TEMA 6 Ways to integrate speech and listening skills with each other and with other language skills

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<p>AULA 6</p><p>ESTUDOS AVANÇADOS DE</p><p>LÍNGUA INGLESA –</p><p>COMPREENSÃO AUDITIVA E</p><p>COMUNICAÇÃO ORAL</p><p>Prof. Robson Ribeiro da Silva</p><p>2</p><p>INICIAL TALK</p><p>This marks the final lesson in our speaking and listening module. Thus far,</p><p>we've explored the intricacies of listening and speaking in a foreign language,</p><p>along with the challenges faced by learners. Additionally, we've outlined essential</p><p>principles for crafting or adapting activities aimed at enhancing speaking and</p><p>listening skills. In our previous lesson, we examined practical classroom activities</p><p>for these skills.</p><p>However, it's crucial to recognize that speaking and listening don't operate</p><p>in isolation; they intersect with other skills. While it's evident that speaking often</p><p>involves listening, there are more nuanced relationships between these skills and</p><p>others. Consider, for instance, attending a lecture where you listen while taking</p><p>notes, or reading an article that prompts subsequent discussions or critiques.</p><p>Speaking and listening can be interconnected with reading and writing, creating a</p><p>dynamic relationship.</p><p>CONTEXTUALIZING</p><p>In this concluding lesson, we'll explore ways to integrate speaking and</p><p>listening skills with each other and with other language skills. Before we delve into</p><p>the details, take a moment to reflect on your own language learning experience.</p><p>Examine the activities below and consider whether you or your teachers employed</p><p>them, how frequently, and whether you found them beneficial. If you haven't</p><p>encountered these activities before, think about how they could be utilized to</p><p>integrate different language skills. After this reflection, we will examine each of</p><p>these activities in detail and discuss how they can be effectively employed in the</p><p>language classroom:</p><p>• Dictation activities</p><p>• Surveys</p><p>• Discussions and debates</p><p>• Communicative activities</p><p>• Projects</p><p>3</p><p>THEME 1 – DICTATION ACTIVITIES</p><p>Dictation activities have somewhat fallen out of favor with the advent of</p><p>communicative language teaching. These activities were criticized for being</p><p>teacher-centered, inauthentic, and of limited pedagogical value. Nevertheless, as</p><p>Davis and Rinvolucri (1988) point out, this doesn’t have to be the case. The</p><p>traditional dictation, where the teacher reads a text aloud for students to write,</p><p>might not align with communicative language teaching principles. However, with</p><p>imaginative adaptations, dictation can still play a valuable role in contemporary</p><p>language classrooms. Dictation offers the unique advantage of encompassing</p><p>reading, speaking, listening, and writing skills, along with the potential to engage</p><p>other vital skills like short-term memory.</p><p>1.1 The dictator: who leads the dictation?</p><p>A pivotal question to depart from traditional dictation is: Who conducts the</p><p>dictation? Traditionally, it was the teacher standing at the front of the class, reading</p><p>a text while students transcribed what they heard. While this approach might have</p><p>some merit and aid in listening skills, it neglects speaking skills. By shifting the</p><p>activity so that students take on the role of the dictator, the activity becomes more</p><p>dynamic and versatile. Students can dictate to the entire class, a group, or a</p><p>partner, ensuring active participation. Going a step further, if students are tasked</p><p>with choosing the text to be read or, better yet, writing their own text, the activity</p><p>becomes considerably more student-centered. Allowing students time to practice</p><p>their text delivery, focusing on pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, pauses, and</p><p>pacing, enhances the activity's value.</p><p>1.2 Dictation as a lead-in activity</p><p>Another way to deviate from traditional dictation is to reconsider its purpose.</p><p>In the past, dictations served as the main event in a class, often the sole activity.</p><p>By reconceptualizing dictation as short, concise activities that act as lead-ins to</p><p>other tasks, they can effectively prepare students for listening or reading segments</p><p>of the class.</p><p>4</p><p>1.3 Dictation as a communicative activity</p><p>In addition to questioning the role of dictation exercises, it’s beneficial to</p><p>reassess the objectives of the exercise. Traditional objectives primarily focused on</p><p>practicing grammatical structures, but they can be made more communicative and</p><p>interactive by altering the expected student response. For example, the teacher</p><p>could read a set of questions that students need to write down, but students are</p><p>also required to formulate and write their responses.</p><p>1.4 Dictation for varied class sizes and abilities</p><p>Dictation activities offer an efficient means of skill integration for teachers</p><p>handling large classes or classes with diverse abilities. Advanced students can be</p><p>challenged to reconstruct the entire text, while weaker students can receive</p><p>prompts via handouts, only needing to transcribe every 10 words or specific</p><p>expressions. Dictation activities are unique in that they can be applied in one-on-</p><p>one settings or classes with hundreds of students and remain equally effective.</p><p>1.5 Dictogloss</p><p>There exists a wide array of dictation activities, making it impossible to cover</p><p>them all here. Instead, let’s explore one type of dictation activity that showcases</p><p>how they can be employed in unconventional and engaging ways, diverging from</p><p>traditional expectations: the dictogloss.</p><p>• Step 1: the teacher reads a text aloud at a normal pace, and students are</p><p>tasked with writing down what they hear. Students are encouraged not to</p><p>stress about transcribing every word, but to capture what they can.</p><p>• Step 2: students form pairs and compare what they've written. They</p><p>collaborate to construct a new text by filling in gaps using their own words</p><p>or ideas, drawing upon their lexical and grammatical knowledge.</p><p>• Step 3: these pairs are then organized into larger groups, and they repeat</p><p>the process from Step 2, creating a new text based on their collective input.</p><p>• Step 4: the entire class collaborates to reconstruct a text on the board. If</p><p>there are still gaps or disagreements, the class uses its language</p><p>knowledge to reach a consensus on the best solution.</p><p>5</p><p>• Step 5: the teacher and the class compare the original text with the one</p><p>created by the class. Depending on the outcome, the class can delve into</p><p>lexical, grammatical, or pronunciation analysis.</p><p>By applying these innovative approaches, dictation activities can transform</p><p>into engaging and interactive exercises that effectively integrate listening,</p><p>speaking, reading, and writing skills.</p><p>THEME 2 – SURVEYS</p><p>Surveys offer a versatile approach, allowing teachers to quickly incorporate</p><p>specific language elements into the classroom, or they can be more elaborate,</p><p>generated by students and even extend to homework assignments. Regardless of</p><p>the chosen approach, surveys consistently serve as effective methods to</p><p>seamlessly integrate speaking with other essential language skills.</p><p>2.1 Find someone who...</p><p>This survey type serves as an excellent means to practice a particular</p><p>language concept, such as the present perfect or past simple, while encouraging</p><p>students to use it repeatedly, akin to a drill. The teacher presents several prompts</p><p>and instructs students to formulate questions using these prompts. For instance:</p><p>• Language point: present perfect</p><p>• Prompt: visit, New York</p><p>• Question: Have you ever visited New York?</p><p>• Language point: breakfast food</p><p>• Prompt: pizza</p><p>• Question: Do you have pizza for breakfast?</p><p>Ideally, all questions should employ the same language structure. Once</p><p>students have created all the questions, they proceed to query their fellow</p><p>classmates, recording the responses. The aim is for students to discover how</p><p>many people have visited New York or enjoy pizza for breakfast. After a designated</p><p>period, typically before students</p><p>have queried everyone in the class, the teacher</p><p>halts the activity and organizes students into small groups. Within these groups,</p><p>students compare their findings.</p><p>6</p><p>2.2 Questionnaires</p><p>Find someone who... surveys may often be teacher-centric, narrowly</p><p>focusing on specific target language. However, surveys can also adopt a more</p><p>open-ended approach, with students creating their own questions to ask others,</p><p>either in the classroom or beyond. Here’s an example:</p><p>• Pre-class: seek another group of English students and obtain permission</p><p>from their teacher for your students to ask questions.</p><p>• Step 1: introduce the topic through questions, a reading, or listening task.</p><p>The topic can revolve around any subject of interest to the students.</p><p>• Step 2: elicit potential questions related to the topic. Write some on the</p><p>board. Divide students into pairs or small groups and instruct them to</p><p>generate an additional set of questions. Depending on students’ proficiency</p><p>levels and your objectives, these questions can be open-ended, closed,</p><p>multiple-choice, or a combination of types.</p><p>• Step 3: familiarize your students with the other class and ask them to record</p><p>the answers.</p><p>• Step 4: students work within their original groups to compile the gathered</p><p>information and prepare a report based on their findings.</p><p>This type of activity is remarkably adaptable and can seamlessly incorporate</p><p>various language skills. Instead of conducting it with another class, it could be</p><p>implemented within the same class, with family and friends outside the educational</p><p>institution, or even in an online setting.</p><p>2.3 Presentations</p><p>In certain real-life surveys, especially those involving individuals who do not</p><p>speak English, there might not be substantial explicit use of the English language.</p><p>To introduce more English into such scenarios, students can present their findings.</p><p>These presentations could range from informal, brief explanations of preferences</p><p>(e.g., how many people like pizza for breakfast) to more structured presentations</p><p>complete with slides, questions, and answers. The presentation format chosen</p><p>depends on student needs and available time.</p><p>For structured presentations, specific language elements may need</p><p>practice. Additionally, since other students are likely to listen to these</p><p>7</p><p>presentations, it’s crucial to plan pre-, during-, and post-listening activities to</p><p>maintain focus and engagement among the audience rather than having them</p><p>passively wait for their turn to present.</p><p>THEME 3 – DISCUSSIONS AND DEBATES</p><p>In theory, discussions and debates offer valuable opportunities for students</p><p>to practice extended speech delivery and intensive listening. Depending on the</p><p>nature of the activity, students may work independently or collaboratively in teams,</p><p>necessitating quick thinking to convey their messages and respond to others.</p><p>Thus, debates and discussions are often better suited for intermediate and</p><p>advanced students. However, despite their many advantages, teachers are often</p><p>cautious about using them in the classroom due to the potential for chaos if not</p><p>properly structured. Additionally, many students may not encounter real-life</p><p>scenarios that require debate, making these activities seem inauthentic and</p><p>leaving them unfamiliar with the rules of effective debate or discussion.</p><p>While it is true that not all students will need to engage in debates,</p><p>discussions are unquestionably authentic tasks applicable to all students.</p><p>3.1 Setting up discussions and debates</p><p>Whether you intend to organize a formal debate or facilitate informal</p><p>discussions, it's crucial that students are well-acquainted with the rules. Debates</p><p>usually adhere to strict rules regarding speaking order, timing, and duration. While</p><p>discussions lack such rigid regulations, they often entail unwritten conventions</p><p>related to politeness, taking turns, and covering specific topics. Therefore, it’s</p><p>imperative that students are familiar with and consent to these rules or conventions</p><p>before commencing the activity.</p><p>3.2 Student preparation</p><p>In formal debates, students will require ample preparation time. They need</p><p>to understand the rules and spend time pondering or researching their intended</p><p>arguments. This research may involve determining the content they wish to convey</p><p>or identifying the most suitable language, including vocabulary and grammar, to</p><p>effectively articulate their points.</p><p>8</p><p>Even for teacher-structured discussion activities, students might benefit</p><p>from preparation time. This could be incorporated as part of another activity, such</p><p>as reading a text and subsequently discussing its implications. Alternatively,</p><p>allocating a minute or two of quiet time for note-taking, without prior reading or</p><p>listening, can boost participation levels and confidence.</p><p>3.3 Roleplay</p><p>Utilizing roleplays to simulate debates can encourage shy students to</p><p>become more involved. Shy students may be hesitant to express their own beliefs</p><p>or ideas for fear of criticism. By assigning students roles, this fear can be</p><p>circumvented. Instead of discussing their personal beliefs, students speak from the</p><p>perspective of their assigned character or role.</p><p>Roleplays can mimic real-life scenarios that students may encounter. This</p><p>is especially applicable to business English, where students can practice roles they</p><p>may assume outside the classroom. Roleplays can also provide an opportunity to</p><p>respond to a listening or reading text, with students employing information they</p><p>have encountered to create a character.</p><p>3.4 Balloon debates</p><p>A balloon debate is a type of roleplay that encourages students to engage</p><p>in debate with one another. The premise is that students choose a character,</p><p>whether living or deceased, fictional or real. Students might base their character</p><p>selection on their current studies or select from individuals currently in the news.</p><p>The teacher then presents a scenario where all characters are aboard a hot air</p><p>balloon with insufficient hot air, leading to a crash that would result in everyone's</p><p>demise unless one person is ejected. The students must now debate which</p><p>character should be expelled.</p><p>The teacher should establish guidelines regarding speaking duration and</p><p>whether questions are permitted. Following the debate, a vote is conducted to</p><p>determine which character will be ejected. Afterward, students provide feedback</p><p>on their preparation for the debate and suggest improvements for future debates.</p><p>The teacher also offers feedback on language performance and effective</p><p>adherence to debate rules.</p><p>9</p><p>THEME 4 – COMMUNICATION ACTIVITIES</p><p>A communication activity encompasses any endeavor that encourages</p><p>students to engage in authentic and meaningful spoken interactions. These</p><p>activities can resemble workplace or academic tasks or even comprise entertaining</p><p>games. However, it’s essential to remember that not all games facilitate genuine</p><p>communication. For instance, playing hangman primarily involves guessing letters</p><p>and lacks substantial natural communication. Moreover, it’s worth noting that</p><p>activities need not always prioritize entertainment, particularly for adult learners.</p><p>The paramount concern is that activities are effective and intellectually stimulating,</p><p>rather than merely enjoyable.</p><p>4.1 Points to keep in mind</p><p>To effectively orchestrate communicative activities, meticulous planning is</p><p>essential, accompanied by these fundamental considerations:</p><p>• Minimize teacher talking time (TTT): the teacher’s role should envolve</p><p>facilitating language practice among students, with minimal interference.</p><p>• Monitoring: teachers should closely observe students during activities. As</p><p>previously emphasized, monitoring reinforces the activity’s significance and</p><p>provides valuable insights into students’ performance.</p><p>• Avoid active participation: while the temptation</p><p>to join in the activity may</p><p>arise, teachers should refrain from direct involvement to limit TTT and</p><p>ensure adequate monitoring.</p><p>• Clear instruction planning: comprehensive and comprehensible instructions</p><p>are crucial to prevent activity failures due to students’ misunderstandings.</p><p>Rather than exhaustively describing all conceivable communicative</p><p>activities, we will present three potential activities. As you read through them,</p><p>consider how each activity fosters communication among students.</p><p>4.2 Chain story</p><p>In this activity, students collaboratively construct a narrative. The inclusion</p><p>of verb cards introduces an element of unpredictability. The teacher should</p><p>vigilantly oversee past tense usage and pronunciation of-ed endings. This activity</p><p>can be adapted for various language points.</p><p>10</p><p>• Step 1: prepare a set of cards, each featuring the base form of a verb.</p><p>Organize students into groups of approximately four. Place the cards face</p><p>down on the table. Nominate a student to flip over the first card and initiate</p><p>a story in the past tense using the designated verb.</p><p>• Step 2: the subsequent student flips over the next card and continues the</p><p>story using the next verb. This sequence continues until all cards are</p><p>revealed. At this juncture, students collectively work to conclude the story.</p><p>• Step 3: employing the cards as prompts, students, working in groups,</p><p>reconstruct and transcribe their stories.</p><p>• Step 4: the stories can be presented to the class, either verbally or displayed</p><p>on the walls for reading. Subsequently, students vote to determine the most</p><p>outstanding stories.</p><p>4.3 Jigsaw reading</p><p>This activity illustrates how a conventional reading task can be adapted to</p><p>integrate speaking and listening. Teachers can source a suitable text or employ</p><p>one from published materials, segmented into parts conveniently distributable to</p><p>students.</p><p>• Step 1: set a context, such as Dos and Don’ts when conducting business</p><p>abroad. Form groups of three students each. Assign each student a text</p><p>section to read. Upon completion, instruct them to craft sentences beginning</p><p>with In (name of country), do not... and In (name of country), do...</p><p>• Step 2: within their groups, students exchange information garnered from</p><p>their texts and formulate sentences for other countries. Encourage</p><p>meaningful discussions among students, discouraging rote copying.</p><p>• Step 3: request students to read the two texts they did not initially examine</p><p>in step 1, seeking additional do’s and don’ts.</p><p>4.4 Grammar auction</p><p>This activity serves as a valuable means to review or reinforce previously</p><p>taught language concepts. To optimize its communicative potential, students</p><p>should employ English while discussing the sentences.</p><p>• Step 1: organize students into small groups. Distribute several sentences,</p><p>some containing grammatical errors and others that are grammatically</p><p>11</p><p>correct. Instruct students to assess and determine, within their groups,</p><p>which sentences they believe to be correct.</p><p>• Step 2: announce the commencement of an auction. Verify whether</p><p>students comprehend the concept and mechanics of an auction. Explain</p><p>that instead of acquiring artwork, they must “purchase” beautiful or correct</p><p>sentences. Provide students with a fictional budget, e.g., £1 million.</p><p>• Step 3: conduct the auction, with the teacher serving as the auctioneer.</p><p>Encourage students to bid more on sentences they are confident are</p><p>correct, while bidding conservatively on sentences they find dubious.</p><p>• Step 4: review the sentences, urging students to articulate why each</p><p>sentence is correct or incorrect. Determine which group successfully</p><p>acquired the most correct sentences and declare them the winners.</p><p>THEME 5 – PROJECTS</p><p>In recent years, projects have gained substantial popularity in English</p><p>language classrooms for several compelling reasons, as we will explore in the</p><p>subsequent section. Notably, projects have proven to be a versatile tool for</p><p>implementing content and language integrated learning (CLIL), a pedagogical</p><p>approach that entails teaching English through other subjects such as</p><p>mathematics, geography, or sports. In essence, English becomes an integral</p><p>component of the curriculum, intertwined with other disciplines.</p><p>5.1 Advantages of utilizing projects</p><p>According to Gallacher (2014), an ideal project should empower students to</p><p>“[...] jointly determine the project’s objectives while the teacher assumes a more</p><p>supportive role.” When executed effectively, projects offer the following benefits:</p><p>• Enhanced motivation: involving students in decision-making regarding</p><p>project content and execution tends to heighten motivation as they find the</p><p>tasks more engaging.</p><p>• Integration of skills: projects readily incorporate all four language skills:</p><p>listening, speaking, reading, and writing.</p><p>• Autonomous learning: encouraging students to assume responsibility for</p><p>their learning fosters independence, diminishing their reliance on the</p><p>teacher.</p><p>12</p><p>• Learning outcomes: project objectives are predefined before commencing</p><p>the project, delineating clear learning targets.</p><p>• Authentic tasks: authentic tasks, as emphasized throughout this module,</p><p>inherently carry advantages.</p><p>• Authentic language: the language required for project completion closely</p><p>mirrors real-life communication, rendering it more pertinent to students.</p><p>• Interpersonal skills: projects cultivate not only language skills but also</p><p>interpersonal competencies, including relationship-building.</p><p>5.2 Elements of a well-designed project</p><p>As with any facet of teaching, successful project implementation hinges on</p><p>effective planning. Prior to commencing a project, teachers must account for the</p><p>following elements:</p><p>a. Introduction: the teacher should introduce the project’s overarching theme,</p><p>and if necessary, showcase examples of past projects to familiarize</p><p>students with the task.</p><p>b. Proposal phase: after students accept the project’s fundamental premise,</p><p>they should be encouraged to propose their approach to project execution.</p><p>Questions to ponder may include:</p><p>• What elements should be incorporated into the project? What format will the</p><p>project adopt?</p><p>• Which group member will assume responsibility for specific project</p><p>aspects? What is the anticipated project duration?</p><p>• What materials or resources are likely to be required?</p><p>c. Time management: while students estimate the time they need, the teacher</p><p>must ensure alignment with the available timeframe.</p><p>d. Space allocation: classes may need to divide into groups, sometimes</p><p>necessitating access to different spaces like libraries or computer labs. The</p><p>teacher should ensure that suitable spaces are available and provide initial</p><p>guidance to students.</p><p>e. Materials and resources: the teacher must supply necessary materials,</p><p>such as paper, cardboard, or paints. A decision regarding internet access,</p><p>whether in school or at home, should also be made.</p><p>13</p><p>f. Presentation: projects must be displayed for evaluation. Teachers should</p><p>designate a presentation area on the wall and prepare students to make</p><p>oral presentations.</p><p>g. Evaluation: the teacher should establish how the project will be assessed,</p><p>defining the evaluation criteria.</p><p>5.3 Disadvantages of project work</p><p>No instructional approach is without potential drawbacks. Some</p><p>disadvantages associated with projects include:</p><p>• Language: if students share the same native language, it can be challenging</p><p>to motivate them to use English during the project. This issue can be</p><p>mitigated, especially with older students, through discussions about the</p><p>benefits of English usage.</p><p>• Uneven participation: there is a risk that some students may carry most of</p><p>the workload while others contribute minimally. Careful planning and clear</p><p>role assignments can help address this concern.</p><p>• Diverse pacing: some</p><p>groups may complete their projects more swiftly than</p><p>others. To mitigate this, students should be informed of the allotted time</p><p>initially and encouraged to engage in productive activities once their</p><p>projects are finished.</p><p>CONCLUSION</p><p>We have now concluded our exploration of speaking and listening skills.</p><p>While many people naturally associate language learning with speaking, we have</p><p>discerned that listening is equally vital. However, merely engaging in listening and</p><p>speaking activities within the classroom is insufficient for students to enhance</p><p>these skills. Teachers must grasp the intricacies of these skills, diagnose specific</p><p>challenges, and adeptly adapt or construct materials to target these issues. In the</p><p>previous lessons, we also explored ways to seamlessly integrate speaking and</p><p>listening with other language skills. As we have consistently emphasized, this</p><p>integration mirrors real-world language use, necessitating our role as teachers to</p><p>be as authentic as possible.</p><p>14</p><p>Theoretical approach texts</p><p>GALLACHER, L. Project work with teenagers. British Council, 2014. Disponível</p><p>em: <https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/project-work-teenagers>. Acesso</p><p>em: 3 nov. 2023.</p><p>Pratical approach texts</p><p>SPECK, C. 8 great ways to use dictation with ESL students. Busy Teacher, [S.d.].</p><p>Disponível em: <https://busyteacher.org/25011-8-great-ways-to-use-dictation-</p><p>with-esl-students.html>. Acesso em: 3 nov. 2023.</p><p>Further reading</p><p>ACTIVITIES to promote interaction and communication. CAL: Center for Applied</p><p>Linguistics, [S.d.]. Disponível em:</p><p><http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/program_development/elltoolkit/Part2-</p><p>41Interaction&Communication.pdf>. Acesso em: 3 nov. 2023.</p><p>15</p><p>REFERENCES</p><p>ACTIVITIES to promote interaction and communication. CAL: Center for Applied</p><p>Linguistics, [S.d.]. Disponível em:</p><p><http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/program_development/elltoolkit/Part2-</p><p>41Interaction&Communication.pdf>. Acesso em: 3 nov. 2023.</p><p>DAVIS, P.; RINVOLUCRI, M. Dictation: new methods, new possibilities.</p><p>Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.</p><p>GALLACHER, L. Project work with teenagers. British Council, 2014. Disponível</p><p>em: <https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/project-work-teenagers>. Acesso</p><p>em: 3 nov. 2023.</p><p>SPECK, C. 8 great ways to use dictation with ESL students. Busy Teacher, [S.d.].</p><p>Disponível em: <https://busyteacher.org/25011-8-great-ways-to-use-dictation-</p><p>with-esl-students.html>. Acesso em: 3 nov. 2023.</p>