INTERNATIONAL HOUSE CERTIFICATE IN TEACHING LANGUAGES

Speaking Skills
written by Paula Ellis Freelance
Trainers Notes
List of contents of this session
List of contents
Overview of the session and its main aims
Session outline

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3

Stages
Notes to tutor for stage 1
Materials for stage 1

Page 4
Page 5

Notes to tutor for stage 2

Materials for stage 2

Page 6
Page 7

Notes to tutor for stage 3

Materials for stage 3

Page 8
Page 10

Notes to tutor for stage 4

Materials for stage 4

Page 12
Page 13

Notes to tutor for stage 5

Materials for stage 5

Page 14
Page 15

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Overview of the session and its main aims

The main aim of this session is to introduce what features are included in the
speaking skill, discover some generative speaking skills activities, consider the
role of the teacher in speaking skills lessons, examine how and when we can
develop students speaking skills in the classroom and look at how to solve some
common problems that can occur in speaking skills lessons.
Stage 1 asks trainees to consider what is involved in speaking. This includes
paralinguistic features and considering the speakers purpose eg. transactional or
interactional speech.
Stage 2 gives trainees an opportunity to evaluate a range of successful speaking
activity types and consider what students would gain from the activity.
Stage 3 focuses on the roles of the teacher before, during and after a speaking
activity and when to include feedback and correction.
Stage 4 focuses on how to include speaking skills in the language classroom in
different lesson types and also focuses on the differences between an accuracy
and a fluency approach.
The final stage, Stage 5 is a focus on some of the typical problems that can
occur with speaking skills lessons and find ways to solve them
Further Reading:
The CELTA Course, Thornbury & Watkins, CUP, 2007, Chapter 13
The TKT Course, Spratt, Pulverness & Williams, CUP, 2005, Unit 8
How to Teach English, Harmer, Longman, 2007, Chapter 9
Practice of English Language Teaching, Harmer, Longman, 2007, Chapter 20
Learning Teaching, Scrivener, Macmillan, 2005, Chapter 7
How to Teach Speaking, Thornbury, 2005, Longman
Tasks for Teacher Education, Tanner & Green, Longman, 1998, Chapter 7

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Session Outline
Stage 1: What does the speaking skill involve?
a) Trainees discuss the differences between accuracy and
fluency speaking.
b) Trainees consider some of the elements that are involved
in speaking, from paralinguistic features to the purpose of
speech and the etiquette involved in having a conversation.
c) trainees discuss the different types of speaking eg.
transactional and interactional and consider the difference
between planned and unplanned speaking.

15 - 20 minutes

Stage 2: Successful speaking activities.

a) Trainees review popular speaking activities in a range of
available coursebooks and evaluate the outcomes for
students.
b) Trainees present their findings to the others in the group.

20 - 25 minutes

Stage 3: Analysing the teachers roles

a) Trainees discuss the role of the teacher pre, during and
post task.
b) Trainees focus on feedback and correction after speaking.

10 minutes

Stage 4: When and why we work on the speaking skill in

the classroom?
a) Trainees consider when students have opportunities for
speaking in different lesson types.
b) Trainees evaluate how speaking can be included into more
lessons.

10 - 15 minutes

Stage 5: Troubleshooting Problems

a) Trainees discuss some typical problems that can occur
with speaking activities and think of ways to solve them.

10 15 minutes

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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 1

Main aims of this stage:
To introduce the key features of the speaking skill and what this
involves.
Time:
15 - 20 minutes
Materials: materials for stage 1, sheet 1 copied onto an OHT
Procedure:
1
Display the first three words on OHT1 and group students to discuss
what they think the 3 words mean. After 5 minutes, conduct class
feedback and elicit trainee responses. An interesting definition you
could give for accuracy is the correct use of grammar, vocabulary and
pronunciation and fluency is speaking at normal speed, without
hesitation, repetition or self-correction, with the smooth use of
connected speech. If time, ask trainees to comment on the definitions.
2

Give students a time limit of five minutes to brainstorm in their groups

what we do when we speak to each other you can supply some
prompts regarding non-verbal communication (eg. eye contact), types
of speaking function (eg agreeing, disagreeing) and speaking
etiquette (eg. turn-taking).

Once the trainees have had time to brainstorm, reveal some of the
points on the OHT and ask them to compare their ideas. You may
wish to add some of the trainees ideas to the list or clarify any points
they didnt come up during their brainstorm.

Ask students to discuss the differences between planned speech acts

and unplanned speech acts and interactional and transactional
speaking. In groups, they should try to think of some examples of
these that they have recently participated in.

Conduct class feedback on their examples. You can display the

information about interactional and transactional speech on the OHT.
To finish, mention to trainees that having a clear purpose is a key
element of a successful speaking activity and the next part of the
session will go into this in more detail.

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MATERIALS FOR STAGE 1 OHT 1

FLUENCY

COMMUNICATION

ACCURACY

asking and answering questions

use of facial expressions
turn taking and interrupting
use of gesture
using intonation and stress
emphasising points
confirming understanding
clarifying misunderstanding
agreeing and disagreeing
responding to the speaker
listening actively
making eye contact

Interactional speaking is designed to foster and maintain positive

relationships and is mainly used for social purposes. These range from
asking your partner about his or her day to chatting with someone at a bus
stop. Greeting your students as they come into class is another example
of interactional speaking.

Transactional speaking is when the speaker has a particular purpose and

wishes to obtain information from another. An example of this could be
asking for information about train times at the station. It is a common form
of classroom speaking as students are often asked to find out information
from other students to provide them with a purpose for speaking.
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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 2

Main aims of this stage:
To evaluate speaking activities in commonly used coursebooks and
evaluate what students would gain from the activity types.
Time:
20 25 minutes
Materials: materials for stage 2, sheet 2 on OHT 2 (or write the list on the
board), a selection of coursebooks. (Optional to include books such as
Keep Talking, Discussions that work, Speaking Personally, Conversation
Gambits, Discussions A Z etc if available)
Procedure:
1
Display OHT 2 and ask trainees to describe to their partner the types
of speaking activity listed and if they have used or observed their use
to date.
2

Group trainees and tell them they are to look at the selection of
coursebooks (or supplementary resources) they have been given and
find examples of the activities listed on the OHT. Explain that they
might not find all the examples listed and that some activity types may
be used on several occasions.

Once trainees have found a range of activities, allocate a particular

type of activity to each group and ask them to analyse what the
students will need to do to complete the activity (refer back to the
points raised in Stage 1 eg, turn taking, interrupting, checking
understanding etc). They should also decide if the activity is for
fluency or accuracy. Finally, they should decide on what the outcome of
the speaking activity will be for students.

Either jigsaw the groups or if time allows, encourage each group to

give a brief presentation on their activity.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION STAGE: give trainees some criteria for

evaluation of activities, eg. is the activity intrinsically motivating?, is it
easy to set up?, are there opportunities for all students to participate?,
is there a clear outcome?, does the activity allow students to use their
language store?, can it be adapted for different levels? etc

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MATERIALS FOR STAGE 2 OHT 2

Speaking Activity Types

Debates

Discussions

Role Plays

Ranking or Ordering Activities

Information Gaps

Surveys

Questionnaires

Guessing Games

Board Games

Presentations

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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 3

Main aims of this stage:
To discuss the different teacher roles that are appropriate for pre,
during and post speaking activity and to focus on the style of
feedback and correction that is suitable for the activity
Time:
10 minutes
Materials: Materials for stage 3 sheet 3
Procedure:
1
Put trainees into small groups of threes or fours and ask them to
discuss what they think a teachers role is in a speaking activity
active or passive, involved or on the periphery.
2

Hand out Sheet 3 for the trainees to discuss in their groups. Explain
that you would like them to comer to an agreement on their answers.

After the trainees have finished in their groups, organise a mingle peer
feedback stage for the trainees to discuss their ideas with trainees
from other groups.

Conduct a brief class feedback,

Answer Key
1 What should a teacher check prior to beginning a speaking activity
consider materials, room arrangement and students.
Check that the language needed is within the students abilities. Ensure
that the topic is generative and culturally appropriate. Students need to
know something about a topic to discuss it in any depth. Ensure that the
room is set up for students to see and hear each other easily. Remember
that eye contact is important for most speaking activities and it is usually
unnecessary for students to see the whiteboard. Set up groups and pairs
carefully; allocate roles for students to ensure participation is equal. Also,
make sure that, as the teacher, you understand the instructions well and
allocate an appropriate time limit for the task.
2 What monitoring style is most useful for a speaking activity?
It is important to monitor all groups of students quickly initially to ensure
they are on task and are all participating. Then monitor each group again,
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making a note of how the students are completing the task, if they are
taking any shortcuts or getting caught up in tangents. Make a note of
language used throughout the activity both good examples and some
common errors that you hear (these can be grammatical, lexical or
phonological.) It is also helpful to assess students communication
strategies this can be their ability to interrupt, get their point across
politely or forcefully and invite others to give their opinion.
3 Should the teacher participate in the activity? Why/why not?
It is generally better for the teacher not to participate in the activity as this
will reduce the opportunities for the students to speak and change the
balance of power. Students often defer to the teachers opinion and it can
quickly become a monologue! If the teacher takes part in the activity, it also
prevents them from monitoring effectively.
4 What decisions might the teacher make during the activity?
The teacher might decide to adjust the time limit for the activity if he or she
feels the students need more or less time. They may decide to manage the
participation by moving students or expanding smaller buzz groups into
larger groups or by reducing the groups size for a future activity. The
teacher may also prioritise areas to focus on in feedback and make a note
of how the students responded to the task type for future reference.
5 What form should feedback take after the activity?
It is very important for the teacher to allow students to give feedback on
the content of the activity before dealing with language errors. Some
students are resistant to free speaking activities as they feel they dont
receive useful feedback. Always consider how the students achieved the
task, and think of giving them feedback on their communication strategies
as well as the interesting, correct, or incorrect language they used to
achieve the task. One wonderful way to allow students to monitor their
own speaking abilities is to video record students as they complete a
speaking activity and then watch the recording as a class this is
obviously dependent on school resources and technical know-how!

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MATERIALS FOR STAGE 3 Sheet 3

1

What should a teacher check prior to beginning a speaking activity

consider materials, room arrangement and students.

What monitoring style is most useful for a speaking activity?

Should the teacher participate in the activity? Why/why not?

What decisions might the teacher make during the activity?

What form should feedback take after the activity?

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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 4

Main aims of this stage:
To look at when speaking is included in different lesson types and
consider how this can be maximised.
To consider the differences between an accuracy and fluency
approach.
Time:
10 - 15 minutes
Materials: Materials for stage 4, sheet 4
Procedure:
1 Divide the trainees into pairs. Ask them to consider the types of lessons
or lesson stages that allow for real speaking opportunities and elicit some
of their ideas.
2 Instruct the pairs to look at Sheet 4 and decide which of the stages of the
given lesson types allow for real communicative opportunities.
3 Allow trainees an opportunity to discuss their ideas with another pair
before class feedback.
4 In class feedback, focus on how every stage provided allows for some
communicative opportunity. The receptive skills lesson in particular allows
authentic communication in the lead-in stage, the prediction stage, the
response to text stage and the post-reading or post-listening stage. The
language lesson approach should include students speaking in the context
stage and the language focus by eliciting ideas and asking open
questions. Both controlled practice and freer practice should allow for
speaking even written gap fills! Students should be asked to justify their
answers to a partner and the teacher in feedback. It is important to stress
that simply doing an activity isnt sufficient; if they are able, students
should be encouraged to talk about the process also.
5 Ask trainees to consider how often they ask their students to speak in
lessons and discuss how they could extend these opportunities or build in
more opportunities for speaking. Ask them to think about whether the
speaking they encourage has more of a focus on accuracy or fluency, are
students always aware of the outcome of the speaking, are there
opportunities for students to personalise the topics, does the teacher allow
for interaction speaking in the classroom?
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6 Conduct an open classroom feedback stage on these questions to finish

this stage.
MATERIALS FOR STAGE 4 Sheet 4

Receptive Skills Lessons

Lead in stage

Prediction Stage

Peer Feedback Stage

Response to Text stage

Post Listening or Post Reading Task Stage

Language Lessons

Context Setting Stage

Language Analysis Stage (focus on meaning, form and pronunciation)

Controlled Practice Stage

Freer Practice Stage

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NOTES TO TUTOR FOR STAGE 5

Main aims of this stage:
To look at some typical problems that can occur with speaking skills
activities and how to solve them
Time:
10 - 15 minutes
Materials: materials for stage 5 sheets 5 and 6
Procedure:
1
Group trainees into threes and give instructions for the next task.
Trainees should brainstorm possible solutions to the problems on the
cards in their groups.

Once the trainees are underway, you can choose to hand out the
solutions cards for them to match up.

Give trainees more time to think of any other problems and solutions
that they can add to their lists and share with the other groups in
feedback.

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MATERIALS FOR STAGE 5 Sheet 5 Problem Cards (to be cut up)

The students dont have

anything to say on the topic.

The students are nervous

about talking because they are
worried about making
mistakes.

The students are embarrassed

or shy about talking.

The students are worried about

not having enough language to
complete the activity.

The students are reluctant to

work in groups.

The students tend to resort to

their first language in speaking
activities.

Some students dominate and

The students race to finish the
other students dont participate activity as quickly as possible.
fully.

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MATERIALS FOR STAGE 5 Sheet 6 Answer Cards (to be cut up)

Allow time for students to

prepare for a task and provide
a lead in activity for speaking
tasks, eg brainstorming etc.

Dont include correction at the

end of every speaking activity,
and dont interrupt speaking
activities to correct students.

Create a supportive classroom

environment and provide
students with a lot of positive
reinforcement and praise.

Pre teach any necessary

language but try to select tasks
that will allow students to use
any language that they already
have.

Be very clear about the

benefits of groupwork and
ensure students know that this
is an expectation of the class.

Set clear rules about this, and

also make sure that students
know helpful phrases in
English eg. how do you say
that

Assign a member of the group

to manage participation and
encourage all the group to
speak. Nominate students
randomly to give feedback on
the groups work.

Set clear time limits for tasks,

check instructions carefully
with students before they begin
and monitor to make sure
students are at the right stage
at the right time.

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