ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how effective language teachers develop spoken proficiency with their classes. Research in the field of second language acquisition strongly suggests the best way to help students progress in all the skills is by providing as much interesting spoken and written input as possible, along with opportunities for spoken interaction. The chapter shows how to help students to become independent speakers who can go beyond memorised utterances. It looks at three specific lessons for intermediate and advanced students and how they combine both TL input and opportunities for spontaneous speech, and also suggests a few ways to encourage spontaneous talk. The three lesson sequences presented are: from comprehension to talk; from grammar to talk, which looks at how to move from teaching and practising a grammatical structure to more open-ended, semi-rehearsed oral exchanges with low-intermediate students; and talking about the internet and social media.
