The right place, the right time – carrying out speaking activities effectively

Kirsten Waechter, Bochum, Germany

 

In my workshop that I did for HELTA on 1 March, I discussed how to design stress-free speaking activities; in this article, I would like to explore a bit more the “when” factor to consider in this context.

 

When teachers think about speaking activities and speaking games, they often have two things in mind: a warmer activity at the beginning of their lesson or a production (transfer) activity at the end. However, research shows that there are other factors to consider when determining the place and time of a speaking activity in a lesson. These include, for example: the way the speaking activity is tied in with the other components of the lesson; the energy curve of the learners (i.e. when are they most ready to do a speaking activity), and how the speaking activity is reflected upon by the class. The last point refers to how the activity can be used outside the classroom as learners need to see real-life purpose.

 

Let us start with a useful warm-up activity which goes by several names, “speed dating”, “speed networking” or “speed conversation”. The rules are simple: students get cards with three questions, for example, of small talk or about their job; they have to interview one person about one question and vice versa; they swap partners after each round. Rounds must be timed to one minute (or maybe two). After the activity, learners usually feel very bubbly, excited, and stimulated as their brains have fully woken up and tuned in to English. The worst thing the teacher can do now (and often does) is to ask the learners to return to their seats: all of that energy stimulation is lost.

 

We think better on our feet, the saying goes. And there are some neuroscientific facts to back that up (cf. Barras 2014). Our brain cells are on fire after a stimulating activity, and we want to keep our learners’ brains that way. We need to ensure that we make use of this stimulation curve by tying in this exercise.

 

This can be a reporting task (which helps them to keep talking): Learners report on the people they talked to (transferring from you to he and she). Remember that it is important for learners to see the purpose of what they do: a speaking activity or game should never be only fun! The brain also decides on processing the input: it must notice the input (important for instructions) and then it must be willing to process it: relevance is at stake here. Why is this important to me? (cf. Ford 2011)

 

Whatever kind of encounter the sensory system has with the world, a corresponding event between a particular cell in the brain and some other cell carrying the information from the outside word must result in reinforcement of the connection between those cells (cf. Mallgrave 2011, p. 98-104). Our brain connects cells and transmits information – this is how we learn and process information. This is also how we give output, which is why warmers have to be “no brainers” as we need to wake up our learners’ brains first and help them make English language connections.

 

The energy curve I mentioned above is a curve that has been taken from studies with athletes. They move from the state of calm (bored) to the stage of eustress (getting excited, energised, and focused) which is where they can deliver their optimal performance. But inevitably, this is followed by the stage of distress: suddenly they find tasks challenging, they are getting tired, and exhausted and will not be able to concentrate longer. When designing the time and place of speaking activities in the lesson, it makes sense to bear that scheme in mind. Asking the learners to repeat performance, for example, may happen when they have entered the distress period. Their performance will suffer and they will no longer feel good about their speaking competence, a feeling that we want to avoid as it harms their self-confidence.

 

Another saying is brain cells “that fire together wire together” – which means if more sensory receptors are stimulated, the better the performance gets and the more involving the task (cf. Ford 2011). A good example of that is the game “Firestarter”. This activity sees people producing language together, for example, a story or a report. The preparation needs to raise interest (learners can define the topic) and settle the activity in the context of the lesson (focusing on certain issues like -ing forms or past simple). Then, the teacher starts one sentence or gives one student a card with half a sentence. The student reads it out and passes the (spoken) sentence on to another student: they continue the sentence with at least three words and pass it on to the next student.

 

Remember that the game should not go on too long, and that the stories or texts should be meaningful, too. As a result, both listening skills and memorising skills are stimulated. This activity would be a perfect type of example for the end of a lesson. The debriefing can be done by learners summing up their stories (another important speaking function they need to master), taking them into the distress stage but without the negative side effects.

 

To sum up: if you manage the frame, setting and purpose of speaking activities well, your learners will benefit from them more. Help them perform at the peak of their energy curve providing enough stimulation for the brain to  create a positive feeling even if their performance was not word-perfect. Thus you will boost their confidence and the willingness to practise more – and, as we all know, practice makes perfect.

 

References

Barras, Colin (2014). Want to learn quicker? Use your body. BBC Future, retrieved on 29/08/2018:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140321-how-to-learn-fast-use-your-body

Ford, Donald J. (2011). How the Brain Learns. The Training Industry, retrieved on 29/08/2018:

https://trainingindustry.com/articles/content-development/how-the-brain-learns/

Mallgrave, Harry F. (2011). The Architect’s Brain. Wiley.