Making the Most of Oral Activities in Beginning Level Classrooms

Paul A. Lyddon
Miami University
palyddon@muohio.edu

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Miami University Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (MUCTFL)

Oxford, OH
Friday, October 17, 2008

Three Classroom Management Strategies for Maximizing

Oral Target Language Use
CM Strategy #1: Provide learners with necessary control language.
General:
o Sorry, I dont understand.
o Could you please speak more slowly?
o Could you please repeat that?
o How do you spell that?
o What does mean?
o How do you say in English?
Task-specific:
o Whose turn is it? Its your turn.
CM Strategy #2: Establish clear signals for use of L1 and L2.
Two-sided sign on board (L2 only, pleasein TL; L1 OK)
Flags (one for TL, two for choice)
CM Strategy #3: Engage all learners in optimally challenging,
meaningful tasks.

Pair Activity: Birthdays

Student A
Directions: Look at the table below. Take turns asking and answering questions
with your partner. Fill in the missing information.
Example:
Student A: Whens Pauls birthday?
Student B: Its from July 12.

Name
Paul
Bill
Amy
Cathy
John
Ken
Jane
Sue
Mark
Steve
Mary
Your Partner:

Birthday
7/12
2/18
4/20
8/21
5/12
10/31

Pair Activity: Birthdays

Student B
Directions: Look at the table below. Take turns asking and answering questions
with your partner. Fill in the missing information.
Example:
Student A: Whens Pauls birthday?
Student B: Its from July 12.

Name
Paul
Bill
Amy
Cathy
John
Ken
Jane
Sue
Mark
Steve
Mary
Your Partner:

From?
7/12
9/3
12/26
6/17
11/28
1/10

Whole Class Activity: Getting to Know Your Classmates

Directions: Complete the table below as you listen to your classmates introducing themselves.
Then complete the table below. Finally, use the information from the table to answer the
questions at the bottom of the page. You may write your answers on the back of the page if
necessary.
N.B.: Be sure to include yourself in your answer to Q4 or Q5, as appropriate.

Name

Age

Hometown

Year in
School

1. How many of your classmates are older than you? Who are they?
2. How many of your classmates are younger than you? Who are they?
3. Are any of your classmates the same age as you? If so, who?
4. Which of your classmates are in the same year of school as you?
5. Which of your classmates are ahead of you in school?
6. Which of your classmates are behind you?
7. Who in this class is from Ohio?
8. Where are the others from?
9. Whose hometown is closest to yours?
10. Does anyone have the same major as you? If so, who?
5

Major

Pair Activity: What do you think of ?

1-3

4-6

I love it.
Im crazy about it.

I dont really like it.

I like it.

I dont like it.

Its OK.
Its all right.

I hate it.
I cant stand it.
**Ive never done/tried it.

Procedure:
1) S1: What do you think of ?
2) S2: Roll and answer.
3) S1: I believe you, OR I dont believe you.
4) S2: Actually, .
5) S1: or .
6)

Change roles and repeat

Six Suggested Strategies

for Optimizing Oral Language Activities
Look for ways to make the learners care about the learning
objectives (e.g., by connecting them to their personal lives).
Give the learners a stake in the activity (e.g., by letting
them supply some of the content and/or by turning the
activity into a challenge or task).
Engage the learners cognitively (e.g., by encouraging
informed guessing).
Empower the learners to influence the way the activity
unfolds (e.g., by allowing for learner choice).
Allow the learners to practice realistic language use (e.g.,
by situating the activity within a naturalistic context).
Maximize learner production (e.g., by implementing small
group tasks with clear goal structures and encouraging the
use of control language)