New Ways in Teaching Speaking, Second Edition

Pierro

INTRODUCTION, WITH A USER’S GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES

Welcome to New Ways in Teaching Speaking Second Edition!

The purpose of the New Ways series remains the same as when it began, … to publish ideas written by teachers for teachers. This is the first line of the introduction from the first edition of New Ways in Teaching Speaking (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 1994, p. viii), which was coedited by Dr. Kathleen M. Bailey and Lance Savage. Also remaining the same in this specific volume is the focus on teaching speaking, an essential skill for many language learners.

Both editions contain more than 100 activities, submitted by English language teaching professionals from around the world. They volunteered to share their expertise from their perspectives as instructors in English as a second language and English as a foreign language contexts and as native and nonnative English speakers themselves. Their submissions constitute a wide array of engaging activities that have succeeded when taught in their own classrooms. Their contributions represent different approaches and techniques in language teaching in a multitude of situations. Successful instruction can occur in diverse ways (Cook, 2016), and these activities illustrate that. For ease of use, the book is organized into major categories. The sections, however, were not planned in advance for either the first edition (Bailey & Savage, 1994) or this one. Instead, the contributions from the teachers were used to determine the major categories and smaller subsections.

More than 100 brand new activities are in this new edition. They are divided into five major categories: Developing Fluency (Part I), Developing Accuracy (Part II), Developing Pronunciation (Part III), Speaking in Specific Contexts (Part IV), and Speaking and Technology (Part V).

The widespread use of technology in teaching is evident by the addition of the extensive new category Speaking and Technology, in which teachers incorporate a variety of technological tools, such as tablets, internet-connected projectors, and smartphones. These tools allow students to create podcasts, film movies, record other video or audio clips, time themselves, and more—all to improve their speaking skills while utilizing their digital literacy skills. This experience supports students’ development as effective and independent learners who can take advantage of the tools and resources for language learning in authentic contexts (Son, Park, & Park, 2017, p. 95). In this new Speaking and Technology category, more than 20 activities are divided into three subsections. The first and largest is Developing Fluency and Accuracy Using Technology. These activities vary in their aims. Some activities concentrate on improving fluency, some on accuracy, some on both, and some can be adapted to shift the concentration. The second subsection is Developing Pronunciation Using Technology and the third is Spoken English for Academic and Professional Purposes Using Technology.

This new edition includes an expanded subsection with career-focused content. Speaking in Specific Contexts contains a subsection titled Spoken English for Academic and Professional Purposes. The new career-focused activities connect to work in business, law, and more, illustrating the value of additional instruction in speaking even when learners’ English skills reach an advanced proficiency level. In a survey completed by 229 international students, 343 domestic students, and 125 professors at a Canadian university, MacGregor and Folinazzo (2018) asked about challenges encountered by international students in higher education; communication, language (p. 313) was the top response from the international students’ professors and native-English-speaking classmates and the third most-cited response from the international students themselves. This subsection offers activities to support these students learning and working in English.

In this new edition, there are also four entirely new subsections. Game-Based Learning and a Miscellaneous section (for teaching repeatable techniques and activities for student practice) have been added to Developing Pronunciation. In Speaking in Specific Contexts, Oral Presentation Skills includes activities to improve students’ nonverbal communication, transitions, sentence-level errors, and conclusions, and a teacher assessment method. Also in Speaking in Specific Contexts, Young Speakers consists of a diverse grouping of activities intended for learners from kindergarten through Grade 12. However, some of these activities may also work well with adults. Conversely, many of the activities in other sections of the book could work well with younger learners, especially with students in middle school and high school. When read in its entirety, this book includes activities that represent students at all proficiency levels and of all ages.

USER’S GUIDE TO ACTIVITIES

Each activity is organized according to its major category and subsection and then arranged alphabetically by title. All activities state the proficiency level that is suggested for the students, the aims of the activity, the estimated time needed in class, the estimated time needed by the teacher for preparation, and the resources needed. Note that estimated times for preparation do not include how long it may take to become familiar with the activity and organize materials.

Next, each activity provides an introduction with some background information, followed by step-by-step instructions to lead students in the activity. That procedure is followed by Caveats and Options, such as any tips, suggestions, or alternate ideas about teaching or extending the activity. Some activities end with a list of references that are cited or suggested for further reading. An appendix, if included, is the final section.

This R stands for Resources. This R icon is a sign to go to:

www.tesol.org/teachingspeaking to access valuable resources. There, the appendixes are available, including handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and more. You can also find an annotated list of Online Resources: websites that are useful for classroom teachers who want more information or materials about teaching speaking.

Following are some additional points to consider.

• Teachers know their students, context, and environment better than anyone. Please carefully preview each activity and make any necessary changes. Note that some activities may be developed for students at a certain proficiency level, but they can be adapted. As stated by van Lier, Successful teaching is a blend of planning and improvisation … (1996, p. 9). If they might work better for your students, use the suggestions found in the Caveats and Options section and use your own ideas.

• The materials and resources available to each educator vary; however, for the sake of simplicity, the activities in this book assume that all teachers have access to a blackboard or whiteboard, paper, and writing utensils. Thus, those materials are not listed as resources. Activities that list smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices as necessary resources are found in Speaking and Technology.

Although these activities are designed for English language classrooms in an English as a second language or English as a foreign language context, some can be used to teach speaking to native English speakers and many, with a few modifications, can be used to teach speaking in other languages.

To my readers, I hope that using these diverse activities developed by language teachers worldwide encourages us to continue collaborating and supporting each other as we teach speaking in new ways.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Without the contributors, a volume like this could not be created. I am grateful to the many English language teaching professionals from around the world who submitted their activities. The response to the call for contributions was tremendous, with more than 200 activities received. Even though not every submission could be published, I greatly appreciate your enthusiasm and support. Your response shows how meaningful this book is to our field.

I would like to express my thanks to those who assisted me during the editing process. Delia Russo-Savage assisted with word processing and organizing the submissions into categories. Lara Ravitch created detailed activities to increase diversity and inclusion in a submission. Valuable feedback on drafts of the Table of Contents came from Dr. Renee Jourdenais and Hisako Yamashita as well as Robyn Brinks Lockwood, who also provided steadfast support from the start. Finally I would like to thank TESOL Press for giving me this opportunity and for providing editorial support.

Julie Vorholt, Editor

REFERENCES

Bailey, K., & Savage, L. (Eds.). (1994). New ways in teaching speaking. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Cook, V. (2016). Second language learning and language teaching (5th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

MacGregor, A., & Folinazzo, G. (2018, June). Best practices in teaching international students in higher education: Issues and strategies. TESOL Journal, 9, 299–329.

Son, J-B., Park, S-S., & Park, M. (2017). Digital literacy of language learners in two different contexts. The JALT CALL Journal, 13(2), 77–96.

van Lier, L. (1996). Interaction in the language curriculum: Awareness, autonomy, and authenticity. London, England: Longman.

Part I

Developing Fluency

• Conversation

• Interaction

• Group Work

• Dialogues and Role-Plays

• Game-Based Learning

CONVERSATION

3-2-1 Icebreaking

Thi Ngoc Yen Dang

T his activity is based on the 4/3/2 technique (Arevart & Nation, 1991; Nation & Newton, 2009), which helps to foster speaking fluency. In a 4/3/2 activity, a student talks about a familiar topic with three different students, giving the same speech within a gradually reduced time. The speaker talks with the first student for 4 minutes, with the second student for 3 minutes, and with the third student for 2 minutes. Delivering the speech with the same content in reduced amounts of time enables students to improve their speaking fluency.

Icebreaking is a useful activity at the beginning of a course. It helps students get to know each other so that a friendly and cooperative environment can be created. This activity focuses on students introducing themselves to their peers. Note that the time for this activity has been adapted to 3/2/1 because a 4-minute talk about oneself may be too long.

PROCEDURE

1. Prepare the cards (Appendix).

2. Explain the purpose of the activity to the students.

3. Give students 1 minute to plan a speech about themselves, with the option of writing it down. Suggest some information that can be included, such as nationality, hobbies, and reasons to study English.

4. Give each student one card. Tell them to find one partner holding the card with the same color as theirs. In pairs, one student talks about him- or herself for 3 minutes while the other listens and tries to remember that information. The speaker can look at their notes but should not read the notes aloud. The listener may take notes when listening.

5. When 3 minutes have passed, ask the students to change roles.

6. When another 3 minutes have passed, ask the students to change partners by finding a student holding a card with the same shape as theirs. In this round, each student talks for 2 minutes.

7. When both 2-minute rounds have passed, ask the students to change partners again by finding a student holding the card with the same letter. In this round, each student talks for 1 minute.

8. Ask the students to return to their desks for a class discussion. Each student speaks to the whole class and introduces one student they met. Other students who also talked to the same person can add any information that is missing.

CAVEATS AND OPTIONS

1. Some students may cut down the information in their speech to deal with the time reduction. Teachers should remind students to avoid this so that they can develop their speaking fluency. They should repeat the same ideas within a shorter period of time.

2. This activity can be used with other topics.

3. Depending on the levels of the students and the topics, the allotted time for each turn can be longer or shorter.

4. Shrinking-time condition (4/3/2 or 3/2/1) focuses solely on pushing fluency. To develop students’ complexity and accuracy rather than fluency, a constant-time condition (3/3/3 or 2/2/2) may be more suitable (Thai & Boers, 2016).

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Arevart, S., & Nation, P. (1991). Fluency improvement in a second language. RELC Journal, 22, 84–94.

Nation, I. S. P., & Newton, J. (2009). Teaching ESL/EFL listening and speaking. New York, NY: Routledge.

Thai, C., & Boers, F. (2016). Repeating a monologue under increasing time pressure: Effects on fluency, complexity, and accuracy. TESOL Quarterly, 50, 369–393.

At the End of the Rainbow

Leticia Araceli Salas Serrano

A n old Irish tale tells that a pot of gold can be found at the end of a rainbow. However, there are also other stories and symbols connected to rainbows. For example, some people say that rainbows represent the future. What would you like to find at the end of that rainbow? This activity guides students in discussion about some personal goals. Students interact with their peers and share their plans or projects for the future. This is a great activity to wrap up a unit or a course.

PROCEDURE

1. Ask the class, What are the seven colors of the rainbow? and write them on the board as the students say them: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Then show a picture of a rainbow or draw one using colorful markers.

2. Ask the class, Do you know what object is at the end of the rainbow? Tell the Irish legend about the pot of gold found at the end of the rainbow.

3. Explain that a rainbow can also represent the future and then encourage the class to think about their hopes and dreams for the future. Write on the board, What goals would you like to reach? What would you like to find at the end of the rainbow? Give an example, such as learning English or receiving an award. Seeing it at the rainbow’s end means the goal was achieved.

4. Students copy the questions written on the board. For a few minutes, students discuss in pairs what their goals are and what they would like to find at the end of the rainbow.

5. Lead a class discussion in which students share their goals.

6. After the discussion, young learners draw what they would like to find at the end of the rainbow. Adults can listen to the song At the End of the Rainbow and sing along.

CAVEATS AND OPTIONS

1. Because the activity might be very personal or emotional, some students might prefer not to share their real plans or projects. In that case, tell them to make up a goal. Another option is to tell them to choose a popular character from a book or movie and make up a goal for that character. If they do that, they should tell their partner the name of the character.

2. To extend the activity, students could discuss how they’re going to reach their goals, or they can create a plan of action.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

To read more about Irish myths: www.celtic-weddingrings.com/celtic-mythology/myth-of-the-leprechaun.aspx

For young learners, watch this video, The Ancient Rock at the End of the Rainbow!: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKUnq-KaLeE

For adults, watch this video with the lyrics to At the End of the Rainbow, and sing along with Earl Grant: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdkfJbSidzs

Conversation Champions

Eleanora S. Bell (Nonie) and Amanda Strickland

C onversation Champions is a scaffolded task-based extension activity for instruction of targeted vocabulary and language structures. It begins with recognition of these vocabulary and language structures in a listening activity, continues with dialogue creation, and concludes with dialogue presentations that showcase the forms in authentic, original conversations. As a culminating activity, such as at the conclusion of a unit, Conversation Champions works well for either practice, reinforcement, assessment, or all three.

PROCEDURE

1. If desired, prepare an audio recording of the sample conversation (Appendix A). Once the recording is made, preparation time in the future is dedicated to assembling handouts.

Phase One: Listening Activities (25 minutes)

2. Divide students into two groups. Distribute the Info Gap Questions handout (Appendix B). Students receive only the part/column designated for their group.

3. Prepare students to listen and fill in the Info Gap Questions handout. Direct them to take notes on the paper while listening, paying special attention to the vocabulary words used and their context.

4. Present a brief sample conversation including target vocabulary. Either play the audio recording or read the text. If the text is read, ask for student volunteers to read the two parts of bank teller and customer aloud to the class. Remind each group to listen for different vocabulary items.

5. Repeat the listening to allow students to check their handout.

6. Distribute the Cloze of Sample Conversation handout (Appendix C). Pair students from Group 1 with Group 2. Tell them to review their notes and complete the handout based on the combination of the content from their respective Info Gap Questions sheets.

7. Lead the class in a review of the answers, highlighting use of target structures.

Phase Two: Dialogue Creation Activity (45 minutes)

8. The same student pairs choose from preselected topics to create a meaningful, real-life dialogue including a required number of target vocabulary words and grammar structures. Distribute the handout Student Instructions (Appendix D) and review the directions and requirements with the class.

9. Move around the room, clarifying or offering assistance as needed. While students are working, prepare rubrics with student names.

Phrase Three: Dialogue Presentation Activity (20 minutes)

10. Student pairs present their dialogues before an audience of peers. The audience members use student rubrics (Appendix E) to note the number of vocabulary words and structures used by each pair. Simultaneously, the instructor evaluates the dialogue presented by each pair using the teacher rubric (Appendix F).

11. The audience then votes on the pair that best demonstrates targeted forms.

12. The selected student pair is recognized as Conversation Champions.

CAVEATS AND OPTIONS

1. Instructors should introduce, review, and quiz students on a limited list of target vocabulary and grammar structures at least one week in advance of this culminating activity.

2. Pair students sensitively across language capability levels and culture groups.

3. While student pairs are collaborating on dialogues to present, they’re naturally using the targeted forms repeatedly in authentic, original conversations that could be graded separately from the final product.

4. Students can provide a recording and text of their performed dialogue via a class website. It can be used as an assessment or sample conversation for future use.

5. This activity can be based on a range of topics at any level, such as household chores, directions, housing issues, a job search, or academic research.

Finding Commonalities in Conversations

Jacqueline Foster

T his activity is designed for students who have studied the language structures for introducing, describing, and speaking about themselves and friends. Students should be familiar with using adjectives to describe themselves and using the present simple tense for speaking about habits, routines, and interests.

PROCEDURE

1. Show pictures of two famous people that the students will most likely know.

2. Ask the students who the famous people are and why they are famous. Add information if needed.

3. Ask the students what the famous people have in common. Check that the students understand in common.

4. List some of the similarities on the board.

5. Explain that the students are going to find out what they have in common with their classmates.

6. Distribute the handout (Appendix). Explain that each student will find a partner (or be assigned a partner).

7. Tell students that they have 5 minutes to speak to their partner, identify five commonalities, and list them in the Partner 1 circle on the handout. Students may write in phrases.

8. After 5 minutes, move to the next phase. Group each pair of students with another pair to form a group of four.

9. Students have 5 minutes to identify five commonalities shared among all four members of the group, which can be the same or different from the first conversation, and list them in Circle 2 on the handout.

10. After 5 minutes, move to the next phase. Tell the students to follow your instructions to form a final group of six students. Split some groups of four into pairs. Tell each pair which group of four to join, resulting in newly formed groups of six.

11. Within their new group, students have 5 minutes to identify five commonalities shared among all six members of the group and list them in Circle 3 on the handout. The similarities can be the same or different from the previous conversations.

12. After 5 minutes, tell students to return to their desks for a class discussion.

13. Have the students look at Circle 3 and ask for examples of what their last group has in common. To guide the responses, write a few sentence stems on the board.

• We are

• We like

• We have

14. Record the examples on the board. Circle or identify commonalities shared by the entire class.

15. Conclude by directing the students to write five class-wide commonalities in sentences at the bottom of the handout. An example sentence could be, We like listening to music in English. Students can read their sentences to a partner and/or share them with the class.

CAVEATS AND OPTIONS

1. If there are not enough students to form groups of six, then groups of five or other group sizes can work.

2. High beginner and low intermediate students may want to use Our class instead of We when forming sentences. Remind them that Our class requires a singular rather than a plural verb.

3. This activity can also be used as an icebreaker for intermediate and upper level students.

4. Upper level students can be asked to find unusual commonalities.

Highs and Lows

Jelena Danilovic Jeremic

S etting the mood for English class and creating a positive learning environment is not always an easy task. This activity was initially conceived as a warm-up, to help learners relax and interact with the teacher in a casual atmosphere. It is based on the