Teaching Oral Communication: An Activity Based Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to help teachers to motivate learners to speak English

by using language games and activities in the language classroom. It argues against

the misconception that learning can only be done in a silent atmosphere and noise

in a class means ‘no learning’ is taking place whereas in language learning classes-

‘more noise means more communication’. It also attempts to show that games are

not only gap-filling activities; they are a useful device for teaching oral

communication without being monotonous. This paper also emphasizes that games

are one of the best examples of collaborative approach.

Introduction:

Speaking is “the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal

and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contents” (Chaney, 1998.p.13).Speaking is

a crucial part of second language learning and teaching. Despite, its importance,

for many years, teaching speaking has been undervalued and English language

teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a repetition of drills or

memorization of dialogues. However, today’s world requires that the goal of

teaching speaking should improve students’ communicative skills, because, only in

that way ,students can express themselves and learn how to follow the social and

cultural rules appropriate in each communicative circumstances.

What is “teaching speaking”?

Teaching speaking is to teach ESL learners to:

Produce English speech sounds and sound patterns.

Use words and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the

second language.

Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social

settings, audience, situation and subject matter.

Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence.

Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments.

Use the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses, which

is called as fluency. (Nunan,2003)

How to teach speaking:

Now many linguists and ESL teachers agree that students learn to speak the second

language by “interacting”. Communicative language teaching and collaborative

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learning are the most suitable for this purpose. Communicative language teaching

is based on real-life situations that require communication. By using this method in

ESL classes, students will have the opportunity of communicating with each other

in the target language. In brief, ESL teachers should create a classroom

environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities, and

meaningful tasks that promote oral language. This can occur when students

collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task.

Teaching speaking through language games and activities:

By definition, games are full of fun and nearly everyone would agree that if

learning is enjoyable, the students will learn more. Games provide an excellent

opportunity to use grammar, build vocabulary network and choose appropriate

word for their purpose and suitable for their context.

We should discard the misconception which is that all learning should be solemn in

nature and that if one is having fun and there is hilarity and enjoyment, it is not

learning. This assertion is entirely faulty, simply because it is possible to learn a

language as well as enjoy oneself at the same time. It appears that one of the best

ways of doing it is through playing and participating in language learning games.

The difficulties that teachers face in language learning classrooms are most of the

time lack of motivation of students to learn English.

To take up this challenge, teachers must permanently have recourse to language

games and songs to enhance the learner’s desire to learn the language. It is obvious

that a student is always a student no matter how old she/he is. Students learn better

when they have the feeling that they are making progress and realize that there is

some achievement. This happens when the atmosphere in the classroom facilitates

it. There are varieties of activities that create this kind of language learning games.

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Playing a game is a great opportunity to repeat the material in a way which is

encouraging and not intimidating. If the teachers add the element of challenge and

competition to it and take immense care so that the material caters to the needs of a

larger range of students and learning techniques which suits them; the outcome

will be great and satisfactiory.

Games and songs are easy ways of learning without being monotonous. Learning

should never generate boredom. Games therefore are relevant for adult classes too,

provided they are adapted and geared up to the learners’ level.

Games have been shown to possess advantages and effectiveness in learning

vocabulary in various ways. First of all everyone knows that games bring

relaxation and enjoyment for students. This can be simply inferred from for fact

that they help learners learn and retain new words and structure more easily.

Second, games usually invite friendly competition and keep learners interest level

boosted up.

In the same line, it is possible to say that the vocabulary games bring real world

content and real life situations and enhance students’ use of the English language

in a flexible and communicative way.

There is one aspect that teachers should not overlook. Whenever a game is to be

conducted, number of students, their proficiency level, their cultural context,

duration, and learning topic and classroom settings are factors that really have to

be taken into account.

Teaching language through games is task-based and has a certain purpose beyond

the production of accurate speech. They are examples of the most preferable

communicative activities. Games highlight not only the competence but also the

performance of the learner. They have a purpose and are organized according to

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rules, and they are enjoyable. Most games require choral responses or group works.

They are generally used after the presentation, in the practice part, because such

communicative task can only be handled after mastering sufficient grammartical

and lexical competence. Through well-planned games, learners can put into

practice and internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively. Play and

competition that are provided by games enhance the motivation of the young

learners. They also reduce the stress in the classroom. While playing games, the

learners’ attention is on the message, not on language. For teachers using the

games based platform in class is sometimes a real challenge. Games may have a

number of potentials for foreign or second language learning. Most of these

potentials are associated with the ability of games to provide learning environment

that contextualize knowledge and provide immersive experiences for learners. As

suggested by a recent review in languages, technology and learning (Milton, 2006)

learning a language is different from any other subject in the curriculum as it

combines explicit learning of vocabulary and language rules with unconscious skill

development in the fluent application of both these things. For language learners

this implies that they should be able to master both grammatical knowledge and

fluency, the latter being often difficult to provide in classrooms where a couple of

lessons a week may fail to provide the meaningful exposure to the foreign

language required for learning. Games have been part of language learning for

decades, and have had a role in supporting communicative approaches to language

learning, i.e. in providing authentic and meaningful opportunities for language

production and use.

In addition to these puzzles and minigames such as hangman has been associated

with a move from the teaching of discrete grammatical structures to the promotion

of communicative ability (Warschaur & Kem 2000, 1). According to Mcedonia

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(2005) games may serve to proceduralize foreign language knowledge, i.e. to

encourage and support fluency against the generally rule-based, declarative

approach to foreign language teaching. In moving from declarative to procedural

knowledge game-based language learning may serve to provide practice as well as

a basis for the repetition of grammatical structures in the foreign language.

In order to teach second language learners how to speak in the best way possible,

some speaking activities are provided below. In learning any productive skills like

speaking and writing; receptive skills like listening and reading come first. For

teaching speaking, listening cannot be ignored.Listening is more than merely

hearing words.Listening is an active process by which students receive, construct

meaning from and respond to spoken and nonverbal messages (Emmert, 1994). As

such it forms an integral part of communication and should not be isolated and

ignored. Earlier it was not given due attention but it is a proven fact that the

complicated process of speaking starts from “ears”. And it is rightly said that those

who are deaf are unable to speak. Listening activities are first presented in this

paper because it is necessary to do enough listening before speaking which is a

productive skill.

Listening activities:

1. Listening to an instruction:

Who’s got what?

This activity is based on the Total Physical Response Method. Here, students are

required to do the focussed listening and follow the instructions.Instructions are

very helpful in teaching speaking; if the students can follow the instuctions, it

means that learning is taking place and students will able to do the task.

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In this activity, we move from easy to advance level.

Materials required: 1 copy, 1 pen, 1 coin, and 1 ball on a table. Each table

should have four students numbering 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Time needed: 15-20 mins

Level: primary.

The teacher should ensure that the students remember their numbers correctly.

Instruction: Listen to the track and follow the instructions.

Track 1:

No.3 Pick up the book

No.2 Pick up the pen and the coin

No.1 Pick up the ball

No.2 Hand the pen to no.1

No.1 Give the ball to no.4

No.3 Take the coin from no.2

No.3 Pass the book to no.4

No.4 Hand the book to no.2

No.3 Give the coin to no.4

No.1 Take the ball from no.4

No.2 Take the coin from no.4

No.3 Take the pen from no.1

And now you are done.

Now teacher will check by asking, who’s got what and if the students have followed

the instructions properly they should have:

No.1 should have a ball

No.2 should have a book and a coin

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No.3 should have a pen

No.4 doesnot have anything

Apart from listening, the teacher can also emphasize on the phrases like; pick up,

take, get rid of, you are done...

Track 2:

Level: secondary.

Instruction: Listen to the track and follow the instructions.

Are you ready?

No.1 Pick up the ball and give it to no.4

No.2 Pick up the pen and coin and hand the coin to no.1

No.4 Take the pen from no.2 and give it to no.1

No.3 Get the book from the table. No.4 Trade your object with no.3. No.2 Take

both objects from no.1 then give the pen to no.4

No.1 don’t do anything, just be patient

Now let’s speed things up a little

No.2 Give the coin to no.1 and take the book from no.4. No.1 get rid of that coin

put it on the table. No.2 Take the pen from no.4 and pick up the coin. No.1 Take

the coin from no.2 and trade it for what no.3 has got. No.4 Take the book from

no.2 and the pen too. No.2 Take the book

No.1 Take the pen. No.4 Take the coin

No.2 and no.4 Trade.

No.1 Give the ball to no.3

No.1 Give your thing to no.4

No.2 Trade with no.3

Now teacher will check- who’s got what?

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No.1 doesnot have anything.

No.2 should have a ball.

No.3 should have a coin.

No.4 doesnot have anything.

2. Arranging countries names:

Materials required: CD player/tape recorder/computer, a copy and a pen

Time needed: 5 -10 mins.

Level: secondary.

Students listen to the country names on CD and note down, this will improve their

pronunciation and it is a dictation activity and it is good for ear-training. These are

the country names played on a CD player:

Part 1:

Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia,

Sri Lankan, India, Nepal

Part 2:

Zambia, Tanzania, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana

Part 3:

South Africa, Uganda, Jamaica, Kenya, Cameroon, Serra Lone, Zimbabwe,

Ireland and the UK

Part 4:

Canada, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and the USA,

Trinidad and Tobago

In order to check the teacher will play the C.D. again so that the students get the

country names correctly as well as in correct order.

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2. Actions: This is also based on Total Physical Response method, student will

follow the instructions played on C.D. by this activity teacher can simultaneously

check the student.

Material required: C.D.

Time limit: 5 – 10 mins.

Level: primary.

Divide the class into equal number of students in rows. The students should have

one arm distance between each other and play the C.D. The students will listen and

do the activity together

Clap your hands

Jump on one leg

And turn around

Now jump on two legs

Put your hands in ears

Sit down

Jump like a kangaroo

Turn around

Put your finger on your mouth

Scratch your cheeks

Pretend you are singing

Laugh a lot

SPEAKING ACTIVITIES:

All the four skills are integrated; in language learning speaking always comes after

listening. Of all the four skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing),

Speaking seems to be the most important and is demand. Here are some of the

activities for teaching speaking.

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1. Picture sequencing: pictures are a good resource and a rich base and stimulus

for the development of speaking.This is a creative activity, student will make their

stories with the help of vocabulary provided.

Materials: picture strips.

Time needed: 10- 15 mins.

Level: secondary.

Students are provided different pictures strips and they have to make stories by

connecting the different blocks of pictures with the sentences. With each picture

strips, vocabulary reinforcement is provided.For example:

Vocabulary reinforcement- crow, thirsty, pebbles, jar, water, water-level, think,

drink, clever.

In the first slide, a thirsty crow is shown which is in search of water.

In the second slide, he found water in a container.

In the third, he tried to drink but couldnot drink it.

In the fourth, he got an idea to raise the water level.

In the fifth slide, he started bringing pebbles.

In the sixth, he started throwing it into the container.

In the last slide, he drank water.

2. Animal game:

The class would be divided into pairs. One student will be showing picture and

asking the questions and finding out the answers from his partner.

Materials: pictures of animals

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Time needed: 10-15 mins.

Students will ask questions about the animal picture they picked like cat;

Student 1: What is its name?

Student 2: It’s a cat.

Student 1: Where does it live?

Student 2: It lives in homes.

Student 1: What does it eat?

Student 2: It eats mouse and drinks milk.

Student 1: Is it a wild animal or a domestic animal?

Student 2: It’s a pet animal.

3.Board game:

Material: board, dices, tokens of different colour

Time needed: 20 mins.

Students are divided into teams each team will take one dice. Each player will

select different tokens and the first player of the first team will roll the dice and

select the block according to the number on dice and the game will go on with each

student doing the activity in each block.

Blocks of the board game can be based on the question of real life situation,

vocabulary and they can also be on grammar.

For example: the first student throws the dice and the displayed is say four. He has

to do the language activity in the house four.

Conclusion:

Games are one of the best second language learning activities. Classes for adults

which contain games and competitions, there is an element of team guessing which

is refreshing, and apt for practicing communication skills in a classroom. Songs,

pictures and games give students a lot of positive emotions and this is also a basic

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tool in studies. Games are useful devices by which one can create an interesting

activity. Students learn grammar items without any hiccups. Moreover, it helps

teachers to break open the cocoon to encourage their participation.

Well-chosen games and songs are really invaluable as they give the students

opportunities to practice language skills. They play a paramount role in English.

Language teaching games are highly motivating and can be used to give practice in

all language skills and can be used to practice real life communication.

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