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Introducing English oral skills teaching
English language Teaching
Teaching is conveying a specific knowledge to a specific group of students. This dissertation puts its interest in the English language teaching of Grade 12 or T 12 students. In other words, English language teaching here is conveying English language knowledge to enable Grade 12 students to use English language. The objectives of Language teaching are described by students‟ fluency and literacy in the use of this language. It is important to know the basic of language teaching to be able to find the ideal way to guide the teaching. The basic objectives of Language teaching are students‟ ability to understand the language, and their ability to write and speak the language. Language teaching objectives are based on the four language skills: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Thus, teaching English language is teaching language skills. This work puts its interest in the oral skills teaching because if the written skills are considered sufficient, oral ones are somehow dismissed in English teaching. However English oral skills are the most direct and vivid means of communication while using a language. English language oral skills are then a crucial part of the English teaching. Oral skills teaching are accompanied by linguistic knowledge which serves as situational means to contextualize English language teaching and learning. Next to these, to check if English language oral skills teaching objectives are achieved, assessment is also a very important part of teaching. It orientates the objectives of teaching and the students‟ acquisition of the subject. English language oral skills teaching is then accompanied by linguistic knowledge, and assessment.
Teaching English language oral
Skills Etymologically, skill is the “know-how” of one specific field of study. There are many subject skills, mathematics or physics skills, language skills… When learning a specific field of study, demonstrating the ability to use the concerned skills proves its acquisition. Language skills include reading, writing, listening and speaking. Reading and writing are written English language skills while listening and speaking are oral English language skills. This dissertation is focusing on the English language oral skills teaching which consists on teaching students to acquire English language fluency that is the ability to understand the content of English through listening and to gather appropriate grammar and vocabulary to answer within ease in a short time.
Teaching Listening
Listening is the first element of a language teaching. It is the source of the language sound, articulation and pronunciation. The “skills essay” in the (http://hubpages.com/education/language-skills-essay Updated on September 25, 2013) states that: “As babies and children, we begin acquiring our 7 mother tongue by first listening to the adults around us. Of course, it is not as easy as listening and doing. As the adults are talking, babies are absorbing the sounds”. Without being able to hear phonemes as model, it is impossible to produce spoken words or imitate proper pronunciation. Listening allows phonological awareness of the English sound system. It is also rich in cognitive challenging opportunities for English Learners to engage in listening and speaking activities which help them to voice the language. Textbooks are rich in listening units exploited under audio texts and practices. Move Intermediate textbook adapted for Grade 12 level for example presents 32 units of listening up to 15 units of studies. Listening consists on teaching a source of understanding spoken varied contexts manifested by vocabulary, language function and structures use. These linguistic compositions give sense to what a person wants to say and listening puts into practice grammatical items to voice the language. Teaching Listening skills consists on developing both English sound and oral linguistic knowledge acquisition. This is the first step of fluency in English use. Skills Teaching begins with recognition that is with the listening steps before jumping to the production stage speaking.
Teaching Speaking
Teaching speaking consists in amplifying listening various types of spoken language for memorization, repetition, and imitation of the correct use of vocabulary, language function and structures. Teaching speaking is teaching pronunciation and articulation to enable learners to produce correct English spoken language sound in order to be understood by native speakers or other users of the language. Teaching speaking is to invite students to produce English with activities like dialogue, debates, presentation, in which errors will be directly corrected. These steps of speaking teaching aim at learners‟ ability to understand and to produce correct English. In short, the goal of teaching speaking is learners‟ fluency in the use of English language. Mastering listening and speaking is translated as total fluency in English language use. English language oral skills require linguistic knowledge and assessment instructions to facilitate and frame their conveying.
Elements of English oral Skills Teaching
In order to locate the language oral skills in a real situation, themes of studies including grammatical items and structures serve as complementary elements to English oral skills 8 teaching. Next to these, English language oral skills teaching will be concluded with assessment to check the teaching efficiency and learners‟ acquisition.
Linguistic knowledge
To complete oral skills conveying, vocabulary, language function, structures and topics of learning are included in the Language teaching. – Themes, also known as “Topics” are thematic divisions which are chosen to put English language oral skills in a context or/and situation to make their teaching easier. They are chosen accordingly with the level. The higher the level, the higher degree of difficulty of theme will be. They are framed by the English language program objectives. Social and culturalare the two main topics objected to be dealt in the Grade 12 class as stated in the2012 WIDA Amplification, “Students need to develop social language and cross-cultural competencies to be successful in school and beyond”. However, for post lycée needs, academic and professional themes are also included in the themes to be dealt in Grade 12 standards. – English components: o composed of language function which are specific phrases adapted to cope with specific situation like meeting people, introducing oneself, arguing, sharing opinions, inviting someone, making complaints, …. o Vocabulary representing the word level in language learning – English language structures: Structures are basic scientific side of the curriculum. They are permanent elements that rule the English language essential element in language learning. They are composed of the use of a specific verb in the convenient tense, the use of possessive cases, reported and direct speech, the use of adjectives… in short, the use of “grammar”; and “English typical phrases”. As far as English teaching components is concerned, this work will observe especially how themes and their content help learning English language oral skills in Grade 12 level. Next to this, elements of language teaching also require obligatorily assessment instructions.
Part I- CURRICULUM IMPORTANCE IN THE ORAL SKILLS TEACHING |
