Cambridge English

1. Cambridge English Cambridge English (also known as ESOL) is a department of Cambridge University. Their English exams Proficiency (CPE), Advanced (CAE), First (FCE), Preliminary (PET) and Key (KET) are recognised around the world by thousands of employers, universities and government ministries as proof of ability to use English. Cambridge developed the IELTS exam in conjunction with the British Council and IELTS Australia. Cambridge ESOL have a range of business English examinations including BULATS and BEC. Cambridge ESOL also helped to develop the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) — an internationally recognised level of language ability.

2. Cambridge English Cambridge English exams: YLE – Starters, Movers (A1), Flyers (A2)Key (KET) - Key English Test (A2) BEC - Business English Certificates (B1, B2, C1) First (FCE) - First Certificate in English (B2) Preliminary (PET), PET for Schools - Preliminary English Test (B1) Advanced (CAE) - Certificate of Advanced English (C1) Proficiency (CPE) - Certificate of Proficiency in English (C2) IELTS - International English Language Testing System BULATS - Business Language Testing Service Find out more about Cambridge ESOL by visiting their web site.

3. Why Cambridge English? • Global recognition • Visas and immigration • Study abroad Cambridge English exams by CEFR level The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an international standard for describing language ability. It is used around the world to describe learners’ language skills. The CEFR has six levels – from A1 for the most basic beginner to C2 for the very highest level of ability. Our English language exams are listed below according to the CEFR level they are aimed at. Watch our short video to find out more about the CEFR. Not sure which CEFR level you are at? Try our free test. Below CEFR Level A1 CEFR Level A1 CEFR Level A2 CEFR Level B1 CEFR Level B2 CEFR Level C1 CEFR Level C2 Multi-level exams

7. Over 100 years of experience and expertise • 1. Develop real-life English skills • Cambridge English exams are designed to assess how learners use English to communicate in real-life situations. • Teachers preparing students for our exams are giving them communication skills they can use for everyday life, work and study. • 2. Exams for a range of levels and uses • All our exams are aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) – the international standard for describing language ability. • 3. Accepted for work, immigration and study globally • 20,000 universities, employers and governments around the world accept Cambridge English exams. • Our exams open doors to higher education, improve employment opportunities, and increase choice for study or work. • Many Cambridge English exams are also accepted for visa and study purposes in the UK, Australia, USA and Canada. IELTS, which is produced by Cambridge English, can also be used for UK visas and immigration.

8. 4. Fully supported by a range of learning and teaching resources • We offer a wide variety of resources including Official Cambridge English preparation materials, videos, social media and games to help learners practise and improve their English effectively. • We provide teaching resources, qualifications and professional development to make an English language teaching career rewarding, effective and enjoyable. • Each exam comes with comprehensive preparation and support materials for learners and teachers. • 5. International and available worldwide • We accept different varieties of English in all our exams – including American and British. • 6. Secure, reliable and fair • Cambridge English exams are designed to be fair to all test takers, whatever their age, gender, nationality, first language or ethnic background. • 7. Backed by world-class research • Our exams are backed by extensive research carried out by one of the world’s largest dedicated language research teams. • As part of the University of Cambridge, we are committed to sharing our best practice and research.

9. AGI GENTLE REMINDER TO TEACHERS - MEMO

10. ISSUES AND SUGGESTIONS OF Teaching Speaking

11. Do you think that students are good at speaking?

12. WHY?

14. Main Objectives of the chatting • To develop teachers’ ability to teach speaking • To develop students’ oral proficiency

15. What is Speaking?

16. meaning meaning contexts contexts • Speaking is "the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts" (Chaney, 1998, p. 13).

17. meaning contexts • Feelings • Opinions • Personal details • Functions: 1- Giving advice 2- Expressing hope 3- Telling stories • Daily routines • Describing: 1- People 2- Places 3- Objects 4- Habits • Formal • Informal • At home • At school • In the street • On holiday • At a mall • A situation

18. Do You know that ? ? ? Many language learners regard speaking ability as the measure of knowing a language.

19. Do You know that ? ? ? They regard speaking as the most important skill they can acquire, and they assess their progress in terms of their accomplishments in spoken communication.

20. The main issues are: • First Part: Despite its importance, for many years, teaching speaking has been undervalued. • Second Part: English language teachers have continued to teach speaking just as a repetition of drills or memorization of dialogues.

21. No Communication No Interaction No Information Exchange No Transaction No Negotiation

22. While speaking, we expect our students to be able to: • Produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns • Use word and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the second language. • Select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter. • Organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence. • Use language as a means of expressing values and judgments. • Use the language quickly and confidently with few unnatural pauses, which is called as fluency. The above mentioned criteria are also the same criteria we use to test students’ ability to speak

23. How do we teach speaking? • A sample speaking activity • Tense: Present Simple • Think about an activity Materials Context Meaning / Function 5 mn

24. Teachers have to provide authentic practice that prepares students for real-life communication situations. )Practise speaking in class) • They have to help their students develop the ability to produce grammatically correct, logically connected sentences that are appropriate to specific contexts, and to do so using acceptable (that is, comprehensible) pronunciation.  Teach Vocabulary  Teach Grammar • Teach Pronunciation / Intonation •  Equip them with everything they need to speak confidently and fluently.

25. Provide real-life situations • Teachers should create a classroom environment where students have real-life communication, authentic activities, and meaningful tasks that promote oral language. This can occur when students collaborate in groups to achieve a goal or to complete a task.

26. Activities that Promote Speaking Tactics for Speaking

27. Discussions • After a content-based lesson, a discussion can be held for various reasons. The students may aim to arrive at a conclusion, share ideas about an event, or find solutions in their discussion groups. Before the discussion, it is essential that the purpose of the discussion activity is set by the teacher.

28. Role Play • The teacher gives information to the learners such as who they are and what they think or feel. Thus, the teacher can tell the student that "You are David, you go to the doctor and tell him what happened last night, and…" (Harmer, 1984)

29. Simulations • Simulations are very similar to role-plays but what makes simulations different than role plays is that they are more elaborate. In simulations, students can bring items to the class to create a realistic environment. For instance, if a student is acting as a president, he/she wears a suit and brings a microphone to deliver his speech. Role plays and simulations have many advantages. • Such activities motivate the students and increase the self-confidence of hesitant students.

30. Information Gap • Students are supposed to be working in pairs. • One student will have the information that other partner does not have and the partners will share their information. • Information gap activities serve many purposes such as solving a problem or collecting information.  Also, each partner plays an important role because the task cannot be completed if the partners do not provide the information the others need. • These activities are effective because everybody has the opportunity to talk extensively in the target language.

31. Brainstorming • On a given topic, students can produce ideas in a limited time. Depending on the context, either individual or group brainstorming is effective and learners generate ideas quickly and freely. • The good characteristics of brainstorming is that the students are not criticized for their ideas so students will be open to sharing new ideas.

32. Storytelling • Students can briefly summarize a tale or story they heard from somebody beforehand, • They may create/imagine their own stories to tell their classmates. • Story telling fosters creative thinking. It also helps students express ideas in the format of beginning, development, and ending, including the characters and setting a story has to have.

33. Interviews • Students can conduct interviews on selected topics with various people. • Conducting interviews with people gives students a chance to practice their speaking ability not only in class but also outside and helps them become socialized. After interviews, each student can present his or her study to the class.

34. Story Completion • This is a very enjoyable, whole-class, free-speaking activity for which students sit in a circle. • For this activity, a teacher starts to tell a story, but after a few sentences he or she stops narrating. • Then, each student starts to narrate from the point where the previous one stopped. Each student is supposed to add from four to ten sentences. • Students can add new characters, events, descriptions and so on.

35. Story completion with key words given: • Using a data-show projector, teacher can ask their students to look at the picture and try to imagine what happened. • Students can use some of the words It was a very hot Friday morning. The weather was very nice and the streets were almost empty. A loud crash scared injured bleeding Emergency services Horrible experience ambulance hospital

36. Picture Narrating • This activity is based on several sequential pictures. • Students are asked to tell the story taking place in the sequential pictures by paying attention to the criteria provided by the teacher as a rubric. • Rubrics can include the vocabulary or structures (past simple) they need to use while narrating.

37. Reporting • Before coming to class, students are asked to read a newspaper or magazine and, in class, they report to their friends what they find as the most interesting news. • Teachers can also ask their students to watch a specific program on a specific channel. Time of the program should be given well-in-advance. • Then, students could be asked to report back what they have seen and express their views concerning what was presented in the program or cartoon film…

38. Picture Describing • Students describe what it is in the picture. • They discuss the picture with their groups. • Then, a spokesperson for each group describes the picture to the whole class. This activity fosters the creativity and imagination of the learners as well as their public speaking skills. • It could also be used as springboard for a whole class-discussion

39. Speeches • Teachers can ask their students to prepare a speech about one of the topics that were discussed in class. • They may also ask them to prepare a speech about a special event or occasion. In fact, lots of students enjoy such activities as they allow them a great deal of freedom to express their ideas and show their talents. • Of course, delivering the speech should be done in class.

40. Activities that Promote Speaking • Discussions • Role Plays • Simulations • Information Gap • Brainstorming • Storytelling • Interviews • Story Completion • Reporting • Picture Narrating • Picture Describing • Speeches

41. Practical Activities

42. Sample Speaking Activities for First Intermediate students: • Introduce yourself or your best friend • Describe/Introduce countries • Locating places • Talking about families • Interviewing / Reporting • Bring a clear picture of a person and ask students to describe him • Using information from a table to describe a person • Choosing one student and ask the others to describe him • Acting out a dialogue • Everyday English • Expressing likes • Pronunciation • Describing a house • Using the map to give directions • Giving instructions: A food recipe • Talking about seasons • Reasoning • What a visitor can see in your city • Talking about past actions • Completing a story

43. SUMMARYSuggestions  For Teachers

44. Provide maximum opportunity to students to speak the target language by providing a rich environment that contains collaborative work, authentic materials and tasks, and shared knowledge.

45. Try to involve as many students as possible in every speaking activity. • For this aim, practice different ways of student participation.

46. Reduce teacher speaking time in class while increasing student speaking time. Step back and observe students.

47. Indicate positive signs when commenting on a student's response.

48. Ask eliciting questions such as "What do you mean? How did you reach that conclusion?" in order to prompt students to speak more.

49. Provide written feedback like "Your presentation was really great. It was a good job. I really appreciated your efforts in preparing the materials and efficient use of your voice…"

50. Do not correct students' pronunciation mistakes very often while they are speaking. Correction should not distract student from expressing themselves.