Improving Oral Interaction Competency

Good morning/afternoon/night everybody! today we are going to make a list of some advices to take into account if we want to enhance our pupil’s communication skills and to stimulate the oral interaction in class.

We have based our work in different articles and some notes that you must study for the coming exams so we hope it to be helpful to shore up the acquired knowledge. First of all, what we have to know about the oral interaction competency is that its objective is to promove a spontaneous and natural use of the english, and there is needed an important condition: The english must be the only language used in class.

Another factor wich is very important is to be very carefull with the preparation of the class, given that we will have to take into account our pupil’s level, and also to aware that we will find some gaps in our pupil’s knowledge and we will be ready for compensate them.

So we will pay attention to prepare the class to elements like: the focus of the task; pupil’s needs; resources (audiovisual support is usually the best); previous knowledge; strategies and methodology...

Talking about resources, wich one would be a good resource to improve the oral interaction competency? Well, students should have access to different kind of resources like banks, cards, posters, computer programs...wich will introduce the vocabulary and expand the record of words that pupils must use. Also these resources shall contains expressions and others useful english expressions.

It’s important for pupils to have access to different resources because through managing and handling them, they will take control of their own learning becomming more autonomous.

What should we teach them first? Pupils don’t need a lot of vocabulary, expressions and general language to interact each others, they just need what they will use. This functional language that they will learn must be related with the daily activity in class, but that does not mean that it have to be a specialized or technical language, they must lacquire the basic knowledge to start to interact with their classmates and with their teachers as well.

To implement this vocabulary we can use some technics (and also we must use the mentioned resources as well) like the association between physical actions and the sounds that does actions means, like pointing the door, waving our hand...

Also we must stablish some routines (greetings,pleasentries...).

But what we is the most important thing to improve the oral interaction competency? Practice. We have to make sure that our pupils have enough opportunities to interact in class and we shouldn’t scold them for speaking in class (always that they were speaking in the right language of course). In our didactic sequences we should include a lot of activities that implies oral interaction, otherwise, pupils will not retain the learning because they can’t practice their new skills.

See you soon!

Xtranormal video making tutorial

Hi there future teachers fellas! We want to show you the tool in wich we supported on to make our exposition in last Aurora’s class. This tool allow us to create a video in a very easy and intuitive way, I will explain you how does it work and for what would be useful to.

First of all you must go to this link:

http://www.xtranormal.com/

We will mark the “create” tab and pick one of the different packs wich includes the characters, locations...

This webpage offers us the choice to create a video with one or two characters, and when we were decided in that aspect and registered in the page (wich is free of course), we will see a window with different sets in wich our characters are going to interact in our story.

You should be seeing this window at this moment:

Once we had picked our set, we will have to pick the actors and their voices (If we are not on the mood to doubling the voices by ourselves) wich is the easy part, and after that we will have to start to introduce the script of the story.

The webpage offers you a very useful tool: the autocamera. If we mark this option, the cameras are going to switch by themselves in order to create a dinamic image by changing the position, wich is going to give to our little film a more proffesional image. But if we preffer to pick by ourselves the camera position in each moment of the conversation we just have to drag the camera icon to each speaking block and then pick the camera location that we wish.

Ok, now it’s time to write what we want our charac ters to say in the speaking blocks. This blocks will be the interface that will allow us to make our charaters do what we want. They are not just where we have to write the things that the actors are going to say, we will have to drag the different icons that appears in the window’s left tag to this blocks, where the icons are going to be selected and transformed in the actions (movements, looks, gestures...) that are going to perform the characters.

It’s important to pay attention to the order of the elements that we add to the speaking blocks because thats the order that will appear in the final video,but to avoid mistakes in the elaboration, the webpage makes available to us the preview tool. This tool will allow us to chek if everything is fine before to continue with the video making process, by showing us a lower quality version of the video until the point that we were at.

Another sounds options that we will like to stand out are those wich allow you to create different kinds of ambients by putting background sounds or music, wich is always an important thing to take care about when you are creating any kind of audiovisual content.

Well, after finishing our story we just have to click on save and finally publish it! Then we will have to wait for a while and give time to the program to convert the video to a higer quality format, and then download it as a mp4 video, ready to be reproduced, modified, customized or whathever it is what you want to do with it...but...which would be a useful way to use the videos created with this tool?

                                          

Well that is depending on your pupils needs and the methods that you were using to implement the contents through this audiovisual tool, but we can tell you how and why we have used this tool in an exposition for Aurora’s class:

As most of you already know (because you were there paying attention) our exposition was structured in questions like what is your didactic sequence about? how can you attendo to diversity? was the didactic sequence helpful for your proffesional development?. So we thought, that including an audiovisual support to our exposition would be a good idea to keep the attention and to add dynamism to the monologue, wich actually wasn’t a real monologue given that Aurora and Brian, our characters, were who ask us those mentioned questions.

But this tool have the limits far away from just expositions, because it could be very helpful like storytelling support, given that you can modify and compose the rythm of the story as while you are introducing this story in an audiovisual support (wich is a great way to reach and keep our pupil’s attention).

So we hope this tutorial to be helpful for you all and if there is any doubt left, feel free to ask in the comments!

See you soon fellas!

RecyclinG Activities!

One world Dialogue

Student A: Hungry?

Student B: Yes!

Student A: An Apple?

Student B: No

Student A: An Orange?

Student B: Yes!

1.

J   Justify why you opt for this activity.  

 

I have chosen this activity because in a very first moment I have think in very simple things where they can produce something in the silent period. It is important give to our pupils’ activities which make them protagonist of their activities and if we choose short dialogues which are easy for them, they will be the real protagonist of their learning. These types of activity are ideal for this propose. 

Choose the level 

I would choose this activity for the second or third stage of primary education because I have tough that it is between something easy and something they can do with teachers help.

3.     Decide the competencies to be approached.

Depending on how you are going to work this activity you can work with different competences, but in general the main competences you going to work are:

Competencia linguistica: Language is the tool which we communicate.

Competencia social: We create relations because we talk with our mates

Competencia aprender a aprender: Because pupils can be aware about their own mistakes and how to correct it.

4.     Decide the aims to be achieved and the contents to be developed.

The contents we are going to develop are: Vocabulary about food and likes or dislikes. Also we are going to try to introduce a little structure to use in conversation.

And the aims we are going to work are the following:

·         Learn and use some new vocabulary to increase their knowledge in the real world.

·         Take part in conversation participating in class group.

5.     Explain the classroom management and describe the activities step by step to follow (pre-, While-, post-...)

We are going to work at first with a big group and we are going to give them the new vocabulary, when they have revise the content, we give them an activity: “ pupils have images ( with vocabulary about food) in their hands, and they are going to looking for a partner who likes the image you have”

To do this activity we can divide this activity in three steps:

Pre- activity: pupils see the vocabulary, and after that, each pupil are going to draw one type of food. (They create the material)

While-activity: pupils are going to take part in short conversation practicing with the new vocabulary.

Post-activity:  When they finished conversation, they have to explain in big group the general conclusions they have learn.

The structures we can give to them can be:

For the conversation:  Angry? (Yes or no) A/AN (food) ?  Yes/No.

For the conclusion: Most of/some of /No one – Like/Hate (Food).

6.     Consider the diversity in the classroom.

As we know, not all the children learn at the same way and it is for that reason that we have to adapt our activities in classroom. At first, we have to think in different options for different levels (into the same group) maybe most of our pupils enjoy with this activity but maybe some of them doesn’t like it, and we can consider make changes in our objectives with them, adapting the steps. For example, if they have a higher level we can give them other step complementary.

7.     Explain your assessment/evaluation plan.

I propose make a self- assessment filling a survey for example when they have to demonstrate not only if they have learnt the content, they have to demonstrate that they have participated. Also, as teachers, we had to have a check list where we will follow our pupil’s progress and if it is necessary, explaining feedback

Adapting speaking activities

The development of the speaking skill is quite important in the learning of a Second Language. In this way, we as group have thought about different activities to be carried out in the different stages of the Primary Education and some of them will also be focused on promoting the oral interaction, which is essential for our pupils to communicate in the foreign language.

FIRST STAGE ACTIVITY

The first stage in the learning of the foreign language is quite important in order to introduce some new vocabulary that will be important for the development of their learning in the next stages. For this reason, we have decided that the use of flashcards in English lessons might be a good activity to introduce our pupils to the vocabulary of different topics.

                                                                                                                                                        
The teacher shows to children the vocabulary related to the  topic they are going to treat, such as school material, parts of the house, family members… The teacher shows every picture and pronounce every word. 

Then, pupils have to repeat each word so that they learn the pronunciation and memorize the different meanings at the same time teacher is showing flashcards. After that, the teacher has to guess which flashcard he is showing at the moment and pupils will help him to it. He will use the structure: Is it a/an…? Has it got…? Is it small/blue....And pupils should use: No it’s not/ Yes it is. Yes it has/ no it hasn’t.

At the end of the activity pupils randomly should have to stand up, go to the blackboard/whiteboard and write one word they remember from the previous flashcards.

SECOND STAGE ACTIVITY
At this stage it is important to consolidate the previous knowledge acquired and to get new vocabulary and structures in order to develop the speaking skill and as we said previously, to guide the way to a better oral interaction.

In order to work the speaking skill, sing a song could be a good activity because it’s entertaining, funny and a nice tool for our pupils to assimilate words and structures. In these days, as Christmas time is arriving, a possibility could be sing a Christmas song between all the pupils and the teacher, working specific structures and vocabulary related to this theme.

Afterwards, once given the structures such as at Christmas time I like doing… or at Christmas my family and I… our children can have a guided conversation in groups of four or five members, giving their opinion and agreeing or disagreeing with their classmates. Finally, each pupil will tell their opinions and statements to the whole class and the teacher.

THIRD STAGE ACTIVITY

At this stage our pupils are supposed to have a more extent previous knowledge than in others. For this reason, we expect from them a fluent speaking level in relation with the different aspects seen in the different lessons.

We have decided that a good activity for this stage is to create a drama play or a role-play in groups of five. For example, if we have been working in our lessons vocabulary and structures concerning to the market and the food, this kind of activity could be helpful to assimilate the vocabulary and some structures and understand them in the best way: putting them into practice. It could be used as a final product because it can be used to assess our pupils’ learning, taking into account that the plays are focused in a daily and common situation.

They will have to prepare a little script under the teacher guidelines and helping each other. Moreover, they can decorate the classroom so that it gets the appearance of a market with its different sections (fishmonger’s, butcher’s, greengrocer’s…) where they will have to do the shopping and to manage with money.

Aims of this activity:

At the end of this activity our aim will be that pupils get the following objectives:

To create and understand different messages about the topic, such as greetings (good morning, hello) food and courtesy vocabulary (thank you, I’d like, please…) and money management. 

To practice and get a fluent oral interaction through massages mentioned above, such as greetings, courtesy vocabulary and food vocabulary of the playing of fictional scenes including phonological aspects.

To create and expose a final product in a cooperative and participative way to the classmates, creating as well a good and warm atmosphere in the classroom so that pupils can feel comfortable and enjoy themselves.

Classroom management: 

While doing the activity (group participation and collaboration concerning the different tasks in order to get the final product) the classroom’s space organization will be the one which suits properly for this purpose. We think that sitting in little circles (each group) distributed in the class.

While exposing the final products to the classmates and the teacher, the audience will sit in a “U” shape so that watching and hearing is the best as possible.

 Pupils have to pay attention and to listen carefully to their classmates.

Pupils have to be quiet in order not to disturb the different plays.

In case of any interruption, the teacher will adopt a pertinent measure to aware pupils and to avoid them.

If pupils don’t stop talking between each play, the teacher must make them aware about how disrespectful it is towards they classmates

After each play, pupils will be able to ask the pupils who just acted different doubts that come to their mind in a polite way and raising their hands up.

The teacher and the pupils will give feedback to the children who act in a critical and constructive way, recognizing their labor without discouraging them.

Two or three minutes will be given to each group if necessary for decorating the classroom with the suitable appearances.