Teaching Resources > KET > Speaking > Developing General Speaking Skills

Integrating Speaking

Factors Affecting Learners

Giving Feedback: why?

Giving Feedback: how?

Developing General Speaking Skills

Students must be made aware that the Speaking test counts for the same number of marks as the other papers and involves skills that can be both practised and improved.

• If your students are reluctant speakers, get them involved in a 5-minute question and answer session in pairs or groups at the beginning or end of every lesson. The questions could relate to personal likes and dislikes, opinions and other everyday topics which your students could talk about. When they are used to doing this, you can slowly introduce other longer and more directed speaking activities and tasks (see Activities List).
  
  
• Most coursebooks have sections on speaking skills, which are especially useful if your students don't have the opportunity to practise their English very often.
  
  
• For pronunciation, coursebooks are also particularly useful - if your students are not very strong in this area, it is worth spending time doing the activities in them, which are usually both fun and useful in raising students' awareness of common difficulties and giving them practice. Accompanying cassettes provide good models for sounds, stress and intonation patterns.

Be aware yourself of how much and how often your students are speaking to each other in the classroom, especially when this is not a specific 'speaking activity'. Where appropriate, give feedback or pick up on any good or weak aspects you notice. This will help your students to recognise the value of speaking in class. Look at the section on giving feedback for ideas.