| . |
. |
. |
|
Designing
an Advanced Speaking Course
|
|
|
This article sets forth
eleven steps taken in designing a speaking course for students who had completed at least
five hundred hours of English instruction.
|
|
|
The necessity for
designing this course arose due to the fact that no single book was available which met
our syllabus outline. Therefore, teachers presenting this course for the first time found
themselves desperately searching for material. And though a plenitude of material could be
found or created, teachers were often dissatisfied at the end of the course due to its
lack of continuity.
|
|
|
Step 1: Approach
. In designing a new course in advanced speaking, it was decided to make it content-based,
and allow task to dictate function. This decision was made because at the advanced level
students had already been presented with a variety of functions for the purposes of
exchanging opinions and ideas.
|
|
|
Step 2: Selection of
Topics. While considering what topics to select, it occurred to me that the best
place to look would be The Reader's Guide to Periodicals , the reference book for
journal and magazine articles written on specific topics. In the back of the book is a
topic index. I went through the entire list of topics asking myself two major questions:
Can I get material for this? Will it be interesting to my students? Based on this, I
selected twelve topics.
|
|
|
Step 3:
Questionnaire. The best way to find out what topics students are interested in is
to ask them (see Figure 1 ).
Therefore, after selecting the 12 topics, I devised a questionnaire and asked teachers to
have their advanced students complete them. The students were asked to rate the topics
from 3 (very interesting) to 0 (boring). This four point scale was decided upon because
with a three point scale, we were worried that students might have a tendency to take the
"middle of the road" choice leaving us with a sampling that would show almost
all topics as being, at the least, interesting. They were then asked to select their five
favorite topics from the list, and rank them in order of preference (1 being their first
choice). Five choices were asked for since this was thought to be the maximum number of
topics that could be covered within the time frame of the course. They were then asked to
choose and mark with an X the first five most interesting subtopics, and to mark with an O
the five least interesting. In this case, the number five was chosen purely for the sake
of simplicity in doing the statistical analysis. I also asked the teachers to complete a
similar questionnaire, but without the subtopic choice as this would have taken too long
to compute.
|
|
|
Step 4: Analysis
. The most time-consuming step involved putting the topics and subtopics on a spreadsheet
in order to do the calculations on the computer. 325 students (57% of the advanced
students) and 38 teachers (45%) answered the questionnaire. As can be seen in Figure 2 , 87% of the students rated
the topic "Ethics" as their first choice. For the most part, the subtopics
chosen as most interesting correspond with the five top ranked topics, although not
necessarily in the same order.
|
|
|
A comparison between
student and teacher rating shows a vast difference in what teachers thought would be most
interesting for their students, compared to the students' interest.
|
|
|
A few teachers commented
that almost any topic could be made interesting depending upon the way in which it was
presented and the task that was assigned. A few teachers didn't particularly care for any
of the topics which had been selected.
|
|
|
Step 5: Activities,
Functions and Exercises. In order to have an idea reference bank, I made a partial
list of activities, exercises, notions, functions and thinking processes that I collected
from reference sources, texts, and activity books. I did not make an exhaustive list as I
only needed enough variety for a 30 hour course. (See Activities)
|
|
|
Step 6: Gathering
Material. Finding material on the topics which the students had chosen and
creating exercises and activities to accompany them was the second most time-consuming
step. In addition to receiving material from teachers who were kind enough to share, I
also went back to the Reader's Guide to Periodicals for material. Furthermore, I
looked through back issues of Forum , textbooks and activity books. When I liked an
activity or article, but felt there would be a problem due to copyright laws, I decided
either to adapt it or not to use it.
|
|
|
Step 7: Matching
Tasks and Activities to Material. Most material fell naturally into certain
activities or tasks such as jigsaws combined with discussion or problem solving
(Personality), storytelling (Crime), making a commercial (Ethics in Advertising), and so
on.
|
|
|
These tasks and activities
also lent themselves to a varied use of functions and cognitive processes.
|
|
|
Step 8: Scope and
Sequence. After selecting and creating material, which included audio cassettes as
well as various excerpts from television programs, I wrote the scope and sequence. I
listed the topics, the material to be used, the functions which could be employed, and at
times, the grammar that I thought might be helpful to review before beginning a task or
exercise.
|
|
|
Step 9: Designing
the Packet. Because I'm fortunate enough to have a computer, typing up the
material and putting it together to make a packet was the easiest step.
|
|
|
I designed two packets:
one for the students, and another for the teacher. The two packets were identical except
that the teacher's packet had day-by-day lesson plans, and ideas for the evaluation of
students' speaking abilities. For the sake of convenience, the information gap activities
(e.g. roleplays and jigsaw activities) were photocopied on one side of a page only so the
teacher could cut them for use in class.
|
|
|
Step 10: Piloting.
The next to last step was enlisting the aid of teachers to pilot the packet in their
classrooms, comment on the design and activities and offer helpful suggestions.
|
|
|
This was done simply by
having the teacher leave me a note, or return the packet with his or her comments.
|
|
|
Step 11: Editing.
After the piloting, based on teachers' comments, it was necessary to revise the packet by
eliminating exercises and activities which were either too long or not found to be
successful. I also had to reorganize some units since many teachers did not necessarily
follow the lesson plans in order. In addition, I added fillers-5 or 10 minute activities
involving cultural questionnaires and information or idiomatic expressions. These fillers
were useful in presenting cultural differences to students; and from a practical point of
view, they helped to fill the time while some groups of students waited for others to
complete assigned activities.
|
|
|
As it turned out, I
amassed much more material than was necessary. This material was put in our files for
teachers who wanted to supplement a unit. Before the final editing, I also asked teachers
to inform me as to how much of the packet they had used. The results ranged from 25% to
75%. Because of these results, we stopped making packets for the students so the teachers
could choose the material they wished to use and reproduce copies for their classes.
|
|
|
In the end, the packet
included the following thematic units: Personality, Human Relations, Ethics, and Crime.
|
|
|
Although my project was
not organized along the basis of a formal, scientific research project, it served three
primary purposes. First, some continuity was established for the Advanced Speaking course.
Second, it served as a syllabus for teachers who were teaching this course for the first
time. And finally, it has served as a source from which revisions and innovations have
emerged.
|
|
|
In closing, I would like
to acknowledge Jim Purpura, who was the Academic Director at that time, since it was
through his guidance and direction that I was able to complete this project.
|
|
|
- acting out role plays
- analyzing a problem
- brainstorming
- convincing someone to buy something
- critical assessment of books, plays, TV programs and movies
- debating
- describing people
- describing personal experiences:
embarrassing, frightening, or funny situations, dreams
- describing a process
- designing publicity campaigns
- explaining the location of a place
or object initiating conversations: - interviewing: personal questions,
hypothetical questions
- informing someone about your
country for alphabetical ordering
- jigsaw listening, reading and
making commercials
- making impromptu speeches
- making presentations
- planning projects: a commune,
educational institute, expedition
- ranking: (qualities, jobs,)
- retelling a story, summarizing
- seeking advice: polls, surveys
- talking about events,
- telling a story from another person's point of view
- writing dialogs, skits and plays'
|
|
|
Linda Bawcom is working at Fundacion Ponce de Leon in Madrid.
She prepared this article while working at the El Instituto de Estudios Norte Americanos
in Barcelona, Spain . |
|
|
Return |
|
Figure 1
| Student Questionnaire |
| Evaluate the topics listed below
according to the following scale: |
|
3 = very interesting |
1 = not so interesting |
|
2 = interesting |
O = boring |
|
| Write the number of the rating next to
the category. |
|
|
|
|
| I. Rating Topics |
| 1.___CRIME (justice, computers,
self-defense, drugs, prevention, etc.) |
| 2.___ECOLOGY (pollution, energy,
urban renewal, etc.) |
| 3.___EDUCATION (problems,
experience vs. academic requirements, etc.) |
| 4.___ETHICS (business,
euthanasia, personal relations, advertising, the media, test-tube babies, smoking,
abortion, terrorism, etc.) |
| 5.___ETHNICITY and STEREOTYPING
(cultural stereotyping, men vs. women, effects on employment, etc.) |
| 6.___HEALTH, FITNESS and BEAUTY
(dieting, exercising, advertising, appearance, etc.) |
| 7.___INTELLIGENCE (men vs. women,
environment vs. hereditary factors, beauty vs. intelligence, etc.) |
| 8.___HUMAN RELATIONS (dating,
marriage, bonding, children, divorce, etc.) |
| 9.___MONEY (finance, gambling,
fraud, consumerism, etc.) |
| 10.___PERSONALITY (psychology,
astrology, numerology, dreams, conflicts, etc.) |
| 11.___PERCEPTIONS ON AGING (retirement,
taking care of the elderly, euthanasia, discrimination against the elderly etc.) |
| 12.___THE UNITED STATES (cross-cultural
aspects, politics, subcultures, racism, economy, labor, music, sports, etc.) |
|
|
|
|
| II. Using the number given for
the topics (1-12), please rank the five you are most interested in. |
|
1. __ 2.
___ 3. ___ 4. ___ 5.___ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| III. Listed below are the subtopics
from the first page. Put an X by five of those you consider very interesting and an O by
five you think would not be interesting at all. |
|
___abortion |
___gambling |
|
___astrology |
___genetic engineering |
|
___beauty vs. intelligence |
___justice and the law |
|
___caring for the elderly |
___marriage and bonding |
|
___children’s rights |
___men vs. women |
|
___crime and prevention |
___numerology |
|
___cross-culture |
___personality conflicts |
|
___cultural stereotyping |
___personality analysis |
|
___dating |
___pollution and the
environment |
|
___drugs |
|
|
___dieting |
___discrimination against
the elderly |
|
___retirement |
|
|
___self-defense |
___divorce |
|
___dreams |
___education requirements |
|
___smoking |
___terrorism |
|
___energy |
___environment vs.
hereditary in intelligence |
|
|
|
|
| TOPICS RELATING TO THE U.S. |
|
___ethics in advertising |
___economy |
|
|
___ethics in business |
___labor |
|
|
___ethics in the media |
___politics |
|
|
___ethics in personal relationships |
___fraud |
|
|
|
___racism |
|
|
___exercising |
___subcultures |
|
|
___euthanasia |
___finance |
|
|
|
|
|
| IV. Are there any topics not listed
that you enjoy discussing? Please list them. |
|
|
|
| Student’s and
Teacher’s |
| ratings of topics* |
|
|
|
| Students polled: 325 |
Teachers
polled: 38 |
| TOPIC |
STUDENTS |
TEACHERS |
| Ethics |
87% |
26% |
| The United States |
78% |
47% |
| Ecology |
76% |
58% |
| Crime |
75% |
37% |
| Personality |
70% |
47% |
| Intelligence |
66% |
26% |
| Education |
65% |
26% |
| Human Relations |
64% |
58% |
| Ethnicity and Stereotyping |
52% |
50% |
| Perceptions on Aging |
48% |
8% |
| Money |
48% |
13% |
| Health, Fitness and Beauty |
42% |
21% |
| * Percentage = Very
Interesting+Interesting |
|
|
|
|
|
| Results of
Students’ Ranking of Top Five Topics |
| Listed in order of rank:
Ethics; the United States; Money; Health, Fitness, and Beauty; Perception of Aging. |
|
|
|
| Students’ Rating of
the 10 Most Interesting Subtopics |
| Listed in order of
interest: Pollution; Genetics; Racism; Subcultures in the U.S.; Cross Culture; Energy;
Drugs; Terrorism; Ethics in Personal Relations; Abortion; Men vs.Women; Justice and the
Law; and Euthanasia. |
Figure 2
Back to
Article
|
|
|