1. When Silence Is Not Golden: Helping students to communicate in the world of work Dubrovnik 20 November 2011

2. 2 What issues do teachers face? ‘I try to find something that interests everybody but some learners just don’t take part’ ‘ They are really nice but don’t say much in English’ ‘Many of them have no interests so nothing to talk about’ ‘Getting students to formulate questions correctly is a real challenge’

3. 3 What issues do teachers face? ‘It difficult to make them speak in front of others’ ‘Some won’t say a word unless they are sure everything is exactly right’ ‘ I find my adult class in the company learn to say something and the next week they have forgotten – simple things I mean’

4. 4 B1 scale  limited but effective  most everyday situations  longer utterances but not complex language  problems searching for language  pauses and hesitation  generally intelligible  may require prompting and assistance - good control of simple forms and attempts some complex language - exchange views on a range of familiar topics - contributions are relevant and there is very little repetition - extended discourse despite hesitation - is intelligible - maintains and develops interaction B2 scale

5. 5 Looking at interaction strategy one : short answer - expansion

6. 6 Key strategy  Short Answer  Not really  Expansion  I never seem to get the time..I’m very busy with school

7. 7 Explore/Practice  Shape of question (specifically what)  Appropriate short answer  Expansion ( how much information)

8. 8 Topic Areas  office hours  future plans  learning English  business trip

9. 9 Sample Task  Work with a colleague. Think of questions and how to expand on these answers.  Only at weekends. None at all  Whenever I can I do actually..  A few times. It depends.

10. 10 Test my management skills!  Straight face :  I do actually

11. 11 Collaborative practice  answer  extend  extend some more  What do like about living in Dubrovnik ?

12. 12 Strategy two : your partner’s answer Think about and practice relating your answer to your partner’s answer……….  For me it’s the same ….  I’m a bit different to/ Like Nikola ….  I don’t think it’s that/so good / bad..  but not : A : Because I like Dubrovnik B : Because I like Dubrovnik too!

13. 13 Collaborative task  What is the best part of your job?  What do you usually do when you miss a deadline?

14. 14 How can we ensure that students have plenty to say?  Demonstrate how what they know already is invaluable and can be applied to the work context  Draw of their creativity and intelligence  By giving them key pieces of language for the task in hand  Sharing responsibility for answers and decisions

15. 15 Learners need reliable language : for comparison and speculation  a reliable conjunction …. that fits the dimensions of the task  ….whereas …..  most reliable compare / contrast language same as, different from, similar to … this … that both/each/neither ….

16. 16 So we want our learners to..  actively listen …  support and comment ….  clarify when necessary  initiate and respond …  probe and question ….  I agree / disagree…. tends to seek closure  I probably/largely agree…..  I’m not sure if I completely agree…..

17. 17 Encourage simple ‘across turn’ strategies  Across turn …And ….But ….That’s

18. 18 Safe speculation language  It looks [a bit] like …  I suppose it’s  It could be ….  It’s probably something/somewhere like …

19. 19 A Bank that cares?  ‘We can lend you as much money as you need. We want you to pay us back but if business is bad and you can’t do so we will write off your debt and you owe nothing. That’s why they call us the Charity Bank! Apply today.....’ Would you recommend your company borrows from this bank? Why? Why not?

20. 20 Can you explain why?  The company didn’t meet its sales targets in 2010  The competitor has reduced its marketing budget  No one wishes to meet Mr Shine since he received his last order  Customer complaints are increasing  The banks no longer lend money to businesses

21. 21 How often have you seen this? Use the correct tense of the verb in the following sentences 1. John (leave) when Jane (arrive)

22. 22 Grammaticisation  Lexis grammar  John leave Jane arrive  John really fancies Jane so changes his mind  John wants to avoid Jane

23. 23  Greater depth of processing is also achieved not by completing ‘grammar in context’ - where context is a given - but by wrestling with choice of word/ structure and aspects of context is ongoing cognition.  What have you done ?  Which floor ?  I look terrible there.  And you are ?

24. 24 Speaking about Grammar  certain/sure/must /  could/may/might

25. 25 Can you explain why?  Sultan Mustafa was born in1639 and died in 1667. He had 542 children. All of them boys!! James Duke of Monmouth (1649-1685) who was beheaded after her tried to become king had his head sewn back on after his death Source: Grammar Activity Book. Bob Obee

26. 26 Can you explain why?  American Airlines removed one green olive from all business class passengers salads in 1987

27. 27 7 Reason why businesses fail Put the reasons in order of frequency 1 being the most common reason and 7 the least common. 1. Starting a business for the wrong reason 2. Poor management, lack of expertise 3. Not enough capital 4. Location 5. Lack of planning 6. Overexpansion 7. No Website

28. 28 What are learners in the workplace often assessed on?  If learners are going to be assessed they need to see the relevance of what they are currently doing?

29. 29 Examples BULATS speaking assessment Part 1 (8 interview questions)  Can you tell me your full name?  Where are you from?  What do you like most about your home town?  What’s your job  How do you use English in your work

30. 30 Examples BULATS speaking assessment Part 2 (Reading 8 sentences aloud)  This is the latest version of the plan  These are the minutes of the last committee meeting

31. 31 Examples BULATS speaking assessment Part 3 (Presentation 40 seconds to prepare & 1 Minute to speak) Talk about your idea of the perfect office to work in. You should say:  Where the office will be  What the office should look like  What facilities the office should have

32. 32 Examples BULATS speaking assessment Part 4 (Presentation with Graphs) I minute to prepare and I minute to talk The graphs show the total exports of a company called Pepsco to three countries during 2005-2007.Talk about the changes that took place

33. 33 Examples BULATS speaking assessment Part 5 (Communication activity 40 seconds to prepare) The speaker is planning a conference and she wants to find out your opinion of what is important when making arrangements for a successful conference. She will ask you about:  Location  Equipment  Catering facilities...

34. 34 How do I find new/interesting topics?  Many of the topics in your current materials can be transformed into interesting and relevant topics....and of course there is always the internet  Making bold statements to initiate discussion or a response

35. 35 Bold Statements  ‘A meeting is an event at which minutes are kept and hours are lost’  ‘The first myth of management is that it exists’  ‘To err is human but to blame somebody shows good management skills’  ‘New systems generate new problems’  ‘There is never time to do it right but always time to do it over’

36. 36 Others......  ‘More Monopoly money is printed annually than real money’  ‘The ten most generous governments (relevant to GDP) are all in Europe’  ‘72% of people in Mali earn less than $1 a day!’

37. 37 Did you know?  China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world  Today’s school children will have 10-14 jobs by the age of 38  In 2002 Nintendo spent $140 million in research and development. The USA government spent less than $120 million in research and development in education  The number of text messages sent and received every day exceeds the population of the planet

38. 38 Taking things further  Can we compete with China? Where are the new markets?  How easy is it to keep your job today?  Which jobs will be needed in the future?  How much should companies spend on marketing? Do companies need to spend money on research?  Can people do their jobs today without knowing something about technology?

39. 39 Making small changes could mean a lot  Exploit writing activities/tasks  Asking for one slide PP presentation

40. 40 Support for teachers Teacher Support Website www.teachers.CambridgeESOL.org Free resources – lesson plans, handbooks, etc. Exam discussion forums Teacher tips Publications for exam preparation Past Paper Packs Speaking Test Preparation Packs Top Tips Series for candidates Seminars and conferences