¿Qué estrategias se pueden usar para practicar el Speaking fuera de clase? Si bien es cierto que las tareas de la sección Speaking requieren que otra persona escuche y evalúe cada respuesta, hay ciertas actividades que el estudiante de TOEFL® puede realizar para practicar fuera de clase. En este artículo se da una serie de ideas y sugerencias para lograr tal fin.
Probably the skill that everyone (who has not lived long-term in the target language country) says is their weakest is speaking. In fact, just by reading this, I am sure some of you have shuddered in fear. One main problem for Spanish people is that they don’t have confidence in their English-speaking ability. So how can we resolve this internal conflict?
Practice, of course. Practice aloud, record yourself, practice talking in front of other people (who do and do not speak English), but most of all: Practice!! Your teacher will try to offer you a lot of opportunities in class, but we (the teachers) know that it’s not always enough. I recommend my students, from the very beginning of class, to start practicing at home. The Speaking test is by far probably the most difficult part of the TOEFL® because of its nature. Even though I have been speaking English all my life, it would also be difficult for me. So, to make it less difficult and less stressful: start practicing now.
How should we practically get experience?
I would recommend various stages to this practice:
1: Start by verbalizing your decisions at home.
For example:
“Why do I want to eat salad for dinner? First, because I am on a diet; second, because I had meat for lunch.”
“What would I prefer to do on the weekend, go to a movie or to the zoo? I’d prefer to go to the zoo. My first reason is that I haven’t been to a zoo since I was a child. My second reason is that there is nothing good playing in theaters currently.”
When you practice at home, speak aloud and try to do it in places with distractions—like with your little brother playing nearby, or in front of the TV with your favorite show on in Spanish. If you practice in front of people who do not speak English (like your grandparents), they might even be impressed by your incredible English skills!
2: Start recording yourself.
Continue practicing by talking about your favorite option out of a list:
“My favorite book is Don Quijote, because…”
Or express preferences:
“I prefer to eat at home and not in a restaurant, because…”
Once you feel more comfortable speaking aloud, turn on the sound recorder on your phone and record yourself. In normal conversations we don’t often think about how we are speaking—we’re more focused on expressing ourselves. That means we often don’t hear our own mistakes. However, if you record yourself and listen afterward, you’ll notice the errors you missed while speaking.
3: Practice some of the official TOEFL® speaking tasks.
Once you’re confident with speaking and recording, search online for prompts such as:
“Integrated speaking for the TOEFL® task 3/4/5/6.”
Look for recordings or videos with sample prompts. Use those resources, along with the tips and structures your teacher gives you, to continue practicing at home.
