Sessions /
Generating interactive classrooms with a scaffolded three-stage model #1348

Oral interaction between students is an essential part of the learning process for developing English speaking skills. However, issues with student language levels, confidence, anxiety and task difficulty can lead to a hesitancy to 'speak up' and participate. Classroom-based studies show that students who can plan their speech for oral interactions during pre-task, online and post-task stages are better prepared and supported to interact with others, and demonstrate better fluency. In addition, students will participate more actively and become more fluent with their language use if they are allowed to repeat the same task several times. The presenter will demonstrate how such research findings can be combined to create a powerful task design model which helps students become more confident and fluent at speaking with others in English. The model scaffolds the learning with three stages of oral interaction with increasing difficulty for preparing, checking and reviewing task plans. By doing so, students (especially those of a low-level) can become increasingly confident and fluent within second language oral interactions at a comfortable and realistic pace. The presentation will conclude with simple instructions for teachers to apply the model to their own classes to improve confidence, participation and oral fluency.