Approaches in the Teaching of Speaking

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b. Approaches in the Teaching of Speaking

Related to the approaches in teaching and learning speaking, Flor et al 2006: 140 describe three approaches in the teaching and learning EFL speaking namely environmentalist, innatist and interactionist. These approaches will give certain pictures and belief of teaching speaking for English teachers to practice in the classroom. According to Flor ,et al2006: 140 environmentalist approach focuses on speaking as primarily an oral phenomenon. Meaning that learning to speak a language, in a similar way to any other type of learning, followed a stimulus- response-reinforcement pattern. This pattern drill describes linguistic input as a type of external stimulus, and their response consist of imitating and repeating the input. Eventually, the speakers receive as a positive reinforcement by other language users within their same environment. Drawing the conclusion, this approach emphasizes that learning to speak aims at the importance of starting with teaching oral skill rather than written one. It is assumed that speaking involves only by repeating, imitating, and memorizing the input that the speakers are exposed to and this idea also leads to the emergence of the Audiolingual teaching approach. Dunlap and Weisman 2006: 68 argue that this approach emphasizes the use of pattern drills, memorization of verb tenses and practice with sentence structures. In brief, this approach to learning and teaching speaking stresses the development of oral skills and pays attention to the learning process as being conditioned by the external environment rather than by human internal mental processes. commit to user 27 The second approach called innatist, different from the environmentalist, believes on the assumption that children were born with an innate potential for language acquisition. This point of view becomes the basis for the innatist approach to language learning. In addition to that, as learning to speak learners’ language ability is possibly acquired due to the fact that learners internalize a system of rules which could be transformed into new structures by applying a series of cognitive strategies. Although the language acquisition particularly learning to speak is a bit influenced by the environment surrounds the speakers however, speakers actually produce language from language knowledge they have acquired and their internal faculty or competence. The last approach, called interactionist, conveys important shifts in the field of language learning under the influence of interactionist ideas. This approach is influenced by the discipline of cognitive psychology as well as the functional and pragmatic views of language. Regard to this influence, speaking is viewed as an interactive, social and contextualized communicative events. This point of view sees that the teaching and learning of speaking is as the process of communication which does not only focus on the speakers’ intentions, but also on the effects those intention have on the hearers. In addition to that, speakers learn to use language in order to fulfill a number of functions given a particular cultural and social context. Therefore, speaking is seen as a contextualized process in which both the context of culture and the context of situation influenced the nature of the language to be used. commit to user 28 Those approaches of the teaching and learning speaking might contribute to English teachers’ perception on teaching speaking. Teachers’ thought in teaching speaking would certainly have the impact on the way how English teachers perform in the classroom Ling, 2005: 111. Many EFL teachers believe that students learn to speak in a second or a foreign language by interacting. Dunlap and Weisman 2006: 68 acknowledge that to promote fluency to learn to speak are comprehensible language input and extensive opportunities for interaction and authentic communication. Communicative Language Teaching CLT serve best for this aim since it is based on real-life situations that require communication. It is therefore using this approach in ESL or EFL classes, students will have the opportunity of communicating each other in the target language. In brief, ESL or EFL teachers should create a classroom environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities, and meaningful tasks that promote their oral language. This occurs when students collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task. Speaking is not the result of repeating or memorizing a lot of words in isolation or just combining a continuum of formal linguistic rules Flor et, al. 2006: 151. They however point out that speaking nowadays is recognized as an interactive, social and contextualized process that serves a number of functions. The teaching of speaking is therefore considered as a very complex communicative process that requires a variety of linguistic, contextual, cultural, and interactional aspects among speakers. Consequently, communicative commit to user 29 framework in the teaching of speaking is believed can contribute to develop the students’ communicative competence. In the context of the teaching of EFL speaking in Indonesia, Widiati and Cahyono 2006: 277 view that the concept CLT is closely connected to the teaching of EFL speaking since it values interaction among the students in the process of language learning in the classroom. CLT also deems classroom activities as a prime role in enabling the students interact and improve their speaking skills then. It is evident that the teaching of EFL speaking in Indonesian context is expected to envisage CLT as the English teachers’ concern in improving the students speaking skills.

c. Factors to Consider in Teaching Speaking