Issue 1
For a learner, it often seems natural to seek perfection of the language (Bygate 2000:30). They may try to convey the message using a full sentence and complex constructions. The speech of lower level speakers isn’t filled with reduced forms such as contraction, elision, assimilation, and reduction. They may not use weak forms, linking, assimilation or intrusion and consider reduced forms as signs of lazy or careless English. Though appropriate in written language, and to a certain extent in short-turn formal speech, such language may sound too formal in everyday conversations, causing unfriendliness and hostility from the listener. Moreover, they are unable to understand natural spoken language.
Issue 2
Cultural specificity plays
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The teacher asks the students to listen to single utterances from the conversation and define their functions according to their prosodic features, then listen to the whole recording and compare their answers. Then the students can produce dialogues (e.g. preparation for a party) developing the topic according the prosodic features of the listener’ reaction.
These activities are beneficial as they allow learners to notice the target language in meaningful context and raise their awareness of features of spoken language. Secondly, learners are exposed to the authentic conversation where speakers use them naturally. Finally, it brings the real world and experience into the classroom. Using an audioscript along with listening helps reinforce sound-spelling connections and makes it easier to notice patterns and regularities by reference to the written text than by trying to isolate them on a recording.
Approach 2 (issue
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And sets the context by asking questions like: Where do you think these people are? How well do they know each other? etc. T shows students the conversation and explains that the gaps mark the speaker B’s turn to show interest. In pairs/groups, have students discuss how they would fill in those gaps (either by using body language, noises and phrases). In open class, discuss the appropriateness of the responses students come up with. T asks them look at the useful phrases box and in pairs/groups have them complete the gaps using these new phrases. Then learners work in pairs and discuss where it’s possible to insert some fillers in the dialogue. When performing the dialogues, students should speak naturally, using appropriate expressiveness and intonation.
Open class feedback to address any lingering issues.
This activity will be particularly important with multicultural classes or when the teacher and the students do not share the L1. The class discussion stage will help determine what is acceptable in a first, fairly formal conversation with someone from the students’ country versus what is expected in an English speaking environment. Follow-up on this activity could be in the form of a role play to reinforce showing interest.
Approach 3 (issues 2, 3,
These discussions need to be meaningful and have purpose to create a higher chance of student engagement and participation. The article states, “cooperative learning is a natural way to provide opportunities across the curriculum” (Wright, 2016, p. 28-29). The smaller the group, the more likely the ELL student is to add to the conversation, as native English speakers typically dominant whole group discussions. It is important that every student in the small group contributes so the ELL student can hear and practice their own oral language. There are many activities that could be used to ensure this engagement, such as think-pair-share, that requires students to work together and actually get information from each other. Activities that cannot be completed alone and require the thinking of another student would be best for this
I was interested in how ELL teachers connect with their students of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Each said that they try to learn about the students’ cultures. The teachers all felt it was important to make a connection. They suggested taking interest in the student’s native language and home life, or having students share language, holiday traditions and foods. ELL teachers can also try to incorporate the different cultures to enrich their lessons.
Throughout my practice, I have found that this mix is essential in order for children to engage with lessons. Alexander (2004) suggests that dialogical teaching includes traditional types of talk such as rote, recitation and instruction/exposition. It should also include discussion and dialogue (Alexander, 2004). These types of talk can occur in different situations: whole class, group discussions and paired talked. Mercer (1996) carried out a research project concerning the quality of talk in the classroom. His findings supported ‘…the conclusion that talk between learners has been shown to be valuable for the construction of knowledge’ (Mercer, 1996: 362). He disputed that not all kinds of exchange are of educational value (Mercer, 1996: 362). This point validates the importance of teachers understanding what type of talk makes their teaching genuinely dialogic.
This technique can greatly improve the accuracy of the system compared to direct ASR transcription of speech while that speaker is engaged in conversation or lecturing to a group of people.
This activity suits the child’s current stage of oral development will interest them and aid in them progressing in their oral development. Children at this stage of development enjoy listening to stories which is good not only for their receptive skills, but also for their expressive language (Fellows and Oakley, 2014), in all four key components of spoken language. It helps with phonemes by getting the child to focus on the phonological patterns throughout the text (Fellows and Oakley, 214). Syntax knowledge allows them to observe the sentence structure and grammar in the book which allows them to develop a stronger awareness of the syntax. Visual aids in storybooks can aid in the child in the understanding of semantics (Fellows and Oakley’s), as the story is read aloud their receptive skills hear those more difficult words, when paired with a visual cue such as a picture in the book the child understands better and thus they are able to gain a better understanding of how to speak these difficult words. A better understanding of pragmatics can also be gained from storybooks as they understand how people communicate in society such as greetings and asking for things (Fellows and Oakley,
This implies how any type of event can generate symptoms of depression. Unfortunately, Melinda in the story
“The ways in which people converse with one another can vary greatly from culture to culture. For example, when a teacher asks a direct question, students from some cultures may no...
Auditory learners are people who learn more effectively through listening to speeches or lectures. About 30 percent of the population is an auditory learner (Jacob, S. and Cole, S. 2005). For auditory learners they have to have sound in the background in order to learn the best. Auditory learners depend on hearing and speaking as a primary way of learning. They will use phrases like “it is starting to ring a bell” and “sounds good to me” to describe distinct memories. There are two types of auditory learners, auditory listeners and verbal processors. An auditory listener prefers to have things explained to them and will have trouble with written instructions; where as verbal processors must move their lips and reiterate the thoughts in order to understand the instructions. It is important for auditory learne...
A major proportion of class time is taken up by teachers talking in front of the classroom(Nunan & Bailey, 2009). No matter what teaching strategies or methods a teacher uses, it is necessary to give directions, explain activities and check students’ understanding (Richards & Schimdt, 1985). This clearly emphasizes the importance of teacher talk in language classrooms. Walsh (2011) claimed that teacher talk is more important in language classroom than any other classroom since in this context the language being used by teacher is not only the means of acquiring new knowledge; it is also the goal of the study.
It is very important to understand that in everyday communication we are either the speaker or listener and it’s important that we do those jobs as best we can in order to have a healthy communication relationship. This activity was very useful because I got to reflect on my past successes and failures in my communicating strategies and in doing so I can improve and adapt to become a better communicator and listener. I believe that this assignment is very useful because it is real life experiences that may occur again and I can better assess the situation and use the appropriate communicating strategy necessary. This reflection will help me in my personal development by giving me situational experience that I will be able to correctly approach in and out of the
...peakers will improve learners’ communication skill, but this kind of activity also helps learners explore the world more widely without going abroad. The learners can learn another culture which makes them understand differences in each country. The most importantly, whatever learning should come from insight, making chat will increase the learners’ confidence to be able to communicate in actual conversation later. By the way, there are some points which contradict this text. Making chat might not practice learners’ pronunciation. The learners will not understand any accents because they just type the messages and there is no chance to hear the native speakers’ voice. In short, making chat is a good kind of activity to use in English class, but the teacher should add other activities which practice learners’ pronunciation in order to make learning more efficiently.
This competence however, can be a hindrance. Individuals will model the style based off of their native language, causing a miscommunication between people with different cultural backgrounds. According to this theory, the way to minimize the miscommunication is to conform to English standards. Unfortunately, this viewpoint disregards the validity of the native language and the culture of the speaker, compromising their
Giving examples from a diverse culture and asking the student to discuss different scenarios based on their cultural background, I found it helpful and encourages all students, regardless of age or cultural background to promote personal contact and effective intercultural skills.
Interaction is a significant part of our daily lives. Oral communication with others is inevitable, and therefore it is crucial for us to acquire the skills to do so correctly. Aside from simply stating words or expressing ideas, oral communication serves various purposes. Oral communication allows an individual to express emotions, ideas, and feelings; it gives people the ability to empower, inspire, and motivate those who listen; and it allows people to share knowledge and traditions, as well as build their self-esteem. Oral communication is also useful in leading us to new discoveries, ideas, cultures, and perspectives (O’Neill). Thus, oral communication serves several different purposes in daily life; yet each of these purposes are connected to an even larger purpose. According to the textbook Communication: Making Connections, “Effective communication is critical to living successfully in today’s soc...
People live in the world of communication. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English (Moore, 1997), communication is defined as, “The activity or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information”. The significance of communication can be found within the context of a human existing as a social being. As a human being manages his or her life in the course of the interaction between other members of the entire society, communication is inevitable. Communication occurs through the medium of a language and it is presented in two different forms which are written and spoken (Brown & Yule, 1983: 1-10). The importance of spoken performance of a language is becoming more prominent over the written performance capability. It is because the ability to speak a language reflects a person’s personality, self image, knowledge of the world, ability to reason, skill to express thoughts in real-time (Luoma, 2004: ix). These days, due to the global trend of internationalisation, the ability to communicate in English is needed as an essential skill. Whenever the international exchange happens, the use of spoken English entails. However, it is not always an easy task for people who use English as a second language to be able to speak to the level of a native speaker. They have to perfectly understand the sound system of English, have almost instant access to proper vocabulary and be able to place words together intelligibly without hesitation. Moreover, they also have to perceive what is being said to them and need to be able to respond appropriately to acquire amiable relations or to accomplish their communicative goals (Luoma, 2004: ix). Therefore, non-native English speakers encounter these barriers and they are subject to make mistakes often. In relation to this matter, this essay argues that there are socio-cultural factors as well as linguistic factors that affect non-native speakers’ communication in English. It provides analysis of several different situations when the use of spoken English has generated miscommunication problems in regards to author’s personal experience.