COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH IN TEACHING SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Світлана Щербина
(Кіровоград, Україна)

Стаття присвячена проблемі навчання говорінню студентів іноземною мовою на основі комунікативного підходу у немовних вищих навчальних закладах. Розглянуто деякі методи щодо покращення мовних навичок студентів та запобігання одноманітності на заняттях з іноземної мови. Наведено основні умови постановки мовних завдань студентам, що спонукають їх до висловлювань та використання усіх відомих мовних засобів. Автор пропонує приклади різних видів мовленнєвої діяльності, які відповідають умовам комунікації. На заняттях студенти опиняються в ситуаціях, які спонукають їх до вживання «живої» розмовної англійської мови, що відповідає європейським стандартам.

Ключові слова: комунікативний підхід, компетенція, мовленнєві навички, повторення, підготовчий етап, завдання, мовленнєва діяльність.

Статья посвящена проблеме обучения студентов говорению на иностранном языке на основе коммуникативного подхода в неязыковыхвысших учебных заведениях. Рассмотрены некоторые методы улучшения языковых навыков студентов и предотвращения однообразия на занятиях по иностранному языку. Приведены основные условия постановки речевых задач студентам,которые мотивируют их говорить на иностранном языке и использовать все известные языковые средства. Автор предлагает примеры  различных видов языковой деятельности, отвечающие условиям коммуникации. На занятиях студенты оказываются в ситуациях, провоцирующих их на использование «живого» разговорного английского языка, который отвечает европейским стандартам.

Ключевые слова: коммуникативный подход, компетенция, речевые навыки, повторение, подготовительный этап, задание, речевая деятельность.

Thearticleisdevotedtotheproblem of teaching speaking foreign language in non-linguistic high educational institutions. Some techniques to improve students’ speaking skills and to prevent boredom in teaching speaking are discussed. Three basic reasons to give students speaking tasks, which provoke them to speak and use all the known language means are revealed. The author suggests some important elements of the communicative approach: learners are provided with the language needed in order to perform the task, use the best language they can achieve the task and tasks provide students with just the right amount of challenge .The examples of different types of speaking activity that comply as far as possible with the characteristics necessary for communication are given. During the lessons, students communicate in the situations which make them use “live” spoken English which corresponds to the European standards.

Keywords: communicative approach, competence, speaking skills, rehearsal, preparation stage, task, speaking activity.

There is a well-known fact that language is a product of human society and can exist only in human society. Ideas and thoughts reflecting different aspects of life find their way into the material reality of people through the medium of language. A constant close bond between the history of a people and the history of its language makes itself quite evident.

Nowadays generation can be proud of living in such a century – the century of high technologies, computerization and globalization. Namely, the last word has a special meaning. At present all people ideas, inventions, problems and their solutions are becoming closer and closer around the world getting the name Global. We can definitely notice that humanity is at its zenith-people need global communication and mutual understanding. In that way we can undoubtedly say that the main idea of learning foreign language is speaking. Thus, teaching speaking is one of the most specific kinds of work in teaching languages. The teacher must show all his professional skills:

- as a psychologist (because only he knows his audience and guesses how it can react the course of the lesson, only he knows students mental abilities and many others);

- as a professional in linguistic sphere.

Teaching speaking is an important part of forming communicative competence of students. The analysis of recent literature on the problem of forming communicative competence shows that there is a certain number of works devoted to the methods of forming speaking skills on the base of communicative approach [2;4;6;10;11;]. Paulston C. considers linguistic and communicative competence in its correlation [8], Tarone E. focuses on the notion of communicative strategy[9]. The concept of communicative approach was originally developed by the sociolinguist Hymes [3]. It was further developed by Michael Canale, Merrill Swain and Sandra Savignon. According to Canale, communicative competence refers to “the underlying systems of knowledge and skills required for communication” [1:5]. Some scientists suggest to use role plays in language teaching to form students’ communicative and speaking skills[5;7].

The aim of this article is to analyze the role of teaching speaking in forming students’ communicative competence and suggest a set of special techniques for improving their speaking skills.  

For emphasizing the role of teacher we can realize the meaning “an ability to feel audience” because it’s the greatest teacher’s gift. That’s why every teacher knows very much that the final purpose in teaching communicative speech on every lesson is “to produce” so-called communicative ability instead of simple or silent understanding.

To go on this discussion I’d like to offer an interesting point of view of British linguist Jeremy Harmer[2]. In his book “How to teach English” he answers the question “Why encourage students to do speaking tasks?”

There are three basic reasons why it is a good idea to give students speaking tasks, which provoke them to use all and any language at their command.

Rehearsal: getting students to have a free discussion gives them a chance to rehearse haying discussions outside the classroom. Having them to take part in a role-play at an airport, check-in desk allows them to rehearse such a real-life event in the safety of the classroom. This is not the same as practice in which more detailed study takes place; instead it is a way for students “to get the feel” of what communicating in the foreign language really feels like.

Feedback: speaking tasks where students are trying to use all and any language they know provides feedback for both teachers and students. Teachers can see how well their class is doing and what language problem they have (that is a good reason for “boomerang “ lessons); students also can see how easy they find a particular kind of speaking and what they need to do to improve. Speaking activities can give them enormous confidence and satisfaction, and with sensitive teacher guidance can encourage them into further study.

Engagement: good speaking activities can and should be highly motivating. If all the students are participating fully – and if the teacher has set up with the activity properly and can then give sympathetic and useful feedback – they will get tremendous satisfaction from it.   

Many speaking tasks (role-playing, discussion, problem solving etc) are intrinsically enjoyable in themselves.

Taking into account all these advices we’d like to propose the examples in this kind of work. 

News and Media

Television

Task 1) Discuss the following question in groups.

- How much television do you watch?

- What are your favorite programs?

-Are there any programs that you particularly dislike?

Opposite this task on the right there is a picture with a large screen where are photos of different programs interviewers and famous film extracts. This task is given for discussion in groups and students can help each other.

Task 2) Below is a list of things we can watch on television. If necessary, check the meaning of the words and phrases in bold in your mini-dictionary. Then mark them as follows:

1. if you think there are many of these on television in your country;
2. if you think there are about the right amount of these;
3. if you think there should be more of these;
4. if you don’t have these in your country at all.
5. Advertisements that use attractive people to sell products like cars or perfume
6. Government advertizing campaigns against things like drink-driving
7. Programs with live sports coverage
8. Children’s programs which include violence
9. Long complicated murder mysteries or thrillers
10. Interviews with politicians
11. Chat shows
12. Game shows
13. Soap operas

The second task for giving feedback to students, for having necessary vocabulary (phrases, verbs), which stimulate them for discussion.

Task 3) Listen to four people talking about television. Which of the things listed in Task 2 are they talking about?

Task 4) Listen to the speakers again. Which of the adjectives in the box below did each one use to describe their feelings? Which form did they use?

Annoying/ annoyed interesting/ interested /boring/bored worrying/ worried shocking/ shocked upset/ upsetting confused/ confusing.

  The next step – we propose 3-4 tasks for students who need additional information to explain their minds.

The important elements of the task-based approach are as follows:

1. Learners are provided with the language needed in order to perform the task. This can only be anticipated to some extent – it will be partly depend on what the individual student wants to say.
2. Learners use the best language they can to achieve the task, and are encouraged to raise their game.

For this reason planning and rehearsal time is built into the preparation stages, with the intention of encouraging students to be more ambitious in what they try to say. It is sometimes suggested that the teacher should deliberately put students under more pressure to improve their performance.

1. Tasks provide students with just the right amount of challenge. Students use what they already know, developing their confidence and fluency, and at the same time creating a need for further new input. However, learners should not be overstretched, or they will resort to pidgin-English (or to their own language) to performs the task. We start with the simpler personalized tasks and gradually move on to simulation and more complex discussions as students’ knowledge and confidence increases.

What are the advantages of a communicative and a task-based approaches?

Students have regular and structured opportunities to speak and are given an opportunity to practice skills and language that they may well need to use in the “real world”.

It contributes to progress at this critical stage, by encouraging students to plan and be more ambitious in the language they use, rather than just saying the first thing that comes to their heads.

Because learners are striving to express what they want to say, they are more motivated to absorb the language needed  -  either new language they ask you for, or language that they have already met, but not acquired properly so far.

The tasks offer variety of pace, especially when combined with a more traditional syllabus.

Tasks provide a traditional opportunity for revision and recycling and give teachers the opportunity to assess learners’ progress.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Canale M. From Communicative Competence to Communicative Language Pedagogy. – Oxford University Press.1987. – P.176-190.
2. 3/Johnson K. Communication in the Classroom. – Hong-Kong,1981.- P/68-87.
3. Ladousse G.P. Role Play/ - Oxford University Press,1992. -181p.
4. Littlewood W. Communicative Language Teaching. – Cambridge,1981.- P.5-12.
5. Livingstone C. Role Play in Language Learning. – London: Longman, 1983.- 127p.
6. Paulston C. Linguistic and Communicative Competence TESOL Quarterly,vol.8,N4,Dec.,1974.- P.39-54.
7. Tarone E. Some Thoughts on the Notion of Communicative Strategy. TESOL Quarterly, vol.15, N3, 1981. – P.65-84.
8. Widdowson H.G. Teaching Language as Communication. Oxford University Press, 1978. -186p.
9. Xiaoju L. In Defence of the Communicative Approach. ELT Journal.Vol.38,N1, 1984. – P.62-79.

ВІДОМОСТІ ПРО АВТОРА

Щербина Світлана Володимирівна – кандидат педагогічних наук, доцент кафедри іноземних мов Кіровоградського національного технічного університету.

Наукові інтереси: оптимізація навчання іноземним мовам у немовних вищих навчальних закладах шляхом впровадження новітніх освітніх технологій навчання.