Supporting and Managing the Speaking Process

Students' speaking skills develop best in dynamic interactive learning environments, where enough time is provided for them to share and listen to a variety of ideas. A safe, comfortable, and relaxed atmosphere is critical for the development of productive talk in the classroom for all students and is particularly important for those students who may come from backgrounds thai differ from the classroom norm.

Classrooms should be places where students can ask and answer meaningful questions and in which the teacher and students are co-learners, collaborating with one another to communicate ideas and information. Different group sizes (pairs, small groups, and large groups) provide opportunities for students to practise the different thinking and oral skills unique to each configuration.

The role of the teacher is to:

• give students the opportunities to gather information, question, and inter]') ret

• build on what students already know, as new knowledge is achieved by reconstructing and reshaping prior understanding

• ask questions that result in a diversity of thought and response, and to which there is not always one right answer

• encourage purposeful talk and tentative "thinking aloud"

• attend to the thought and intent of students' responses rather than the surface features of dialect and grammar

• develop or involve students in developing assessment instruments

• encourage peer assessment that focuses on strengths and areas for improvement

• value questions as much as answers

Assessment of speaking should be continuous and take into account both process and product. A variety of assessment techniques that consider students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes should be used.

Teachers may collect anecdotal notes, use checklists, or use audio or videotapes to collect data about students' speaking abilities. This data can then be used during conferences or interviews with students about their performance and progress. Specific assessment suggestions are provided with each of the speaking and listening activities included later in this section of the curriculum guide.

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