Speaking and Writing

INTRODUCTION

At the end of this module you will:

• understand some of the problems students experience when speaking
• be able to teach oral skills
• be able to identify problems associated with successful writing
• be able to design activities to train students in the skills needed for effective writing

Oral communication is a two-way process involving a speaker and a listener, yet it is useful to look at ways of teaching and learning speaking as separate from those of listening. As language teachers, one of our tasks is to equip our learners with the skills needed for effective oral communication by providing opportunities for the situational practice of a range of speaking skills.

We have said that to read successfully, training must be given - the same applies to writing, a skill closely linked with reading and often the ability learners find most difficult to acquire. This may be because:

• Writing requires careful thought, planning before writing, then checking and rewriting. This makes spontaneity somewhat difficult.
• It is usually a solitary activity.
• Teachers often assume that students know how to organise and develop written work, if only in their first language, but this is often untrue. Just try writing one of the tasks you ask your learners to do!

Given these problems, it makes sense to try to offer students help in a variety of ways, for example,

• By giving plenty of exposure to model texts, both good models and faulty models and give checklists for student reference (ie do's and don'ts).
• By using pairwork and groupwork to prepare the ground, giving support, ideas and the chance to participate before the actual writing begins in a relaxed learning environment.
• By actually teaching organisational skills, the way to develop ideas and how to reach a logical conclusion, through regular practice.
• By making sure that students have clear criteria to work towards - that is they know what you are looking for and how you are going to mark their work.

To write well we need help. All of us! Usually if we write an important letter we get someone to check it through. Teachers help with a CV or job application letter. Advertising is a well-paid job and proofreaders and editors can also earn a lot of money. And what about a movie? Teams and teams of writers for just one and a half hours of text.