Unit 8.

SPEAKING.

Ahkâm, & Freeiconspng. (2014). Speaking. Retrieved from https://images.app.goo.gl/Zz2GgT6t678CEpix6

 

     The eighth unit in the book “The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3” talks about one of the four language skills “Speaking”. This unit will answer the questions: What can one learn from this? And, How teachers can apply that knowledge in a teaching situation?

 

To get started, it is important to know what speaking is, according to the TKT book, (Spratt, Pulverness y Williams 2011) is one of the four language skill and it is a productive skill due to it involves producing language rather than receiving it and using speech in order to communicate with other people. In addition, according to Torky, (2006) is a learner's ability to express himself/herself with good fluency and accuracy in a given meaningful context. Once already we know the meaning of speaking, it is also important to know some features. Firstly, connected speech is an essential part of speaking due to we use intonation, word and sentence stress, accurate individual sounds, linking and contractions to help convey meaning. Secondly, fluency, accuracy, and appropriacy are a major part of speaking because they help us to communicate in a better way. Additionally, as the other language skills, speaking also involves text types which help us to improve communicative ability due to involves using different functions, structures, levels of formality, amounts of interaction and vocabulary.

 

To sum up, we can say that as with the other language skills, speaking is a complex activity. However, there are some speaking activities and sources that teachers can apply in the classroom in order to improve the speaking skill. For example:

1.      Performing role plays, debates, discussions, small dramatizations about movies or book, etc, will help students develop certain aspects of the speaking skill such as pronunciation, fluency, register, body language, and some interactive strategies.

2.      In each class, as teachers, we can use the repetition activity which is very useful because the student will learn the correct pronunciation due to that activity is focused on accuracy in speaking. Also, the learner will not have many errors because it is a controlled activity which will give them more confidence at the moment to speak.

3.      According to Bahrani & Soltani, (2012) a good way to improve speaking is doing the traditional classroom with drills in which one person asks a question and another gives an answer.

For further information:

Spratt, M., Pulverness, A., & Williams, M. (2011). The TKT Course Modules 1, 2 and 3 (Second). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139062398.003

Bahrani, T., & Soltani, R. (2012). How to Teach Speaking Skill? Journal of Education and Practice, 3(2), 25–29. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.893.2386&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Torky,  shiamaa abd E. F. (2006). The Effectiveness of a Task- Based Instruction program in Developing the English Language Speaking Skills of Secondary Stage Students A thesis Supervised by. Ain Shams University Women’s College Curricula and Methods of Teaching Departement, 1–254. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED523922.pdf