This document discusses strategies for assessing speaking skills in a second language. It describes the characteristics of spoken language, such as variation in speed, loudness, gestures, intonation, stress, rhythm, and pausing. It presents several methods for assessing speaking, including role plays, interviews, oral presentations, picture-cued story telling, and translations. Role plays can be structured or unstructured. Interviews involve warming up, level-checking, probing, and winding down. It's important to determine the appropriate criteria and tasks for assessing fluency versus accuracy in speaking.

1. República Bolivariana de Venezuela Universidad Pedagógica Experimental Libertador Instituto Pedagógico de Caracas Maestría en Enseñanza del Inglés como Lengua Extranjera Estrategias de Evaluación 07/25/11 Authors: Maite Sangroniz María Aurora Ovalles Nairuby Mata, Professor: Rosa Virguez de Olivo

2. Assessing Speaking Authors: Maite Sangroniz María Aurora Ovalles Nairuby Mata, Professor: Rosa Virguez de Olivo June, 2011

3. Teaching speaking What is Speaking? ¨Speaking is an interactive process of constructing meaning that involves producing and receiving and processing information¨ (Brown, 1994; Burns & Joyce, 1997). According to Kramsch (1986) cited in O´Malley and Valdez (1996) ¨Speaking means anticipating the listener´s response and possible misunderstandings, and arriving at the closest possible match between intended, perceived, and anticipated meanings¨. 07/25/11

4. Assessing Speaking Characteristics of Spoken language Spoken language is different from written language for many reasons. One important reason is that it usually has to be understood immediately whereas written language can be read many times. For that reason, spoken language has many different features. Spoken language has the following characteristics (Halliday, 1989, p. 31): Variation in speed (generally faster than writing) Loudness or quietness Gestures - body language Intonation Stress Rhythm Pitch range Pausing and phrasing 07/25/11

5. Assessing Speaking 07/25/11 Source: Brown, D (2004)

6. Assessing Speaking 07/25/11 Source: Brown, D (2004)

7. PICTURE-CUED STORY TELLING (intermediate level sample) Source:http://www.google.co.ve/search?hl=es&biw=1259&bih=573&gbv=2&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=sequenced+pictures+for+story+telling&btnG=Buscar&oq=sequenced+pictures+for+story+telling&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=54413l75052l0l31l30l2l0l0l3l905l6206l0.2.11.4.1.1.1

8. Source: Brown, H., 2004. Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices. PICTURE – CUED STORY TELLING (OBJECTIVE: SIMPLE PAST)

9. Assessing Speaking: Interactive Speaking Choosing the best test format 07/25/11 ROLE PLAY Structured role play (information gap) Structured interview Unstructured Interviews ROLE PLAY Unstructured role play

10. Assessing Speaking: Interactive Speaking Interviews: (stages) Warm up: 1. small talk Level check: the test taker 2. answers Wh-questions 3 produce a narrative without interruptions 4 reads a passage outloud 5 Tells how to make something or do something 6 engages in a brief, controlled, guided role play Probe: The test-taker: 7 responds to interviewer´s questions about something the test taker doesn´t know and is planning to include in an article or paper. 8 talks about his or her own field of study or profession. 9 engages in a longer, more open-ended role play (e.g. simulates a difficult of embarrassing situation) with the interviewer. 10 gives an impromptu presentation on some aspect of test-taker´s field. Wind down: 11 feeling about the interview, information or results, further questions 07/25/11

11. Role Plays

12. Discussions and conversations

13. Assessing Speaking: Extensive Speaking 07/25/11 Translation of an extended prose Oral Presentations Picture-cued Story Telling Retelling a story Source: Brown, 2004

14. Oral Presentations Specify the criterion Set appropriate tasks Optimal output Practical, reliable scoring

15. Source: Brown, H., 2004. Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices. ORAL PRESENTATION CHECK LIST

16. Conclusions Speaking assessment is very difficult. It is important to determine what criteria to use to assess whether accuracy or fluency. Such criteria can be based upon created models or adapted ones. 07/25/11

17. References Brown, D. (2004). Language Assessment, Principles and Classroom Practices . Longman O Malley, M. and Valdez L. (1995). Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners. Practical Approaches for Teachers . Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Weir, C. (1990). Communicative Language Testing . Prentice Hall. Bailey, K.M., & Savage, L. (1994). " New ways in teaching speaking." Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Brown, H.D. (1994 ). "Teaching by principles: an interactive approach to language pedagogy.“ Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents. Burns, A., & Joyce, H. (1997). "Focus on speaking." Sydney: National Center for English Language Teaching and Research. Carter, R. & McCarthy, M. (1995 ). Grammar and spoken language. "Applied Linguistics, 16" (2), 141-158 07/25/11