A Balanced Approach to Teaching L2 Speaking in China

Abstract

In many EFL contexts, the ability to speak fluently is often the goal of L2 learning. However, L2 teachers may not be well-equipped to help their L2 learners achieve this goal. Some may still be using antiquated teaching methods that may in fact impede or even harm learners’ speaking development, while others may use teaching methods that overly emphasize certain dimensions of speaking skills (e.g., linguistic or cognitive aspect) and neglect the other equally important dimensions (e.g., affective and metacognitive aspects). This paper first examines two approaches to teaching speaking: the direct/controlled approach and the indirect/transfer approach, highlighting their major strengths and weaknesses. It then describes a more recent approach, proposed by Goh and Burns (2012), which combines the strengths of the older approaches into a more coherent and comprehensive model for teaching speaking. A lesson plan will then be presented to exemplify how this approach might pan out in a speaking lesson designed for a group of intermediate students in China.