Don't ask "What do you think about climate change?" (Too abstract, high affective load). Instead, use "convergent tasks." Thornbury recommends activities where students must share information to solve a problem.
Real speaking is:
Here is a template derived directly from the methodologies discussed in the Thornbury PDF. how to teach speaking thornbury pdf
If you're looking for the PDF version, I recommend checking the following sources: Don't ask "What do you think about climate change
Thornbury identifies three critical areas of knowledge that learners must master to communicate effectively: Academia.edu If you're looking for the PDF version, I
Before diving into solutions, it is vital to understand the problem Thornbury identifies. Historically, "teaching speaking" was often confused with "practicing grammar." Teachers would ask students to repeat scripted dialogues or recite grammar rules. Thornbury argues that this creates a "language practice" vacuum, not a speaking environment.
| Fluency (Smoothness) | Accuracy (Correctness) | Complexity (Range) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Hesitation fillers ("Umm," "Well...") | Verb tense agreement | Subordinate clauses | | Speed of speech | Preposition use ("in the weekend") | Less common vocabulary |