TOPIC 7
Oposiciones Oposicion es Magisterio: Magisteri o: Temario Inglés
TOPIC 7: SPOKEN SPOKEN LANGUAGE LANGUAGE.. LISTENING LISTENING COMPREHEN COMPREHENSION: SION: FROM HEARING TO ACTIVE AND SELECTIVE LISTENING. SPEAKING: FROM IMITATION TO FREE PRODUCTION. I.- INTRODUCTION II.- SPOKEN LANGUAGE 1.- Character!tc!
The need for accuracy Addressee in mind Same situational context Spontaneity and the speed inguistic features !rammar and "oca#ulary
III.- LISTENING 1.- De"#t$# $" the %r$ce!! &.- Sta'e! $" the %r$ce!!
Identify the phonic and syntactic patterning Identify and select them $ithout retention Identification and guided selection $ith short term retention Identification and selection $ith long term retention
(.- P)a###' a )!te##' )e!!$#
%hat to #e learnt &o$ to teach %hat material to use %hat acti"ities $ill #e done
*.- G+,e)#e! t$ ,ee)$% the )!te##' !))
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TOPIC 7
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/.- L!te##' !+0!))!
istening to confirm expectations istening to extract specific information istening for general understanding Inferring the spea)er*s attitude
.- L!te##' 2atera)!
Songs +ideo recordings Tapes The teacher
7.- L!te##' actte!
Pre,listening acti"ities
%hile,listening acti"ities
Prediction exercises +oca#ulary exercises !rammar exercises
-ar training acti"ities !lo#al,listening exercises , Completing diagrams , Pro#lem sol"ing Selecti"e,listening acti"ities , Ans$ering display .uestions , /ollo$ing instructions , Completion,type acti"ities , Identifying mista)es or contradictions
Post,listening acti"ities
IV.- SPEAKING 1.- De"#t$# $" the %r$ce!! &.- P)a###' a !%ea#' )e!!$# (.- S%ea#' actte! P'gina 0
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Acti"ities #ased on repetition and imitation
Controlled acti"ities
1epetition drills Su#stitution drills Transformation drills !uessing drills
2uestion and ans$er 1ight 3 $rong statements and corrections Stating conse.uences Model dialogue and )ey $ords !apped dialogues Cue$ords Picture cards anguage games 4ecision,ma)ing acti"ities 2uestionnaires
Autonomous interaction
/unctional communication Social interaction
V.- SUMMAR3 VI.- REFERENCES
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I.- INTRODUCTION In this topic6 $e*ll start from the idea that the /oreign anguage Area Curriculum mentions a se.uence $hich must #e follo$ed $hen teaching the different s)ills: the oral s)ills listening and spea)ing8 are stressed o"er $ritten s)ills reading and $riting89 Thats #ecause learning to spea) and to understand means learning the language6 $hereas reading and $riting implies that the language is already )no$n and that $e are using its graphic representation9 Although its #etter to teach a / follo$ing this se.uence6 teachers ha"e to ta)e into account that e"ery s)ill should #e reinforced #y the rest and none of them can #e taught in isolation9 In this topic $ell concentrate on the oral language6 analysing in the first part the main characteristics of it and the differences $ith the $ritten language9 In the second part of the topic6 $ell go into detail a#out #oth types of oral language6 listening and spea)ing s)ills6 examining some of the acti"ities $e can do in order to impro"e them9 %e*ll ta)e into account that listening is a recepti"e s)ill6 $hile spea)ing is a producti"e s)ill9
II.- SPOKEN LANGUAGE et us concentrate on the spo)en language9 %ell explain its characteristics analysing6 at the same time6 its differences $ith the $ritten language9
1.- Characteristics
Perhaps6 the most important difference #et$een $riting and spea)ing is related to the #ee, "$r acc+rac49 ;ati"e spea)ers constantly ma)e mista)es $hen they are spea)ing: they change the su#correct>9 Another characteristic is that speech is time,#ound6 dynamic and transient9 Its a part of an interaction in $hich #oth participants are present6 and the spea)er has a specific a,,re!!ee # 2#,9 Mean$hile6 in most of the cases6 the $riter doesnt )no$ $ho the addressee is6 so that there is a little expectation of a reply9 In this regard6 participants are in a face,to,face interaction and share the !a2e !t+at$#a) c$#te5t? as a result6 they can rely on non,"er#al de"ices6 as #ody language6 facial expression and gesture6 as $ell as rely on the context6 in order to help ma)e clear $hat they mean9 This does not happen in speech9
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Oposiciones Magisterio: Temario Inglés
Another characteristic is that spea)ers do at least three things at once: planning $hat to say next6 saying $hat they ha"e planned6 and monitoring $hat they are saying in order to chec) that it is $hat they meant to say9 On the other hand6 in the speech pre"ails the !%$#ta#et4 a#, the !%ee,6 so its more difficult to engage in complex ad"anced planning9 %hereas6 $riters can #e more precise and organised a#out $hat they ha"e to say6 and also #ecause they ha"e more time for planning and re"ision9 Tal)ing a#out the )#'+!tc "eat+re!6 a spea)er has a great range of expressi"e possi#ilities6 since he can "ary his intonation and stress9 The $riting system cannot directly represent the prosodic features of speech9 Only a "ery fe$ graphic con"entions relate to prosody6 such as .uestion mar)s9 As 'ra22ar a#, $ca0+)ar4 regards6 the syntax of speech is much simpler than the syntax of $riting9 The lexicon of speech is also often "ague6 using $ords $hich refer directly to the situation deictic expressions6 such as that one6 in here6 right now89 In $ritten language these expressions are "ery unusual9
III.- LISTENING 1.- Definition of the process et us concentrate on the listening s)ill9 It is a recepti"e s)ill and it $asnt until the de"elopment of the Communicati"e Approach in the 7s $hen the listening s)ill too) importance in the language ac.uisition9 Some pre"ious methods6 such as the 4irect Method and the Audio,ingual Method6 put emphasis in the oral comprehension6 #ut listening $as concentrated on the lo$er le"els9 The Communicati"e Approach postulated the use of realistic and authentic language and learners $ere trained to match $hat they heard into a context? the context helped them to understand the meaning9 ;o$adays it is accepted that listening plays an important role in /oreign anguage Teaching #ecause it pro"ides a great input for the learner6 it allo$s introducing ne$ language and it can pro"ide en
2.- Stages of the process The process of $riting goes on through different stages6 $hich $ell analyse as follo$s9
/irstly6 the pupils ha"e to ,e#t"4 the %h$#c a#, !4#tactc %atter##'6 that is6 to recognise the familiar elements in the mass of speech $ithout #eing a#le to recognise the interrelationships $ithin the $hole system9 Then6 the pupils must ,e#t"4 a#, !e)ect the2 6th$+t rete#t$#6 that is6 listening for pleasure $ith no .uestions to #e ans$ered9 P'gina B
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After that6 SS must do an ,e#t"cat$# a#, '+,e, !e)ect$# 6th !h$rt ter2 rete#t$#6 that is6 they are gi"er a prior indication of $hat they are going to listen9 They demonstrate their comprehension immediately in some sort of exercise9 An the last stage is the ,e#t"cat$# a#, !e)ect$# 6th )$#' ter2 rete#t$#6 that is6 SS demonstrate their comprehension de"eloping acti"ities $hich re.uire the use of the material pre"iously learnt9
3.- Planning a listening lesson In order to achie"e a successful de"elopment of the listening s)ill6 it is essential to plan it "ery carefully9 A listening lesson in"ol"es considering fi"e aspects:
hat t$ 0e )ear#t8 $e ha"e to decide the listening s)ills to #e de"eloped9 In the early stages $e should concentrate on listening at the le"el of recognition9 H$6 t$ teach8 the procedure to follo$9 hat 2atera) t$ +!e8 $e ha"e to ma)e a choice regarding materials6 and it has to #e made according to t$o criteria: - The linguistic difficulty of the listening text? the text should #e $ithin the students language proficiency range9 - The learners* moti"ation? the materials used should #e moti"ating for the students9 %e should remem#er that the teacher can also #e a source of spo)en language6 he 3 she can also pro"ide input9 hat actte! 6)) 0e ,$#e8 they should also #e moti"ating and rele"ant to the students needs9
4.- Guidelines to develop the listening skill There are some guidelines that may #e useful $hen planning ho$ to de"elop pupils listening s)ill6 $hich $e*ll mention as follo$s:
/irstly6 $e must try to gi"e children the confidence? the SS should #e told that they cannot al$ays #e expected to understand e"ery $ord9 Secondly6 $e must help the SS to de"elop the strategies for listening? the most important strategy is the use of >intelligent guess$or)>6 that is6 they can use their #ac)ground )no$ledge to $or) out the meaning of a $ord9 They can also use other strategies such as predicting6 $or)ing out the meaning from the context6= The SS should #e encouraged to notice the #ody language or the $ay the spea)er use his3her "oice9 /inally6 $e must explain them $hy they ha"e to listen? this means spelling out $hich part of the message they need to focus on and $hat they are going to do #efore listening6 $hile they listening or after listening9
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%e $ill no$ focus on t$o of the aspects $hen planning a lesson6 the listening su#s)ills and the listening materials9
5.- istening su!skills The listening su#s)ills are: listening to confirm expectations6 listening to extract specific information6 listening for general understanding and inferring the spea)er*s attitude9
L!te##' t$ c$#"r2 e5%ectat$#!. %e can as) students to predict $hat they are going to listen and then6 listen to it to confirm their expectations9 In this $ay6 the students* interest is aroused and they ha"e a definite purpose for listening9 L!te##' t$ e5tract !%ec"c #"$r2at$#. -xtracting specific information $hen listening is a ma
".- istening #aterials Tal)ing a#out the listening materials6 the most useful ones are the songs6 the "ideo recordings6 the tapes and the teacher9
S$#'! are an important source of moti"ation9 They may #e used to change the pace of the lesson or to introduce cultural aspects9 They reinforce the learning process since they are "ery useful to re"ie$ and learn "oca#ulary6 pronunciation6 grammatical structures and patterns9 V,e$ rec$r,#'!: %hen using the "ideo it is essential to choose the right techni.ue depending on the purpose: recognition6 production or a com#ination of #oth9 There are se"eral reasons for using "ideo to de"elop listening s)ills:
It is a moti"ating type of material9 The pupils* imagination is fostered9 This sort of communication has an image context9 Paralinguistic features help comprehension9
Ta%e!: %e can use tapes ad
TOPIC 7
Oposiciones Magisterio: Temario Inglés
$.- istening activities The listening acti"ities can #e di"ided into pre,listening6 $hile,listening and post,listening acti"ities9 et us see each one separately9
Pre-)!te##' actte!
These acti"ities aim to $arm SS up and prepare them to achie"e the most from the passage and to arouse their interest9 %e can distinguish three types of pre,listening acti"ities: prediction acti"ities6 "oca#ulary exercises and grammar exercises9 Prediction exercises encourage the SS to dra$ inferences and increase the amount of language recognised at first hearing6 for instance:
The SS are told the topic of the listening passage and are as)ed to guess some of the $ords or phrases they thin) they might hear9 The teacher plays the first fe$ sentences of the recording and challenges the SS to $or) out $hat is going on9 The SS call out their ideas6 $hich are discussed9 Vocabulary exercises 6 for example:
The SS are gi"en a list of $ords that might occur in the listening text and are as)ed to listen for $hich ones occur and $hich do not9 The pupils do a picture and $ord matching exercise9 This has t$o ad"antages9 /irstly you can #ring certain $ords into the forefront of the SS* minds6 and secondly6 you can ensure that they )no$ the meaning of ne$ $ords9 It is not necessary that all the $ords $hich appear in the exercise should appear on the tape9
Grammar exercises6 such as gap,filling exercises6 in"ol"ing grammatical structures9 The sentences $ill #e ta)en from the listening passage9 The SS $ill chec) the ans$ers from the tape9
h)e-)!te##' actte!
%hile,listening acti"ities aim to guide the pupils to handle the information in the passage9 Three types of exercises are to #e distinguished: Ear training activities help SS in distinguishing #et$een )ey sounds6 stress and intonation patterns9 They are most suita#le in the early stages9 Global-listening exercises are aimed at helping SS to construct an o"erall sense of a text and they include: P'gina D
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Completing diagrams Pro#lem sol"ing acti"ities in $hich SS match or recognise information in a text6 for example: - The SS compare $hat they hear $ith the information gi"en to them in a picture9 They listen to see ho$ far the information the spea)er pro"ides agrees $ith6 or contradicts6 the information they $ere originally gi"en9 - Another pro#lem,sol"ing acti"ity is storyline pictures sets: the SS listen to a story or set of instructions referring to a num#er of pictures and are as)ed to recognise the pictures descri#ed and to put them in the correct order according to the passage9
Selective-listening activities are designed to help SS deri"e specific information from a text6 for instance:
Ans$ering display .uestions8 .uestions testing understanding of detail9 The .uestions can #e ans$ered indi"idually or in groups and may ta)e "arious forms: open,ended .uestions6 multiple choice .uestions6 true3false statements9 The .uestions should #e read and understood in the pre,listening stage9 /ollo$ing instructions6 that is6 listen,and,do exercises in $hich they must listen to $hat someone says6 understand it and complete a tas)9 They include picture dictation6 $here SS ha"e to dra$ a picture $hich the teacher or another S tal)s a#out $ithout sho$ing it? completing a map or picture? tracing a route on a map in order to arri"e at a particular place9 These acti"ities in"ol"e careful listening $ithout re.uiring a "er#al response9 In completion,type acti"ities SS ha"e to complete a "ersion of a story6 a description or a song $hile they listen9 Another )ind of $hile,listening acti"ity is Identifying mista)es or contradictions: SS hear t$o "ersions of a story or t$o accounts of an e"ent and ha"e to identify the points of difference9 Many games depend for their success on SS listening carefully to each other6 e9g9 Simon says6 in $hich a S in front of the class gi"es commands6 some preceded #y the $ords Simon says and others not9 The class o#eys the former only9
P$!t-)!te##' actte!
In post,listening acti"ities SS ta)e the information they ha"e gained from the listening passage and use it for another purpose composition6 discussion89 Some extension $or) can also #e done #ased on the content of the passage9
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Oposiciones Magisterio: Temario Inglés
IV.- SPEAKING 1.- Definition of the process As follo$s6 $ell concentrate on the spea)ing s)ill9 4uring the first half of this century6 this s)ill $as neglected6 since in the / teaching6 the emphasis $as on the $ritten s)ills9 Moreo"er6 spea)ing has recei"ed more attention in the last t$enty years9 Although in the 4irect and the Audio,ingual method the emphasis $as on oral communication6 students could not do free acti"ities until they ha"e mastered the ne$ language in controlled exercises6 in drills9 ;o$ it is accepted that some sort of dynamic and meaningful exercises should #e included in spea)ing lessons from the #eginning9 %hen SS are learning a /6 they $ant prompt results and spea)ing is the aim $hen they come to class9 They $ant to spea) and thats the most important thing to them9 %hen listening6 the input recei"ed can #e in a higher le"er than expected? in contrast6 $hen spea)ing6 the spea)er choose the language according to his3her le"el and thats an easy aspect in comparison $ith listening9 Although the spea)er can choose the le"el6 spea)ing is one of the most pro#lematical s)ills since successful oral communication in"ol"es many things:
To )no$ some grammar and "oca#ulary9 A#ility to ma)e the foreign sounds correctly9 To master the suprasegmental features9 /luency9 Some listening s)ills9
%hen a child is learning a /6 he usually ma)es mista)es9 A solution $ould #e to guide oral practice to a"oid the SS mista)es6 or at least to try that they ma)e as fe$ as possi#le9 Then6 the psychological aspect is important6 #ecause $hen children realise that they can spea) $ithout mista)es6 theyll #e moti"ated to go on spea)ing properly9 The main goal of spea)ing $ill #e fluency6 $hich can #e defined as the a#ility to express oneself intelligi#ly6 reasona#ly6 accurately and $ithout too much hesitation9
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2.- Planning a speaking lesson %hen planning a spea)ing lesson6 $e must #ear in mind that spea)ing acti"ities should fulfill certain re.uirements:
Acti"ities must pro"ide opportunities for language practice9 They must #e interesting9 As regard to the su#
3.- Speaking activities Spea)ing acti"ities fall into the follo$ing three categories: acti"ities #ased on repetition and imitation6 controlled acti"ities and autonomous interaction9
Actte! 0a!e, $# re%ett$# a#, 2tat$#
ittle$ood*s structural and quasi-communicative acti"ities #elong to this group9 They are preparatory acti"ities6 intended to prepare learners for communicati"e acti"ities9 The former focus on the grammatical system and on $ays in $hich items can #e com#ined9 The latter consist of t$o or more con"ersational exchanges9 4rills are an example of this type of structure,orientated exercises9 They help to assimilate facts a#out ne$ language and ena#le the student to produce the ne$ language for the first time #y helping him master the #asic structural patterns of the language9 They are usually "ery controlled and ha"e a fairly limited potential9 They shouldnt #e used either too fre.uently or for too long9 The teacher $ill insist on accuracy6 correcting $here SS ma)e mista)es9 In addition6 the SS tal)ing time can #e nota#ly increased in large groups9 There are different )inds of drills:
Re%ett$# ,r))!8 SS ha"e to repeat the sample pattern accurately and .uic)ly? e9g9 >I $ent to the mar)et and I #ought=> S+0!tt+t$# ,r))!8 SS are re.uired to replace a $ord or phrase of the model sentence #y the cue $ord3phrase pro"ided #y the teacher9 Tra#!"$r2at$# ,r))!8 e9g9 putting affirmati"e sentences in the negati"e or acti"e sentences in the passi"e9 G+e!!#' ,r))!8 they get SS to try to find out through guessing9 They are thus #ased on the information gap principle9 Some examples are: - SS thin) of something they did the pre"ious $ee)end and then they ta)e turns to find out $hat it is #y as)ing9 - SS imagine that they ha"e #een ill and they ta)e turns to find out each other*s illness #y as)ing9 P'gina ((
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C$#tr$))e, actte!
Controlled acti"ities help SS de"elop confidence and the a#ility to participate in simple con"ersations9 Texts dialogues and prose passages8 can #e exploited for oral practice9 The ad"antage of the acti"ities #ased on them o"er the drills $e ha"e loo)ed at is that they offer a $ell,defined context for practice9
Question and answer practice is one of the commonest $ays of gi"ing language practice in the classroom9 Other techni.ues are right / wrong statements and corrections 9 SS are as)ed to say $hether a statement is right or $rong $ithin the context of the text and6 if it is $rong6 they gi"e the correct "ersion? or they are as)ed to correct statements9 A third techni.ue can #e !tat#' c$#!e+e#ce!6 in $hich the SS ha"e to say $hat happened as a result of an e"ent or action descri#ed9
T: Colum#us disco"ered America9 S(: Other people follo$ed him9 S0: It changes the story of the $orld9 Pair$or) acti"ities pro"ide SS $ith a greater amount of meaningful practice9 There are "arious types of pair$or) acti"ities: model dialogue and )ey $ords6 gapped dialogues6 cue $ords6 picture cards6 language games6 decision, ma)ing acti"ities and .uestionnaires9 et us outline each one of them:
Model dialogue and key words: SS $or) $ith a set of @,B dialogues related to the same theme together $ith a list of )ey $ords $hich they can use to produce different dialogues9 In gaed dialogues one of the spea)ers has to supply the missing utterances9 The spea)er*s missing $ords may also #e cued #y indicating $hat functions he has to express6 e9g9
A9, 9999999999 invite somebody to go out with you89 F9, Sorry6 I*m #usy9 A9, 9999999999 suggest another day89 F9, Ges6 that $ould #e fine9 A9, 9999999999 suggest a time89 F9, All right9 See you then9
!uewords: SS are gi"en cards $ith a num#er of cue$ords on them6 around $hich a dialogue can #e modelled6 and a model dialogue to $or) $ith9 Picture cards can #e used for a range of acti"ities: - Finding uses? SS ha"e to find uses for an o#
TOPIC 7
Oposiciones Magisterio: Temario Inglés
- Association activities? SS ha"e to lin) t$o o#
use6 material6 etc9 "anguage games also help to impro"e spea)ing s)ills6 e9g9 Hide and seek 6 $here SS Hhide and o#
A+t$#$2$+! #teract$#
The last type of spea)ing acti"ities is related to the autonomous interaction6 that aims to get from the students a free production of language9 Communicati"e acti"ities pro"ide the learners opportunities to use the language for themsel"es9 The opportunity to say something has to #e gi"en to them6 so that they can see for themsel"es the "alue and use of $hat they are learning9 The acti"ities must #e geared to the learners* needs and the teacher should formulate the tas)s in terms that SS can understand and ensure that the instructions are clear9 If the tas) is "ery complex6 it is ad"isa#le to set up a rehearsal #efore as)ing SS to start9 Moreo"er6 the teacher should: ma)e sure that e"ery#ody spea)s -nglish and that e"erything runs smoothly9 set up mixed a#ility pairs3groups #ecause SS learn from one another9 elicit or pre,teach the language SS $ill need during the acti"ity9 monitor the tas) discreetly9 & 3 S should inter"ene only if he3she is .uite certain that learners cannot manage on their o$n9 should not )eep correcting and demand too high a standard of accuracy9 P'gina (5
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ittle$ood distinguishes t$o types of communicati"e acti"ities: functional communication and social interaction9 a$ %unctional communication acti"ities in"ol"e the communication of information9 They ha"e to o"ercome an information gap or sol"e a pro#lem9 Fy Jinformation gap* ittle$ood means a type of acti"ity in $hich one or more of the SS has to get information from someone else9 Some examples of these acti"ities are the follo$ing:
4isco"ering identical pairs: one S has to find $hich of four other has the same picture as his9 4isco"ering missing information: t$o SS each ha"e an incomplete ta#le and each has to get missing information from other9 4isco"ering secrets guessing games89 These games are accuracy, focussed games chose purpose is to reinforce $hat has already #een taught9 /or example Twenty questions! one player thin)s of a famous person or place and the others try to find out $hat #y as)ing no more than t$enty .uestions89
b$ Social interaction acti"ities in"ol"e simulation and role,play9 In a simulation SS act as themsel"es gi"ing directions to a passer,#y outside the school86 $hile in a role,play they act as someone else9 /or role "lay the class is usually di"ided into small groups $ho are gi"en situations and roles to act out9
They are different $ays of pro"iding a frame$or) for role,play practice: #"en-ended dialogues6 e9g9 dialogues $hich lea"e the learners free to decide ho$ to de"elop them9 $a""ed dialogues: SS are gi"en functional cues on separate cards9 %e may define the relationship #et$een the t$o spea)ers6 e9g9 they are friends9 ( In"ite F to go out $ith you ( 4ecline 0 Suggest another possi#ility 0 Accept 5 Confirm arrangements 5 Agree %ole instructions descri#e the situation and tell the participants ho$ they should interact9 -xample: you go into a #oo)shop to #uy a #oo) descri#e author and title89 As) the #oo)seller is he has the #oo)9 If the #oo) is not a"aila#le6 decide $hether to order it9
Other acti"ities are discussions and fluency,focussed games6 i9e9 games in $hich SS use language rather than simply practise it6 for example in a de#ate to choose the SS that $ill controll the class li#rary9
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Oposiciones Magisterio: Temario Inglés
V.- SUMMAR3 To summarise6 in this topic $e ha"e dealt $ith the oral s)ills listening and spea)ing86 $hich6 in the /oreign anguage Area curriculum6 are stressed o"er the $ritten s)ills reading and $riting89 %e"e gi"en some guidelines in order to ma)e a proper planning and $e"e suggest some of the acti"ities $e can do $hen teaching #oth s)ills9
VI.- REFERENCES
The techniques o& 'anguage Teaching #y Fillo$s6 /99 Teaching 'anguage as communication #y %iddo$son6 &9!9 Oxford Kni"ersity Press9 Teaching #ral (nglish #y Fyrne6 49 Pu#lished in (ED9 )etting Students to Talk #y !ole$io$s)a6 A9 Pu#lished in (EE9
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