Study Types of oral fluency activities

Of the four skills, speaking seems to be the most important, after all we ask people, Do
you speak English/Spanish/German?. Classroom activities that help to develop learners ability
to express themselves effectively through speech would seem to be an essential component of
any language course. But what do we mean by a successful speaking activity:

- good choice of words?

- accurate grammar?

- fluency?

Characteristics of successful speaking activity:

1. Learners talk a lot: the time allowed is filled with learner talk

2. Participation is even: the discussion is not dominated by one or two learners, they all
have the chance to speak.

3. Motivation is high: learners are eager to express their feelings and ideas because the
topic is motivating and attractive.

4. Language is on an acceptable level: learners express themselves in a language that is

relevant, accurate and on an acceptable level.

What about correction? Most teachers agree that correction inhibits the learner or breaks
the flow of the activity. It is best to take notes and discuss them at the end of the task. The
teacher may even teach the theoretic aspect of some typical errors.

It is very important how the teacher organizes group-work. In order for all learners to
participate fairly equally the teacher has to give each member of the group specific roles and
check occasionally whether they achieved the target. It is also a good idea to limit the time each
learner can speak, because some learners tend to speak more and also deviate from the topic.

It is not enough to make learners speak. Listening is also very important. Speakers need
feedback that motivates them and also makes them realize what mistakes they had made.
Speakers become listeners and listeners become speakers. It is the case of presentations, because
many teacher complain about learners not paying attention to the presenter. Teachers in such
situation should work on presentation techniques and skills. I good idea is to let the class choose
the topic, so that they become engaged during a presentation and they feel free to ask questions
and activate the entire presentation.

It can be very frustrating for learners not to be able to express themselves in the target
language. One solution is to do as much free speaking activities as possible and encourage
learners to make meanings from the language they have. They can also use mimics, body talk
and other ways of making themselves understood. Fellow learners may jump in and help others,
because there is hardly any group of learners that are not mixed level. Some learners have a
wider vocabulary then others, some have good grammar skills.

Type of activities:

1. Ranking: learners rank qualities/ideas on a particular topic and explain their choice.
This is free talking and gives the learners opportunity to express their own ideas and feelings.

2. Conflicting opinions: learners discuss two conflicting opinions about the same topic
in groups, come up with a list of pros and cons, and then try to convince the other group that
their opinion is valuable.

No matter the type of activities, whether they are task-based or topic-based speaking
activities, the aim is to engage learners in speaking freely, as naturally as possible and try not to
inhibit them with regular corrections. Teachers have to be observers and only intervene when is
absolutely necessary. The key to successful speaking is topic. The topic has to be interesting,
suitable for the age of the learners and according to their interests.