Speaking activities to engage the learning process

Nowadays it is well known that developing language speaking skills is a fundamental

point for every student to be able to communicate adequately when starting a conversation.
Bangash & Khurram (2017) point out that “learning to speak a language requires learners to use
accurate grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary. Moreover, it involves developing knowledge
about when and how to communicate” (p. 242). Based on this, it is the teacher's responsibility to
create creative didactic activities that motivate learning, with the objective of fulfilling each of
these purposes and the use of speaking activities is one of the greatest contributions for both
teachers and students, due to that these can be integrated as part of the new pedagogical scenario
in which students learn in a different way than the traditional one. The fact of using various
techniques increasingly favors the learning process, because it is possible to adapt them to the
various characteristics that students have. However, designing the correct speaking activity for a
topic is not always as easy as it seems, teachers need to know the students’ abilities and
personalities, also the language and grammar they will be presenting. For that reason, there are
three of the most recommended speaking activities that teachers can use to engage the learning
process are: memory games, debates and speeches.

Firstly, it is undeniable that memory games are the best form to motivate and help the
students to learn in class, due to the activities that are fun and different help create a more
relaxed and comfortable environment in the classroom and promotes learning more easily,
according to Kaur & Aziz (2020)

Students goes through a lot stress and challenges in classroom when they learn speaking
in second language as there are many speaking components such as pronunciation,
enunciation, rate of speech, pause filler. When comes to speaking, they feel pressured to
speak within the topic learn however implementing games in classroom helps to reduce
stress. This is due to the enjoyment and relaxation students get when they learn through
language games. Children to adults, all enjoys game and it makes them less nervous when
they are learning something. (p.694)

and as a result, better learning of speech skills is obtained without subjecting students to
more stress during classes, the game is and will always be one of the best ways to educate today.
 Secondly, debates are also and important point to consider because it is a tool that allows
students to express their opinions and listen to what others have, according to Baso (2016)
“Debate is process of presenting idea or opinion which two opposing parties try to defend their
idea or opinion.” (p.159). Which helps encourage individual participation in class and the
construction of better teamwork, improving group decisions. On the other hand, this author also
mentions that “debate is competition of argument or ideas or opinion involving critical thinking
process and speaking ability in which there are two opposing parties face to face and each other
defend their ideas or opinion or argument by rational reason.” (Baso, 2016, p. 160) Therefore,
working on debate in the educational field to improve speaking activities can leave great benefits
for students, such as the development of critical thinking and mainly the ability to argue their
ideas more easily, which is ultimately what is sought. All this makes it clear that the use of
debate in class is an excellent idea to allow students to develop the skills that they will also use
in the future, debate is an active learning process that involves students in an activity where it is
necessary to understand the content and develop reasoning skills. This development of skills
makes debate a great didactic activity like speaking activity, since students have more chances of
being successful in the development of their classes, especially in those that require discussion
and critical thinking about certain topics, this always the hand of the teacher who will look for
the best way to motivate the student's participation.

Last but not least, speeches should be mentioned since it must be taken into account that
it is important not to confuse this strategy with the debates mentioned before, since according to
Hooper (2005) the speech used in this context is defined as

refers to public speaking and presentation; it is not merely a synonym for speaking,
talking, conversation or debate. The area of speech has its own distinct vocabulary and
terminology, and is concerned with public speaking and specifically identified types of
speech and presentation. (párr. 3)

That is to say, unlike debate, this pretends to develop skills in the student that allow them
to express themselves easily before an audience and even during a conversation with a foreign
person. On the other hand, this strategy pretends that the student to express their ideas and
concerns through oral discourse, which favors him in his learning and in turn helps him in the
practice and management of the language when he they communicate. It is a strategy that, if
worked together with debates, will greatly favor speaking skills. For this reason, it is important
that it be implemented more frequently in classrooms, since currently one of the most difficult
points for teachers is to get students to lose their shit and express themselves safely in front of an
audience, and if it is implemented more this technique would allow them to gradually improve in
that aspect and in the end be prepared to face today's society.

In conclusion, education has undergone a significant change in recent years and

developing the ability to speak a language is one of the biggest challenges that teachers have,
therefore, using various techniques favors the learning process significantly. Many students go
through a stressful environment when they have to learn and speak a new language, most of the
time they avoid participating or simply do not attend certain classes, this is where memory games
are effective in improving the classroom environment and making them the student has fun
learning without seeing it as an obstacle. On the other hand, the use of debates in class is another
didactic activity that promotes speaking skills, allows the student to develop their own ideas and
express their opinions while respecting those of others, always with the help of critical thinking.
In addition, speeches are also a great tool for developing speaking skills since they make it
possible for students to express themselves better both physically and orally before an audience,
which quickly improves their oral communication skills. Therefore, it is recommended that
teachers know what activities can be used to participate in learning activities with their students
in the classroom.

References

BANGASH, A. K., & Khurram, B. A. (2017). Development of speaking skills through activity based
learning at the elementary level. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 17(69), 241-252.

Baso, F. A. (2016). The implementation of debate technique to improve students' ability in speaking.
Exposure, 5(2), 154-173.

Hooper, D. (2005). Teaching Speech: Encouraging Good Learning Practices. The Internet TESL Journal,
11(7). http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Hooper-Speech/

Kaur, D., & Aziz, A. A. (2020). The use of language game in enhancing students’ speaking skills.
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(12), 687-706.