Teaching Productive Skills to the Students: a secondary Level Scenario

2.6.9 Fluency before Accuracy 
It is important to establish whether a teacher is encouraging fluency or accuracy. 
Once this has been established, he can adapt his role in the lesson appropriately. If the 
main aim of the lesson is to encourage freer speaking and communication, then the 
teacher should adopt a less conspicuous role, thus allowing for a freer flow of language 
and ideas (fluency). 
2.6.10 Necessity of Assessment in Speaking 
 
In skills development proper testing is necessary. Hughes suggests (1989; p.8) 
testing measures language proficiency, discovers students success in achieving the 
objective of a course of a study, diagnoses students weaknesses and difficulties etc. If 
the teacher is unable to identify and analyze the problems students make in target 
language, he will not be able to give a hand at all through appropriate anticipation, 
remedial work and additional practice (Heaton, 1989; p.2). Heaton adds (1989; p.2) a 
test enables teacher to determine about the difficult part of the language program faced 
by the class.
In countries like ours where English is the second language, students do not get 
that much opportunity to use their English skills because Bangla speaking parents, 
family and friends surround them (Matin, 2011; p.235). Even if they use English skills, 
they cannot get proper feedback of whether they are using accurate English or not. In 
this case institutions needed to play best role to implement what they have learned and 
where they should be assessed and corrected (Matin, 2011; p.238). A well-constructed 
test is necessary because it tells the teacher about effectiveness of the methods and 
materials he is using.

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2.6.11 Correcting Mistakes 
Last but not least the question of correction mistakes in speaking activities 
should be discussed. There are teachers who constantly correct mistakes made during 
speaking activities, either during pronunciation exercises or during discussion. But it is 
important for the teachers to realize the right time to correct is. J. Harmer claims that: 
“when students are repeating sentences trying to get their pronunciation exactly right, 
then the teacher will often correct (appropriately) every time there is a problem.” 
(Harmer, 2004, 94) On the other hand, when students hold a discussion about a chosen 
topic the teacher should not interrupt the discussion by correcting. I agree with the 
opinion of Jeremy Harmer who says: “Constant interruption from the teacher will destroy 
the purpose of the speakin
g activity.” (Harmer, 2004, 94) 
Many teachers, when talking about role-plays or discussion, prefer to watch or 
observe, listen and take notes. After the role-play the teacher asks students about their 
opinions and then the teacher presents his or her feedback. Generally speaking, the 
principle of watching, listening and taking notes is considered to be the most 
appropriate. 
Here I would lik
e to present R.S Brown‟s and Nation‟s ideas why students make 
errors and at the same time they offer suggestions for teachers to improve teaching (the 
suggestion are in the brackets). Their ideas are presented in a full version. 
a. 
The learner makes an error because the learner has not had sufficient chance to 
observe the correct form or to develop sufficient knowledge of the language system. 
[Don't correct the learner but give more models and opportunities to observe.] 
b. 
The learner makes an error because the learner has not observed the form 
correctly. [Give a little correction by showing the learner the difference between the 
correct form and the learner's error.] 

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c. 
The learner makes an error because of nervousness. [Don't correct. Use less 
threatening activities or; if and when appropriate, joke with the person/class/yourself to 
lighten the mood.] 
d. 
The learner makes an error because the activity is difficult, that is, there are 
many things the learner has to think about during the activity. This is sometimes called 
cognitive overload. [Don't correct. Make the activity easier or give several chances to 
repeat the activity.] 
e. 
The learner makes an error because the activity is confusing. Use of tongue 
twisters, for instance, for pronunciation can be confusing. [Don't correct. Improve the 
activity.] 
f. 
The learner makes an error because the learner is using patterns from the first 
language instead of the patterns from the second language. [Give some correction. If 
there has been plenty of opportunity to develop knowledge of the second language, 
then some time should be spent on correction to help the learner break out of making 
errors that are unlikely to change. Errors which are resistant to change are sometimes 
called fossilized errors and imaginative correction is often needed to break the 
fossilization. If there has not been a lot of opportunity to develop knowledge of the 
second language, correct by telling the learner what to look for when observing people 
using the second language. This is called consciousness rising. It does not actually 
teach the correct form but makes the learner more aware of what to look for to learn it.] 
g. 
The learner makes an error because the learner has been copying incorrect 
models. [Correct the learner and provide better models.] (“Teaching Speaking: 
Suggestion for the C
lassroom”) 

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