Different approaches in teaching speaking

Different approaches in teaching speaking

We learn to speak in the native language in the process of our everyday life without thinking how we master it whereas while learning another language we have to take into consideration different ways how to do it successfully. ‘So natural and integral is speaking that we forget how we once struggled to achieve this ability- until, that is, we have to learn how to do it all over again in a foreign language’ (Thornbury, 2011, p 1). Learning speaking in L2 does not happen naturally and teaching speaking is not an easy task, given the fact that many teaching approaches paid little if any attention to speaking as a skill to develop.

According to Murphy (1999) approaches can be differentiated clearly according to the part they assign for oral language at the lesson. If we place methodologies on a virtual scale with respect to the importance they attach to oral language, the first position on the scale will be occupied by Grammar Translation Method which is a shining example of an approach that completely ignores speaking. Task Based Learning will occupy the position with the most favorable attitude to teaching speaking according to which ‘activities are centered upon practical tasks for students to perform that can be weighted to emphasize oral communication’ (Murphy, 1999, p53).

The majority of the methodologies in between these two relied mainly upon drilling much more than on communicating. For instance, as stated by Harmer, in the direct method and Audio-lingualism, that emerged after Grammar Translation ‘the sentence was still the main object of interest, and accuracy was all important’ (Harmer, 2011, p.63). There was little free communication at the lesson and activities were designed in a way that prevented students from making mistakes, as they were accuracy focused but not fluency focused. A variation of Audio-lingualism- Presentation, Practice, and Production (PPP) was a shift towards bringing speaking into classroom. According to this approach, language is first presented in a context to demonstrate its meaning. Then it is practiced in controlled conditions, after which comes a freer production stage (Spratt, Pulverness, Williams, 2011). It looks logical and has become a staple in teaching preferences of teachers. Richard Frost (2004) points out that most teachers familiarize themselves with the notion of PPP immediately at the beginning of any teacher training course. However, with respect to developing speaking skills this approach has its drawbacks: students practice language mechanically, in small portions and in a short period of time they are usually unable to produce it again, because there is no real communication in fact.

References

Frost, R. (2004). A task-based approach. TE Editor. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk

Harmer, J. (2011).The practice of English language teaching.3rd edition. England: Pearson Education Limited.

Murphy, J.M. (1999). Oral communication on TESOL: intergrading speaking, listening and pronunciation. TESOL Quarterly, 25(1), pp. 51-75.

Spratt, M., Pulverness, A., Williams, M. (2011).The Teacher Knowledge Test course.2nd edition.

Thornbury, S. (2011).How to teach speaking. England: Pearson Education Limited.