Gina Iberri-Shea

Using Public Speaking Tasks in English Language Teaching

he purpose of this article is The advantages of public to provide suggestions for speaking T using public speaking tasks There are several clear advantages in English language teaching (ELT) to using public speaking tasks in ELT. and to highlight some of their many I have highlighted three that I think advantages. Let me first describe are most noteworthy: practice with all what I mean by public speaking four language skills (listening, speak- tasks: these include any task where ing, reading, and writing), develop- the participant addresses an audi- ment of critical thinking skills, and ence orally. For the purpose of this improved learning. Each of these is article, I will focus on two types discussed in more detail below. of these tasks: student presentations Advantage 1: Public speaking and debates. Student presentations provides opportunities to practice all may consist of either individual or four language skills. group speeches based on class les- Presentation and debate tasks uti- sons or outside projects. Debates are lize and strengthen listening, speak- interactive tasks, and usually require ing, reading, and writing skills. There a greater degree of organization. is naturally a strong focus on speaking; They can be held with two or more spoken language is vital in delivering students who take turns speaking on a clear, coherent speech. Peer evalu- either side of an issue. The public ation can promote careful listening, speaking tasks suggested here rely on which becomes especially meaning- authentic language use and commu- ful during debates if participants are nication toward an audience. In this required to take notes and respond article, I will introduce advantages to their classmates’ speeches. Addi- of using these tasks in the language tionally, students will develop strong classroom, describe their implemen- reading and writing skills during task tation, and provide examples of their preparation. Students must skim and use. scan a wide variety of sources and

18 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 2 | E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m read key materials in depth as they search Advantage 3: Public speaking promotes for information to use in presentations or learning. debates. Writing practice is highlighted Presentations are an ideal way for stu- as learners take notes and complete argu- dents to display their knowledge. Through mentative essays in preparation for oral their presentations, students are given the presentations. opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. This type of task pushes students Advantage 2: Public speaking supports to synthesize knowledge from a variety of development of critical thinking skills. sources and to take on a teaching role by Presentation and debate tasks promote explaining their topic to the rest of the class. a variety of critical thinking skills in addi- This kind of self explanation has been found tion to specific language skills and strate- to correspond with higher levels of compre- gies. While preparing for a public speaking hension and conceptual understanding (Chi assignment, students are asked to develop a et al. 1994). Students learn more through position, explore beliefs and theories, analyze having to explain information to others. arguments, evaluate the credibility or bias of Additionally, planning for presentations (and a source, and distinguish between relevant potential questions from peers) leads to and irrelevant information. Students are deeper processing and a more complete encouraged to question deeply, develop and understanding of the content. assess solutions to problems, compare and These three advantages accompany both contrast, make inferences, recognize contra- presentation and debate tasks. Debate tasks dictions, and explore implications and con- require more planning and involvement than sequences. The insights gained during prepa- presentations but are well worth the effort. ration activities allow students to approach In preparing for a debate, students practice the materials with a critical eye, and these reading and note-taking skills, and construct skills can be transferred to new materials and written arguments. Debate preparation also contexts. requires extensive collaboration and coopera- Public speaking tasks require students to tion among teammates as they collect informa- conduct research and develop support for tion and develop ideas. Whether you choose their arguments. Once the students have to include student presentations or debates in identified a topic of interest, they may carry your curriculum, your students will certainly out an extensive search of materials using reap the benefits of integrated skills practice, library and online search tools. Then the critical thinking practice, and improved learn- students skim, scan, or read select articles ing. Students will gain confidence in speaking to gain knowledge of their topic. Alterna- and will learn to express themselves in clear tively, students may tap local resources for and articulate ways. useful information. Public meetings, news- Using public speaking tasks in the papers, interviews, and narratives are great classroom sources of evidence for both presentations Both presentation and debate tasks require and debates. This process promotes strong students to research, demonstrate, and review organizational skills and encourages students language and content. The following is a to discriminate between primary and sec- description of each of these phases, followed ondary information. Students can also learn by a brief discussion of the assessment of pub- about bias in reporting and the difference lic speaking tasks. between interesting trivia and important facts. As students bring several sources of Research phase information together, they must synthesize During the research phase, students are their findings into cohesive arguments with asked to develop an argument and search logical support. Furthermore, this informa- for information to support their position. tion will need to be integrated into the stu- Thus students utilize reading strategies as well dents’ existing knowledge base so they can as library and interview skills. Note-taking make sense out of what they find in order to is made more meaningful as it is used for develop clear presentations. individual research goals. During this phase,

E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m | N u m b e r 2 2 0 0 9 19 students must anticipate and research vari- ment. Students sometimes do not realize just ous perspectives to prepare for questions and how far they have come. Providing an audio opposition to their arguments. A graphic or video record of student presentations and organizer is a good way for students to clarify debates allows students to recognize the prog- what they know and what they want to find ress they have made. out, and it can help students prepare for pre- Following public speaking tasks it is use- sentations and debates. ful to ask students to reflect on what they While preparing for public speaking tasks, have learned and how their opinions and students also gain conceptual knowledge rath- knowledge may have changed as a result of er than simply memorizing facts. Conceptual the information presented. Reflection can be knowledge refers to an integrated network of facilitated through class discussion or a short knowledge, where students understand how individual paper. This is a powerful lesson in pieces of information relate to one another. critical thinking and provides closure to the Students need to synthesize information from activity and topic area. Reflecting on what was a variety of sources and integrate it into their learned can encourage metacognitive aware- existing background knowledge. Individual ness and may lead to increased motivation and students must take the information gathered satisfaction in learning. through this research and collaboration and then prepare written speeches for presenta- Assessment tion. Students can take part in group or class Instructors may be inclined to avoid discussions, share ideas, and resolve conflicts. speaking tasks because they perceive them Written essays can be developed through a as difficult to assess. Depending on your process approach, allowing for additional col- learning goals, presentation and debate tasks laboration between students and their teacher can be assessed in several ways. You may and/or peers. find it useful to include both peer and self assessment, using a rubric to assess audio- Demonstration phase and video-recorded speaking tasks. (See the The demonstration phase allows students Appendix for a rubric which may be used to to share their knowledge and hard work. assess student presentations.) There is a natural focus on language because Some instructors may choose to assess students want their arguments to be under- the oral presentation less formally and stood. Immediately following the public instead concentrate on assessing the written speaking task is a good time to open the floor work produced during preparation activi- to class discussion. Students may answer ties. The method of assessment used for a questions about their own presentation or particular task will be strongly influenced debate and also respond meaningfully to by the goals and objectives of the instructor. others. Public speaking provides students Regardless of the type of assessment chosen, with a forum to express their ideas and dem- the preparation, practice, and focus on onstrate their knowledge to both peers and language will undoubtedly enhance student instructors. learning.

Review and reflect phase Teacher planning and preparation The final phase of presentation and debate Public speaking tasks may be central or activities is the review and reflect phase. This supplementary to your lessons; there are is an important and sometimes overlooked advantages to including these activities at stage of public speaking tasks. One way stu- any level. There is no one set method or dents can reflect and focus on their language time commitment necessary for including use is by recording their presentations and these tasks in your curriculum. They can using these recordings for self assessment. be used as a formal culminating activity or If public speaking tasks are used repeatedly, at the end of a single lesson to summarize each activity could be added to the same tape information and make connections with throughout the term. In this way, students previous work. would have an opportunity to view their prog- Presentations can be used to prepare stu- ress and notice gaps in their language develop- dents for later debates. The following six steps

20 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 2 | E n g l i s h T E a c h i n g F o r u m can be used as an outline to develop student 1. Write potential topics on strips of presentations in the classroom. paper. The topics should be in line with Step 1: Identify suitable topics. Depend- your learning objectives. If you would ing on your learning objectives, the topics like to use these debates to simply get may be based on a lesson, unit, or individual students speaking, think of topics your project. students can have fun with (e.g., cats Step 2: Research the topic area. Stu- are better than dogs, or red is better dents are asked to brainstorm and may be than blue). guided through the use of a graphic organizer. 2. Number students off in pairs, so that Research may take the form of interviews, each pairing has a first and second review of media sources and textbooks, atten- speaker. dance at public meetings, library work, or 3. Give each pair a strip of paper with a internet searches. topic written on it. Step 3: Organize and outline key points. 4. Give the first speakers three minutes Students are asked to critically review the to tell their partners the reasons they information they have gathered, decide what support the topic on their paper. Then, is relevant, and synthesize new information give the second speakers three min- into their existing knowledge. utes to respond and provide arguments Step 4: Write argumentative essays. In an against the topic. argumentative or persuasive essay the author 5. Finally, ask if any students were per- tries to prove or defend a point, rather than suaded to change their minds based on simply providing information. The written their partners’ arguments. work may be done as an in-class exercise or Using debates, you can introduce the class assigned as homework. Early drafts of the to controversial issues that produce opposing essay can be read by peers for additional viewpoints and require students to recognize feedback. perspectives different from their own. The Step 5: Give oral presentations based on following steps may be used when including the essays. The teacher should describe the a longer and more formal debate task in the format and expectations of the presentations classroom. ahead of time (e.g., 10-minute presenta- tions; the use of notes is permitted; students Step 1: Identify suitable topics. Topics may should practice vocabulary and be prepared be generated by the students or the instructor for questions). but must have opposing viewpoints. Step 6: Review and reflect. The review may Step 2: Identify a motion (or motions). take the form of a class discussion or a short The motion is the specific wording of the reflection paper. topic for the debate and appears in the form of Teachers can be intimidated by the amount a statement that students can agree or disagree of organization and planning they anticipate with. Once the motion is set, each student with class debates, but it is important to will be assigned to one side of the issue. remember that debates only need to be as Step 3: Research both sides of the issue. formal and extensive as you want them to be. Graphic organizers may be useful in iden- The planning and organizational phases of tifying what information is unknown. Stu- formal debates provide more extensive oppor- dents conduct research and sort through tunities for a wide range of learning. You may information to understand the arguments on have students prepare for a debate in order to both sides of the issue, using the techniques synthesize information and conclude a unit, described above for presentation tasks. or you may begin a class with an impromptu Step 4: Develop arguments and counter- debate to tap students’ background knowl- arguments. A writing assignment may be edge and encourage them to start thinking used to develop arguments, and students can about a topic. You can also put students in receive peer feedback by sharing their ideas pairs for unstructured mini-debates as a class in groups. warm-up. A sample debate warm-up activity Step 5: Debate. The debates may follow a follows. variety of formats. Speaking times, number of

E n g l i s h T e a c h i n g F o r u m | N u m b e r 2 2 0 0 9 21 speakers, and the emphasis on research may findings is by asking them to create a flow vary. Students should be prepared to answer chart like Figure 1 to demonstrate the questions and should practice key vocabulary relationships between different pieces of ahead of time. information. Step 6: Review and reflect. As a written or Step 4: Write argumentative essays. Each oral exercise, participants and observers may student will prepare a written argumenta- comment on the most persuasive arguments tive essay about rights and responsibilities, presented on either side of the debate. organized to include his or her main points and supporting ideas, as developed in the Public speaking tasks in practice previous steps. In order to illustrate the use of student pre- Step 5: Give oral presentations based on sentations and debates in ELT, I will describe essays. The presentations can be seen as the these tasks within a thematic unit on democ- culminating activity for the unit, where stu- racy. This theme lends itself well to multiple dents synthesize what they have learned and perspectives. However, any topic that taps demonstrate their in-depth understanding of students’ interest may be implemented. their topics. Students take on a teaching role as they demonstrate their expertise and share Student Presentations their research with classmates. A thematic unit on democracy provides Step 6: Review and reflect. Following rich ground for presentation tasks. You can the presentations, ask the class to review utilize the six steps presented earlier to devel- and reflect on what was learned and what op student presentations on democracy. new questions have come up as a result of Step 1: Identify suitable topics. As you their research. Ask students to identify new discuss a unit on democracy, ask students to information and comment on any part of the identify issues they find particularly interest- presentations they found interesting or that ing or relevant. For instance, a student who made them alter their perspective. displays interest about rights and responsibili- ties might choose to present this topic to the Debates class. When planning class debates, it is very Step 2: Research the topic area. Once important to select topics that have support- the students have decided on topics, have able positions to argue on either side. Let’s them brainstorm what they already know and take the same example of rights and respon- what they want to know. In addition to the sibilities using the six steps described earlier parameters of rights and responsibilities in for developing debates. You would first brain- a particular country, a student could search storm suitable topics for debate: ask the class for information to compare and contrast per- for suggestions, write them on the board, and spectives on rights throughout the world and then guide the class in choosing a set of debat- question when these concepts may come into able topics. Then, identify the wording of a conflict. Students can work independently or motion for each topic, such as “We should in groups to research their topics, depending value human rights above all else.” Next, on the amount of time you want to devote assign students to either side of the issue and to the task. This is a good way to integrate ask them to research the arguments for and research and reading skills into the unit. against their side. Students can complete an Step 3: Organize and outline key points. organizer like the one below while they con- One way to help students synthesize their duct research.

Who is responsible What rights may Many descriptions Who has this for providing this conflict with this of rights include right? Citizens of x right? Government, right? Freedom of the right to country/countries military, law speech/expression, protection/safety. enforcement migration

Figure 1: Flow chart organizing research on rights and responsibilities

22 2 0 0 9 N u m b e r 2 | E n g l i s h T e a c h i n g F o r u m Motion: We should value human rights above all else. Pro Con Human beings have certain rights which must Do rights create unnecessary entitlement? be respected. The Universal Declaration of Why should everyone have a right just because Human Rights states that all humans have he or she is born? these rights from birth.

Rights are based on the way people want to There is no single definition or agreement live. about what human rights are. Different cul- tures could have extremely different interpre- tations of human rights.

The need for personal security and security of There is debate over what rights we have or possessions is universal. should have. Some rights may come into con- flict with others.

While developing arguments, students can Points to remember collaborate and share ideas in groups to help The following guidelines will help in the identify the strongest arguments as well as development of public speaking tasks for any the crucial weaknesses of a position. Students level. need to critically analyze all of the infor- 1. Explicitly state your language and con- mation presented and provide responses to tent objectives. Determine what skills and counter-arguments. The teacher should intro- content you need to teach. Public speaking duce a format for the debate, which gives each tasks may support many of your instructional student a set amount of time to present his or goals; decide what you want to focus on so that her arguments and respond to the arguments the lesson does not become overwhelming. of the other side. An example of a possible 2. Remember that topics which allow for debate format is shown below. student input are most effective because they Speaker 1: Five minutes to present argu- increase motivation and allow students to have ments for the value of human rights a stake in their own learning. Students do not Speaker 2: One minute of questions need to have absolute free reign over their topic areas; they can be guided and supported Speaker 2: Five minutes to respond and in making choices that reflect the instructional present opposing arguments content. The important point is that they have some sense of control over their learning. Speaker 1: One minute of questions 3. Keep in mind that presentation and Speaker 1: Five minutes to respond and debate tasks are not limited to any one set of summarize position themes. These tasks can be used with many different content areas including literature, Speaker 2: Five minutes to respond and science, history, and current events (see Snider summarize position and Schnurer 2002 for additional content area Following the debate, students should debates). There is no limit to what you can do reflect on what they have learned and on ways with public speaking tasks and the ways you their opinions may have been reinforced or can use these tasks to increase the students’ changed during the task. Students will soon engagement with the material. realize that there are multiple sides to any 4. Provide a variety of authentic resources. issue. Debating a controversial topic encour- In order to prepare, you may conduct some ages students to look beyond their own beliefs personal research to familiarize yourself with and recognize other viewpoints. Participating the content and resources available. A famil- in a debate incorporates lessons on tolerance iarity with text resources will help you guide in a meaningful way. your students toward fruitful searches and Continued on page 35

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suggest directions for their investigations. Conclusion The Internet is a useful tool to expand Public speaking tasks are an easy way to the resources available to your students. If enhance language learning. As students partic- these resources are not available, you may ipate in lively presentations and debates, they have students draw on existing background develop increased motivation and engage- knowledge, investigate issues within their ment with the materials. Language skills will community, or conduct local interviews. improve because students are using language Part of the learning process involves sorting in meaningful ways for specific purposes and through different kinds of information and are working toward personal goals. Students making decisions about what to include and learn how to access information and gain exclude. You can provide materials in the knowledge. These are skills that can effectively classroom (texts, newspapers, or films) or use transfer to future learning and employment the information-gathering process as a lesson contexts. Public speaking tasks empower stu- in library research, oral (interview) skills, or dents by allowing them to take charge of computer use. their own learning and to communicate their 5. Encourage students to be critical and knowledge to others in authentic ways. to look at different sides of an issue. They should be prepared to answer questions from References various perspectives and to challenge their Chi, M., N. DeLeeuw, M. Chiu, and C. LaVancher. own assumptions. Expose students to a variety 1994. Eliciting self explanations improves of texts on the same topic and ask them to understanding. Cognitive Science 18: 439–77. Snider, A., and M. Schnurer. 2002. Many sides: identify differences in the way the topic is pre- Debate across the curriculum. New York: Interna- sented. This will help launch a discussion on tional Debate Education Association. potential bias and source credibility. Encour- age questioning at every stage of the task. Gina Iberri-Shea has taught English and 6. Remember to have fun. Questions, public speaking in the United States, Italy, disagreements, and moments of confusion all and the Czech Republic. She is a PhD contribute to critical thinking. As long as the candidate in Applied Linguistics and students are engaged with the content and are coordinator of the Forensics (speech and using language in meaningful ways, they are debate) Program at Northern Arizona learning. University. Continued on page 36

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Student Presentation Rubric Using Public Speaking Tasks in English Language Teaching • Gina Iberri-Shea

Language (1-5 points each) Vocabulary The vocabulary is appropriate for the speaker’s level. There are no serious errors in word choice or form. Usage There are no serious errors in structure; the ideas are presented clearly. Intonation The pitch patterns and pauses are used effectively. Diction All phrases are spoken clearly; accent and syllable stress are used appropriately. Pace The speaker speaks at a good pace that is easy to listen to and comprehend. Content (1-5 points each) Organization The speaker is well prepared and the presentation is well organized. Introduction The speaker states the topic and previews the main points of the presentation. Body There is enough supporting information to fulfill the assignment. The information is relevant to the topic. Conclusion The presentation includes a summary statement and a review of the main points.

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