Teaching speaking

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 Harmer, J. (2007). “Teaching speaking�. How to teach English Essex: Pearson.