Tips for Enhancing

Communicative Skills

As we all know, the main goal of teaching and learning speaking is to enhance communicative skills. To accomplish this, we need to have maximum chances to speak in English in and out of the classrooms and not to be worried too much about mistakes or errors that are natural process of learning L2. Here are some fun and interesting activities both we teachers and our learners can enjoy. It is hoped that you apply them to your classes in near future. If you have any other good ideas, please feel free to contact :onst84@naver.com

Midterm Group Project 2011PROJECT- BASED LEARNING

Designed by Lee, Miyoung

1.Making a Movie:# This is what Lee did when taking a teacher’s course in 2009 at

Chungnam Institute of Foreign Language Education of Korea. All the groups need to produce a final movie that lasts for less than 5 minutes. It is absolutely a group project.

# There are 5 steps: Step 1. Writing the script. Step 2. Learning about the camera. Step 3. Filming your movie. Step 4. Editing your movie. Step 5. Presenting your movie.# Benefits1) Linguistic aspect - to experience a genuine communicative ability: a movie includes hesitation,

interruptions, distractions, even silence, emotions, and body language, which are not found in typical textbooks

- to acquire new words and structure in a fully contextualized and interactional manner

- to acquire correct pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, and other prosodic features2) Psychological aspect - to improve confidence and self-esteem - to experience sense of cooperation and responsibility - to exert imagination and creativity

Step 1. Writing the script : refer to the example that Lee did.

** CIFLE Daydreaming **Authors: Carpenter, Jimmy, Alice, Sunny, Amy, ChristinaCharacters : Male trainees A, B(Carpenter, Jimmy), Female trainees

A, B(Alice, Sunny), Instructor(Amy), Headmaster of CIFLE(Christina Teresa), Narrator(Sunny)

〔 Scene 1 〕Narrator(Sunny) : Today is the first day of CIFLE life, and everybody is

so excited about meeting new people and learning English.Alice : Wow, (looking around) what great scenery! Fresh air! Birds are

singing. I love this place. Sunny: The facilities are fantastic! I didn't expect them to be great.Carpenter : Have you looked around the gym, cafeteria, golf practice

range?(following parts are deleted)〔 Scene 2 〕Narrator(Sunny): All trainees are eager to study English. They enter

Amy's class happily.(*At Classroom)Amy : Welcome to my drama class. You should present your team's

drama tomorrow in front of your classmates. I hope you make the script right now. If your drama is not successful, you'll fail this program. Are you crystal clear?

This script goes on to the Scene 3, but here I’ll delete the following parts as I guess

you can understand how to write the script .

Step2. Learning about the

Camera# You can get help about useful

definitions of camera words and how to work with the camera from a following site : http://atec.utdallas.edu/midori/Handouts/camera.htm

# You can learn about the important camera terms : refer to the picture below.

# You can also learn about various camera angles: refer to the above pictures.

Step3. Filming , Editing , Presenting a Movie # Based on the knowledge got from the step 2, actually be actors and actresses.# Using movie-making programs, edit the movie and insert suitable music if necessary.# You can enjoy the movie I made with colleagues in 2009 at this site.http://tvpot.daum.net/clip/ClipViewByVid.do?vid=awMbiFD_atk$

2. Debate# To accomplish effective and

interesting debating, following rules

are needed.

1)Be proud! 2) Speak Only in English!

# Debating Teams

1)Pros 2) Cons 3) Judges 4) Audience

# Debating Team Members

1)Captain: team leader

2) Supporters: preparing supporting

details to back up the team’s opinion

3) Final man: preparing the

conclusion part

4) Note taker: taking notes of

opposite team’s speech, to find its

weak points, to prepare questions to

attack the other team

# Procedures

1)1st Round: Introducing team opinion

2)Discussion: Breaking for strategies

3)2nd Round: Refutation/Rebuttal

4)Final Comments: synthesizing all ideas from 1st and 2nd rounds & giving final comments by note takers

5)Judging: Deciding the winner & comments from a teacher

# Follow-up activity : Essay Writing

The steps of a debate are similar to the

structure of the essay writing. The speeches

from each group can be altered a little to be

a team essay. Note takers put the speech

notes together and rewrite them into a final essay

3. Making Visual Idioms # Idioms refer to a group of words which have a different meaning when used together from the one they would have if you took the meaning of each word separately. # Idioms have symbolical or metaphorical meanings. If they’re understood literally, what would happen? Please look at the example below.# Example idiom: Kick the bucket ≒ Die←Literal

Meaning

Metaphorical Meaning →

# There are other pictures for visual idioms. If you need, please contact me by e-mail.# Useful Activity: Creating your own Creating your own visual idiomsvisual idioms# What you will need: - An idiom dictionary / internet - Choosing 5 ideas for visual idioms - A digital camera - Some Creativity! - Including ourselves in the pictures as much as possible!

4. Making Vision Boards# This is the activity using your vision for future life. # What you will need-hardboard, pictures or words from magazines, colored paper and pencils# Procedures1)Think about your vision : How am I going to manage my life? 2) Select pictures and words that are suitable for expressing your vision3) Organize them on the hardboard and decorate it4) Finish the work and present your vision in front of your friends# Please enjoy samples of vision boards (including me and my friends)

My work

. 5. Information Gap Activity# This activity is usually done with pairs. One

of them has the information that other partner

doesn’t have and they’ll share their

information.

# This serves lots of purposes such as solving a

problem, collecting information. They’re

interdependent as the task cannot be

completed if they don’t give the information

each other.

# This is very effective since everyone has

chances to speak in English.

# A useful site where you can get information

gap exercises

:http://bogglesworldesl.com/

information_gap.htm

6. Becoming an Announcer # Using News articles, each of you acts as an announcer on radio or TV.# This activity integrates listening, writing, and speaking skills. - From the Internet News sites, you listen to the video clips. - You can enhance writing skills as well by dictating what you’ve heard or using the worksheets where you need to fill in the blanks. - Based on the dictation and original news articles, practice reading the articles just like the news announcers.# The sites you can see and listen to the news articles - www.cnn.com , www.bbc.co.uk, abcnews.go.com

7. Other fun and helpful

activities

# Singing a song-It’s a very enjoyable and exciting activity. -Listen to music and if necessary, search the lyrics and sing along.-With the worksheets where you need to fill blanks, you can also improve listening and writing skills. You or your friends can make these worksheets for each other

# Story telling, Interviews, Playing

cards,Story completion, Picture Narrating, Find the Difference, and etc. from the following site:

http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kayi-TeachingSpeaking.html

Reference

# The 22nd Korea Secondary English Teachers’ Association. 2009. English Education in Global Era; Improvement of Teaching Methods for Teaching English in English

# Chungnam Institute of Foreign Language Education. 2009. New Vistas of English Language Teaching: Why not change?

I hope you to enjoy Lee’s experience! from Lee, Sisila, Andre and Vuth