In oral communication skills class, listening is only one-half of the process. The other half is speaking. For most people, the ability to speak a language is synonymous with knowing that language since speech is the most basic means of human communication. Nevertheless, speaking in a second or foreign language has often been viewed as the most demanding of the four macro skills. Bailey and Savage as cited by Lazaraton (2006).

            In deciding how to structure and what to teach in oral skills class, questions such as the following should be considered: Who are the students? Why are they there? What do they expect to learn? What am I expected to teach?

            One basic consideration is the level of the students and their perceived needs. Level may be determined by a placement test administered by the school or by a diagnostic test given by the teacher. Information on learner needs can be obtained by means of a student information sheet on which they report the amount of time they spend speaking English, their future goals, their goals for their year level and their assessment of their over-all speaking ability, confidence in speaking, their pronunciation, social conversation, and listening ability.

            Teachers may, or may not be given textbooks or materials for teaching the oral skills class. They need to become critical consumers of published materials by asking questions such as the following:

• Is the text appropriate for the level/audience being taught?
• What sorts of content/topics are used, and are they appropriate for this group of students?
• Is the focus on authentic communication
• Does the text integrate speaking, listening and pronunciation?
• Discussions
• Speeches
• Role plays
• Conversations
• Audio taped oral dialogue journals
• Other accuracy-based activities – e.g. short drills

More often, teachers will decide to pick and choose activities from a variety of

sources and create some of their materials as well. Some of the activities that a teacher can bring in his/her class are the following:

Reference:

            Lazaraton, A. 1996 Interlocutor support in oral proficiency interviews. Language Testing 13:151

By: Donald Z. Reyes