Mastering Micro Skills for Effective Spoken English: A Practical Guide for High School Students
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Question: You are teaching speaking and at this moment you are creating a dialog as implementing the micro skills of speaking in it.
State 4 micro skills which are developed in the dialog you are creating! How do you make use of it to teach speaking in various speaking activities? The students are in the high school.
Answer:
Micro skills in speaking are skills related to small parts that occur in spoken language, which include four things, namely:
1. Produce chunks of the language of different lengths. In this case, we do not have to use only short expressions. There are times when we explain quite long. So, in speaking there are short expressions and long expressions. So that the conversation becomes more fun and dynamic.
2. Orally produce differences among the English phones and allophonic variants. In this case, we must be able to distinguish the pronunciation of each syllable, so that the message can be conveyed clearly. For example, smell – smile, or, diner – dinner.
3. Produce English stress patterns, words in stressed and unstressed positions, rhythmic structure, and intonational contours. For long sentences, appropriate stress and intonation are needed. For example, in the sentence (you are from Jambi), the flat intonation, if spoken with a rising intonation, will become a question sentence.
4. Produced reduced forms of words and phrases. In spoken English, especially in informal situations, there are many uses of shortened word forms or phrases. For example, I would like to go become I’d like to go.
And there are many other micro-skills that can be considered in speaking classes so that learning becomes more interesting and visible in real life contexts.
Let's break down how these micro skills are applied in the context of a dialog for high school students:
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Micro Skill 1: Producing Chunks of Language of Different Lengths
Tom: Hey, Emily! Any plans for the weekend?
Emily: Not really. I was thinking of checking out that new movie everyone's talking about. How about you?
Tom: Oh, you mean "Galactic Odyssey"? I heard it's fantastic! We could grab some dinner before the movie.
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How it develops the skill:
The dialog encourages students to produce both short and long expressions. It promotes dynamic conversations, helping students practice speaking in various lengths depending on the context.
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Micro Skill 2: Producing Differences among English Phones and Allophonic Variants
Tom: Oh, you mean "La Trattoria"? Yeah, I've been there once. Their pasta is amazing.
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How it develops the skill:
The dialog includes words with similar sounds but different meanings, emphasizing the importance of clear pronunciation to convey the intended message accurately.
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Micro Skill 3: Producing English Stress Patterns, Words in Stressed and Unstressed Positions, Rhythmic Structure, and Intonational Contours
Tom: We could go for dinner around 7 and catch the movie at 9. What do you think?
Emily: Sounds good! I'll meet you at the restaurant. I'm excited about trying their famous lasagna!
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How it develops the skill:
The dialog incorporates stress patterns, rhythmic structures, and intonational contours, emphasizing the importance of appropriate stress and intonation for effective communication.
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Micro Skill 4: Producing Reduced Forms of Words and Phrases
Emily: I've got a busy day on Saturday, but I'll be free by the evening.
Tom: Cool! I'll reserve a table for us. Can't wait!
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How it develops the skill:
The dialog includes informal and reduced forms of words and phrases commonly used in spoken English, encouraging students to understand and use these forms in their own conversations.
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In a classroom setting, this dialog can be used as a model for students to practice these micro skills in pairs or small groups. Teachers can guide students in analyzing and mimicking the features of natural conversation. Additionally, teachers can introduce various speaking activities like role plays, debates, and discussions to further enhance these micro skills in different contexts.