This article is about interactive speaking activities in teaching English in primary classes. Students learn how to speak and improve their speaking abilities by using different innovative technologies in learning foreign languages.
Key words: language acquisition, interactive, innovative technologies, motivate, improve.
Эта статья об интерактивной говорящей деятельности в преподавании английского языка в начальных классах. Студенты учатся говорить и улучшают свои разговорные способности, используя различные инновационные технологии в изучении иностранных языков.
Ключевые слова: овладение языком, интерактив, инновационные технологии, мотивировать, совершенствовать.
A man who can speak two languages is worth two men.
Napoleon Hill
Speaking is one of the most important skills as everybody knows. In our daily life, we are in need of it in every corner of living space. As we know, On December 10, 2012 Presidential decree No 1875” About the measures on further development of foreign language teaching and learning system ” was adopted [1]. According to the decree a great attention is given to teaching and learning English in all spheres in Uzbekistan. Speaking involves three areas of knowledge mechanics pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Language teaching in Uzbekistan is based on the idea that the goal of language acquisition is communicative competence: the ability to use the language correctly and appropriately to accomplish communication goals.
If our native tongue is not English, our students will face challenges learning to speak this language fluently in schools, that’s why interactive activities should be used to improve our students’ speaking skills. By this way we can help our students’ learn to speak and improve their vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation and especially how to motivate them to learn English. As a global language, English the most important and valid language in the world, so we do not only understand, write or read it, but also we need to speak it in a fluent way. In this point, teachers should benefit from some approaches by using their techniques.
Innovative technologies in learning foreign languages deals with the necessity and importance of innovative technology in the foreign language classroom. It also discusses in detail multimedia technology acting as a method for special intellectual activity. This technology has a number of advantages compared with other information technology training. The use of innovative learning technology creates the most favorable conditions and contributes significantly to motivation in learning foreign languages. Learning foreign languages is impossible to imagine without the use of multimedia learning tools. Of course, important tasks for the methodology of teaching foreign languages include providing opportunities to illustrate the actual process of communication in English, and creating an educational environment that provides real conditions for learning use of the target language and its culture.
The 21st century, often called the information age, is bringing about changes to the traditional teaching of language. The use of computer technology in teaching in our time is of great importance, thanks to its new possibilities. As Peck (1978), cited in Celce-Murcia (2001), states “Activities need to be child centered and communication should be authentic. This means that children are listening or speaking about something that interests them, for their own reasons, and not merely because a teacher has asked them to” (1978, p.139) [2].
I think, as an English teacher we have to create new activities from used activities in the lessons. There may be appeared a question? What kind of interactive activities are useful to use at the lessons? Here I am going to write such kind of activities which I always use at my English lessons.
1. By photos. The instruction: I ask my students to bring their photos in my previous lesson and to stick them anywhere in the classroom. This task is individually. I write the key words or the constructions on the blackboard and I ask my students to describe themselves with the help of given key words or the constructions on the blackboard.
Key words: curly, dark, tall, this is…,
2. By matching activities. The instruction: In this kind of activities pupils match the pictures and the other pictures for new words by guessing the meaning. When they finish they should check their answers with you or with their partners to find out whether they guessed right or wrong. This activity is much more fun than the traditional method in which the teacher gives the meaning of the new words. It also helps to develop the pupils’ cognitive skills. e.g. by comparing the English word to any other languages they know and seeing if they can find the meaning in this way. Using one language to learn another is an important skill in foreign language learning. (It doesn’t matter if your pupils can’t guess, or guess wrong. You will tell them the meaning of words if necessary.)
3. By using role-plays. Theme: National Fairy Tale”Zumrad and Kimmat”.
The instruction: I ask my students different questions about cartoon “Zumrad and Kimmat”. Have you ever seen this fairy tale? Do know about Zumrad and Kimmat? What are the differences between them? Let’s act out this fairy tale. So students will take an active part to do this task. It’ll be very interesting and easier than the other ones, because students know this fairy tale closely and how to act it.
Key words and word phrases: want to.., hate, go to the forest, old man, step mother, lazy girl, want nothing……
4. By using the construction What --- would you like?”, I like…”
The instruction: Teacher writes the construction What--- would you like?”, I like…” on the blackboard. Teacher puts the picture cards of fruits baskets on the table and asks the students to work in pairs. One of them will ask the question What fruit would you like?”, the next one will choose any fruit out of the basket and answer I like an apple. The game will be continued like this way.
I advice to English teachers to be careful not to let an activity go on too long, because they are still children, long activities may be boring to them.
To do sum up, I came to this conclusion such using these interactive activities develop the students’ ability to produce grammatically correct, logically connected sentences that are appropriate to specific contexts, and to do so using acceptable that is, comprehensible pronunciation. Teachers should invent more ways to let students practise. This will arouse their interest to speak and help them more easily to master this skill.
Reference:
- The Resolution No 1875 of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 10 December 2012.
- Peck, S. (1978). Developing Children’s Listening and Speaking in ESL. In C. Murcia, (Ed). Teaching English as a second or foreign language. (3rd ed). (Pp. 139–149)
- http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish.htm
