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PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING SPEAKING SKILLS Khojikulov Sh.K.
Khojikulov Shukrulla Kodirovitch - Teacher, DEPARTMENT OF METHODOLOGY OF TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE, ENGLISH LANGUAGES FACULTY 2, UZBEKISTAN STATE WORLD LANGUAGES UNIVERSITY, TASHKENT, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: writing, speaking and listening are communication skills that are important in all subject areas in the curriculum. Hence, literacy should have a central position in the curriculum. Even so, differences between students' levels of literacy mean that some students fail to acquire the verbal foundations for learning. This article responds to calls for principles and teaching practices that address the worldwide problem of increasing literacy skills. It draws on educational research and extensive experience with classroom practices to explain important principles for increasing literacy.
Keywords: speaking, teaching, practise presenting information, answer questions and hold group discussions.
Speaking is found on the tree as one of the branches; it is labeled oral production and is one of the skills students are to learn in their language development. The ability to converse is highly valued by students, but teachers often find it a skill that is hard to develop. Students often feel a great deal of anxiety around speaking. In this section we will discuss the importance of developing excellent oral skills and how teachers can go about promoting this development.
Learners need to know how speakers differ from one another and how particular circumstances call for different forms of speech. They can learn how speaking styles affect listeners. Thus, the rate at which they speak, the volume and the precision of pronunciation may differ substantially from one situation to another. It is useful for students to know that speech should differ in formality, such as when speaking to a judge, a teacher, a parent or a playmate. They may also benefit from learning about the differences among various dialects. The subjects in the curriculum and examples from the media may provide occasions for different forms of speech. Oral presentations can be derived from poems, stories, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as scientific reports. Dramatic acting and watching skits and plays may provide the richest opportunity to see how character and circumstance affect speech.
Children, adolescents and adults sometimes fear the challenge of sustained, formal speaking before large groups. Teachers can help reduce unrealistic fears by pointing out how common they are among people and what to do about them. They can also help to reduce such fears by maintaining a friendly atmosphere in the class and providing opportunities for students to practice alone or with one other student and then before increasingly larger groups. Thus, students can practice speaking in front of their peers who face the same situation. Students can practise presenting information, answering questions and holding group discussions. Frequent classroom presentations and discussions enable teachers to diagnose and remedy problems. Students can benefit from learning by setting themselves presentation goals and assessing their own progress. Observing proficient speakers can help students to set such goals. Practising oral presentation in these ways can lessen students' anxieties while, at the same time, helping them to learn the subject matter of the lesson. Students are less likely to be fearful and anxious and more likely to do well if they are well prepared. Preparedness can be enhanced by in-depth mastery of the subject matter, appropriate organization and rehearsing the presentation.
In planning speaking activities, teachers need to decide whether students need high structure (for example drills and controlled practice) for practice in learning or getting it or
low structure (for example role plays, simulations) for using it. Questions to consider in relation to speaking include the following [1]:
Is it necessary to review the language to be used in a task?
Will the learners work in pairs or small groups?
How will learners be monitored as they complete task?
How will teachers provide feedback to students?
When developing activities, lessons or tasks around speaking, teachers should also be aware of the 3 areas of knowledge that speaking encompasses. Each area should receive attention, though not necessarily all at once. It is advisable to inform the students of these areas, so they are aware of the purpose of the activities [2].
- Mechanics: This area involves the different pieces that make up speaking including pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and word order.
- Functions: This area describes the uses of speaking whether for transaction or interaction, and when precise understanding is or is not required.
- Social/Cultural rules and norms: This area involves the more subtle cultural value inherent in the language's culture, such as turn taking, social norms, roles of participants, etiquette and social register etc.
The suggestions provided in this article have proved useful in research and experience on the teaching of speaking. Teachers concerned with literacy will also have other valid ideas that they may wish to share. We hope that the principles expressed succinctly in this article will provoke such sharing. In addition to sharing ideas, actual progress requires putting ideas into classroom practice. Sharing ideas about how to do this among educators and other professionals may also be crucial. Therefore, to become adept at teaching so as to foster speaking, we must become committed to thinking critically and reflectively about our own lives and the lives of those around us. We must become active, daily, practitioners of thought.
References
1. Bygate Martin. Teaching and Researching Speaking. London: Longman, 2000.
2. Harmer Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching. London: Longman, 2001.
