Teaching
Speaking
By Kristell Fernanda Gutiérrez-Durán
Pre-Service Teacher, School of English
Faculty of Social Sciences
Universidad Latina de Costa Rica
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Post 262
Speaking is an interactive process of constructing
meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information
(Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997).
Chapter 9 from Harmer’s (2007) book talks about that
speaking activities that teachers take to a class are designed to provoke
speaking as a skill, where the purpose is only talking. Speaking activities
also provide opportunities, motivate students to get engaged a little more with
the language. Speaking also helps students to produce the language
automatically. Harmer (2007) gives us teachers some good ideas of speaking
activities such as role plays, interviews etc… This chapter also discusses how
teachers had to correct mistakes while students are talking in in-class activities.
Speaking is one of the hardest skills students face
through the language acquisition process, and I think that the idea of feeling
embarrassed and shy, are the two main negative concepts they have to control
and manage. However, the question is how can they cope with embarrassment and
shyness? And I think this is something absolutely personal, and the students
have to make an effort in order to fight against them. For me mistakes are
important to learn, and I also think that teachers have to correct them, only
when they are necessary.
Something that called my attention is that in class students
who learn better and little by little manage the language easily are the ones
who try to speak. As a teacher I like students to speak; it gives them a chance
to express what they want, and the class is not boring, For me the students
need to be respected as active people who think by themselves.
I like role plays as an activity, but I like it in a
way, in which the teacher gives the guide to the students, about what they have
to do. I don’t like the way in which teachers say to students that they have to
create a situation and be creative.
Finally, debates for me are awesome. Students can play
a role in which they can give their points of view, and it influences
discussion.
References
Sunday, May 01, 2016
Post a Comment