2. 2. Fluency vs. Complexity
“She is perfectly
fluent in awful English”
Lita Lessa
3. Fluency
The ability to produce To foster complexity
language with ease.
The ability to speak with a Opportunities for
good, but not necessarily “restructuring” * should be
perfect command of present through addressing
intonation, vocabulary , language prior, during and
syntax and grammar. after completing the activity
The ability to express ideas
coherently
The ability to use continuous * ”restructuring” = accommodation
of intake to fit in with the
speech without causing
existing data (adapted from Van
comprehension difficulties,
Patten, 1993)
with minimum breakdowns
and disruptions
4. Addressing language ...
... prior ... during ... after the activity
Pre-teaching linguistic Participation (dyads) Public performance
forms
Resources (materials Repeat performance
Reducing complexity to carry out the
of activity (rehearsal/ activity) Other performance
sample) (other more advanced
Procedure (subtasks) ss doing the same)
Allowing for time to
plan Order (sequencing)
Product (written/
spoken
5. 3. Vocabulary Range
Some interesting figures
• Lower-intermediate
3,000 words min.
• Receptive threshold intermediate
5,000-6,000 words
• First-year university materials
10,000 words
9. Where might these occur
and what is their function?
•This one’s on me •I’ll be making a move
•It was lovely to see you then
•Thanks for coming •I see what you mean
•I don’t believe a word •Let me think about it
of it •Just looking, thanks
•I don't get the point •I’ll be with you in a
•You look great today minute
•As I was saying •It doesn’t matter
10. 5. Fossilized language errors
More frequent in
programmes where
fluency is developed at
the expense of accuracy
(Higgs & Clifford, 1982)
11. Explicit
treatment of
grammar
Noticing Focus on form
Comprehensible
Restructuring
output
12. Making informed decisions
• But first choose words you don’t know form the
box and decide which you find useful for the topic
• Then read this info about dyslexia and fill in the
blanks
• Now focus on content, make a list of the things you
agree with and another with what you disagree
with
• Analyse the source and compare the styles (more
or less formal/ more or less conversational)
• Spot and highlight any other interesting words or
expressions that you don’t normally use
13. COMPREHENSIBLE OUTPUT
DEBATE
Group A: In favour of catering for dyslexic
learners in the school context
Group B: “Dyslexia doesn’t exist and if it did it’s
not the teacher’s problem”
Smile you are being recorded
14. To recap: Aim of each activity
RESTRUCTURING
P NOTICING Key vocabulary to speak about Foreign
Language Learning
NOTICING Natural English expressions and input
info about English spelling reform
triggering off concept of Dyslexia
COMPREHENSIBLE OUTPUT Dialogue using expressions
VOCABULARY RANGE Vocabulary: collocations to express
possibility
NATURAL ENGLISH Explain the use of these expressions
VOCABULARY RANGE Reading texts, input on content to raise
awareness/ awaken opinions
D COMPREHENSIBLE OUTPUT Recorded debate
A NOTICING – FOSSILIZED ERRORS Watch recording
15. • Expand their grammatical competence, including acquiring new
C ways of using known forms, as well as adding more complex
o language resources to their linguistic repertoire.
• Become more fluent and accurate language users.
n • Develop the capacity to monitor their own language use as well
as that of others, and to notice the gap between their
c productive
l competence and those of more advanced language users.
• Continue to develop their vocabulary, particularly at the 5,000
u to
6,000 word range.
s • Develop a greater awareness of and familiarity with patterns of
lexical collocation.
i • Master the use of conversational routines and other means
o of participating actively in conversation and other forms of
spoken discourse.
n • Further develop their proficiency in listening, reading, and
writing.
16. “Everyone is a genius;
but if you judge a fish
on its ability to climb a
tree, it will live its
whole life believing that
it’s stupid.”
Albert Einstein