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Speaking Classes in spoken English are taught to all students at all levels in our English specialist (LCE) and Applied languages (LEA) programmes. Why speaking? Good speaking skills are essential for a number of reasons First, good spoken English is one component of the general mastery of the language expected of students of English. English is a living language (langue vivante) with millions of native and nonnative speakers worldwide; English majors ought to be able to communicate orally with some of them. Second, since the four language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) are interdependent, good speaking skills will stimulate progress in other areas. Students who are at ease in the spoken language can create opportunities to interact with other speakers of the language and therefore to improve their own interlanguage proficiency. Third, like it or not, individuals are judged in many contexts on their ability to present themselves orally. This is clearly true of oral exams for university language students and future language teachers, but also in many professional and social contexts. Good fluency, rich language, and appropriate communication skills impress, in our mother tongue or a foreign language. Practice in these areas thus offers essential training for life! Who are the students? We teach speaking at all levels and in both programmes which we serve: LCE and LEA. Our main focus is communication: we want students to be able to express themselves clearly and easily in English, and so all students have speaking classes (travaux pratiques à l’oral, TPO) where they are called upon to make short presentations and engage in discussion with other students. LCE students also have pronunciation classes which focus on the phonemes (individual sounds), stress patterns (accentuation) and intonation of English. Pronunciation is an area which is notoriously difficult for adult second language learners, and yet important for the comprehensibility of their speech, especially for future teachers. This is why particular attention is paid to this area, with audio- and multimedia laboratory sessions (labo) in first and second year, and intonation classes in third year. Class goals The aim of speaking classes is to offer 1. focused practice on the pronunciation of English 2. feedback on language errors (grammar, vocabulary) and advice on improvement 3. training in the communicative skills required for success at university (presentation, participation in discussion, negotiation of meaning) Class format Speaking classes focus on either specific points of English pronunciation or more general communication skills. Pronunciation classes These classes are held in the language laboratory, using either audiocassettes or multimedia facilities. The audio classes use Oxford’s New Headway Pronunciation course, which offers a practical approach to the phonemes of English, as well as issues of stress and intonation. Students need the appropriate course workbook. The multimedia classes use two main sources: * web-based exercises, which sample a variety of internet resources to cover phonetic and phonological theory, listening practice, and the pronunciation of individual sounds (using in particular a comparison of British, American and Scottish phonemes developed by Riitta Blum and Shona Whyte). Students complete exercises on our dedicated site, and teachers monitor their progress via headphones and e-mail. * lab-based activities, which use the university's multimedia lab software to work on audio and video clips for pronunciation and fluency practice. Students work on exercises through the Logolab programme, and teachers monitor their progress aurally and visually. Communication classes These classes are based on a communicative approach to language learning, which holds that language is acquired through use in meaningful contexts where students are motivated to express themselves and understand others. Presentations Students make short (10-15 minute) presentations to the class on their choice of topic from a range proposed by the teacher. They then lead a follow-up listening/speaking activity. Discussions Students participate in discussion of topics guided by the teacher or classmates. Pair and group-work is encouraged. Portfolios First and second year LCE students complete a series of listening/speaking assignments which are collated to form a portfolio of individual work for the semester. Assignments may include such activities as watching an English-language film, taking an English-language tour of a museum, interviewing a native speaker, or observing a high school English class. Items from the portfolio are then used in presentations during class sessions, and the complete portfolio also forms the basis of the end-of-semester oral exams. Projects LEA students conduct group projects on themes related to English in and around Nice. Students work in small groups on themes chosen from a range proposed by the teacher to gather information on a particular topic. They then present the results of their research in class and turn in a written version at the end of the semester. Class activities Speaking classes are designed to encourage maximum participation from students. This is justified pedagogically by our communicative approach to language acquisition (see SLA lectures here) and supported administratively by the designation of the classes as practice sessions (travaux pratiques, TP), as opposed to lectures (cours magistraux, CM) where the teacher is exclusively responsible for input, and regular classes (travaux dirigés, TD), where students contribute but the teacher maintains a dominant role. In practice sessions, the content of each class is shaped essentially by student participation, and the majority of class time is taken up by students. Speaking sessions require the active participation of students at all times, otherwise there is little or no benefit to attending. To this end, much of class time is given over to student presentations, small-group work, and class discussion. Some courses also include student-led speaking sessions, where students are responsible for preparing and leading speaking activities for their classmates. Feedback Another important element of speaking classes is feedback: students need individual assessments of their current level and progress in oral English. The teacher provides this feedback in part through constructive criticism of presentations during class sessions, and also through written comments for individual students, often based on recordings of their presentations. Off-campus students (étudiants non-assidus) are responsible for the same workload as regular students (étudiants assidus). They work independently, using the audio library and/or this website. They take the same exams as regular students. Homework Second language research shows us that a great deal of input is required to improve language proficiency: it is essential to practice speaking outside class meetings. One way to meet English speakers is through our English Society. Evaluation (view exam information) Students are given a class grade at the end of each semester, based on their oral proficiency and taking into account presentations and class participation.
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