1. Why would I need to teach speaking online?
Technology is becoming more mainstream in English language teaching. Some schools and universities now routinely offer part (or even all) of their English language programmes online. Even if you don’t offer language classes online now, you may well need (or want!) to do so in the future.
When part of an English language course is offered online (‘blended’ learning), teachers usually save the speaking skill for the face-to-face classroom, because it’s easier to carry out speaking activities face-to-face, in pairs or small groups. But in the case of a fully online English programme, you will need to give the students online speaking practice. It’s not difficult to get them to practise the other skills by listening to or reading online texts, and writing in online forums. There are also plenty of vocabulary and grammar practice activities available online. But the speaking skill is slightly different: it needs to take place synchronously – in real time.
2. What tools do I need, to teach speaking online?
These days, most teachers use a synchronous video or audio platform to encourage their students to speak online, either one-to-one or in small groups. There are many videoconferencing platforms available, some free and some not. Probably the best known synchronous tool is Skype, which has been around since 2003. But there are also other well-known platforms, such as Adobe Connect, Blackboard Collaborate (previously Elluminate), Zoom, WebEx … the list goes on. There are also free platforms, such as Google Hangouts, WizIQ, Big Blue Button, Tinychat and Appear.in.
3. Which videoconferencing platform is the best?
It all depends on what you want. The pay-for platforms can be expensive, but they include a good range of tools apart from audio and video, such as a shared whiteboard, screen sharing, breakout rooms, polls and quizzes – and, perhaps most importantly, a good recording function. The free platforms offer some of these tools; some free videoconferencing platforms are simple, some more sophisticated. Perhaps the best way to choose the best platform for you and your students is to try them out. However, keep in mind that if you are charging your students for online classes, you do need to offer robust and reliable videoconferencing – and that may mean paying for a platform.
4. How do I run an online speaking class?
When faced with a video camera and a group of seemingly silent students online, there is a tendency for teachers to fall into ‘lecture’ mode. Holding engaging (and interactive) online classes with students in a videoconferencing platform is a skill that requires practice. There are the ‘tech’ skills (such as how to manage the various platform tools), but there are also the skills needed to design and run engaging real-time sessions.
There are different formats you can use for your online classes. For example:
- Hold a ‘hands-on’ session, in which the students use different tools during the online class. For example, they post an online sticky note as part of a brainstorming activity, or they contribute a thought to a wiki page.
- Interview an invited expert. This is good for specialised content-based courses.
- Hold a ‘guided tour’ class. For example, talk through a web page, and then get the students to do the same in small groups in breakout rooms.
- Ask the students to share pre-prepared presentations with the group.
It’s important to include a variety of formats for your online classes, with plenty of practical tasks that encourage the students to speak in pairs and small groups. Remember that your synchronous speaking classes are not the time for you to spend an hour explaining the present perfect!
5. What else do I need to keep in mind about teaching speaking online?
Think about how to you’re going to provide feedback. For example, if your students are doing a speaking activity in pairs or small groups in your videoconferencing breakout rooms, you can move from room to room and listen, noting down common errors or issues. Once everybody is back in the main videoconferencing room, you can have a short correction slot, mirroring the sort you might do after pair- or groupwork in the face-to-face classroom.
You can record the session, and your students can listen to see if they can identify areas they have difficulty with, and even correct themselves after the event.
If your students are attending regular synchronous sessions as part of their course, how are you going to assess their overall speaking skills? Will attendance at every session be compulsory? Will you assess everything they say? If so, this might have an inhibiting effect on their participation. It might be more effective to tell the students exactly which activities are being assessed, and in some cases allow them to prepare (for example, a presentation to the class). Either way, it’s important that the students are well aware in advance of the assessment criteria used for their online speaking activities.
Finally, watch two excellent videos with advice from experienced online English teachers at www.emoderationskills. com/?p=854. One has ‘tech’ tips for running synchronous sessions online, the other has tips for engaging your audience.
Nicky Hockly is Director of Pedagogy of The Consultants-E, an online teacher training and development consultancy. Her most recent books are Digital Literacies (Routledge), an e-book: Webinars: A Cookbook for Educators (the-round.com), and Going Mobile (Delta Publishing), a book on mobile learning. She maintains a blog at www.emoderationskills.com.
