Unit 4 : Teaching lessons of listening and speaking
Key unit competence: To prepare lessons with listening and speaking tasks that develop generic and subject competencies for English.
INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY
Improve the picture below
Picture observation and interpretation
- How can I reach your home from school?
-Turn left at the gate. You will see a sector office at the corner. There is a road opposite that office. Follow the road opposite the office. Our home is the second house on the left.
a. Ask your friend to give you directions to their home. Listen carefully and then tell the class what your friend said.
b. After observing, and reading what is on the picture, discuss the skills that pupils can develop with this exercise.
4.1 Recall on language components in relation with listening and speaking lessons
4.1.a. Learning activity
Listening and speaking refer to the activity that involves understanding a speaker’s accent and pronunciation, his/her grammar and vocabulary and grasping what he/she means. For successful communication, listening skill is essential, therefore pupils must learn it efficiently. Speaking is “the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts”. Listening and speaking are interconnected. Use primary English syllabus of lower or upper primary, and carry out the following tasks:
a. Select different components of the language in relation to listening and speaking.
b. Among the selected language components, which one do you find most challenging?
c. Make a self-study on the challenging language components. You can ask for help from one of your classmates or your tutor
Notes.
Acquiring good listening and speaking skills in English are the main concern of many second and foreign language learners. Today’s English teacher must be conversant with current approaches of teaching of aural/oral skills. Teaching and learning listening refer to teaching and learning listening comprehension. Listening is an activity of paying attention to and trying to get meaning from something we hear. It involves understanding a speaker’s accent and pronunciation, his grammar and vocabulary and grasping his message. For successful communication, listening skill is essential, so it should be taught to pupils. HayriyeKayi (2006) quoting Chaney says that speaking is “the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts”. In relation to other language skills, it can be said, that speaking involves greater efforts in terms of learning second language. As French (1963; 41) points out, English teaching must aim at enabling pupils to speak the language well, since the purpose of learning English is to use it as a second language or as an international language, this implies the ability to speak to someone.
In order to teach listening and speaking effectively, the teacher should be knowledgeable about the skill he/she must develop in pupils. According to Rivers, before the teacher can devise a sequence of activities which will train pupils in listening and speaking activities, he/she must understand him/herself the nature of the skill he/she is setting out to develop. Therefore, student teachers should recall on different listening and speaking language components taught in primary schools as their future working places
Listening and speaking activities at lower primary education level In English, each unit has an activity related to listening and speaking. For example, in P1, we have(welcome to the classroom, describing classroom objects, People at home and school up to unit 10 which is storytelling and also all P2 and P3 units have listening and speaking activities that a student teacher is required to recall on.
Listening and speaking activities at the upper primary education level
All the units of upper primary have listening and speaking activities that student teachers need also to recall on and understand. When necessary, student teachers can seek help from a classmate or the Tutor. However, learning activities in all units of P1 and P2 are mainly of listening and speaking.
4.2. Principles and Strategies to develop active listening and speaking skills
4.2.a. Learning activity
Read the following statements and answer the questions that follow
Listening is an inferential process of extracting meaning from oral stimuli. Hearing on the other hand is the perception of auditory stimuli by the human ear, which may not be necessarily understood. Listening is both a receptive and an active skill that may or may not require a response. It is intentional with the aim of comprehending what is uttered, hearing is not intentional.
Speaking on the other hand is production of speech sounds or making verbal utterances by human beings in the process of communication. It is the instance of uttering words for communication or expression of thoughts in spoken words. The process of speaking is incomplete without listening. The fact that speaking is a productive skill calls for careful understanding of the dynamics of communication. Teaching of speaking skills is aimed at attaining oral fluency and accuracy. Listening and speaking are language skills that should be taught together in the actual classroom situation. Pupils learn to speak by speaking. They use language to monitor and reflect on experiences and to reason, plan, predict, and make connection-orally and in print. For that reason, pupil talk should dominate the language classroom, and the teacher talk should be kept to a minimum. Research confirms that less teacher talk and more pupil talk can significantly increase competence in oral communication. (Stab, 1991). Teachers need to promote the classroom as a language rich environment where pupils think aloud about their interpretation, hypotheses, and perspective (Pirie 1997). This will result in increased opportunities for pupils to participate in different forms of speaking activities and in increased pupil engagement in learning (Albright, 2000; Wilhelm, Baker, & Dube, 2001). However, pupils will not express themselves freely if they are constantly corrected. For that reason, teachers should not pay too much attention to pupils’ grammatical errors. The creation of a classroom environment where pupils are comfortable expressing themselves and taking risks with the language, and the liveliness of the discussion/exchange is more important. However, teachers can and should make note of common mistakes from pupils.
a. What is the interdependence between listening and speaking?
b. Why shouldn’t teachers take too much time on pupils’ errors of speaking?
Notes
4.2.1. Objectives of teaching listening and speaking skills:
1. Listen with understanding and respond appropriately
2. Listen and respond spontaneously and fluently to conversational prompts
3. Articulate all vowels and consonants in the English language alphabet
4. Respond verbally to both verbal and written questions
5. Express one idea verbally in different situations
6. Identify tonal variations and use them appropriately to get the right meanings
7. To conduct a conversation intelligibly
8. Present oral reports from what is read and on everyday experiences
9. Adapt one mode of conversation to suit the context or situation.
4.2.2. Strategies used for maximum pupils’ oral development
1. Using a think-pair-share and various small group configuration to
encourage pupils to engage in sustained dialogue around varied
tasks
2. Create a variety of situations where pupils can use oral language to express ideas, information and emotions( e.g. speeches, storytelling,book talks)
3. Teaching listening strategies by helping pupils identify the main purpose or theme in informational and literary texts.
4. Creating listening and speaking opportunities with the purpose of determining the diction (intonation, speed, loudness. etc) appropriate for a particular purpose and audience.
5. Modelling how making connection to prior knowledge, making prediction and evaluating ideas are important listening skills)
6. Providing opportunities for pupils to orally express initial responses to texts in small, large groups, and whole class situations.
7. Creating a safe climate of respectful listening
8. Challenging pupils to talk, think and explore their knowledge of the world.
4.3. Activities for developing generic competencies and integration of cross-cutting issues in the lessons related to listening and speaking
4.3.a Learning activity
Read the following Dialogue and analyse it.
Listen as your teacher reads the dialogue below.
Ngabo: Hello, Uwineza.
Uwineza: Hello, Ngabo.
Ngabo: Teacher Mike is coming to class at 10:20 a.m. Have you finished doing the class assignment that he gave us?
Uwineza: No, Ngabo. I haven’t finished it. I failed to get a good resource book to use.
Ngabo: I also had the same problem. I have only done part of the assignment.
Uwineza: So what do we do?
Ngabo: Shall we go to the library? I am sure we will find plenty of books that will help us.
Uwineza: Why didn’t I think of that? Yes, let us go then before the bell for the next lesson rings.
Ngabo: You may need a pen and a notebook to take notes.
Uwineza: Oh, thank you for reminding me. I had forgotten about that.
Read the dialogue again and answer the following questions orally.
a. What suggestion was given?
b. Who is suggesting what to do?
c. Why have they chosen the school library?
d. What lesson have you learnt from the dialogue?
e. Suggest a suitable title for the dialogue
After observing the above dialogue and related activities, carry out the following tasks,
Identify different language skills that a pupil can develop through the above activity.
Identify and explain generic competences and Cross-cutting issues after carrying out the above activities.
Notes
Different Generic competences developed and Cross-cutting issues were addressed in the unit of listening and speaking.
Generic competences
Critical thinking
Through listening and speaking, we need to help pupils think critically and creatively. This means that pupils are given opportunities and challenges that help them to develop the habit of questioning and analysing ideas that they encounter. They should be able to identify assumptions and biases, as well as to consider that some arguments are more valid and comprehensively supported than others. Critical thinking empowers pupils to analyse information, to reflect upon its sources and to be able to make informed and rational judgments. Pupils should be able to explain why they have reached their conclusions and support their points of view.
Communication
Through listening and speaking activities, Pupils get the opportunity to develop and practise the skill of asking good questions. Good questions are those that help to enrich our understanding. They are helped to improve their ability to ask questions that enable them to elicit full explanations, deeper meaning and a detailed explanation of significance. In listening and speaking activities, pupils can interpret the message listened and speak orally which will develop their communication skills.
Cooperation, interpersonal management and life skills
Listening and speaking activities such as role play, dialogue, discussions in groups and presentations, pupils can develop cooperation, interpersonal management and life skills.
Life-long learning: Listening and speaking activities can develop lifelong learning because they develop competences are practiced even beyond classroom.
Cross-cutting issues
Peace and value education: through listening and speaking activities that can be conducted in English lesson such as debate, role-play, group discussions, presentations, etc. Peace and value education can be addressed because when pupils listen attentively to the speaker, it means they value what is being spoken because listening itself is voluntary activity and when pupils present something in class with maximum attention from the rest, it means respect. Therefore, such environment with active listening and value the speech, it addresses peace and value as an important issue to be always addressed.
Gender education: through listening and speaking activities such as classroom debates during teaching and learning, discussions and presentations, when both boys and girls are given equal chance to participate, then the issue of gender education will be addressed. Inclusive education: through listening and speaking activities, pupils with different special need education may be helped accordingly. For example, a class with pupils who have hearing impairment are seated near the speaker; we can also use sign language or hearing devices where possible and providing remedial activities when need arise. Thus, inclusive education will be addressed.
4.4. Activities to develop learners’ listening and speaking skills
4.4.a. Learning activity
Sample lesson focusing on active listening and speaking
Read the following sample lesson plan and discuss how this lesson can enhance pupils’ listening and speaking skills
Notes
4.4.1. Introduction
When we talk of strategies in teaching/learning situations, we mean skills one can use to facilitate or induce learning. It can be an act or suggestion on the part of the teacher which stimulates the learner’s interest in the learning act.
The teacher having identified the listening and speaking kills problems of his/her learners, he/she can try to solve them by using a variety of teaching techniques. The following are examples of these techniques:
A dictation: can also help learners in improving the listening skills, identifying the uttered words and the writing skills. Taking dictation doesn’t only improve the listening and writing skills, but also spelling and punctuation.
Drama and role-play: also helps learners in the development of listening and speaking abilities, self-expression and in gaining confidence to speak in public. Drama can be defined as an activity that asks pupils to portray either themselves or other people in the imaginary situation. The learner is expected to adopt the role of a character and to project for instance, that character’s way of speaking, dressing, physical features and behaviour.
Learners may also interact in pairs or small groups and dramatize a situation familiar to the members of the group. A learner can follow the guidelines laid down by the teacher by acting in controlled manner. They can also be given the liberty to speak and react as they see fit.
Group work: can also a long way in developing listening and speaking skills, as learners interact in relax manner. Research shows that learners retained acquired knowledge, more when they are not under pressure to learn. Small groups should be used to discuss a topic of learners’ own choice or one given by the teacher. After the task is completed, the pupils should be asked to present their discussion to the rest of the class. Other pupils should react to the presentation in a class discussion.
Debate: is a structured contest in form of oral arguments about an issue or a topic. A formal debate involves two teams expressing their arguments on the topic. Normally, there is a team which proposes or argues in support of the topic while the second team is on the opposition side. Each team consists of two or more main Speakers. Such a debate is always governed by a number of rules, as explained below:
Each team is expected to advance two or three arguments, and two to three rebuttal speeches. The proposing team gives its argument first, followed by the rebuttals from the opposing team. There is always a winding up speech or Summarized argument by a selected member of each team. The first speaker on each side is supposed to define the key words or terms of the motion as the basis of advancing his or her points. If the opposing side challenges the correctness of a definition advanced by the proposer, the opposing team provides its view on the matter. Each team of the class debate must advocate or argue in support of his or her view on the topic. In order to establish an assertion, a team must support its arguments with enough evidence and logic to convince the judges. Facts must be accurate. Visual materials are permissible to convince the judges. In case of a query, the question should be clear and relevant to the motion of the debate. As a matter of procedure, each speaker is expected to respond to questions as soon as he or she concludes his or her presentation speech. The speaker concerned may respond to the question personally, although any other member of his or her team can come in to assist.
If anyone, whether in the audience or among the main speakers, feels unconvinced by a speaker’s argument, he or she is at liberty to interrupt the speaker by raising a point of information. However, the chairman of the debate is also at liberty to either permit or object to the point of interruption. The decision about the winning side will be entirely based on the arguments made and points awarded by a team of juries or judges.
Adapted from George H.W. Wilson (1957) Competitive Debate: Rules and Techniques, New York: McCoy Musgrave http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~karchung/debate1.htm retrieved on March 20th, 2018
4.4.2. Important Prerequisites and Tasks for a Debate
Team members should:
• Research on the topic and prepare logical arguments.
• Gather supporting evidence and examples to back their arguments.
• Anticipate counter arguments and prepare rebuttals or responses.
• Plan the order and ideas or points with which to argue and support their points of view.
Communication games: can also be used to develop listening and speaking skills. They foster authentic, natural and creative language use. Goals should be set and the challenge of achieving them should encourage unrestrained communication behaviour. The task of the teacher should be that of a consultant and facilitator. Example of games that you can use in the classroom are:
Songs and poems: these play a major role
4.2.3. Steps involved in teaching a poem/a song
Before reading/singing, the teacher:
• writes the poem/song on the blackboard
• helps pupils explain the blocking words of the poem/song
• helps pupils to analyze the poem/song (theme, characters and conflict if any).
During reading/singing a song or a poem, the teacher:
• asks if there is a pupil who know s the song to model singing for the rest of the class (this is applicable on songs only)
• model sings the whole song or reads the whole poems and pupils follow the teacher modelling a song/poem
• sing/reads the song or poem line and pupilecho sing/read (echo singing/ reading)
• asks pupils to choral sing/read with the teacher
• asks the whole class to repeat the song or poem themselves
• asks the group of learners to read a poem or sing a song to the whole class.
• asks individuals to read or sing the poem or song and ask others to follow
After reading or singing, the teacher:
• asks as many pupils as possible to recite the poem or sing the song
• may also ask pupils some comprehension questions.
Conclusion :
listening and speaking are the first skills a child develops. It is through these skills that other basic language skills of reading and writing are developed.
Accurate intonation, stress and rhythm are rated higher unintelligibly.
One important fact is that when children learn their mother tongue through total involvement in real life situations, which require genuine communication, they acquire both linguistic and communicative competence.
Since opportunities to engage in genuine communication in a second or foreign language learning situation are rare, you have to create opportunities and situations that promote this, intentionally.
