1. Session 4 1

2.  Some facts and questions about Speaking Performance ◦ Most of the time an interlocutor (another speaker) is involved– that is, aural intake is involved ◦ Therefore, a speaker’s listening skill affects her productive speaking performance ◦ Therefore, how can we be sure a test is a valid test of speaking – and not really more about listening? ◦ Authentic speech is mostly open-ended and creative – so how do we design test tasks for speaking that guide a test-taker to produce specific target forms (e.g. tag questions; past tense; etc.) ◦ And if we allow for S freedom of choice, how do we evaluate the product? 2

3. 1. Imitative – ability to parrot back a word or phrase 2. Intensive – production of short stretches of oral language (for narrow band of grammatical, phrasal, lexical, phonological relationships) 3. Responsive – includes interaction and test comprehension, but at limited level 3

4. 4. Interactive – longer, more complex, multiple exchanges and/or multiple participants a. Transactional (exchanging information) b. Interpersonal (maintaining social relationships) 5. Extensive (monologue) – speeches, oral presentations, story-telling, etc. 4

5.  Differences among phonemes/allophonic variants  Chunks of language of different lengths  Stress patterns, words in stressed and unstressed positions; rhythmic structure, intonation contours  Reduced forms of words and phrases  Adequate number of lexical units for pragmatic purposes  Fluent speech at different rates of delivery  5

6.  Self-monitored oral production, using various strategic devices (pauses, fillers, etc.) to enhance clarity of message  Grammatical word classes, systems, word order, patterns, rules, elliptical forms  Speech in natural constituents: in appropriate phrases, pause groups, breath groups, sentence constituents  Particular meaning in different grammatical forms  Cohesive devices in spoken discourse 6

7.  Appropriately accomplish communicative functions according to situations, participants and goals  Use appropriate styles, registers, pragmatic conventions, conversation rules, etc.  Convey links and connections between events, feelings, information, etc.  Convey facial features, body language, and other nonverbal cues along with language  Use a battery of strategies (e.g. rephrasing, checking for understanding, etc.) 7

8. Swing of the pendulum: The rejection of the Audiolingual Method and overemphasis on Fluency led to a decline in accuracy, especially in phonology. Many now agree that Repetition Tasks do have their place in the ELT plan. Example: Ss hear: Repeat after me: beat (pause) bit (pause) OR I bought a boat yesterday. (pause) The glow of the candle is growing. 8

9. 2Acceptable pronunciation 1comprehensible, partially correct pronunciation 0 silence, seriously incorrect pronunciation 9

10.  In pairs, choose one phonological point that you think is especially difficult for Vietnamese learners.  You can ask for words, phrases and/or sentences  Include at least 3 repetition items/sets  Practice doing the test - one of you is the Teacher, one is the Student  Perform the test for the class. 10

11.  Ss need to produce short stretches of discourse (no more than a sentence)  Many tasks are cued to lead Tts to narrow band of possibilities  These are variously described as:  Limited response tasks  Mechanical tasks  Controlled response tasks 11

12. EXAMPLE:  Ss hear: ◦ Tell me he went home. ◦ Tell me that you like rock music. ◦ Tell me that you aren’t interested in music. ◦ Tell him to come to my office at noon. ◦ Remind him what time it is. 12

13.  Ss read a diagnostic passage of about 150 words 13

14.  S reads dialogue in which one speaker’s lines have been omitted  S is given time to read through to get gist and think of appropriate lines to fill in  Then Test Administrator reads written lines and S responds Example: In a department store: Salesperson: May I help you? Customer: _______________________ Salesperson: Okay, what size do you wear? Customer: ______________________ Etc. 14

15.  In pairs, think of a language function or discourse situation you would like your Ss to be tested on  Design a short Dialogue Completion Task (5 to 7 exchanges)  Practice it together to check on validity (is it producing the target language performance you want?)  Write out 2 copies of the “test”  Administer it to two people in class 15

16.  Pronunciation 16

17.  Grammar 17

18. 18

19. 19

20.  In pairs, look at the set of pictures given to you to build a test around.  Think of target language/performance you could test with it.  Design a short test (directions, prompts, etc.)  Practice it on each other to check validity  As a pair, give your test to another pair 20

21.  Involving brief interaction with an interlocutor, offering greater opportunity for creativity than interactive tasks 21

22.  From 1-2 questions to a whole battery of questions  From simple (What is this called in English?) to complex (What are the steps governments should take, if any, to stem the rate of deforestation in tropical countries?)  First question is the “display question” – designed to elicit a pre-determined correct response  Other questions are “referential questions” – in which Ss are given opportunity to produce more meaningful language 22

23.  What do you think of the weather today?  What do you like about the English language?  Why did you choose your academic major?  What kind of strategies have you used to help you learn English?  Have you ever been to the United States before? ◦ What other countries have you visited?  Why did you go there? What did you like best about it?  If you could go back, what would you like to do or see?  What country would you like to visit next, and why? 23

24.  Do you have any questions for me?  Ask me about my family or job or interests.  If you could interview the prime minister or president or prime minister of your country, what would you ask that person? 24

25.  Giving Instructions and Directions ◦ How do you make a popular native dish from your country? ◦ How do you access email on a PC? ◦ How do I get from ____ to ____? 25

26.  Paraphrasing ◦ T reads a short story … S must paraphrase ◦ A more authentic task in this category is if the text is presented as phone message … which the S must “pass on” 26

27.  Relatively long stretches of interactive discourse  Typically with an interpersonal focus 27

28.  Every effective interview should have these stages: 1.Warm-up – to set topic and tone – get the student ready and relaxed (not scored) 2.Level-check – to confirm level of S through pre- planned questions eliciting grammar, discourse structure, vocabulary at expected level (primary scoring) 3.Probe – designed to challenge Ss to reach heights of their ability (may or may not be scored) 4.Wind-down – encourages S to relax, tells S when/how to get scores, etc. (not scored) 28

29.  Clearly specifying administrative procedures of the assessment (practicality)  Focusing the questions and probes on the purpose of the assessment (validity)  Appropriately eliciting an optimal amount and quality of oral production from the test taker (biased for best performance)  Creating a consistent, workable scoring system (reliability) 29

30.  Role Play – can be used to elicit certain language that is hard to elicit otherwise ◦ For example:  Pretend that you’re a tourist asking me for directions.  You’re buying a necklace from me in a flea market, and you want to get a lower price” Difficulties: Since results are relatively unpredictable, scoring can be difficult. 30

31.  Discussions and Conversations ◦ Can be especially useful as ways to elicit and observe abilities such as:  Topic nomination, maintenance, termination  Attention getting, interrupting, floor holding, control  Clarifying, questioning, paraphrasing  Comprehension signals (nodding, “uh-huh”, “hmm”)  Negotiating meaning  Intonation patterns for pragmatic effect  Kinesics, eye contact, proxemics, body language  Politeness, formality, sociolinguistic factors 31

32.  Assessment games ◦ 1. Tinkertoy game (behind screen1, blocks in a set structure; behind screen2, loose blocks; S1 looks behind screen1 and tells S2 how to construct structure using blocks behind screen2 (alternative: with “messenger” who delivers S1’s instructions to S2) ◦ 2. Crossword puzzles ◦ 3. Information gap grids ◦ 4. City maps with pre-determined routes needing directions 32

33.  Developed in the 1950s for the USA government to test oral communication skills with direct testing through an interview  Very influential in evolution of oral testing models  Format still used to test proficiency in many languages 33

34.  Oral Presentations  Picture Cued Story-Telling  Retelling a Story, News Event  Translation (of Extended Prose) 34

35. Evaluation of oral presentation Assign a number to each box according to your assessment of the various aspects of the speaker’s presentation. 3 Excellent 2 Good 1 Fair 0 Poor 35

36. Content: □ The purpose or objective of the presentation was accomplished. □ Delivery: □ The speaker used gestures and body language well. □ 36