What are the things to consider by teachers in teaching speaking?

The strategies used in teaching speaking that are proposed by several experts are activities such as
role play, drilling, games, picture describing, and storytelling. Role-plays are activities where
students are asked to pretend to be in a setting of social contexts and various social roles (Harmer,
2001; Thornbury, 2002).

The statement suggests that some English language teachers may still rely on outdated methods
such as repetitive drills or memorization of dialogues to teach speaking skills. Instead of encouraging
natural conversation and interaction, students may be asked to repeat phrases or memorize pre-
written dialogues, which may not effectively develop their ability to communicate fluently and
spontaneously in English. This approach often focuses more on rote learning than on practical
application and real-life communication.

examples of discussion points:

a) The impact of social media on interpersonal relationships and communication skills.

b) The role of technology in education: How does it enhance or hinder learning?

c) The importance of cultural diversity in the classroom and its influence on students' perspectives.

d) The effectiveness of standardized testing in assessing students' knowledge and abilities.

e) The benefits and drawbacks of homeschooling compared to traditional schooling methods.

These discussion points can spark engaging conversations and encourage critical thinking among
students on various topics relevant to education and society.

The activity described is a collaborative storytelling exercise where each student contributes to the
narrative using the last word spoken by the previous student. This activity encourages creativity,
collaboration, and quick thinking among participants as they work together to construct a coherent
storyline.

Example activity related to the statement:

*another term (Story Around The Circle) Improve your child's imagination, creativity, and
communication skills

Setup: Gather a group of students in a circle or sitting in a line.

Beginning the Story: The first student begins the story with a sentence, using any word they choose.
For example, "Once upon a time, there was a magical forest."

Passing the Story: The next student continues the story, starting with the last word of the previous
sentence. If the previous sentence ended with "forest," the next student might say, "Forest
creatures roamed freely under the canopy of trees."

Continuation: The story continues, with each student building upon the narrative using the last word
spoken by the previous student. For instance, if the last word was "trees," the next student might
say, "Trees whispered secrets to the wind as the sunset."
Completing the Story: The activity continues until every student has had a chance to contribute,
creating a collaborative and imaginative story that evolves based on the last word spoken by each
participant.

This activity fosters listening skills, vocabulary expansion, and storytelling abilities while promoting
teamwork and creativity among students.

The statement outlines various interactive speaking activities designed to enhance students'
communication skills and promote active participation in the classroom. Here's a breakdown of each
activity along with examples:

Short Speeches: Students deliver brief speeches on given topics within a specified time frame. For
example, students might speak about their favorite hobby, a memorable experience, or an
influential person in their lives.

Guess the Picture: One student holds a picture, and the other student asks questions to guess what
the picture depicts. For instance, the picture could be of a famous landmark, an animal, or a
historical event.

Role Play: Students enact scenarios where they assume different roles in various social contexts. For
example, students might role-play a job interview, a restaurant interaction, or a customer service
encounter.

Interviews: Students conduct interviews with interesting personalities in their community and
present their findings to the class. This could involve interviewing a local artist, a community leader,
or a business owner.

Narrating Weekend Experiences: Students share amusing or interesting experiences from their
weekends with a friend or classmate. This activity encourages storytelling and fosters interpersonal
communication skills.

Conversation Games: Engaging games are used to stimulate conversation and interaction among
students. Examples include word association games, storytelling games, or question-and-answer
games related to the lesson topic.

Class Debates: Students participate in structured debates on relevant topics, presenting arguments
and counterarguments to defend their positions. This activity promotes critical thinking, research
skills, and persuasive communication.

These activities provide students with opportunities to practice speaking in different contexts,
develop their language skills, and build confidence in expressing themselves effectively. They also
encourage active engagement and collaboration among students in the learning process.

What is a repetitive drill?

This is a repetition drill, a technique that is still used by many teachers when introducing new
language items to their students. The teacher says (models) the word or phrase and the students
repeat it. Other types of drills include substitution drills or question-and-answer drills.

Role play activities

SPEAKING ACTIVITIES THROUGH ROLE-PLAYS.

Through role-plays, students are assigned roles and put into situations that they may eventually
encounter outside the classroom (e.g. a patient to a doctor’s office, a customer in a shop, a
salesperson, a clerk, etc.)As role plays are an imitation of real life, the range of language functions
that students use through them varies considerably. Also, role plays and simulations make students,
especially hesitant ones, more motivated and self-confident. They play their parts and use language
meaningfully and with appropriate intonation.

Discussion activities

Discussion activities ask for setting a purpose. Teachers usually do this, so that students don’t just
waste time chatting about irrelevant things. Discussions evolve around actual real-life topics such as
environment, technology, health issues, lifestyles, cultures, etc. Through discussion activities,
students aim to conclude, share opinions, give solutions, or agree or disagree on a certain issue. In
pairs or groups of three or four students organize discussions. They boost students’ critical thinking
and make them ask questions, clarify and support ideas, and respect others’ opinions.

students can engage in agree/disagree discussions where they form small groups, preferably 4 or 5
members each, and debate controversial statements like "people learn best when they read vs.
people learn best when they travel." Each group explores their topic within a set time frame,
presenting their views to the class. Equal participation among group members is essential, and the
class selects the group that best defends their idea. This activity promotes critical thinking and
prompt decision-making while teaching students to express and justify their opinions respectfully.

Debates

Debates are persuasive speaking activities. Here students keep an attitude, give opinions, and justify
them giving arguments to support ideas. Students debate in a polite way on challenging topics.
These topics are prompted by the teacher or found in the course book. The topic of debate should
be related to students’ preferences and level of language knowledge. Blending theatre with debate
and role-play makes the activity both fun and rewarding.

Picture describing

Another way to make students speak is by showing them one or two pictures. Then, and ask them to
describe what is in them. Students discuss the picture in detail: the people, the setting, the weather,
feelings, etc. It can be conducted in pairs or individually. This activity fosters the creativity and
imagination of the learners. It also develops their public speaking skills.

Storytelling

STORY TELLLING

WE SPEAK BETTER BY TELLING STORIES

Students can briefly summarize a tale or story they have listened to or read. They may create their
own stories to tell to the class. Storytelling fosters creative thinking and boosts students’
imagination. Students express ideas in chronological order making use of appropriate linking words.
They describe characters and their feelings as well as events spread in time and space.

Interviews

Students can conduct interviews on selected topics with various people. It is a good idea to prepare
interviews on real-life topics. This way, students feel free to ask and answer questions. Students take
roles and then swap them to have a diverse share of opinions. Conducting interviews with each
other allows students to practice their speaking ability not only in class. It also helps them become
more socialized outside the classroom.

These activities make students more active in the learning process. At the same time, it makes their
learning of the English language more meaningful and entertaining for them.