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The benefits of constructive talking in class…
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The benefits of constructive talking in class…
There might be nothing as terrifying as talking in public… And pupils may be particularly affected by this problem. When teachers ask them a question, some of them must feel their hearts start pounding, their legs shaking and their faces turning red… Adults must all have felt that at some point at school and some might even still get the same feeling today.
Oral classes and examinations are just a way of enabling pupils to speak in front of other people and build their confidence while developing their skills in the language used. While oral examinations had been put aside at school, they have made a comeback at the School Certificate level where pupils are assessed orally in English. But oral work still seems to be neglected otherwise.
Pupils must be given time to talk at school. Instead of leaving them with their heads hidden in their books and doing written exercises, teachers should make it a point to enable children to speak in front of their friends. This is a habit that they will keep when they grow up and may help them overcome their shyness.
Yet, oral at primary level tends to be “mechanical”. “Teaching at primary level has to deal with the constraints of the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE). Hence, teachers insist on written work to make sure their pupils pass their exams and little room is left to a free and soft mode of expression where pupils’ creativity could be expressed,” says Rada Tirvassen, senior lecturer in languages at the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE).
There are several ways of getting a child to talk in public. “In fact, the whole conception of oral teaching might have to be reviewed,” he adds. The oral repetition of words or phrases to make pupils learn vocabulary or rules of grammar, for instance, may not be really useful to help children feel more comfortable when using English or French.
At primary level, the organisation of little “exposés” where they are free to talk on any subject – of interest to them – to their classmates might be one of them. These exposés should not be very long but should teach pupils how to express themselves clearly enough to make sure everyone understands. Of course, these same exposés might become more serious, structured and lengthy as the pupils grow up.
No mental block</B>
Putting on plays is also a way of getting pupils to talk in front of other pupils – or even school staff and parents. Such exercises do not only help children gain in confidence and feel more comfortable before an audience. They also have a positive impact on language learning skills. Children take pleasure in such activities and do not focus on the mistakes they may make. Such situations may make it easier for them to express themselves with confidence.
As far as English is concerned, a teacher at secondary level points out, “The major problem about the teaching of English is that we teach students to write English but not to use the language orally.”For this teacher, the sole oral examination at SC level is “far from being authentic”. “Although the teaching may be less mechanical than in primary school, oral preparation is done towards a specific objective,” Rada Tirvassen agrees. The problem here again is that the school is too writing-oriented.
In fact, Mauritius is far from being the only country where teachers and pedagogues find it difficult to integrate oral work into the system. Even in the most modern countries, it is difficult for teachers to make all children talk during the class. Even in classes of 15 pupils where teachers decide to divide them into groups, it is hard to have control within the groups.
“Teaching oral English or French actually raises a practical problem,” says the pedagogue. “And one of the best ways of bypassing this problem may be to use audiovisual material. The use of information bulletins, radio or television shows, hearing or viewing plays on television should help the school instill more oral elements in the teaching system,” the MIE senior lecturer adds. With the additional advantage of helping children better understand their environment…
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