Oral production in the Foreign Language classroom: Teachers, Reflections and Suggestions

The teaching of foreign languages has proved to be as necessary as the current globalized world demands more and varied codes to keep communication between individuals from different places. Thus, we could state that English has become a kind of “lingua franca”which, somehow, enables communication at a higher level as its influence expands to every corner on Earth. However, the oral production is still considered the most difficult linguistic skill to be developed, according to most foreign language learners. Therefore, as foreign language teachers, we need to inquire into those reasons why our pupils do not feel comfortable when speaking in English; what our part is respect to that circumstance and what we can do to solve it. Then, the following pages seek to promote a reflective thinking and provide certain alternatives to ease the process of speaking and interacting orally in the class of English as a Foreign Language.Keywords:  oral production; expectations; foreign language; motivation; English

Elementos que intervienen en el éxito –y en el fracaso– de la interacción oral en lengua extranjera en secundaria

In the last decades, Foreign Language Teaching (FLT) has been the centre of great interest among academics and professionals concerned about the ways to improve both the language teaching methodologies and the role of teachers in guiding and assisting students’ learning processes. Nevertheless, among the four modes of communication –Common European Framework of References for Languages. Companion Volume with New Descriptors– underpinning the teaching of foreign languages, the spoken interaction has traditionally been the most neglected one. This paper explores some of the reasons that account for this situation in secondary education and presents ideas and alternatives to help students interact orally in the foreign language.A lo largo de las últimas décadas, la Didáctica de las Lenguas Extranjeras (DLE) ha gozado de un gran interés por parte de la esfera académica y profesional, indagando cómo mejorar el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje e implementar alternativas que permitan al docente cumplir con su rol de guía, y asistir a su alumnado durante dicho proceso. No obstante, de los cuatro modos de comunicación –Common European Framework of References for Languages. Companion Volume with New Descriptors– que fundamentan la enseñanza de las LE (recepción, producción, interacción y mediación), la interacción oral recibe una menor atención por parte del docente y ofrece resultados poco alentadores. Por esta razón, a lo largo de este artículo se ofreerán algunas de las razones por las que esto ocurre, en especial en la etapa de Secundaria, además de sugerir una serie de alternativas que faciliten el siempre arduo proceso de hablar e interactuar en un código distinto al materno

CLASSROOM LANGUAGE: UNIFYING KEY EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH

The rise of CLIL in many European countries, as in the case of Spain, has manifested certain discoordination between teachers who use the same language (English) as vehicle for communication in different subjects(CLIL and non-CLIL subjects). This paper seeks for highlighting the necessity of unifying key expressions in English -at different educational stages-, in order to provide students the common classroom vocabulary and expressions. Thus, standardizing the expressions used in those subjects taught in the foreign language suggests being a suitable option to that struggle.Keywords: English; CLIL; EFL; teachers; foreign language

ANÁLISIS SOBRE LA INFLUENCIA DE LAS ESTRATEGIAS ORALES PREVIAS AL DESARROLLO DE ACTIVIDADES DE COMPRENSIÓN AUDITIVA. ANALYSIS ON THE INFLUENCE OF ORAL STRATEGIES PRIOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LISTENING COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES. doi 10.20420/GUIN.2014.0063

-De entre las siete destrezas que promueven la adquisición de una lengua, en el presente estudio nos hemos centrado exclusivamente en la relacionada con la comprensión auditiva, dado que es una de las que mayor dificultad plantea durante el aprendizaje de una lengua extranjera y, por lo general, la destreza que menos atención recibe dentro de las aulas de Lengua Extranjera.Con vistas a identificar qué aspectos se consideran más relevantes durante el desarrollo de la comprensión auditiva, se ha llevado a cabo una investigación en un aula de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO), limitando el alcance del estudio a las influencias que puedan ejercer las actividades orales previas al desarrollo de una actividad de comprensión auditiva (pre-listening, listening y post-listening). La experiencia en el aula y los datos obtenidos evidencian un resultado positivo al trabajar los conocimientos previos, a través de estrategias orales antes de la realización de actividades de comprensión auditiva.-Among the seven skills that promote the acquisition of a language, we have focused on the listening comprehension, due to the difficulty it entails when learning a second language and, generally, the least worked skill in Foreign Languages lessons.With a view to identify the most relevant aspects during the development of listening comprehension activities, this investigation has been carried out in a Compulsory Secondary Education class, fencing its approach to the influences thatprevious oral activities can imply during the development of listening comprehension activities (pre-listening, listening and post-listening). The experience and the data obtained during the investigation give a clear evidence of positive results regarding the influence of oral strategies prior to the development of listening comprehension activities.DOI 10.20420/GUIN.2014.006