The document provides guidance for teaching speaking skills at The Speaking Gym. It discusses establishing an engaging topic, preparing students, setting a clear task, and providing feedback. It also addresses common student challenges like lack of fluency or opinions. Tips are given for managing conversations, including participating, engaging with students, modeling conversations, and guiding students to more challenging areas. Sample activities and exercises from English coursebooks are presented.

1. The Speaking Gym

2. Talk about where you live What best sums up your approach to teaching What is more important? Accuracy or fluency Introduce yourself and…

3. Open the coursebook at random Do not tell your partner what page you have chosen Using questions you and your partner need to find 3 similarities in the pictures. Find the similarities

4. Say something factual about your picture Say something you like/don’t like about it and why Say something it reminds you of Line up with pictures

5. all of you that have used Headway go to the left of the room. If you have not used Headway go the right of the room

6. Accuracy or fluency? What is the best way for students to become fluent?

7. What do students need to do in real life or in an exam? To be able to talk about themselves To show knowledge about a topic To express opinions on a topic To be able to describe and compare pictures To take part in a communicative task i.e. role play, agreeing on a decision

8. (Some) Student Problems: Students don't stay in English The students don’t have the language knowledge to say what they want to say. The students' lack of fluency prevents any kind of flow. Students don’t prepare for discussions in class. Students do not appear to have any opinions. Students quickly relapse into monologues with no real interaction. Some students always dominate while others rarely say a word and don't ask questions when they don’t understand what a partner is saying. The students don’t appear interested in their partners or what they have to say. .

9. Principles of a speaking activity Interesting Topic Preparation time Clear and Achievable Task Sensible Groups Effective Feedback Language Feedback Learner Training

10. Managing Conversation Participate – Take part as a person not just as a teacher Engage – Show genuine interest in the people in the room Model – Show how conversations can begin Prompt - By inviting people to say more Comment – By pausing the conversation to highlight something that is proving difficult Nudge - By guiding conversation that takes the learner into more challenging areas Teaching Unplugged by Meddings and Thornbury DELTA Publishing

11. How does Headway help? Built in personalisation questions from the start of the book : - Do you have a social conscience? - Sherlock homes is probably the most famous detective in the world of English Literature, what do you know about him? - Work with a partner, what is your favourite day of the week, why? - Do you think the Earth will continue to get warmer? Students do not appear to have any opinions.

12. The students don’t have the language knowledge to say what they want to say. Page 7 Page 64

13. The students don’t appear interested in their partners or what they have to say. Students quickly relapse into monologues with no real interaction.

14. Pleasure Agreement Surprise Sympathy

18. My most treasured possession Tell your partner what your most treasured possession is Listen to these three talking about their possessions. What are their most treasured possessions? The students don’t have the language knowledge to say what they want to say.

19. Having the necessary words and / or techniques if you don’t know the word It’s one of those things you… It’s used for… It’s long and thin…. They’re made of… It looks like… It’s kind of… It’s the stuff you… It’s got a…. It’s something you use when…. Page 85 The students don’t have the language knowledge to say what they want to say.

20. It’s one of those things you… It’s used for… It’s long and thin…. They’re made of… It looks like… It’s kind of… It’s the stuff you… It’s got a…. It’s something you use when….

24. Who? Why? What? Which? How (long /many /much)? When? Is / Are there? Where?

25. Accuracy Fluency Scaffold Vocabulary

26. Interesting Topic Preparation time Clear and Achievable Task Participate – Take part as a person not just as a teacher Engage – Show genuine interest in the people in the room Model – Show how conversations can begin

27. Personally I am a: Trypanophobic Cynophobic And I have a small fear of flying www.phobialist.com What are you phobic of?

28. Think about what your colleagues said…. How did they tell you about their phobia?

29. What are typical phobias? Make a list of typical phobias Now think of 3 unusual ones

30. Speaking - Accuracy Speaking - Prediction Speaking -Retell Speaking - Personalisation

31. We often like to blame our students for speaking activities failing. But sometimes it can be our fault. If we follow the principles for setting up a speaking activity then we maximise its chances of working Use the material to maximise students speaking time and make speaking as ‘normal’ as you can.

32. Thank you for listening Enjoy your coffee 