On Teaching Speaking

We have many voices we use to navigate the many spheres and spaces we inhabit. To navigate these spaces, we develop linguistic competence and other aspects of communicative competence including discourse competence (whether speech is coherent and cohesive), sociolinguistic competence (whether language is appropriate to the context), and strategic competence (whether a speaker can repair a conversation when it starts to break down). This is exponentially true for immigrants who are developing a new voice with which to become a new self; an American self. We challenge the notion of code switching because it suggests a hierarchy; what we code as “academic” and “standard” is white language and everything else is substandard and should be contained within certain types of spaces (non-academic spaces). Instead we embrace the notion of translanguaging; viewing the learners various languages as part of their linguistic repertoire.We encourage students to embrace their L1 as a linguistic resource. In our approach to developing oral communication, we are reminded that vulnerability is a prerequisite to developing speaking competence. Persistence of white supremacy engenders a stigma of speaking English with an accent or the fear of ridicule when uttering a sound incorrectly keeps many young learners in a silent period for extended periods of time. Embedded in this culture of white supremacy is a belief that one’s language ability is reflective of one’s intelligence or cognitive ability. It is imperative we create a culture where error is viewed and treated as an absolutely necessary factor in growth. It is imperative that we create safe spaces where these fears can be named and where we can establish a culture of error and a culture of levity. This is imperative to silence the fear and lay the groundwork for the playful practice of speaking a new tongue. The aim is ultimately to prepare students to use their English voice while carrying on in their daily lives, as well as when they are engaging in academic tasks such as discussions and presentations, or creative endeavors such as writing and singing a song or reciting a poem.