Good Practice in Teaching Esp Presentations
GOOD PRACTICE IN TEACHING ESP PRESENTATIONS
Galina Kavaliauskienė
Mykolas Romeris University
Public speaking is the one skill no successful person can afford to be without.
Anonymous.
INTRODUCTION
Speaking in public always aims at communication and presupposes a different level of formality depending on the settings and the audience. Learning to speak in a foreign language differs from learning other subjects due to its social nature. Language is part of person’s identity, and speaking is used to convey this identity to other people. Since oral production is open to audience scrutiny, lack of confidence and fear of looking foolish cause speakers’ anxiety. People are also concerned about such things as grammar, lexis, and pronunciation.
There is a wealth of publications on the issues of making presentations and how to prepare a presentable talk and deliver it. However, teaching and learning to make well-organized presentations in front of an audience takes a lot of practice - learners need some systematic training in preparing and performing. The principal purpose of training is to provide the most effective learning experience for the student.
This paper addresses the research into learners’ attitudes to speaking in public on different themes and learners’ perceptions of experienced gains and lacks. Each learner encounters various difficulties in making presentations, and these difficulties need to be identified and dealt with. Evaluation of public speaking allows to determine strengths and weaknesses and work out the methodology of teaching effective presentations. The outcome of research is drawing general outline of good practice in helping learners master public speaking.
BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH
Public speaking is a productive skill aiming at communication. For communication in a foreign language to be successful, a speaker needs to be familiar with linguistic and cultural backgrounds, that are shared by native speakers,
Galina Kavaliauskienė
Mykolas Romeris University
Public speaking is the one skill no successful person can afford to be without.
Anonymous.
INTRODUCTION
Speaking in public always aims at communication and presupposes a different level of formality depending on the settings and the audience. Learning to speak in a foreign language differs from learning other subjects due to its social nature. Language is part of person’s identity, and speaking is used to convey this identity to other people. Since oral production is open to audience scrutiny, lack of confidence and fear of looking foolish cause speakers’ anxiety. People are also concerned about such things as grammar, lexis, and pronunciation.
There is a wealth of publications on the issues of making presentations and how to prepare a presentable talk and deliver it. However, teaching and learning to make well-organized presentations in front of an audience takes a lot of practice - learners need some systematic training in preparing and performing. The principal purpose of training is to provide the most effective learning experience for the student.
This paper addresses the research into learners’ attitudes to speaking in public on different themes and learners’ perceptions of experienced gains and lacks. Each learner encounters various difficulties in making presentations, and these difficulties need to be identified and dealt with. Evaluation of public speaking allows to determine strengths and weaknesses and work out the methodology of teaching effective presentations. The outcome of research is drawing general outline of good practice in helping learners master public speaking.
BACKGROUND TO RESEARCH
Public speaking is a productive skill aiming at communication. For communication in a foreign language to be successful, a speaker needs to be familiar with linguistic and cultural backgrounds, that are shared by native speakers,
References: Harmer, J. 2001. The Practice of English Language Teaching. 3rd edition. Pearson Education Limited. Tribble, C. 1997. Writing. Oxford University Press. Bygate, M. 1987. Speaking. Oxford University Press. Morley, J. 1994. A Multidimensional Curriculum Design for Speech-Pronunciation Instruction. In J. Morley (ed.) Pronunciation Pedagogy and Theory. Alexandria, VA:TESOL. ‘English for Specific Purposes World’, Web-based Journal, March, 2004. Chickering A. and Ehrmann S.C. Implementing the Seven Principles. AAHE Bulletin, pp. 3-6. 1996. http://www.aahe.org/technology/ehrmann.htm Last modified 01/20/2005. Some Principles for Good Practice in Teaching and Learning. 2005. McNamara, C. 2005. Basic Guidelines for Giving Feedback.