Ｔｈｅ Ｋｅｙ Ｐｒｉｎｃｉｐｌｅｓ ｔｏ Ｄｅｖｅｌｏｐ Ｓｐｅａｋｉｎｇ

ＹｕｅＹｕｅＷａｎｇ　Ｌａｎ　Ｘｉａｏ

University;2.International Exchange Office of JiangXi Agriculture University)

Abstract:There are various approaches to progress speaking competence of foreign language. The author analyzes some promoted conditions created to enable learners to improve oral English proficiency. Some personal teaching experience and suggestions are presented to aid learners improvement on speaking.

Key words:Key Principles speaking competence improvement

Introduction:As a practical subject, English has certain requirements on listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. However, to a great number of Chinese English learners, weakness in speaking competence hinder their motivation to progress. Therefore, how to improve oral communicative competence has become a major problem for majority of language learners. The author, an oral English teacher, desires to provide some recommendation with combination of personal teaching experience to the people who hardly travel smoothly on the way of speaking road.

Before starting to the point, background information on current language learning situation in China should be presented below.

1. The present oral English learning situation

Students share big-class environment. English teachers are facing larger class than ever before, owing to the great number of students. Consequently, students have few chances to say something.Students stay in teacher-centered environment. Limited interaction between teachers and students or peers lead to silent situation.

Students are familiar with so-called Chinese accent, but hardly catch up with native speakers' rate. They prefer to write down their thoughts first as output resources before speaking out.During communicating, deficient topic to step forward contribute to superficial interaction with partners and strangers.

2. Causes after analysis

By analyzing the problems reported, the following conclusions are made:

(1) Students have little sense of being active learners.

(2) Students various psychology are often neglected in unitary educational model.

(3)Teachers' characters need be perfected further.

(4) English materials students absorbed in are not enough.

(5) Students are lack of practice strategies and guidance.

(6) Teaching resources are relatively deficient.

3. Solutions and Suggestion

No practice, no gain. Studying independently and efficiently with the aid of scientific and effective methods on their own ought to be considered first. In addition, communicating with tutors often, and gaining successful learning experience from excellent students would be useful and helpful. As English is a practical language playing a role as a tool of communication, it's a convention accepted through common practice. Therefore, learning English is a process to foster a new language convention. Convention can't be taught, can only be mastered step by step through repetition accumulatedly. On this level, personal practice is the key to decide individual success or failure in learning. However, several recommendations would be beneficial to the learners.

(1)Enjoy the value of repetition and recitation

Repetition aids students to consolidate what they have acquired and what they have already done. Meanwhile, subsequent better performance grant students confidence and also stimulate their interest. As teaching plan based on the pattern of “process speaking”(Paul,2001a and b),I asked students to present some short speeches at the beginning of class with limited time. Rehearsal could be permitted to let students prepare. They performed what they have already planned and later would get feedback or evaluation from me or peers. Consequently, they prepared well and tried out lots of new ideas, which gave them much more confidence than ever before. At the next round, students did better through gathering former experience.Reciting is the prerequisite for English learning. Recitation has many beneficial effects brought out in my class. After each period of my oral class, students were required to recite some well-known English articles relevant with the topics in the textbook, and in class they prefer to share with peers in public. It made them be familiar with "Adjacency pair"(Cook 1989:53-57) in English. Besides, recitation input a series of excellent sentences and wonderful thoughts into their mind. It makes sense in the same way in helping their other English competence.

(2)Dare to speak

When trying to speak a foreign language, some students will encounter psychological filter,namely inhibition (Ur,1996).As Ur pointed out , students are afraid of making errors and losing faces in public, or shyness of public attention,so they dare not to be exposed themselves to speak out in the public ,but keep silent or say sorry directly. As a teacher, I desire to encourage my students to be confident and relaxed during class, and try hard to select various funny topics to stimulate their motivation to say something through easiest ways. As all abilities can be fostered through abundant practice, speaking English works in the same way. Krashen claimed that to obtain the quantity of input, the language acquirer should produce output frequently (Krashen, 1982). Opening mouth frequently, language learners can make great progress.

(3)Make the best use of media resources

①Passive reception

Listening to some unmodified English programs is beneficial to improve speaking competence. I recommend popular English radio stations to students and offer the access for them to watching English TV programs and movies. Meanwhile, singing English songs could be effective approach not only for pronunciation correction, but also vocabulary enrich. It's really learning through practicing.

②Initiative reception

Recording language is another useful method. Sometimes I provide students equipments and give free rein to students imagination to record and compile English video or audio, and input their explanation in. Besides, they can spread them via campus radio and network. Feedbacks will be given to them after each section of class. Consequently, study via media is an efficacious way to promote their English level.

(4)Set up a reading plan

Some students complained that it is hard to find a topic to communicate with foreigners and peers. They need to be encouraged to broaden their horizons through wide-range reading. In light of Krashen' s input hypothesis (Krashen ,1982), the prerequisite of language acquisition need a large quantity of comprehensible input. Once learners get touch with the comprehensible materials superior to current language proficiency level, it's possible to produce language acquisition in this sense.In accordance with this famoustheory, students need read extensively and study independently in order to accumulate more language materials which can be transferred to be output at any time.

In my class, at the beginning of each new semester, students have to set up their reading plan schedules individually. Concerned on various levels, a few simple short materials could be accepted from the start. Feedback on their reading ought to be presented after each fixed section in teaching plan. I recommend English books suitable to students, at the same time give response to students questions, and correct their summary writing.

①Vocation reading plan

To students, during one-month winter vocations period, trying to absorb in each language tip, and improving step by step are meaningful and effective entertainment. In two –months summer vocation which is a matchless chance to self-improve, nursing themselves with lots of profit as reading an original novel would be necessary to understand genuine western culture.

②In-school reading plan

Specific guidance and explanation should not be avoided in consideration of the drawback for making a bigger progress in vocation reading plan. Sparing eight months from a year, students read English-version books every two months, find problems then solve them with the support of teacher. In addition, writing a remark or summing up after reading do not only to check reading ability but also foster writing ability.

(3)Create English learning atmosphere

For English learning, appropriate atmosphere is a must. To execute natural and competent conversation, language learners should be frequently exposed to "Real talk"(Harmer,2007). English corner and salon are the best places to practice where unexpected situation would be encountered to measure leaner's' language proficiency. In my college, some preferential policies had been formulated to appeal to students to join in. English teachers are invited to participate in English corner activity together with students. Furthermore, I advocate students going outside to practice English with strangers, such as language salons holding in famous park.

4 Conclusion

Progressing speaking competence through measures listed above can not take effect overnight. Insistence with will and try out systematically may help learners reduce barriers in language learning to step towards success.

References:

[1]1Cook, G.Discourse Oxford University Press,1989.

[2]Harmer, J.The Practice of English Language Teaching.(4﹖h ed.) .Harlow: Longman,2007.

[3]Howarth, P.a Process Speaking 1:preparing to repeat yourself.Modern English Teacher,2001.

[4]Howarth, P.b Process Speaking 2:preparing to repeat yourself.Modern English Teacher,2001.