Micro-skills and Macro-skills of speaking

As stated by Brown 2001: 275-276 there are some principles for designing speaking techniques as follows. 1 Use techniques that cover the spectrum of learner needs, from language-based focus on accuracy to message-based focus on interaction, meaning, and fluency. This principle concerns on how to make meaningful activities without throwing away the learner needs. It means that teacher should maintain balance among accuracy, fluency and meaning. 2 Provide intrinsically motivating techniques It is very often that the students do not understand the objective of doing tasks giving and benefit of achieving linguistic competence. The teachers should give them understanding about them in order the students are interested and motivated to learn better. It means that the teacher should link the students’ interest and their need for knowledge to achieve the competence. 3 Encourage the use of authentic language in meaningful contexts. Teaching and learning activities will be more interesting if teacher provides students with authentic context and meaningful interaction. Teachers should give his students the materials which are r elevant to the students’ knowledge, interest, and experience. It means that the meaningful interaction is important to encourage the students’ willingness to speak in the target language. 4 Provide appropriate feedback and correction. Since the most EFL students are totally dependent on the teacher for useful linguistic feedback, the teacher should give it appropriately at the moment. 5 Capitalize on the natural link between speaking and listening. As the teacher perhaps focusing on the speaking goals, listening goals may naturally precede. Skills in producing language are often initiated through comprehension. 6 Give students opportunities to initiate oral communication. It means that the activities should give a lot of opportunities for the students to initiate the target language. 7 Encourage the development of speaking strategies It means that the students do not have to worry about their low level of proficiency since they will build their personal speaking strategies for accomplishing oral communication purposes.

g. Stages of teaching speaking

There are several teaching methods that have been widely used in English language teaching and learning. Some English teachers follow traditional teaching meethods like Presentation, Practice and Production PPP. Some others may apply more recent teaching approach such as content-based instruction, task based instruction, or genre based approach. The methods are different in terms of stages and activities. The following describes some stages of teaching speaking. Richards and Renandya 2002: 212-219 propose an interactive, collaborative and reflective approach in the teaching of speaking. The approach is characterized by four stages. They are brainstorming vocabulary, using conversational starters, video-taping students ’ performance and giving feedback. First, the English teacher and the students work together to brainstorm vocabulary which presents on the free-production activity. It could be the input text for them. It is expected that the students produce more language with sufficient vocabulary. Secondly, the English teacher provides conversational starters. The starters encourage them to speak up ideas, opinions, agreements or making judgments. The starters may trigger them to speak more naturally and more spontaneously. Thirdly, the teacher takes video on the students’ performances. It is aiming at maximizing the students’ participation and minimizing threat. Finally, the students review the video for intensive self and peer feedback. They may observe their own or their peers’ strengths and weaknesses. It means that corrections do not only come from the teacher but they come from fellow learners as well. Meanwhile, Feez and Joyce Richards, 2008: 31-33 propose genre based approach which includes five stages of teaching speaking. The first stage is Building Knowledge of the Field BKOF. This first stage is aiming at building students’ knowledge about materials which are going to be learnt. In this stage, the teacher introduces an authentic model of the text-type, interview for example. He encourages learners to activate background knowledge of it through giving eliciting questions such as: When usually people conduct an interview? In what situation an interview is usually conducted? And what do they say during the interview? Then, the teacher and the students explore the immediate context of situation by investigating common vocabulary and expressions employed in an interview. To make it understandable for everyone, he could use pictures, media, videos, and other teaching aids to activate their prior knowledge.