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Ideas on speaking activities | ||
Tags: Speaking | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| menez93 Pro Member Italy Joined 4251 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: Italian* Personal Language Map | Message 1 of 6 19 May 2015 at 4:59pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hello everybody,
I am trying to create a sort of routine concerning the speaking skill. I want to improve my English to fluency and I was thinking to make some activities to enhance my speaking skill. I have a tutor and, without problems, I can find a language partner on italki and whatnot. I would like to make everything more interesting by changing the daily usual conversation in something more funny. At the moment my ideas are: once or twice per week record myself and make a spoken review of a movie or a tv series episode from something that both me and the tutor we saw the day before. I think it's a good idea. She will get my recording and the day after we listen to the recording together and all the times I make mistakes she will tell me what it is and the right alternative. In this way I know where I make mistakes and the second time I have to say that word I know how to use it and to say it correctly. I can do the same thing by describe pictures or images from the web. BBC "Pictures of the day", for instance. And again do the same thing. What I would like to know if you know any other interesting activity which I can do with my tutor. I have read about role playing but I don't know how to set it up. I mean, this is something I am going to do every day. Everyday a different activity. If I have got some other stuff to put in the weekly routine it wouldn't be bad. So, have you got any suggestion? Any funny activity that you do with your language partner or tutor to improve your speaking skill? By the way I am still thinking whether or not there is a way to use formal English in a sort of activity as well so that I can improve it. I hope you can understand what I have just written because as you can probably see I am not a native English and I am not fluent. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| rdearman Senior Member United Kingdom rdearman.orgRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5037 days ago 881 posts - 1812 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: Italian, French, Mandarin | Message 2 of 6 19 May 2015 at 5:33pm | IP Logged | ||
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You should signup for the Output Challenge. We do monthly mini-challenges for output in both writing and speaking.
You could also talk to yourself, describing what you are doing at the time. In addition when you watch TV or movie in English, try pretending to be one of the characters and answering for them. Also you could try to memorise a speech or poem in English and recite it. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| menez93 Pro Member Italy Joined 4251 days ago 10 posts - 10 votes Speaks: Italian* Personal Language Map | Message 3 of 6 19 May 2015 at 6:37pm | IP Logged | ||
Perhaps the first one (to talk to myself) might be a good idea but it would be too weird. And the latter (to pretend to be one characters) sounds too difficult to start off. I really don't know what else I can do. I thought about something like create a sort of scenario, different every time. For example once might be a job interview, another one could be I am looking for a new house and I have to speak with the landlord,ect... I thought it was good but I think after a bit I am going to finish the ideas about the scenarios. What do you think? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| soclydeza85 Senior Member United States Joined 3708 days ago 357 posts - 502 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, French | Message 4 of 6 20 May 2015 at 1:48am | IP Logged | ||
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I used to do a thing with my old tutor where we'd do sort of a role-playing thing, totally unrehearsed. For example, she was the waitress and I was a patron ordering food, she'd be a cop and I'd be asking for directions or have to explain myself when getting pulled over. It could really be about whatever you want; create a situation a week in advance, spend the week looking up/reviewing terms pertaining to the situation, common phrases, etc.
The self-talk idea is great too. I do it a lot (as weird as it may be) and it definitely helps as far as learning to think on my feet in the language. The only drawback is that there is no one there to correct you if you are wrong, but use it as an opportunity to discover what your weak points are, make note of them and go over them with your tutor. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| garyb Triglot Senior Member ScotlandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5008 days ago 1468 posts - 2413 votes Speaks: English*, Italian, French Studies: Spanish | Message 5 of 6 20 May 2015 at 11:22am | IP Logged | ||
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I certainly find self-talk useful. Here's the classic post on self-talk. I generally do it either when I'm alone in the house, or with music on in the background :). Of course it's not the same thing as speaking to a real person; you can go at your own pace and talk about what you like, which I suppose can be an advantage or a disadvantage. I think it complements conversations and tutoring. It's a good way to practise explaining or describing things, like a film, book, event, picture, etc., and your own thoughts and opinions on it. The same sort of thing you suggest in your original post.
Overall it sounds like you're doing things right and you have good ideas, so keep it up! 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| cod2 Groupie United Kingdom Joined 4355 days ago 48 posts - 69 votes | Message 6 of 6 27 May 2015 at 2:48pm | IP Logged | ||
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I talk to myself in L2 all the time and I have found it immensely beneficial. I usually
talk silently in my head. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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