Speaking Activities and Video Pod Casts for Language Learners

1
Speaking Activities and Video Pod Casts for
Language Learners

• Denise Mussman
• ESL Instructor and Coordinator
• UM-St. Louis

2
Group Speaking Activities

• For fluency, plan speaking activities that use
  natural speech and serve a function
• Planning a party discuss food, amounts and
  money. Use realia.
• Commercials create and perform funny skits
  (good for clarity, pronunciation
  and voice projection)
• Role plays choose or have students decide on
  difficult speaking situations
• Class round one student introduces two
  classmates, makes small talk and leaves a
  conversation. Continue roles until everyone in
  the class has had a turn.
• Going to a restaurant and ordering food
• Returning an item at a store
• Settling a disagreement with a friend or roommate
• Others

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Presentations for Groups

• Begin with pair or group presentations to
  minimize nervousness
• Allow ample class time and also assign for them
  to meet
• Use the Discussion Board of My Gateway to create
  groups
• Select the groups according to majors or
  personality. I usually mix them to make sure each
  has at least one motivated or highly academic
  student.
• Allow groups to decide on topic, organization and
  turn-taking
• Ideas
• Present problems and solutions students face
• Places to visit in St. Louis
• Results of interviews or other research on a
  topic related to the target culture
• Results of research on an academic topic related
  to field of study, current events, or other topic
  chosen by group

4
Talk Shows (Advanced Speakers)

• Arrange groups of 3-5. 4 is ideal. Students
  decide on a topic to discuss in a talk-show
  format, before the audience of classmates.
  Possible topics a controversial topic with two
  or more sides places to visit with various
  opinions parents in disagreement with a child
  about money, living on campus or with fiance,
  etc. children with elderly parent about living
  situation, and so on. Students have instructor
  approve the topic. Instructor needs to remind
  them to take only one side and not switch
  opinions.
• Assign one talk-show host, whose job is to
  introduce the topic, discuss it objectively,
  introduce guests, moderate turn-taking, elicit
  questions from the audience and conclude.
• Each participant must spend a few minutes
  presenting his or her side and support. (The role
  is usually pretend and doesnt have to be the
  true opinion.) Then the participants deliberate
  with one another and open the floor to the
  audience for questions.

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Individual Presentations

• Speeches Be sure to have students outline ideas
  to not read and include introduction, body and
  conclusion. Visuals or power point are encouraged
  but dont let them just read from the visual.
  Remind them to use the blackboard for technical
  or difficult words.
• Ideas
• Present self or a partner.
• Discuss a habit or value in a culture.
• How-to presentations yoga, origami, a recipe,
  handle stress, learn a language, eat well, play a
  sport, tai-chi, etc. Students may also present
  other process speeches such as a holiday, a topic
  related to the major (business, scientific
  phenomenon, etc.) Emphasis the use of
  transitions.
• Persuasive presentations. Lead them away from
  topics too controversial, emotional or
  complicated. Emphasize counter-arguments.
• Present findings from research on topics of
  choice.
• Others

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Other Tips

• Have class take notes and turn in for
  participation credit. This way, they will be more
  attentive and ask questions. For advanced
  speakers, have them post a few comments and
  suggestions for each presenter.
• Have students reflect on their performance. They
  should evaluate their strengths and areas they
  need to improve.
• If presentation is recorded, have presenters
  correct a few sentences for clarity, vocabulary
  use or grammar.

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Self-Feedback to Video

• Watch your video.
• Comment on your topic
• Delivery
• Organization
• Ability to explain
• Body language eye contact
• Clarity in speaking (pronunciation, word stress,
  volume, intonation, etc.)
• What was effective about your presentation?
• What would you improve? How?
•  
• Write three sentences or phrases you said that
  needed improvement. Rewrite them to correct the
  structure, grammar, vocabulary or
  pronunciation/accent (for this you may need to
  make markings to correct)

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Grading Rubrics

• Decide weight of categories, including
• Content Ideas, support, research
• Organization transitions, overall order
• Language use vocabulary, fluency, grammar
• non-verbal language projection, gestures
• Verbal skills pronunciation, clarity, pauses,
  stress
• Use of visuals, if applicable
• Note for group presentations, I may have two
  grades and include participation outside of class

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Feedback to a Presentation

• Speech Presentation Name Assignment
•  
• Content Effective introduction
• Main ideas are clear and supported with data
  and/or examples
•  
• Research or support is substantial
• Ideas are insightful, well-thought out
•  
• Presentation is appropriate length
•  
• Conclusion has a summary and final words
•  
•  
• Organization Order of ideas is logical
•  
• Transitions are used to connect ideas
•  

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Feedback Continued

• Language Fluency is strong enough to convey
  information
•   Student paraphrases and repeats important
  words or points
•   Appropriate level of vocabulary is used
•   Grammar is correct
•  
•  Non-verbal Eye contact is strong
•   Gestures or body movement
•   (Optional) visual or blackboard is used to
  help explain topic
•  
• Verbal Overall comprehensibility is strong
•  
• Other features
• Word stress
•   Rhythm
•   Intonation
•  
• Pronunciation Vowels Consonants
•  
• Final Grade

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Using Pod Casts for Instruction

• Pod Casts are free. They are audio or video files
  available on the Internet. You can do a search or
  find them in iTunes, Doppler and Juice. For ESL,
  we often use npr.org and china232.org. Others
  include NY Times, abc.com, Learn English (BBC),
  eslpod.com, Newsweek and environmentreport.org.
• Others include
• Pod Casts are a great tool for language teachers.
  They can be used for listening exercises in
• Listening comprehension strategies or learning
  about a topic
• Vocabulary
• Summarizing and Responding
• Analyzing language features grammar,
  pronunciation
• Conversational topics
• Transcribe one minute of dialogue and record,
  imitating the pronunciation and accent.

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Video Recording of Students

• If using a digital camcorder, copy onto hard
  drive of camera, mini DVD or tape. From the
  camera, transfer to computer. Mini DVDs can be
  played on a player or computer. You can copy it
  onto others if your computer has two drives.
• Some of these cameras can also record directly to
  memory cards such as SD or SDHC cards. Some HD
  cams can also be hooked up and record directly to
  a laptop/desktop.
• For tape, put it iCamera and a firewire cord to
  input it into the camera. Plug camera into the
  laptops using firewire cords.
• For Macs, use iMovie for .mov files and compress
  the video using attached settings for Quicktime.
  Newer PCs have firewire and use Windows Media
  Encoder or Movie Maker. The new cameras need a
  newer Mac that can run ilife from Macs. See
  requirements at http//www.apple.com/ilife/systemr
  equirements.html

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Continued

• MacBook is a laptop with a webcam, captures the
  file into iMovie. The webcam is built in. Export
  it (Click Share-export) as a .m4v and stream it
  or make a .mov file and burn it using iDVD to DVD
  disk.
• If using a webcam, you can purchase one for about
  30-50 and comes with software to set up. It was
  an AVI file and wasnt usable. Instead, I use
  Microsoft Windows Media Encoder, which I put in a
  file on my laptops desktop. You can download
  this information http//www.microsoft.com/windows
  /windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/default.
• I open Microsoft Encoder and change the file name
  each time see next page for specifics. I copied
  the presentations from my laptop onto a stick,
  which I put on the desktop of my computer and
  then streamed into the campus Winmedia URL set up
  for me. I then put them on My Gateway.
• Faculty Resource Center is very helpful.
•  

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Using iMovie for Quicktime Files

• From Cornell Start iMovie application on the
  computer. The software will inform you if the
  camera is connected if it isnt, check the
  Firewire connection and make sure the cable is
  securely plugged in.
• iMovie automatically opens the last project that
  was worked on. Close it if it isnt what you
  need, and select new project from the menu
  options.  
• Save your new project to Movies. At the bottom of
  the screen, check that the little sliding bar is
  positioned under the camera icon. This is
  necessary to start importing the movie. 
• Importing the movie takes as long as the clip
  itself lasts, i.e. a 10 minute long clip will
  take 10 minutes to import. A progress bar will
  pop up on screen, indicating how much longer the
  transfer will take. Completed clips will appear
  in the gallery on the right hand side of the
  application.  

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Instructions Continued

• iMovie will automatically split separate clips if
  it detects the start/stop of distinct clips. For
  example, a 5 minute movie from one weeks class
  followed by a 5 minute movie from the next week
  will have a distinct split between the two, and 2
  separate clips will appear in the clip gallery on
  the right hand side of the application.
•  
• Drag and drop the clip you need from the gallery
  to the horizontal panel at the bottom of the
  screen.
•  
• Drag and drop the unwanted segments into the
  trash can at the bottom right hand corner of the
  application. Be sure to empty the trash can once
  you are done, as the unwanted clips can take up a
  lot of space!
• When you have the clip that you need, click Save,
  then Export, and select the export to Quicktime
  option. Choose Email size as the format and
  then export the file. This process also happens
  in real time and will take approximately as long
  as the clip itself is.

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Using the Web Cam Specifics from FRC

• Plug the webcam into USB port in computer
• Go to Start, Programs, Windows, Windows Media
  Encoder
• Capture audio or video
• Click O.K.
• For devices, video and audio should be pointing
  to Logitech
• Click next
• Save to desktop
• Distribute content Choose windows media
  streaming
• Click Next
• Choose three bit levels 754, 70, 24
• Click next This screen is optional
• Click Next
• Finish
• Start Encoding
• Can Pause also
• When done hit Stop