Ensayo

TEACHING-LEARNING ORAL LANGUAGE

In childhood, the acquisition of oral language is the first thing we do as part of the learning process. Oral language is the most used form of the language, since it is easier to us makes use of the ability of speaking than the ability of writing. Oral language or also called as spoken language, is learned first than written language because it is the firstcontact with the word, that is, first we listen and speak to our parents, friends and other people and then we write a letter or read a book.
Oral language is an interaction we have with other people whom we express our ideas, feelings, opinions, share our information and convey our thoughts. We start to build up the oral language at home and when we go to school, teachers continue teaching it. Oncewe know about speaking and listening, teachers start to teach us reading and writing; therefore oral language is considered the foundation of everything we learn in school.
According to Holbrook (1983), oral language competences are: fluency, clarity and sensibility. Obtaining Vocabulary is the first thing we acquire in our lives, then, we get fluency and finally we learn grammar. For a betterunderstanding, vocabulary is related to sensibility because we catch word through our sense, mainly hearing and sight. We cannot speak a language if we do not know a repertoire of words. Grammar is the element which integrates the clarity in our speaking. To be understood we must set words in the right order. It does not make sense putting some words together without any meaning because ourreceptor would not understand what we say. Pronunciation and fluency are the final procedure. If we do not have a good pronunciation or if we do not pronounce a word with the correct pronunciation, under no circumstances, we are going to have a fluency in a language. Sensibility, grammar and fluency are elements of a language which should be taken into account when we teach and learn oral language.Sensibility, grammar and fluency are important elements to people being that they form the skeleton of a good communication. Throughout our lives, we develop some abilities which help us in our interaction with other people. These abilities are listening and speaking. These are the basis of our literacy and in the same way; these constitute the support of communication.
Knowing about that orallanguage is taught through listening and speaking, what should we do to teach-learn oral language? The purpose of this essay is to respond that question and argument about that as a future teacher who I will be. I will clarify that the purpose of this essay will be argued in two parts. A first part which explains the teaching-learning of listening and a second part which explains theteaching-learning of speaking.
ORAL LANGUAGE: teaching and learning
As student, I have noticed in classrooms, oral language is sometimes neglected. On one hand, teachers do not use their classroom time to teaching oral language and do not allow students to learn oral language. On the other hand, teachers only use oral language for expressing their ideas about the subject and they do not permit studentsexpress their ideas and opinions about what they teach. That has become a problem because although students have learned something of oral language before going to school, teachers do not continue teaching oral language. Due to that problem, students’ difficulties about oral language increase every day owing to a wrong methodology in teaching this important element of student’s life in every level ofeducation.
Teaching-learning oral language encompasses several processes that a teacher should apply in a class to make this not boring. I said that because in several cases I am taught by only listening or speaking.
Teachers and students should include sensibility, grammar and fluency when teaching-learning oral language since these constitute a good understanding of us and help to express...