EL Oral Advice? How about my two cents worth?

Some students are nagging me to blog..... heh heh...sorry everyone...lately I have been too busy with my marking and the setting of prelim exams to do so.

I decided to write something since my E5 kid is asking for 'oral advice' :)

Well, this year I am very glad because for the first time since I joined the school, I am excused from Oral exam duties. Yay! Used to drag the two weeks after Nday because that was the period for EL oral exam duties. Imagine.... after teaching the whole day, have to rush to a school and test the students from 2pm until 5pm everyday for two weeks consecutively! It is a very tiring thing to do, right?

Okay, back to advice.... Hope it helps a little :)

Well, every student is given 10 mins to prepare. How I would use the time.....

Reading.... [Prep time about 5mins]
Practice reading out, voice it. This way you can hear your pronunciation, know how to prepare your pauses, watch the flow of your sentences and see where are the highs lows of pitch, the stress words and expression needed.

Scan the passage fast to understand what it is about. Then read it out once without pauses. The second time, stop at words you need to pronounce or at places where the sentences don't flow smooth. Then the third time without pause again. Be mindful of your weak areas. Watch the speed... too fast is no good also. Students tend to read fast when they are nervous. Watch the -ed and the -th sounds especially - can lose marks for pronunciation.

Picture....[Prep time about 5mins]
Ask yourself, if you are the person who took the picture....why did you do that? Where are you? What is the occasion? Who are these people? Do you know them? Do they know each other? What are they trying to do? What happened before the picture was taken? What is going to happen after the picture is taken? Did any one in the picture caught your attention? Why? What do you think the person is thinking/feeling? Why did you say so?

These are the possible questions that can come out for picture, so it is good to think about the 'story' behind the picture during your preparation time. Remember it is a picture 'conversation' - don't talk non-stop. Just bear in mind the the question asked by the teacher and answer to what is being asked. Do not digress. ****Remember to be mindful always that it is an ENGLISH oral examination so NEVER use SINGLISH! all the Yahs and lahs and erms etc are taboo words! ****

Conversation....[Prep time - 1-2mins (while waiting for your turn)]

The conversation topic is usually linked to the reading passage and the picture. While seated at the seat after your ten minutes, you might also want to think about what are the possible oral conversation topics that might be tested :)

Usually the teachers have about 3 to 4 questions to ask you. Don't be frighten if they ask alot of questions. It could be that they are trying to help you gain more marks. It could also be that they are really interested in what you are saying :) Just remember to relax and smile and answer the questions well. Do not digress. ****Remember AGAIN - be mindful always that it is an ENGLISH oral examination so NEVER use SINGLISH! all the Yahs and lahs and erms etc are taboo words! ****

One of the techniques I like to recommend to my students is to use 'I'. eg.I feel this.....I think .....I like..... I heard..... I read about.....I did....I wanted.....

When you relate to your own experiences or opinions you tend to be less nervous and have more things to share with the examiner.

Last thought...
Be polite at all times. Greet the examiners. Smile. Charm them. Try to leave with them a good opinion of you. Please speak loudly during the testing so that the teachers can hear you clearly.

Finally, OF course... SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH! Hey! this IS afterall an ENGLISH examination, right?

GOOD LUCK!

Written by very glad Miss 'ex-oral examiner' Suan