(The Worry About) The Worry about Speaking Scores

On my old (deleted) blog, I wrote a post about whether or not speaking into a device is "authentic." I received a lot of responses, representing a full spectrum of thoughts. These thoughts included statements like, "The only true communication is face to face," and also "today's world requires students to speak into screens." What say you?

I’ve heard many educators express worry that students haven’t grown in the speaking domain on annual language assessments, so it’s important to have discussions about how often students have the chance to actually speak across their instructional day. Not only do we want to increase opportunities for students to build oracy, but we want to be strategic about what this entails: 

*Who are they speaking with- a peer, a small group, a device, an adult? Sometimes, speaking opportunities are informal (casual classroom discussion) while other times, a speaking task may feel more formal (delivering a report, for example). When students are clear on who their audience is, that can help to guide their speaking.

*What are they speaking about? Is it a topic that the student has had time to explore? Is it a topic they are passionate about right now? For me personally, when I'm asked to speak for extended periods about a topic that doesn't interest me, I have much less to say about it. How are building up interest and excitement about the content students are learning?

*How are we structuring time for oracy? Considering the affective filter is really critical but often overlooked. If I am not interested in the topic and I also don't have strong relationships with my peers, I really don't want to contribute much to the group. However, if I feel safe in my space, I will feel infinitely more comfortable sharing my thoughts (even if it's not my favorite topic).

*What supports and scaffolds are available to students during speaking opportunities or speaking tasks? Providing visuals, sentence frames or stems, a word bank, or even a few minutes to jot down a few thoughts prior to speaking can help me remember what I would like to express.

We also want to ensure that we are utilizing data that is current. We cannot base all instructional decisions on annual language assessment data alone. The great news is that we already have lots of data already collected. Those videos that students posted to Seesaw for science last week? You can use a speaking domain rubric to see how they are progressing using content-specific science vocabulary. If you live in a WIDA state, there are rubrics for both speaking and writing based on the English Language Development (ELD) standards. Having students use the same piece for multiple purposes releases some of the pressures we feel- we do not have to do more assessments. Let's strategically use what we already have!

Let's also give students the chance to reflect on their language usage by using student-friendly speaking rubrics. Give them the chance to honor how much they've grown and set goals.

Is translanguaging encouraged in your space? If students feel that their voice, their speaking, and their language usage is strictly policed - this will absolutely impact their confidence, instantly raise the affective filter (not what we want!), and also hinder the relationship between educator and student. Are we giving students time and space to speak freely? Or are we constantly shaping conversations around grammatical rules?

Lots to think about!