Difficulties in telling_story_from_picture_prompts_and_the_solution_for_this_problem_in_flyers_practice_and_exam_2644
1. 1
Đề tài: “Difficulties in telling story from picture prompts and the solution for this problem in
Flyers practice and exam”
Word count:
Introduction
Many institutions decide to help students to properly practice speaking by the method of
telling stories using picture prompts. What is this approach, and why should it be utilized?
And in what way should it be utilized? The report, firstly, gives definitions of speaking and
emphasizes its real-life importance. Next, definitions of flyers and picture story-telling will be
discussed. Reasons for students to find speaking difficult will be discussed in the following
section. And last but not least, approaches to tackle these difficulties will be proposed.
Definitions
Definition of speaking
Speaking is considered an instinctive process of shaping meaning that includes delivering,
receiving, and processing data. The situational conditions, including all participants and their
experiences as well as their reasons for speaking are factors that the meaning is based on.
Not only learners are required to know how to create particular sections of languages, for
example, grammar, pronunciation, or vocabulary (phonetic capability), but also they
comprehend when, why, and in what approaches to deliver language during speeches
(Florez 1999; Al Nakhalah 2016).
In comparison with the skill of writing, the skill to speak is also considered to be among
productive skills, which differ from receptive skills including the skills of reading and listening.
However, the relationship between speaking and listening closely relates to the
accomplishment of communication, since each speaker is also a listener (Florez 1999).
There are two types of speaking. Monologue, the first one, concentrates on a long speech
executed by an individual during conversations. Dialogue, the second one, focuses on the
interactions between two individuals in the process of communication, particularly in
speaking. Also, there are two primary functions, and one, out of two, serves as the purpose
of speaking in specific circumstances. The first one is transactional function, in which
2. 2
information is being transferred, and the second is interactional function, in which social
relationships are maintained (El Fattah Torky 2006).
Importance of speaking
The four language abilities of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are altogether
interconnected. Proficiency in every expertise is important to become a balanced
communicator, however the capacity to speak skilfully gives the speaker distinct advantages
(Ahmad 2016; Gillis 2013; Gilakjani & Ahmadi 2011):
● Capacity to inform, convince, and coordinate: Speaking clearly and confidently can
draw attention of audiences, giving the brilliant chance to the speaker to get the
message through.
● Capacity to stand out: This is not a common capacity. A speaker whose aptitudes are
sharpened and enhanced with constant application and diligent work can emerge.
● Capacity to profit derivatively: Good verbal aptitudes can expand one's negotiation
abilities. Fearlessness is enhanced. A reputation for perfection in speaking can
accumulate overtime, then giving a specific credibility to the speaker.
Speaking aptitudes are critical for education achievement, and in addition, improve one's
personal life.
Definition of Flyers
A flyer, known as handbill, is widely utilized for advertising frequently in a small region.
Flyers are considered to be a financially-savvy approach to reach a substantial client base.
Since flyers hold the group of readers' attention for a minor traverse of time, its design must
be attractive (Interactive Bees 2015).
Definition of telling story from picture prompts
Picture prompts are a collection of photos, which can be used as a starting point for students
to utilize their imagination and creativity. Understudies initially conceptualize words identified
with a photo, then put those words into categories and shaping full sentences. Subsequently,
sentences are organized into essays/transcripts. Ultimately, a title is picked. Each student
will see and develop different ideas on each photo, in accordance with differences beliefs
and experiences that they possess. Stories can be told either in an oral or written form
(Ferlazzo 2012).
3. 3
Why students find speaking difficult?
Lack of Confidence
It is generally comprehended that students' absence of confidence normally happens when
they understand that their discussion accomplices have not comprehended them or when
they do not comprehend different speakers. In this circumstance, they would rather keep
quiet while others do talking. Moreover, those with absence of confidence about themselves
and their language skills essentially experience the ill effects of communication misgiving.
The other reason for this relates to the absence of encouragement from the instructor. In this
unique circumstance, numerous teachers think that persuading students to communicate is
critical. Subsequently, students find the learning demotivating. This recommends
encouragement turns into an indispensable thing so as to contribute to the students'
confidence (Basic 2011; Paakki 2013).
Inhibition & Anxiety
As contended by numerous scholars, fear of mistakes becomes one of the principle
elements of students' hesitation to speak in the classroom. This fear is connected to the
issue of correction and negative assessment. In addition, the fear of being criticized by
teachers and being laughed at by other students substantially contribute to the student’s
decision of staying quiet. In some different cases, they likewise stress over how they will
sound, and are frightened of sounding senseless. Hence, it is critical for instructors to
persuade their understudies that committing errors is not an awful thing since understudies
can gain from their mistakes (Al Nakhalah 2016).
Anxiety, which also contributes to the hesitation of learners, can be described as a
combination of tension, apprehension and nervousness, with which students are exposed
when learning a foreign language. This, among other factors affecting the ability to learn new
languages, serves as one of the primary elements that have negative impacts on language
learning. As a consequence, anxiety needs proper attention and consideration from
language teachers if they want to handle the situation effectively. They should acknowledge
how the mentality and performance of their students can be influenced by anxiety during
learning and practicing new languages. Anxiety can result in the reduction in the quality of
the verbal presentation, hence, making the speaker become less fluent and persuasive.
4. 4
Teachers really need to focus on how to encourage, motivate, and create an atmosphere for
students to feel comfortable, thus, enhancing their performances and increasing their
engagement in learning activities (Abdullah and Hussein n.d; Paakki 2013; Al Nakhalah
2016).
Difficulties in Learning Pronunciation
This trouble has nothing to do with insight or level of instruction, or even with information of
the language structure and vocabulary. The fundamental issue that second language
learners have with pronunciation relates to the need to change an conceptual arrangement
proper for their first language that they have disguised in adolescence (Al Nakhalah 2016).
Factors influencing the learning of pronunciation are (Gilakjani and Ahmadi 2011):
● Accent: An accent is "the total sound-related impact of those components of
pronunciation that indicate the origin of an individual". A comprehension of learner
accents and their effect on coherence can help instructors address qualities of
learner pronunciation.
● Stress, pitch, and rhythm: Accented speeches sometimes have mistakes in stress,
pitch, and rhythm that influence coherence more than phonetic mistakes. Thus,
pronunciation research and teaching concentrate both on sounds (vowels and
consonants) and components such as stress, sentence and word pitch, and speech
rhythm.
● Guideline: Educational programs stress pronunciation in the principal year of study,
yet seldom proceeds with that past this level. This absence might be because of a
general absence of enthusiasm with respect to the second language procurement
analysts, second language educators and understudies, that pronunciation is not
essential.
Lack of Motivation
It is specified in the writing that inspiration is a key to students' learning accomplishment, as
it influences understudies' hesitance to speak. Regardless of what sorts of inspiration the
learners have, it will increase study interest. It has been demonstrated in many reviews that
understudies with a solid inspiration to succeed can persevere in learning and increase
preferable scores over the individuals who have weaker inspiration of accomplishment
demonstrating that building understudies inspiration to learn is dire for each instructor (Al
Nakhalah 2016).
5. 5
Causes of this can be identified as the boredom in the method of teaching, the
misperception or irrelevance of learning materials provided for study, and lack of knowledge
of the purposes and objectives of the structured program. A boring method of teaching can
have heavy impact on students’ learning motivation. A monotonous teaching approach,
without the interactive characteristic, in most cases, results in the reduction of motivation to
learn, as students feel bored and hence have no interest in studying. In addition, lack of
motivation also causes a student to constantly feel scared and refuse to speak. These are
the consequences of students being not motivated to involve in the English communicating
activities. They will soon become less active in learning and speaking new languages. In
order to avoid this, it is essential that teachers should possess passion, creativity and
interest in their students. Their teaching performance has a massive influence on how
students will perceive new knowledge and their reactions towards that. Consequently,
enthusiasm in teaching should be emphasized and noticed by teachers (Gilakjani and
Ahmadi 2011).
Mother-tongue Use
There are three ways in which the local language of learners can negatively influence their
pronunciation of the target language. First, if the learner’s local language does not possess a
sound belonged to the target language, apparently the learner finds it difficult to properly
pronounce that sound. Second, the pronunciation of words is shaped by joining sounds. If
that of the target language is extremely different from how to join sounds in the local one,
requiring the learner to accurately pronounce those words may be impossible. Thirdly, since
the order of stress and pitch are determined by the rhythm of a language, learners may
move that from their local language into the objective one (Abdullah and Hussein n.d;
Gilakjani and Ahmadi 2011).
Methods of teaching for speaking English
Pair Work
Pair work is a sort of classroom association when understudies are working with different
understudies, as to examine something, to check answers, to do communicative actions,
and so forth. There are two fundamental types of pair work. These are settled pairs and
flexible pairs. Settled pairs are begun when the understudies work with a similar accomplice
6. 6
to finish a task. In flexible pairs the understudies continue evolving accomplices. Instructor
must choose whether understudies can stand up and move around the classroom freely.
This will make the action more interesting for them since they can pick the individual they
need to converse with (Hill n.d; Berčíková 2007).
Group Work
Group work is characterized as "understudies cooperating in a group so that everybody can
take an interest on an allocated undertaking". Group work is effective when the undertaking
makes utilization of conceptual thinking rather than memorizing. Likewise the group needs
the information to accurately complete the work. Another great impact is when a question
has no apparent answer, understudies then need to think and examine diverse answers;
something that all individuals from the gathering advantage from. Understudies that together
with the educator effectively take part in the classroom benefit by acquiring knowledge as
well as language (Jansson 2011).
Role-play
Role-play includes (a) giving a part to one individuals from a group and (b) allotting a target
or reason that members must fulfill." Role-play can be performed with a single individual, in
pairs or teams, with every individual as a part to achieve a goal. For the role-play activities in
classes, there are six steps in the process:
● Selecting the Teaching Materials
● Choosing Situations and Creating Dialogues
● Instructing the Dialogues for Role Plays
● Practicing the Role Plays
● Modification of the Situations and Dialogues
● Assessing Students' Comprehension
(Huang 2008).
Dynamic Speaking Activities
Research on second language securing recommends that effectiveness rises when
understudies involved in tasks inside a dynamic learning condition as opposed to
conventional classes (Holmes 2004). Communicative activities give chances for learners to
utilize the language with individuals or in the group. To ensure these activities' effectiveness,
there are a couple of things to recollect (CAELA n.d):
7. 7
● Deciding the achievement of a class by observing how much the understudies are
relying upon the instructor. The more learners are working freely, the more effective
the class.
● Beginning-level learners, and those at moderate and advanced levels, are competent
individuals. They may lack language skills and, sometimes, school abilities, and it is
the instructor's duty to assist them.
● Communicative activities are intended to be fun and interactive. When individuals
feel comfortable, they are probably going to learn more.
Task-based Learning Method
Task-based learning concentrates on the utilization of language through important
assignments, for instance, meeting a doctor or a phone call. This technique supports
significant correspondence and is student-focused. The objective of the educator is to create
academic tasks that are close to real-life assignments, thus creating exercises that are
significant and pertinent to understudies (Bilash n.d). The framework of how to apply this
learning method is illustrated in the figure below.
Teacher’s responsibility Student’s responsibility Reasons
● Introducing the tasks in the
task-based learning.
● Presenting important
vocabularies and
grammars for students to
pay attention to.
● Organizing and allocating tasks
among a group of students.
● Completing allocated tasks and
subsequently the final task
(verbally or written).
● Preparing a written paper or an
oral presentation to be
presented in front of the class
● Helping students to enhance
their practical linguistic skill
building.
● Encouraging and motivating
students to involve in the
learning process via familiar
and practical tasks.
● Providing students with not
only the chance to improve
their languages but also the
problem-solving skills.
Figure 1. Student and teacher role in task-based learning method. Adapted from Bilash n.d.
It is likewise significant for teachers to acknowledge the differences among the real-life
practices and the tasks allocated for students to complete in classes. Since the purpose of
creating and developing speaking tasks in classes is for students to be able to apply what
they have learned and practiced in communicative acts in the real world, teachers should
carefully consider the meaning and relevance of these tasks.
8. 8
Continuous Practice
It is crucial for students to constantly practice speaking, as to habitualize new concepts,
putting gained knowledge into practice, and correcting discovered mistakes. Truth be told,
working memory resembles the bottleneck, whose body is long-term memory. Knowledge
must pass this bottleneck quick or it gets lost. To include learning into the long-term memory,
repetitions are required (Cambridge Assessment 2016; Society for Neuroscience 2014).
Conclusion
Through literature and evaluation of difficulties as well as methods for speaking, motivation
appears to be the most significant factor. It results in most of the reasons why students find
speaking second languages so hard, which are lack of confidence, fear of mistakes, lack of
motivation, pronunciation, and mother-tongue use. Consequently recommendations include
approaches that engage interaction between individuals, such as pair/group work, role-play,
communicative activities, task-based method, and constant practice. Through these
suggestions, teachers can be able to see how changes in teaching methods can result in
changes in terms of motivation, as well as changes in students’ behaviour and performance
in classes. It is also recommended for teachers to regularly and constantly apply new
approaches in teaching, likewise to alter learning activities and create more enjoyable yet
practical situations for students to avoid boredom.
9. 9
References
1. Abdullah, A.K & Hussein, G.M n.d, Difficulties of Learning English as a Foreign
Language Among Students at English Department College of Education –University
of Kirkuk in Terms of their Mother Tongue, Difficulties of Learning English as a
Foreign Language.
2. Ahmad, S.R 2016, Importance of English communication skills, International Journal
of Applied Research, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 478-480.
3. Al Nakhalah, A.M.M 2016, Problems and Difficulties of Speaking That Encounter
English Language Students at Al Quds Open University, International Journal of
Humanities and Social Science Invention, vol. 5, issue 12, pp.96-101.
4. Basic, L 2011, Speaking Anxiety: An obstacle to second language learning?,
DivaPortal, viewed 21 April 2017, <https://www.diva-
portal.org/smash/get/diva2:453921/fulltext01.pdf>.
5. Berčíková, P 2007, ‘Teacher’s Role in Pairwork’, Thesis, Faculty of Education
Department of English Language and Literature, Masaryk University in Brno.
6. Bilash, O n.d, ‘Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)’, Best of Bilash, viewed 23
April 2017,
<https://sites.educ.ualberta.ca/staff/olenka.bilash/Best%20of%20Bilash/taskbasedlan
guageteaching.html>.
7. Cambridge Assessment 2016, ‘Why practice makes perfect in education’, 24
October, Cambridge University, viewed 23 April 2017,
<http://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/news/why-practice-makes-perfect-in-
education/>.
8. Centre for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) n.d, Activities to Promote
Interaction and Communication, viewed 20 April 2017,
<http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/program_development/elltoolkit/Part2-
41Interaction&Communication.pdf>.
9. El Fattah Torky, S.A. 2006, The Effectiveness of a Task- Based Instruction Program
in Developing the English Language Speaking Skills of Secondary Stage Students,
Ph.D thesis in Education, Women's College, Ain Shams University.
10. Ferlazzo, L 2012, ‘Using Photos With English-language Learners’, 4 October,
Edutopia, viewed 22 April 2017, <https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ell-engagment-
using-photos>.
10. 10
11. Florez, M.C 1999, ‘Improving Adult English Language Learners' Speaking Skills’,
Centre for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA), viewed 23 April 2017,
<http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/Speak.html>.
12. Gilakjani, A.P & Ahmadi, M.R 2011, Why is Pronunciation so Difficult to Learn?,
English Language Teaching, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 74-83.
13. Gillis, G 2013, ‘The Importance of Speaking English’, 17 October, GeraldGillis,
viewed 20 April 2017, <http://www.geraldgillis.com/importance-speaking-skills/>.
14. Hill, D.A n.d, ‘Pairwork and Groupwork’, viewed 22 April 2017, <https://www.nile-
elt.com/sites/default/files/files/1161_S4.pdf>.
15. Holmes, D 2004, Speaking Activities for The Classroom.
16. Huang, I.Y 2008, Role Play for ESL/EFL Children in the English Classroom, The
Internet TESL Journal, vol. 14, no. 2.
17. Interactive Bees 2015, ‘Difference between flyers, brochures, posters & leaflets’, 19
March, Slideshare, viewed 19 April 2017,
<https://www.slideshare.net/interactivebees/difference-between-flyers-brochures-
posters-leaflets>.
18. Jansson, A.K 2011, ‘For what purpose do language teachers use group work in their
lessons? A study of group work in the teaching of English, and modern languages, in
a Swedish school’, Didactics in Teacher Program, Department of Pedagogy and
Didactics, Stockholms University.
19. Paakki, H 2013, ‘Difficulties in Speaking English and Perceptions of Accents A
Comparative Study of Finnish and Japanese Adult Learners of English’, Master’s
Thesis in English language and culture, School of Humanities, University of Eastern
Finland.
20. Society for Neuroscience 2014, ‘Does Practice Make Perfect?’, 9 April,
BrainFacts.Org, viewed 22 April 2017, <http://www.brainfacts.org/about-
neuroscience/ask-an-expert/articles/2014/does-practice-make-perfect/>.
