Teaching Spoken English in the ODL System in Nigeria; Challenges and Strategies for Improvement .

Theodore Osagie Iyere Department of English, National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos
theodoreiyere@yahoo.co.uk

Introduction
The poken English course is a vital component of the !.". English language programme in many Open and Distance Learning institutions in Nigeria. The course provides the #ase for gro$th in other courses related to grammar, reading and $riting a#ilities. "s learning and applying the skills of spoken English are so closely related, the ODL classroom should #e a place $here the use of spoken language is sensitively supported and $here active listening is developed and valued. The act of speaking ena#les students to make connections #et$een $hat they kno$ and $hat they are learning, and listening helps them to ac%uire kno$ledge and e&plore ideas. "lthough many students have mastered #asic listening and speaking skills, some students are much more effective in their spoken communication than others. "nd those $ho are more effective communicators e&perience more success in school and in other areas of their lives. 'ndeed, the skills that can make the difference #et$een minimal and effective communication in spoken English can #e taught, practiced, and improved.

What is speech?
'n http())$$$.#u**in.net)english.htm speech is defined as the universal means of oral communication that distinguishes humans from the rest of the animal kingdom, and is considered #y linguists as the primary material for study, especially in oral communication situations. o, a spoken language is a human language in $hich the $ords are uttered through the mouth. The success of any spoken communication activity is #ased on the simple method of listen, understand, and speak +'yere, ,--./.

What is ODL (Open and Distance Learning)?

0ikipedia, the free encyclopedia, opines that 1 Distance education, or distance learning, is a field of education that focuses on the pedagogy, technology, and instructional system designs that aim to deliver education to students $ho are not physically 2on site2 in a traditional classroom or campus3. 't proposes that Open learning is 1a teaching method that is, among others, founded on the $ork of 4elestine 5reinet and 6aria 6ontessori. Open learning is supposed to allo$ students e&perience self7determined, independent and interest7guided learning3. The foregoing proposition is corro#orated #y Open 8 Distance Learning 9uality 4ouncil $hich postulates that 1Open and distance learning means there is some fle&i#ility and control in the hands of the learner as to $hen, $here and ho$ +s/he $ill learn, guided #y structure and support from a provider. Often a##reviated to ODL, the term is loosely applied to most forms of learning, e&cept for those at the t$o e&tremes( classroom7#ased learning, as at school, $here there is little or no fle&i#ility, and self7study and informal learning, $hich lack any e&ternal support3. Open and Distance Learning is therefore, the com#ination of on7line learning +e7learning/ and other distance

education delivery methods. 't is the introduction, utilisation and application of '4T to enhance open and distance education thus implementing open and distance learning policies in order to make learning activities more fle&i#le and ena#le these learning activities to #e distri#uted among many learning venues.

Basic Operating System of ODL Institutions

The types of availa#le technologies used in distance education are divided into t$o groups( synchronous and asynchronous. ynchronous technology is a mode of online delivery $here all participants are 2present2 at the same time re%uiring a timeta#le to #e organi*ed. 0e# 4onferencing is an e&ample of synchronous technology. "synchronous technology is a mode of online delivery $here participants access course materials on their o$n schedule. tudents are not re%uired to #e together at the same time. 6essage #oard forums, e7mail and recorded video are e&amples of asynchronous technology. Synchronous technologies include 0e#7#ased :'O;, Telephone, :ideo conferencing, 0e# conferencing, Direct7#roadcast satellite, 'nternet radio, Live streaming, $hile Asynchronous technologies include "udio cassette, E7mail, 6essage #oard forums, ;rint materials, :oice 6ail)fa& , :ideo cassette)D:D, On7Demand streaming. There is also Learning anagement System or Learning !ontent anagement Systems $hich can #e used for #oth ynchronous and "synchronous learning. +L6 is not so much a learning tool as a frame$ork for a facilitator to #etter administer the classroom/.'t is important to state that in a distance learning system, it is not <ust enough to deliver courses, #ut to also organi*e a learning environment in $hich facilitators have to #e involved. 'n the Nigerian Open and Distance learning environment, facilitators are considered as essential as the other media listed a#ove. " course is then designed, taking into account the respective role of each of those media( tutors and human resources as $ell as classical and electronic technologies. "t this <uncture, the follo$ing %uestions #ecome relevant= Does the Open and Distance Learning environment in Nigeria provide a modality of instruction that is #etter suited for learners of poken English> Does the Nigerian ODL system facilitate greater learner7facilitator interaction in the spoken English class> ?o$ $ill the ODL system in Nigeria provide the poken English learners the opportunity of increased interaction $ith their classmates @ either inside or outside the classroom> 4an the Nigerian ODL system provide the much needed opportunity to develop poken English related technology competencies for facilitators and learners of the su#<ect> Do the learners of poken English in the Nigerian ODL system have access to glo#al resources and e&perts via internet communication and internet resources in the various institutions> 't is generally presumed that students come to the university for various reasons= they could #e interested in changing careers, or they might $ant to e&pand their kno$ledge #ase for $ork or personal reasons. They might even $ant to e&pand their cultural #ackground or learn a ne$ language. One of their main reasons for choosing distance education as a delivery method could #e that they $ant to learn at their o$n pace or at a

time and location that is convenient for them. The %uestion that $ould #e asked= Ais this possi#le $ith a technical course like poken English $here so much needs to #e done through oral drills>

"seful #acts for #acilitators Teaching Spo$en %nglish in the &igerian ODL System'
5rom my e&perience in $orking $ith students, ' have found out that students learning spoken English in the ODL environment in Nigeria often approach the learning of English pronunciation from a $ide variety of native language #ackgrounds and may speak languages $ith sound systems that vary a great deal from that of +B;/ English. 't is therefore, very important for ODL institutions in Nigeria to provide an ideal learning environment that $ill treat language learning as a social process $here comprehensi#le input is a must $hen e&pecting comprehensi#le output. 6ost importantly, facilitators should endeavour to provide students $ith ade%uate teaching methodology and Amake7shiftC resources, as $ell as suita#le voca#ulary and learning activities that $ill encourage the development of effective speaking skills. There is no single #est $ay to teach English language or poken English specifically. That is $hy English language teachers must find methods that are the most appropriate during the different stages of the teaching and learning process and then design the spoken English curriculum to meet their final goals.

Suggestions on Techni ues of Teaching Spoken English in Nigerian ODL Institutions!

The teaching of spoken English should #e fundamentally different from the teaching of $ritten English. 't is therefore, proposed that teachers of English as a second language, no matter

$here they teach, should follo$ some easy teaching methods to avoid possi#le language pro#lems and to e&clude the possi#ility of the language #arrier. This also applies, considera#ly to the teaching of spoken English. ?o$ever, let us take a cursory look at some methods of language teaching that have #een suggested #y some linguists.

The oral approach ( situational language teaching

The oral approach $as developed from the DEF-s to the DEG-s #y !ritish applied linguists such as ?arold ;almer and ". . ?orns#y. They $ere familiar $ith the Direct method as $ell as the $ork of DEth century applied linguists such as Otto Hesperson and Daniel Hones #ut attempted to formally develop a scientifically7founded approach to teaching English than $as evidenced #y the Direct 6ethod. The #asic difference #et$een the oral approach and the direct method $as that methods devised under this approach $ould have theoretical principles guiding the selection of content, gradation of difficulty of e&ercises and the presentation of such material and e&ercises. The main proposed #enefit $as that such theoretically7#ased organi*ation of content $ould result in a less7confusing se%uence of learning events $ith #etter conte&tuali*ation of the voca#ulary and grammatical patterns presented. Last #ut not least, all language points $ere to #e presented in 2situations2. Emphasis on this point led to the approachIs second name. uch learning in situation $ould lead to studentsI ac%uiring good ha#its to #e repeated in their corresponding situations. Teaching methods stress ;;; +presentation +introduction of ne$ material in conte&t/, practice +a controlled practice phase/ and production +activities designed for less7controlled practice//.

The audio)lingual method

The audio7lingual method $as developed around 0orld 0ar DD $hen governments reali*ed that they needed more people $ho could conduct conversations fluently in a variety of languages, to $ork as interpreters, code7room assistants, and translators. This 2informant method2 had great success $ith its small class si*es and motivated learners. The main difference $as the developing audio7lingual methods allegiance to structural linguistics, focusing on grammar and contrastive analysis to find differences #et$een the studentIs native language and the target language in order to prepare specific materials to address potential pro#lems. These materials strongly emphasi*ed drill as a $ay to avoid or eliminate these pro#lems. Under this method, students listen to or vie$ recordings of language models acting in situations. tudents practice $ith a variety of drills, and the instructor emphasi*es the use of the target language at all times. The idea is that #y reinforcing IcorrectI #ehaviors, students $ill make them into ha#its.

!ommunicati*e language teaching

4ommunicative Language Teaching +4LT/, also kno$n as the Communicative Approach, emphasi*es interaction as #oth the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language. Despite a num#er of criticisms it continues to #e popular, particularly in Europe, $here constructivistsC vie$s on language learning and education in general dominate academic discourse.

+ropriocepti*e language learning method

The proprioceptive language learning method +commonly called the feedback training method/ emphasi*es simultaneous development of cognitive, motor, neurological, and hearing as all #eing part of a comprehensive language learning process. Lesson development is as concerned $ith the training of the motor and neurological functions of speech as it is $ith cognitive +memory/ functions. 't further emphasi*es that training of each part of the speech process must #e simultaneous. The proprioceptive method, therefore, emphasi*es spoken language training, and is primarily used #y those $anting to perfect their speaking a#ility in a target language. The proprioceptive method virtually stands alone as a second language ac%uisition + L"/ method in that it #ases its methodology on a speech pathology model. 't stresses that mere kno$ledge +in the form of voca#ulary and grammar memory/ is not the sole re%uirement for spoken language fluency, #ut that the mind receives real7time feed#ack from #oth hearing and neurological receptors of the mouth and related organs in order to constantly regulate the store of voca#ulary and grammar memory in the mind during speech. 5or optimum effectiveness, it maintains that each of the components of second language ac%uisition must #e encountered simultaneously. 't therefore advocates that all memory functions, all motor functions and their neurological receptors, and all feed#ack from #oth the mouth and ears must occur at e&actly the same moment in time of the instruction. Thus, according to the proprioceptive method, all student participation must be done at full speaking volume . 5urthermore, in order to train memory, after initial ac%uaintance $ith the sentences #eing repeated, all verbal language drills must be done as a response to the narrated sentences which the student must repeat (or answer) entirely apart from reading a text.

ichael Thomas

ethod

This method is an audio7#ased teaching system developed #y 6ichael Thomas, a language teacher in the U ". 't $as originally done in person, although since his death it is done via recorded lessons. The instruction is done entirely in the studentIs o$n language, although the studentIs responses are al$ays e&pected to #e in the target language. The method focuses on

constructing long sentences $ith correct grammar and #uilding student confidence. There is no listening practice, and there is no reading or $riting. The sylla#us is ordered around the easiest and most useful features of the language, and as such is different for each language.

The use of Contrastive "nalysis

Linguists have tried to identify potential pronunciation difficulties of non7native speakers of a language #y using contrastive analysis, $hich $as popular in the DEJ-s and DEG-s. The 4ontrastive "nalysis ?ypothesis posits that #y contrasting the features of t$o languages, the difficulties that a language learner might encounter can #e anticipated +4rystal, ,--F= 5ries, DEJ,/. 5eatures of many languages $ere catalogued #y linguists, #ut it $as not possi#le to systematically predict $hich areas of English $ould #e difficult for speakers of particular native languages. " less predictive version of the hypothesis $as eventually put forth that focused on cross7linguistic influence. 4ross7linguistic influence claims that prior language e&periences have an impact on the $ay a language is learned, #ut these e&periences do not consistently have predictive value +!ro$n, ,---= 0ardhaugh, DE.-/. 5rom this $ork, linguists have #een a#le to develop lists of sounds that native speakers of particular languages may find pro#lematic in learning English. 5or e&ample, many students in Nigeria have difficulty producing English sounds like 13, 1K(3, 1r3, 1L3, or may have difficulty distinguishing #et$een and producing 1 3 and 1 3 sounds, or #et$een the short vo$els and their long counterparts. Stress, Intonation, and -hythm 6unro and Der$ing +DEEE/ o#served that even heavily accented speech is sometimes intelligi#le, and prosodic errors +errors in stress, intonation, and rhythm/ appear to affect intelligi#ility more than do phonetic errors +single sounds/. ince this finding, research on and teaching of pronunciation have moved from an e&clusive focus on the sounds of language +vo$els and consonants/ to include suprasegmentals +stress, sentence and $ord intonation, and speech rhythm/, or vocal effects that e&tend over more than one sound +4rystal, ,--F= 5lore*, DEEM= Lo$, ,--G= 6onro 8 Der$ing, DEEE/. Begarding stress, languages have traditionally #een classified as either stress timed or sylla#le timed. 'n stress7timed languages +e.g., !ritish and "merican English, Nerman, Dutch, and Thai/ 1stressed sylla#les fall at regular intervals throughout an utterance3 +4rystal, ,--F, p. ,OJ/, and rhythm is organi*ed according to regularity in the timing of the stressed sylla#les. That is, the time #et$een stressed sylla#les is e%ual, as unstressed sylla#les are spoken more %uickly and vo$el reduction occurs. 5or e&ample, the sentence 1 ichael .rites fast3 is made up of three stressed sylla#les, as indicated #y the #olded letters. The sentence 1 !hristopher can .rite fast3 is made up of si& sylla#les, #ut only three of them are stressed. The unstressed sylla#les 1to,3 1pher,3 and 1can3 are spoken %uickly and vo$el reduction occurs, so the time #et$een the stressed sylla#les tends to #e e%ual, and #oth sentences take appro&imately the same amount of time to say. 'n sylla#le7timed languages +e.g., many Nigerian languages like 'g#o, Poru#a, etc/ sylla#les are said to #e e%ual in timing although there are features of tonal distinctions $hich e%ually make linguists call them 1tonal languages3. That is, even $hen all sylla#les appear to #e e%ually stressed, the use of tones help distinguish the meanings of $ords, and all sylla#les appear to take the same amount of time to utter. 'n e&amining the role of stress, or 1the degree of force used in producing a sylla#le,3 +4rystal, ,--F, p. OFJ/ in intelligi#ility, 5ield +,--J/ asked trained listeners to transcri#e recorded material $hen the varia#les of $ord stress and vo$el %uality $ere manipulated. ?e determined that $hen $ord stress is erroneously shifted to an unstressed sylla#le, $ithout a change in vo$el %uality, utterances are significantly less intelligi#le than $hen vo$el %uality is manipulated. !oth native and non7native English7speaking listeners responded similarly $hen <udging the intelligi#ility of $ords $ith misplaced $ord stress.

'mplications of these researches for the ODL classroom instruction are that tutors and facilitators need to spend time teaching learners the rules for $ord stress, intonation, and rhythm in English as $ell as focusing on individual sounds that may #e difficult for the learners in their classes. 'n many ODL institutions in Nigeria, te&t #ooks or course materials are often produced to support face to face tutorial facilitation. 'n many cases, these course materials are usually completed #y some useful information provided #y the facilitator $ithin the period of facilitation. This has #een interpreted to #e one of the ma<or constraints of distance learning $here the learner is e&pected to #e $orking alone. 5irst of all the learning material has to #e composed as a modular structure. 'n the second place, it has to simulate a communication situation. 5inally, it has to #e complete. This means that it has to include all the information needed #y the learner( contents, e&planations, applications, autocorrected e&ercises, learning aids, e&planatory notes, glossary, and so on. 't may interest one to kno$ that ma<ority of these ODL course materials do not really look completely like this ideal model.

Intelligi/ility and 0arieties of %nglish

English has #ecome an international language, #ut then, facilitators need to keep in mind that the goal of improving pronunciation for many ODL learners of spoken English is mutual intelligi#ility, not perfection. !ased on the foregoing discussion, a num#er of instructional strategies for teaching pronunciation that can help ODL students to meet their personal and professional needs. 5acilitators can guide their students to do the follo$ing( 4ultivate positive attitudes to$ard accuracy Notice the effects of pronunciation on interactions during tutorial sessions Notice prosodic features of language +stress, intonation, rhythm/ Develop communicative competence

'ndeed, facilitators can learn a great deal #y o#serving spoken English learners as they communicate $ith each other, noting the places $here communication #reaks do$n, and attempting to determine $hich pronunciation features caused miscommunication to occur. "s they o#serve, facilitators can develop a list of pronunciation features to focus on in class and <ot notes on note cards to give the students feed#ack as they listen to group and pair $ork and learner presentations. 5acilitators might use a checklist similar to the one in Ta#le #elo$. 5or e&ample, $hen students are giving presentations or $orking together in pairs or groups, the teacher can use the checklist to make note of $hen a student is not understood or $hen several students make the same pronunciation mistake. This information can #ecome material for su#se%uent pronunciation lessons. Through use of a checklist, learners can #e made a$are of particular features of speech that potentially cause pro#lems for intelligi#ility and can $ork on these features. " checklist can also #e helpful to learners as they develop their o$n pronunciation goals. ee the pronunciation checklist #elo$( +ronunciation !hec$list

+ronunciation 6ark 1&3 $here applica#le, according to fre%uency of error Consonants th +e.g., thinQnotRtS/ th +e.g., thenQnotRdS/ s 8 * +e.g., sue vs. #oo/ r +e.g., rice vs. lice/ l +e.g., parrot vs. palate/ $inal consonants :oiceless, voiced +e.g.,nip . ni%; seat vs. seed; lock vs. log; larch vs. large/ final l +e.g., final, little, sell/ final s +e.g., pupils, writes, schools/ 7ed suffi& to mark past tense &o'el variation hill vs. heel cut vs. cart cot vs. caught pull vs. pool pen vs. pan Intonation Use of rising intonation( yes)no %uestions +e.g., Are you coming / Use of falling intonation( statements +e.g., !es, " am coming/= wh %uestions +e.g., #hat are you doing / 0oice 6ark 1&3 $here applica#le, according to fre%uency of error "udi%ility level Too loud Too soft 5ading out at end of statements (itch and range 6onotonous Other comments

Al.ays

Sometimes

&e*er

$ote% This checklist $as designed #y Nora amosir 8 Lo$ Ee Ling +,---/ as a means to assess teachersC oral English proficiency. No$, for prosodic features of languageQ$ord stress, intonation, and rhythmQare e&tremely important to comprehensi#ility, in addition to correct pronunciation of discrete letter sounds. Teachers should include prosodic training in instruction +!ally 8 ?olm, ,--J= Nautheir, hi, 8 Pi, ,--E= OC!rien, ,--O/. Teachers can #egin $ith listening activities +e.g., listening for rising intonation in yes)no %uestions/ and then have learners compare %uestion intonation in English $ith that of their native languages and then imitate dialogues, perform plays +see OC!rien, ,--O/, and $atch videos in $hich yes)no %uestions are used +e.g., ?ardison, ,--J/. There are also a num#er of activities facilitators can do to help learners use $ord stress correctly( &ead perception exercises on duration of stress, loudness of stress, and pitch. These e&ercises $ill help learners recogni*e the difference #et$een stressed and unstressed sylla#les +Dalton 8 eidlhofer, DEEO= 5ield, ,--J/. 'o exercises on recogni(ing and producing weak, unstressed syllables +Dalton 8 eidlhofer, DEEO= 5ield, ,--J/. )resent pronunciation rules for stress +Dalton 8 eidlhofer, DEEO= Ten$orthy, DEM./. 5or e&ample, teach learners that in refle&ive pronouns, the stress is al$ays on the $ord self +e.g., myself, ourselves RNrant, ,-D-, p. J.S/. *each word stress when teaching vocabulary +5ield, ,--J/. 5or e&ample, any time that ne$ $ords are introduced, point out to learners $here the ma<or stress falls.

The goal of pronunciation teaching and learning is communicative competence, not the complete a#sence of an accent +Nat#onton, Trofimovice, 8 6agid, ,--J/ !y using audiotapes and videotapes, especially of speakers of different varieties of English, facilitators can give learners meaningful e&posure to variation in pronunciation and increase their communicative competence +5lore*, DEEM/.

!onclusion
poken English is a vital component of the English language arts curriculum and provides the #ase for gro$th in reading, $riting, and listening a#ilities. "s learning and applying the skills of poken English are so closely related, the classroom should #e a place $here the use of spoken language is sensitively supported and $here active listening is developed and valued. Talk ena#les students to make connections #et$een $hat they kno$ and $hat they are learning, and listening helps them to ac%uire kno$ledge and e&plore ideas. u#se%uently, the a#ilities to listen critically and to e&press oneself clearly and effectively contri#ute to a studentIs success in school and later in life. "lthough there are challenges to teaching and learning spoken English in an ODL environment, it is an area vital to students learning English as a second language. The various techni%ues highlighted in this paper shed light on pronunciation features to #e taught and on learnersC goals and motivations for improving their pronunciation. 0e therefore, proposed that #y incorporating current research and its implications into their teaching techni%ue, facilitators can help students gain the skills they need for effective spoken communication in English.

-eferences and Bi/liography

!ailly, N., 8 ?olm, !. +,--J/. 54( " traina#le prosodicmodel. +peech Communication, ,-+F)O/, FOM7FGO. !ro$n, ?. D. +,---/. )rinciples of language learning and teaching. 0hite ;lains, NP( "ddison 0esley Longman, 'nc. 4rystal, D. +,--F/. A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. O&ford( !lack$ell ;u#lishing. Dalton, 4., 8 eidlhofer, !. +DEEO/. )ronunciation. O&ford( O&ford University ;ress. Der$ing, T.6., 8 6unro, 6.H. +,--J/. econd language accent and pronunciation teaching( " research7#ased approach. *.+/& 0uarterly, 12+F/, F.E7FE.. 5ield, H. +,--J/. 'ntelligi#ility and the listener( The role of le&ical stress. *.+/& 0uarterly, 12+F/, FEE7O,F.

5lore*, 6.4. +DEEM/. "mproving adult .+& learners3 pronunciation skills. 0ashington, D4( 4enter for "pplied Linguistics. Betrieved Hune F-, ,--E, from $$$.cal.org)caela)eslUresources)digests);ronun.html 5ries, 4. +DEJ,/. *he structure of .nglish. Ne$ Pork( ?arcourt, !race, 8 0orld. Nat#onton, E., Trofimovich, ;., 8 6agid, 6. +,--J/. LearnersC ethnic group affiliation and L, pronunciation accuracy( " sociolinguistic investigation. *.+/& 0uarterly, 12+F/, OME7JDD. Nauthier, !, hi, B., 8 Pi, V. +,--E/. Learning prosodic focus from continuous speech input( " neural net$ork e&ploration. &anguage &earning and 'evelopment, 4+,/, EO7DDO. Nrant, L. +,-D-/. #ell said. !oston( ?einle 8 ?einle ;u#lishers. ?ardison, D. +,--J/. 4onte&tuali*ed computer7#ased L, prosody training( Evaluating the effects of discourse conte&t and video input. CA&"C/ 5ournal, 66+,/, D.J7DE-. http())en.$ikipedia.org)$iki)DistanceUeducation http())$$$.#u**in.net)english.htm 'yere, T.O.+,--G/ poken English, National Open University of Nigeria, Lagos. Ten$orthy, H. +DEM./. *eaching .nglish pronunciation. O&ford( O&ford University ;ress. Lo$, E.L. +,--G/. " revie$ of recent research on speech rhythm( ome insights for language ac%uisition, language disorders and language teaching. 'n B. ?ughes +Ed./, +poken .nglish, *.+/& and applied linguistics% Challenges for theory 7 practice . London( ;algrave76acmillan.

OC!rien, 6. N. +,--O/. ;ronunciation matters. *eaching 8erman, 19+D/, D7E. 0ardhaugh, B. +DE.-/. The contrastive analysis hypothesis. *.+/& 0uarterly, O+,/, D,F

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