Размещено на http://allbest.ru

2

National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University

(Национальный исследовательский Томский политехнический университет)

УДК 81:372.881(16.31.51) Педагогические науки

Role plays as method of developing speaking skills in teaching English

Bekisheva Tat'yana Gennad'evna

Gasparyan Gayane Aramaisovna

In recent years, language teaching has focused on the learning process rather than the teaching of language. The emphasis is done not only on linguistic competence of the language learners but also on the development of their communicative ability. In order to develop the learners' communicative ability a teacher needs to create a scenario to teach the target language in a vibrant, active and interesting manner.

Thus, extended activities in the form of a role play, simulations and problem solving are vital in developing the communicative ability of the learners. These activities require the learners to go beyond a text. They require the learners to have a sound understanding of a text and be able to apply their knowledge outside the classroom and their own experiences into the activities.

According to D. Crookall and R. L. Oxford [1], there is little consensus on the terms used in the role playing and simulation literature. A few of the terms often used interchangeably are simulation, games, role play, simulationgame, and role play simulation and role playing game. Extended activities can be carried out at different levels depending on the learners' language proficiency.

The role of the teacher in such activities will often depend on the learners and their language abilities. However, the teacher is not wholly responsible for the learners' language acquisition as students must also play their part to be motivated in following the lesson.

Role plays, whether structured or less structured, are important in the communicative approach because they give learners an opportunity to practice communicating in different social contexts and in different social roles. A role play is a highly flexible learning activity which has a wide scope for variation and imagination. According to G. P. Ladousse [4], role play uses different communicative techniques and develops fluency in the language, promotes interaction in the classroom and increases motivation.

Here peer learning is encouraged and sharing of responsibility between the teacher and the learner in the learning process takes place. A role play can improve learners' speaking skills in any situation, and helps learners to interact. As for the shy learners, a role play helps by providing a mask, where learners with difficulty in conversation are liberated. In addition, it is fun and most learners will agree that enjoyment leads to better learning.

A simulation simulates real life situations, while in role playing the participant is presenting and experiencing some character type known in everyday life. A role play differs from simulation in that the participants are asked to adopt a new character who may have different attitudes and opinions from their own [6].

For example, the learner could be given a role card which explains that he or she is a sales manager in a company which produces cosmetics and that in the meeting which will be acted out, he or she must speak in favour of proposal X or against proposal Y. Role plays have to be prepared in details in advance (there are lots of ready-made ones to be found in books or management training materials).

They are suitable for mixed-interest groups and groups who do not have specific needs and they usually work better with imaginative learners who can think themselves into the role they are assigned. Pre-experience learners will be more likely to respond well to role play than job-experienced learners, perhaps because they are less likely to have strong opinions of their own. Simulations, on the other hand, allow the learners to be themselves.

There will be a situation to be acted out (a business dilemma or a problem), but they can express their own ideas and opinions as if they themselves were in the imagined situation. In this respect, simulations are easier for some personality types. Both a role play and a simulation can focus on a variety of business skills such as meetings, telephone calls, and social situations.

Simulations can be ready-made (as with role plays), or can be devised by the trainer for individuals or groups who have a need to deal with a specific situation.

In this case, the trainer will need to get the help from the learners in order to build up a credible problem with facts and figures that the learners can provide from their own experience. In order to get this information, the trainer will need to ask a lot of questions, such as: 'What normally happens in this kind of situation?'; 'Who do you discuss it with?'; 'Do you meet face-to-face or discuss it on the phone?' and so on.

The following is the example of a simulation built up with a group of learners. The group (all from the same company) consists of engineering and technical staff that are responsible for purchasing equipment for their departments.

They sometimes buy from foreign suppliers and need to practice negotiating skills in English. The trainer discusses with the learners how the simulation will proceed.

Firstly, it is established that some group members will represent the suppliers (the name and nationality of the supplier company is decided by the learners, as is the type of equipment that they supply), while the others will be themselves. teacher foreign language vocabulary

Secondly, it is established that the buyers and suppliers have had previous contact, and that a meeting has been set up to discuss the purchase of a certain type of equipment (the learners provide technical details of the equipment they want; product brochures from an actual supplier could be used here).

The learners draw up a list of points that would be discussed in the negotiation, for example, price discount, payment terms, delivery arrangements, maintenance contract. Each group (buyers and suppliers) then meet separately to prepare for the negotiation: buyers will decide what demands they will make; suppliers decide what their offer will be.

The trainer can coordinate this process by monitoring the discussion in each group. If it becomes apparent that more information is needed by both groups for the simulation to work, then this can be discussed between both groups together. In both role plays and simulations (whether ready-made or created by the learners) time for preparation is essential if participants are going to play their parts successfully.

They must be very familiar with the background information and must have a clear idea of what shape the interaction will have, and what they are trying to achieve.

Language preparation will also be essential. In the simulation of a buyer-supplier negotiation referred to above, the language of negotiation would have been treated earlier on the course, as would other important language, such as giving technical specifications, and comparing and contrasting [3].

There are many risks involved in running a role play or simulation, particularly in group teaching:

1. There is too much background information (it is time-consuming to prepare and the learners cannot keep the details in mind).

2. There is too little information (the participants have to invent it during the role-play, which can upset the course of discussion). The discussion goes on too long.

3. The participants get so involved that they lose sight of the objectives (i.e. to practice certain kinds of language or behavior).

4. The discussion becomes personal and confrontational. Individuals become so involved with arguing from a particular standpoint that it is then impossible for the group to reach a solution or a decision. Learners often exhibit quite different behavior in role plays from that which they would show in a real-life meeting because they know they have nothing to lose.

5. If there is a chairperson, he or she fails to exert control and the meeting becomes chaotic.

6. Usually as a result the more confident participants dominate and others feel more and more frustrated as they are unable to contribute.

7. The participants do not listen to each other; they continue to repeat the same arguments again and again.

8. If it is a mixed nationality group the participants may not understand each other well or may have different attitudes concerning how a meeting (for example) should run [2].

Strategies for reducing the risks

1. A ready-made role play must be carefully selected, taking into consideration the level and experience of the learners. It is important to avoid complicated situations with a lot of background data if time is short, if the learners' level is too low, or experience too limited. This is applied particularly for role plays which were originally created for native English speakers.

2. When preparing a role play or simulation, particularly if it has been created specially, it takes plenty of time to discuss it with the participants in detail: what they want to say, how they plan to back up their arguments, what they will propose and so on. Gaps in the facts may then become apparent and can either be filled with the full knowledge of everyone or can be disregarded as unimportant to the situation. Role plays which are used again and again can be modified in the light of experience.

3. It is vital to set a time limit for the action stage of the role play or simulation, and make sure that participants are kept aware of the time. This should discourage time-wasting. However, extra time could be allowed if it is necessary for a discussion to reach a successful conclusion.

4. It is very useful to take a break during longer role plays in order to discuss how things are going and to remind participants of language or behavioral objectives. If there is no obvious occasion to take a break, the trainer may decide to interrupt if things are not running smoothly.

5. The choice of a chairperson is vital to the success of a simulated meeting. He or she should also be a good listener and have good clarifying and summarizing skills. If no such person can be found in the group, the trainer might consider taking the role of the chair. The chairperson (if it is a learner) should be carefully briefed on his or her role and helped to prepare an agenda or structure for the meeting. The chairperson is responsible for keeping the meeting to its time limit, for bringing the group to a decision, and for opening and closing the meeting.

6. The chairperson should also control the dominant speakers and should encourage the quiet participants to contribute. If he or she does not do so, this must be pointed out during the interim feedback.

7. Before starting the role play, it is useful to remind participants that effective participation in meetings involves developing good listening skills. This principle can be reinforced during discussion practice: at some point in the middle of a discussion, stop the activity and ask individual learners: 'What was X's point of view?'; 'Who else agreed?'; 'Who put forward the point of view that…?'. Once learners get used to the idea that they will be asked these questions, they will start listening to each other more carefully.

8. It is always difficult to deal with problems that arise when one (or more) participants has poor pronunciation and cannot be understood by the others. Make sure that the learners have plenty of practice in the use of language for clarification.

9. Dealing with different cultural attitudes to meetings can also be a thorny problem which of course mirrors real life. A good approach is to bring the problems out in the open and discuss them. Ask each of the learners to say what they think makes a successful meeting, and what they think good meetings behavior should consist of. Put the main points on the board and then look at any differences. See if the group can accept these or find other compromises.

In fact, there are two ways of looking at language work in a role play. First, teachers do not introduce anything new and let students cope with the language they know, or students practice structures and functions that have been presented to them at an earlier stage of the lesson. The teacher's aim here is not to control but to make students understand that using certain structures is appropriate in this particular situation.

Second, role play or simulation can be the active phase of language learning process and offer an opportunity for students to make a personal use of language that has been presented to them.

A role play and a simulation can be used in this way right from the start in elementary classes [5].

As for the kind of language work to be done, a role play covers almost every type: structures, vocabulary, functions, intonation patterns and so on. Eventually, we want our students to be both fluent and accurate in the way they speak.

Being accurate does not just mean using structures and vocabulary correctly, but also saying the right thing in the right place, at the right time. The appropriacy is a matter of cultural context as well as the proper choice of linguistic items.

Language teaching can be an interesting challenge when teachers make the effort to explore a variety of approaches. A role play is just one of the many methods available for exploitation.

With some attention given to the needs of the learners, both the teacher and the learners can play active roles in the classroom, making language classes livelier, challenging and above all rewarding.

References

1. Crookall D., Oxford R. L. Simulation, Gaming, and Language Learning. New York: Newbury House; Burns A. C. & Gentry J. W., 1998.

2. Klippel F. Keep Talking, Communicative Fluency Activities for Language Reaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

3. Kaplan M. A. Learning to Converse in a Foreign Language: The Reception Game // Simulation and Gaming. 1997. № 28. P. 149-163.

4. Ladousse G. P. Role Play. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.

5. Gower R., Philips D., Walters S. Handbook. Macmillan Books for Teachers. Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 2005.

6. Scarcella R., Crookall D. Simulation / Gaming and Language Acquisition // Simulation, Gaming and Language Learning. New York: Newbury Home, 1990.

Annotation

УДК 81:372.881(16.31.51) Педагогические науки

Role plays as method of developing speaking skills in teaching English. Bekisheva Tat'yana Gennad'evna, Gasparyan Gayane Aramaisovna National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University

The article deals with the issue of using role plays to improve speaking skills of students learning a foreign language. Role play is an effective tool that can be applied at every stage of learning. Methodological ground of the role play necessity for students` motivation is outlined.

Keywords and phrases: role plays; simulation; strategies; abilities and skills; communicative approach; strategies.

Аннотация

Ролевые игры как средство развития навыков говорения при изучении английского языка. Бекишева Татьяна Геннадьевна, Гаспарян Гаянэ Арамаисовна. Национальный исследовательский Томский политехнический университет bekta74@mail.ru; gayane@sibmail.com

В статье рассматривается вопрос об использовании ролевых игр для совершенствования навыков говорения студентов при изучении иностранного языка. Ролевая игра представляется эффективным средством, которое может использоваться на всех этапах обучения иностранному языку. Дается методическое обоснование необходимости использования данного вида работы.

Ключевые слова и фразы: ролевая игра; симуляция; стратегии; навыки говорения; коммуникативный подход; структура.

Размещено на Allbest.ru