Date/Time: September 26, 2018, 3:00
p.m-4:00 p.m.
Location: CIES Room 315
Topic Discussed: Fluency in Speaking English
Our lesson today focused on fluency
in English speaking. To facilitate this practice session, I provided my Tutee
with a familiar topic. I asked him to use many descriptive words to “paint” a picture
of the capital city of Portugal. He knows this city very well. Specifically, I
asked him to think a few minutes about a particular section of Lisbon. His task
was to describe this area of his choosing as if he were leading me on a grand tour of this
beautiful space and its many surroundings.
As I listened, he spoke calmly and
with good pace. He was easy to understand and communicated well the “sights” we
“saw” as he narrated this descriptive tour. It was clear that he knew these sights well
and had an enduring love for his country. A few words here and there that he spoke received
a different syllabic accent than is commonly pronounced. During these learning moments, I practiced using the
suggestion in our text book—to inquire of the speaker the word in question
without bluntly correcting the speech. For example, I would say phrases such as
“Can you help me with this word…”? To help with pronunciation of several of these words, I knew that hearing the respective words pronounced
correctly was key to his learning to speak the word appropriately. With that in mind, I
repeated the word several times and then asked him to repeat the word. Because he is a quick learner and has a keen ear, he responded well and easily. I was sure to tell him that I could understand him easily. His message was received clearly.
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