SOME ALTERNATIVES FOR SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

          I read an article related to speaking activities which is named “Teaching Speaking” by M. Enamul Hoque where the author says many interesting things about Teaching Speaking; for example, “teaching speaking should produce the English speech sounds and sounds patterns, select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter, use the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency”, etc. Learners (we) should have these concepts in the use of the English language, and consider them as goals if they do not master it. One of the most important stuff that we should not forget is that we always have something to say about what people share with us. Even though, when we do not know what is it about. For these reasons, there are a lot of alternatives for speaking activities which let us organize, imagine and share our thoughts; for instance, discussions, debates, story completion, find the difference, simulations and so on. Now, we are going to look at some alternatives which we would use if they are necessary.

    
     Jigsaw activities: It is a kind of information gap activity which needs several participants to be done. In this activity, people, who take part of it, have a piece of a “puzzle” that needs to be fit with all the pieces into the whole picture. Also, this puzzle would be a tape recording conversation or a story which is separated in several parts. Learners would find it fun because they would encounter different versions of the “puzzle”; finally, they should agree in one.

   One kind of a speaking activity, which is well known as Communicative Output Activity as well, is role play. In this activity, participants are assigned to be characters that they may encounter outside of the classroom. After, this activity is done; participants would have practiced what they needed to make “a real conversation”.

    


     To conclude, it is believed that speaking activities break the traditional classroom where students have prepared questions and answers. In speaking activities, students should manage themselves to express what they think or believe as in real communication. I think that it is advisable that each teacher have to use these activities in order to increase the use of the English language in uncertain situations.

   

HOW TO DEAL WITH DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR

     By and large, we all were kids that in some way could disrupt normal operations at home, a classroom, reunions, meetings, etc. I mean, we could interrupt the normal things that people do in those places or reunions, but it was not a regular behavior for us. Plus, all kids like to do things that they normally do; for instance, to play, run, laugh, etc. it would be better if they do in the right place and the right time. However, some of them find funny disrupt others. I remember when a classmate who didn’t like to spend all the time seating in a chair, practically, “doing nothing” used to leave the classroom in the middle of an “interesting teaching” for going to the restroom, but he took a lot of time. Once, a teacher told me that I had to go to the place where he was, supposedly, to tell him that he must return to the class. But I found him playing soccer with other boys who usually did the same. I talk about him because it is not normal to consider this kind of behavior as normal in students. We will talk about two cases that we usually see at a classroom.

       First of all, students in every level have to talk with partners to share or give opinions, ideas, point of views, etc. This practice is very helpful if teachers want that their students talk and talk the lessons they taught. Obviously, it should take place after a lesson. However, there are students who use to talk (or giggle) about whatever while the teacher teaches to the class. It could be difficult to stop the lesson because teachers do not like to cut the lessons in order that students can get the gist.  How can a teacher act in that situation? I recommend that teachers should give some rules before the (school) year or lesson stars. For example, we may say in an assertive way that it’s forbidden to talk, eat, or drink in class. In addition, make sure that the rules are clear and understood, plus, it’s a good idea to enforce those rules with some signs on the wall of the classroom where students can see them.     

       Additionally, nowadays we all have a gadget or an electronic device to be communicated or connected with our contacts (familiar, friends, partners, classmates, etc). It becomes normal in our society for different reasons. It’s the same in a classroom with students. I remember a chapter in the TV shows The Simpsons when a teacher was teaching, suddenly, three or four cell phones started to sound at the same time, two were texting; teacher saw it and said that they had to turn off their cell phones. After some seconds ten cell phones started to vibrate on their respective desks, at the same time. It made me laugh a lot. Even though it is a part of a chapter that is not real life, but it seems any classroom that needs to be managed. In this case, some would think that a student who receives calls at a classroom could not be considerate a disruptive behavior. Others would think it is disruptive behavior. However, this case needs to be controlled because of the “peace” of the rest of the students who want to be focused on the lesson. As a teacher who wants a good environment without interruptions or interrupters, he or she should talk, rationally and clearly, with the students about the use of cell phones. As a general rule, students know that it is not letting to talk with cell phones in the middle of the class. Thus, it is a good idea to enforce it from the beginning of the year or a month, teachers should tell them that they cannot use the cell phone for superficial reasons (texting, mailing, chatting, taking pictures, etc).

            

        In conclusion, we would find many ways of disruptive behavior in the classroom; however, teachers should be prepared to face them (as the examples we talked) no matter what situation is this, keeping in mind that every student’s disruptive behavior is manageable if we react quickly and correctly, it will be possible with practice. In addition to this, teachers have to know all the procedures of extreme cases in order to keep the class in order. In some cases, there will be bad consequences for students who persist in their conduct. Therefore, we must tell them the rules of the institution in a firm and direct way.