Spoken Interaction

Spoken Interaction Revision Prepared by Vicki Yong

Objectives • Recap on strategies for Oral Examination

Our 4 Levels of Discussion • Literal – What you see (specific) • A man crying in front of A grave • Emotions and thoughts – What you think it is showing • Is he sad? Angry? Whose grave is it? • Opinion – What it makes you feel, think • Does it make you sad? Angry? Confused? • Big ideas – What wider issues, themes, ideas comes up, and how does it relate to you? • Effects of terrorism? The price of war? The transient nature of life? Mortality of our loved ones?

How do we use this guide? • When awaiting your turn to see the examiner • Answer questions in your head • Practice how you would describe the picture using the guide • Important Note: You are analysing the photo now in order to understand the photo better… you should not regurgitate these points blindly!

4th Level of Discussion • Big ideas – What wider issues, themes, ideas comes up • Effects of terrorism? The price of war? The transient nature of life? Mortality of our loved ones? • Political • Social • Pertaining to Singapore, nationalism • How does this relate to you as a person, as a citizen of Singapore or as a person in society? • Anymore…?

During Your Oral Exam… 4 Levels of Discussion P.E.E.L.E. Answer structure for when you are addressing the question After the examiner asks the question, organise your thoughts with this structure in mind • For preparation • When given the 10 minutes to read the passage and look at the picture • Spend time familiarising yourself with the passage, but do not neglect the picture Why? So certain topics will not catch you by surprise, & important points are already at the back of your mind Why? So you prevent yourself form going out of point or meandering

Structure in Answering Qns ELABORATION LINK POINT PEELE EXTENSION EVIDENCE/EXAMPLES

What is POINT? • Answer the question directly • In order to prevent going out of point, answer the question to the point first • Make it a simple statement that answers the question simply and in a straightforward manner • Bring in other interesting points of discussion after you make your main point

POINT: Examples • How do you feel about the activity taking place in the picture? • I feel that it is a good way to… I feel heart-warmed… • How important is it for adults to be involved in the event in the picture? • I think it is very important as… I feel that the event helps… • What do you think has contributed to the people’s mood in the picture? • I think that it is the… I believe that the _____ is the reason…

What do you think of students taking part in the activity shown in the picture? I think that it is a great learning opportunity for students to be involved in the activity shown in the picture, which is a hands-on science experiment…

What is ELABORATION? • Give more information to support your opinions and the point you want to make • Elaboration can be in the form of… • Clarifying what your point is (explaining further) • Reasons to your answer • Giving general examples to support your point

What do you think of students taking part in the activity shown in the picture? As we all know, the best way to learn is through first-hand experiences. As opposed to studying our textbooks, where we only learn the theories behind concepts, hands-on experiments allow us to experience the many variables that may arise from real-life situations…

What is EVIDENCE? • The example/evidence part is where your PERSONAL RESPONSE comes in the most. • Relate the issue to YOURSELF (Personal Anecdotes) • Other kinds of evidence include: • Quotes from well-known people • News (Current affairs) • Personal interest stories / Inspirational Stories • Even, celebrity stories! (Famous people stories) • Proverbs / Saying • Anything to support your original point!

What do you think of students taking part in the activity shown in the picture? I find that I understand science concepts better when I am able to apply to during science experiments. When I was studying the concept of Velocity in Physics lessons, it only made sense to me when we did an experiment that….

What is LINK? • Linking basically helps you to tie in your entire point together • Make clear to your examiner what the purpose of your example is. Crowds can help in rescue efforts during an incident by lending a hand to the rescue workers. (POINT) It can be as simple as helping the rescue workers bring victims to a safer place or just providing words of comfort or giving them water. This is especially important when there may not be enough rescue workers. Just by helping a victim move to somewhere safer after being rescued from a fire saves the rescue workers minutes or seconds which can be very valuable in saving another life.(ELABORATION) I remember watching on the news about the 9/11 incident when I was very young. The news showed heroic acts by passers-by who helped the firefighters bring the injured to safer places. Shops nearby also allowed people to use their phones to call their family or provide them with water & a place to rest. (EXAMPLE) LINK?

What do you think of students taking part in the activity shown in the picture? Thus, this was what made me realise that hands-on experiments cannot be replaced as one of the best ways to learn…

Common Topics for Discussion • School life • Having and showing values (e.g. treatment of elderly, importance of sportsmanship, civic-mindedness) • Sports and Healthy Living/Health • Passion for things outside of school (e.g. arts, culinary, other interests) • Having good life-long habits (e.g. learning) • Family (e.g. relationships, balancing work-life) • Green living (e.g. environmental awareness, conservation) • Dealing with new circumstances (e.g. crisis, change of environment, immersion in new culture) • Doing good for the community / Charity • The less fortunate

FAQS • How many points should we give for each question? • How long should we TALK FOR? • How can I prepare for my Oral Examination BEFORE the actual day? • What if I don’t know how to answer the question?

Spoken Interaction