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 UMBER 2 | E NGLISH T EACHING F ORUM 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 NGLISH T EACHING F ORUM | N UMBER 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