Practical Classroom Strategies to Promote L2 Oral Fluency - Coursework Example

Practical Strategies to Promote Oral Fluency in L2 al Affiliation Introduction Learner’s oral fluency in a second language is something that greatly concerns L2 teachers. It has necessitated the use and application of the best available practical strategies in order to enhance coherences in semantically dense sentences in a second or foreign language. The real challenge comes in selecting the best practical techniques to use to help the L2 learner improve his or her oral fluency especially in a situation where the student has no prior exposure to the second language. Through the use of effective practical strategies, L2 oral fluency has been improved among the learners. Some of the practical strategies that have been used by L2 teachers include teaching chunks, focusing on the fluency of the speaker rather than grammatical errors, choosing interesting topics, use of repetition in learning and use of technology to promote outside classroom language to motivate and encourage the L2 learners. The use of these practical techniques in the right earning environment has helped promote oral fluency of second language learners even in situations where the learners had no previous exposure to that particular language. Teaching Chunks According to Porto (2008), knowing the meaning of a particular word in a second language is useful. However, the most vital thing when it comes to learning a second language is knowing how the word is used in a given context. This is due to the fact that words are not usually used in isolation, but rather in a group depending on the context in question. Baker & Westrup (2003) state that the ability of the learner to call on these chunks of vocabulary or words not only improves the L2 learner’s mastery of the second language, but also promotes oral fluency. An example that shows the importance of teaching chunks can be seen when one considers the word ‘thing’ in the English language. It is common knowledge that ‘thing’ is an English word that means ‘nameless objects’. An example of its usage is in a sentence can be, ’ a thing for locking the door.’ However it is also common to find the word ‘thing’ in other commonly used phrases such as ‘the things are’, all kinds of things’ and no ‘such thing’. These phrases are commonly used and when the learner is encouraged to remember them instead of focusing on the meaning of the word itself, then his or her oral fluency is greatly promoted (Myles, Hooper & Mitchell, 2008). Chunks that can be used to promote oral fluency may appear in different ways and forms. They include collocations, lexical phrases, idioms, sets of phrases and discourse makers. Collocation phrases, phrasal verbs and idioms are the most commonly used chunks in teaching of second language to promote oral fluency. Other chunks that are used include common polite expressions like ‘take a seat’. These polite expressions are used in everyday communication and when the L2 teacher uses them in teaching a second language, the fluency of the learner is greatly improved (Birch, 2014). Moskal & Camille (2006) characterize chunks that can be effectively used to promote oral fluency in a second language. Some of the characteristics of the chunks include phonological coherence, repeated use and greater complexity as compared to the other learner’s output. Chunks are also repeatedly used and are always in the same form. This is in addition to the fact that their use is situation dependent. In order to promote oral fluency, L2 learners can be made to listen to a recorded tape in that second language and be asked to identify the various commonly used chunks. This allows them to understand and appreciate how the common chunks are used in various contexts, rather than focusing on the meaning of the words in the language. Focusing on Fluency Instead of Grammar Many students are afraid of making grammatical mistakes in the language that they are learning. The reason why this is the case is due to the fact that they are afraid of making a mistake under the watch of their peers or fellow learners. This can be avoided by the teacher explaining the error patterns of the natives, minimizing grammatical error correction and taking errors as a skill that the L2 learners need to master in order to be fluent in the second language. Teaching oral fluency in a second language is quite different from teaching the various other aspects of a language. In teaching and promoting fluency, the L2 teacher should be willing to let go some of the control in the classroom (Derwing et al., 2004). This allows for the setting up of a situation where fluency can be developed and also encourage the students to be communicative. Unlike the teaching of language knowledge, promoting and teaching fluency is considered to be the ‘automatization’ of the language knowledge. Being fluent is something that is automatic, and that does not require much attention. This is because it is a process that is characterized by psycholinguistic processes associated with that particular language. This automatically occurs when the teacher focuses on the fluency of the speaker rather than on the grammar of the sentences that are made or constructed by the speaker or learner. According to Derwing et al., (2004), one of the most important tactics of promoting fluency is by focusing less on the grammatical mistakes that are made by the learner of the second language. This encourages the students to make constructive errors. It is normally vital for the L2 teacher to do whatever it takes to help the learners recognize and understand that it is okay to make constructive grammatical errors when they are learning the language. When the students are unwilling to make the grammatical errors in their oral speech, then there are higher chances that they will not become fluent in the language. Despite the fact that it is important to at times focus on accuracy, a teacher is required to relax and discuss the authenticity of that particular language. In order to promote oral fluency using this strategy, the teacher is required to minimize correction of the error in the learning processes. Huges (2003) is of the opinion that if a L2 teacher wants to promote fluency and foster it among his or her students, then there is a need to limit the correction of the errors to only those that hinder communication. This is to help move the level of oral communication up. In fluency development, the teacher should desist from yanking the learner back to focusing on grammar and accuracy of the language. This is done so that the fluency development processes can be effective. Many learners tend to concentrate on producing accurate grammar in the second language that they are leaning. When they do so, they limit their chances of being fluent in that language. Selecting a Topic that Interests the Students Another strategy that has been used in the teaching of a second or foreign language to promote fluency is the selection of a topic that interests the students. Research has clearly shown that the learner’s perception and attitude does not only affect the success of a teaching session but also influences their mastery and fluency of a second language. Due to this, attention needs to be focused on the student’s perception of the language being taught. One way through which the perception and attitude of the student can be fine-tuned by the teacher to promote the fluency of the second language is through the selection of a topic that interests the students. A study by Porto (2008) on the effect of topic selection on the learner’s fluency in spoken or oral language indicates that there exists a correlation between oral fluency, grammatical complexity and the student perception of that particular knowledge. The topic of study can be student or teacher selected. Irrespective of the way the topic is selected, it is normally vital for the teacher to ensure that it is one that interests the students. When teaching a second language, it is important for the teacher to select a topic that the students interact with in their everyday lives. This can be ensured when the teacher allows for self-selection of the topic where the students are the ones who generate the theme that is to be used in the teaching session. When this is done, the interests and the perceptions of the student on that particular language or topic are positively encouraged. This goes a long way in encouraging the students to participate in the oral sessions; hence, promoting fluency in the language. In cases where the teacher assigns or chooses a topic that the students are not familiar with or one that does not interest them, there is usually the tendency by the students to spend a great deal of time looking for, and generating ideas and materials to be incorporated in the topic. They, for example, do this by surfing the internet to get information that they will use to compensate for their lack of knowledge and interest in that particular language and topic. On the other hand, if the L2 teacher chooses an interesting , daily life related topic, the learners are normally encouraged to participate more in the sessions thereby improving their fluency in that particular language. Moskal & Camille (2006) believe that the choice of an interesting topic to be used in the learning of a second language can best be promoted by allowing for the self-selection of the topics. Studies and research on behavioral psychology have clearly shown that providing choices for the academic materials and topic that is to be used in teaching of a language directly affects the learner’s engagement in the activities in a that particular session or class. This has, therefore, necessitated the need to offer interest based topic choices for the learners. Such topics make the students to be more engaged in the learning process, and also make it unnecessary to provide background information on the topic since the learner has prior knowledge on it. Repeated Teaching and Learning Method The human memory works in a very complex way. When information is perceived, it is grabbed by the brain and then stored in the short term memory of the human brain. The brain is normally programmed in a way such that novelty and movement strategies enhance the retention of information stored in the brain. However, repetition is a strategy that also enhances the retention of information in the brain. In the learning of a second language, the ability of the brain to retain information when it is repeated very time is very important. This happens due to the fact that the information that is learned over time moves to another part of the brain (Myles, Hooper & Mitchell, 2008). When the vocabulary and grammar of the second language is rehearsed severally, it is coded and moved to the long term memory of the brain. In this memory, the information is stored over a long time and hence can be recalled any time it is needed. Through this, oral fluency in a second language can be achieved (Myles, Hooper & Mitchell, 2008). This technique is easy to carry out and it allows the students to improve their speaking rate and rhythm. It is known to help in building the confidence of the learners and strengthen their perception as speakers of the particular foreign language. Incorporating Technology in the Learning Process Technology continues to be incorporated into the learning processes to promote oral fluency (Myles, Hooper & Mitchell, 2008). Through internet based technological platforms such as Skype, learners are able to enhance their spoken language. Skype, for example, allows students to communicate with other learners, as well as the natives of the language being learnt. Through it, L2 learners are also able to record the conversations held, and listen to them at a later time. All this helps in promoting the mastery of the language and in enhancing fluency. Conclusion Teaching and promoting oral fluency requires the active participation of the teacher and students. In order to promote fluency in a second language, the L2 teacher can use several strategies to help the learner. The teaching of chunks, focusing on fluency rather than grammar, repetitive teaching and selecting topics that interest students can enhance oral fluency. This requires the teacher to gauge the L2 learner’s and know the best strategy of combination of strategies that will help in achieving oral fluency. Through the use of the above discussed practical strategies in the right environment, leaners’ oral fluency in a second language can be enhanced and promoted. References Baker, J., & Westrup, H. (2003). Essential speaking skills: A handbook for English language teachers. London: Continuum. Birch, B. (2014). English L2 reading. New York: Routledge. Bresnihan, B., & Stoops, B. (2006). Three ways that work! Oral fluency practice in the EFL classroom. English Teaching Forum, 34 (3), 30. Brown, J. (2003). Promoting fluency in EFL classrooms. Paper presented at the JALT Pan-SIG Conference Proceedings. Retrieved from http://www.jalt.org/pansig/2003/HTML/Brown.htm. Cucchiarini, C., Strik, H. & Boves, L. (2000). Quantitative assessment of second language learners fluency by means of automatic speech recognition technology. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 107 (2), 989-999. Derwing, T., Rossiter, M. Munro, M. & Thomson, R. (2004). Second language fluency: judgments on different tasks. Language Learning, 54 (4), 655–679. Huges, E. (2003). Tape journals in the oral skills class. Adventures in Assessment, 4. Moskal, M. & Camille, B. (2006). Partnering for fluency. New York: Guilford Press. Myles, F., Hooper, J. & Mitchell, R. (2008). Rote or rule? Exploring the role of formulaic language in classroom foreign language learning. Language Learning, 48 (3), 323-364. Porto, M. (2008). Lexical phrases and language teaching. English Teaching Forum, 36 (3), 22. Read More