Technology in Support of Developing Speaking Skills in ESP Courses

Agnieszka Dzięcioł-Pędich, Agnieszka Dudzik

Abstract


Nowadays, when face-to-face human interactions are restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students have fewer opportunities to put their oral communicative abilities to the test. Under these circumstances, technology becomes an ally of both teachers and learners. While synchronous tools enable students to communicate with one another in real time, asynchronous tools allow them, among others, to record their utterances for review and self-evaluation. This paper aims to indicate which technological solutions could help teachers increase learners’ oral production in the ESP classroom (with particular emphasis on Medical and Business English) and which ones could help students improve their speaking skills independently.


Keywords


ESP; speaking; technology; asynchronous; synchronous; oral production; tertiary

Full Text:

PDF

References


Brame, C. J. (2016). Effective educational videos: principles and guidelines for maximizing student learning from video Content. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 15(4), es6.

Clanfield, L. (2020). Developing speaking skills remotely. World of Better Learning, 20.10.2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2020/10/20/developing-speaking-skills-remotely/.

Clark, H. (2017). 10 Reasons to Catch #FlipGridFever. Infused Classroom, 28.5.2017. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.hollyclark.org/2017/05/28/10-reasons-i-have-flipgridfever/.

Courtney, E. (2020). Pros and cons of asynchronous vs. synchronous communication in the remote work environment. Flexijobs, 30.6.2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.flexjobs.com/employer-blog/asynchronous-vs-synchronous-communication-remote-work-teams/.

Cullen, M. (2020). The Pros and Cons of Asynchronous Communication. Instructional Solutions, 10.6.2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.instructionalsolutions.com/blog/asynchronous-communication.

Dakowska, M. (2005). Teaching English as a Foreign Language. A Guide for Professionals. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

Gajek, E. (2018). Use of technology in teaching speaking skills. In J. I. Liontas (Ed.), The TESOL Encyclopaedia of English Language Teaching (pp. 1–8). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Haythornthwaite, C., & Kazmer, M. (2002). Bringing the Internet Home: Adult Distance Learners and Their Internet, Home, and Work Worlds. In B. Wellman, & C. Haythornthwaite (Eds.), The Internet in Everyday Life (pp. 431–463). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

Hrastinski, S. (2008). Asynchronous & synchronous e-learning: A student of asynchronous and synchronous e-learning methods discovered that each supports different purposes. Educause Quarterly, 4, 51–55.

Huhta, M., Vogt, K., Johnson, E., Tulkki, H., & Hall, D. R. (2013). Needs analysis for language course design: A holistic approach to ESP. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hutchinson, T., & Waters, A. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A Learning-Centred Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kearsley, G. (2000). Online education Learning and Teaching in Cyberspace. Belmont: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.

Kerr, P. (2020). Making asynchronous speaking practice meaningful. World of Better Learning, 24.6.2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2020/06/24/making-asynchronous-speaking-practice-meaningful/.

Kurtz, S., Silverman, J., & Draper, J (2005). Teaching and learning communication skills in medicine (2nd ed.). Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing.

Moreillon, J. (2015). Increasing interactivity in the online learning environment: using digital tools to support students in socially constructed meaning-making. TechTrends, 59(3), 41–47.

Nieves, K. (2020). 9 new ways to use flipgrid in the classroom. Edutopia, 27.01.2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020, from https://www.edutopia.org/article/9-new-ways-use-flipgrid-classroom.

Orr, T. (2001). English language education for specific purposes. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 44(3), 207–211.

Rafaeli, S., & Sudweeks, F. (1997). Networked interactivity. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 2(4). DOI: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.1997.tb00201.x.

Silva Salomão, R. C., Rebelo, F., & Rodríguez, F. G. (2015). Defining "Personas" of university students for the development of a digital educational game to learn Portuguese as a Foreign Language. Procedia Manufacturing, 3, 6214–6222.

Sound issues inside the virtual classroom (n.d.). VEDAMO. Teach your way. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://www.vedamo.com/knowledge/platform-tutorials/sound-issues-virtual-classroom-2/.

Vander Ark, T. (2019). Teachers flip over flipgrid. Forbes, 01.7.2019. Retrieved July 22, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanderark/2019/07/01/teachers-flip-over-flipgrid/?sh=7e09b2e7641a.

Vaz Bauler, C. (2021). “Flipgrid netiquette”: unearthing language ideologies in the remote learning era. English in Education, 55(3), 251–264.

Wachtler, J., Hubmann, M., Zöher, H., & Ebner, M. (2016). An analysis of the use and effect of questions in interactive learning-videos, Smart Learning Environments, 3(1), 1–16.

Wilden, S. (2020, March 12). Online Teaching Part 1: Getting Started. [Blog post]. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS English Language Teaching Global Blog, 12.3.2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020, from https://oupeltglobalblog.com/2020/03/12/online-teaching-getting-started/.

Zhang, D., Zhou, L., Briggs, R. O., & Nunamaker, J. F. (2006). Instructional video in e-learning: Assessing the impact of interactive video on learning effectiveness. Information & Management, 43(1), 15–27.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/lsmll.2021.45.3.57-69
Date of publication: 2021-10-07 12:44:44
Date of submission: 2021-06-17 08:41:26


Statistics


Total abstract view - 1166
Downloads (from 2020-06-17) - PDF - 1406

Indicators



Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2021 Agnieszka Dzięcioł-Pędich, Agnieszka Dudzik

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.