learners can afford to exchange their ideas.
The widened form of dialogue is group speech (more than two learners). To speak in pairs or in groups in foreign language is organized by means of inclination or motivation. Such factors of motivation (inclination) includes demonstration, listened or read text, film transparency film or extract), slides and of course verbal speech situations. They are very important especially at the early stage of speaking.
There are received, reproductive and constructive stages of teaching dialogue. In first stage learner listens teacher’s speech and comprehends it. In reproductive stage learner make his/her own phrase imitating given sample and learner may learn text by heart at home, and retell the text with some changes.
While expressing ideas it can be used both a separate word and even the whole text as a speech material. For example: What is your name? –The word “name” is the replica of the answer. Dialogue is considered situational whereas monologue is a speech based on an exact topic. That’s why it monologue is somehow more complicated than dialogue.
There are some stages of teaching monologues according to the theme:
1. Using the experience of language and personal life
2. Expressing ideas gradually
3. Make all the spoken information together
4. Showing one’s own opinion
When the learner uses language experience he/she tries to utilize its most necessary linguistic and lexical sides. So, for showing what you think, principals of language and moving them into speech are also important. In the first stage, forming exercises are very helpful. In the next stage it is better to use developing exercises. And then some exercises are done by learners as: examples from real daily and family life and then let the pupils tell these examples in turn. Content of speech is more deeply expressed than using experience.
In the next step, all the information will be expressed in an integrated form. While speaking learners feel free and will be more independent. And they use the facts which they got from reading and listening. When they manage to get to the peak of speaking on the exact topic, they do some exercises like: using some facts corresponding to the topic, showing personal attitude towards some events. During this period they use widely some phrases and word combinations as: “to my mind”, “it is clear that”, “there is no doubt”, “I believe that” etc.
With the help of the following stages we can show clearly how to teach monologues :
1. With the help of teacher using speech examples
Telling it with some changes
a) inner lexical change
b) enrichment
c) transformation( changing the form)
e) finishing(completing)
Using it independently
2. Learners express their opinions according to the teachers’ help
3. Learners show their speaking ability with the help of verbal and visual aids without teachers’ help.
In the end, learners make a kind of connected text, and their opinions will be ready about this topic.