HEBA ADEL SALEH

OFQUAL TEFL LEVEL 5

UNIT 5/ASSIGNMENT 2/2.1,2.2

Communication is the ability of using words and phrases to share
information with other people.it is the process of expressing feelings and
thoughts or giving instructions.Communication skill could be writing or
speaking . Speaking is a very important skill that needs to be practised
every day if the learners want to be fluent in english language.Fluency is
essential in order to build a successful career.
Communication today is so important in the business field and also in private life.

Oral communications have two features formal and informal

communication:::
Formal communication::firmly follows rules that prescribed by the manager or an organization,
It is inflexible and cannot be changed.formal communication could be
written as emails or oral as business meeting and classroom lectures.oral
communications more flexible than the written one.

Informal communication:::does not necessarily follow any rules,and also

does not require any recognition.it can easily be changed.all face -to-face
communication considered to be informal.

There is always a problem with second language learners, despite their

ability and proficiency in using the language structure,they have limited
communication skills.

In order to solve this problem teachers must pay great attention to

communicative activities in the classroom at all levels.activities such
as,reaching an agreement,discussion,relaying instructions.

Reaching an agreement::
It's a very important and successful activity that helps students to produce the language in a
natural way.in such activities teachers give the students an idea which they have to reach an
agreement about it in groups or individuals.
At the beginning students start to write down their ideas ,the teacher usually helps students who
have some difficulties.students start to present their ideas and other students take a notes about
these ideas what they agree or disagree with.students now can express their preferences then a
discussion about these references .everyone will add his opinion on the topic.

Discussions
Discussion might be formal or informal ,in the classroom the discussion could start after a
content_based lesson so it will help the students to share some ideas and find solutions in their
discussion group.what is really important before starting a discussion is that the teacher sets a
goal for this discussion activity so all ideas will be relevant to this goal.
Buzz groups:::small,intense discussion groups usually have 3 to 5 persons that the teacher asks
them to predict the content of a reading text or ask them to discuss what is in the news.

Debates
Is the formal way of discussion on a particular topic ,the arguments take place between two
sides who have opposite viewpoints,they discuss these points in an organized way.
In a classroom the teacher can ask the students to make a debate about a specific topic and
divide them into two groups, one group is with the idea and the other one is against this
idea,students should take enough time to organize their ideas and it is better for them to
practice with their groups first.

Problem solving
These kinds of activities stimulate the students to speak with each other to solve a problem.The
teacher asks the students to provide an effective solution to a specific problem.
Problem solving activities should match and be suitable for the level of the student. We can give
the young ages simple problem solving such as puzzles while we can give the advanced level
more complicated activities.

Simulation activities
Are very similar to role play activities but more
complicated,students gain a great benefit from these
activities,students act out real life situations and they can bring
items to the classroom so they create a realistic environment for
themselves.

Role play and simulation are very effective

strategies for practicing speaking fluency. They can
help students to express themselves, show their
creativity , involve themselves actively in the
learning situations,allow students to explore
concepts and practice skills.

Instructions::
In which students give each other some instructions,this activity is considered to be successful
when the group that is given the task carries it out successfully.

Information gap:
Where the students are missing the information they need to finish a task then they have to
discuss with each other to find it.this kind of activities are providing an opportunity for more
practice and can motivate the students.
Activities for developing communication skills:::

Elementary and beginner level:::

Title of the activity:what is in my secret bag?
In this activity I randomly choose a student everyday to take the secret bag home then put
something inside it. The student should write down some clues about the item inside the bag.
The second day in the morning he starts to talk about this item and gives clues about it until one
of the students reaches the right guessing.

Intermediate level:

Lower intermediate level:

Title of the activity:questionnaire
This activity needs the students to be in pairs ,i choose a specific situation and describe it then i
ask them yes or no questions about it they discuss with each other then give the answer.
“I plan to organize my older son's birthday party and it will be a surprise for him. Tell me how I
can organize what I will need to buy? What to write in the invitation?”
The students write a list of what i will need.they write down an invitation template and gave me
some pictures of what kind of decoration i will need.

Upper intermediate level:

Title of the activity:discussion
I start to present my opinion on any topic in real life and ask the students to write down their
ideas and present it. Who agrees with my opinion and who is not?
For example, telling them that I agree with the idea of moving to work and live in another
country. What do you think?
The students will give ideas and opinions with agree and disagree and every one will discuss
his point of view.

Advanced level ::
Title of the activity :investigation
I tell the student a short story about a crime with some details and ask them to discuss who
might be the murder.
So as a conclusion::we find out that communication skills in this new world become a must. The
teacher of the english language should focus on speaking activities more as they give the
grammar and vocabulary a big attention.

References
http://learnpick.in/prime/document/ppts/details/1484/communication-skills
Longman handbooks for language teachers_the practice of english language teaching.-
jermey_harmer