Kimberly Edquiba

Assignment 4
Journal Critique
Teng, F., & Wong, J. (2015). Applying Speed Speaking into the Foreign
Language Classroom.
The Philippine ESL Journal, 14(1), 50-70.
This article was about a new method that can be used in classrooms.
It is called Speed Speaking (SS). Speed Speaking is an activity where
the learners have the opportunity to mingle and speak with each other for
a certain amount of time. Once the time is up, they have to switch
partners and speak to a different person. Although speaking is greatly
encouraged in the classroom, there are many learners that have a difficult
time speaking because of various reasons. During the use of this method,
the participants and teachers were given a survey questionnaire to
answer, such as why learning English was so difficult and how Speed
Speaking might help the learners with English. Some of the answers
given for the first question was that learners often lack the confidence and
the vocabulary to communicate with each other. For the other question,
learners enjoyed this activity because they were more comfortable in
speaking when they do so in small groups and learned new vocabulary
from their peers. After receiving answers from both teacher and learners,
there was a section in which other teachers can use this method in their
lessons. Besides speaking, the activity also helps the learners become
actively engaged in listening and writing. Speed Speaking has to be based
on Nations Four Strands which were meaning-focused input, meaningfocused output, learning through deliberate attention to language items,
and fluency development. By including and making sure the Four Strands
are balanced, students will have a higher level of grammar and fluency.
The authors begin this article by stating how it is important for
learners to have the opportunity, whenever they can, to speak with each
other in the classroom. It was said that speaking and conversation was not
used much by foreign language teachers. The article also said that this
method is better when it is used by Asian classrooms that teach English. It
seems that the audience of this journal article is more focused on
changing the way Asian countries teach their English learners. Asian
countries must have not seen how important it is for English learners to be
able to apply what they learned by allowing them to speak the language
as well. To be able to master the language, learners must be able to read,
write, listen, and speak all at the same time. With Speed Speaking
teachers allow students to practice on all of these skills.
As I read through the instructions of how Speed Speaking worked,
I thought it was a good idea for teachers to have some control as to where
some students would sit and who the students spoke with. The reason for
this is because the learners are all in different levels with English, and
without rearranging some students to sit in certain places, this learning
method might not be as effective as it should have been. The article gave
many examples for teachers that learners can discuss about, but even

with all the examples, learners must have an interest or knowledge about
a certain topic in order for them to discuss it for a certain amount of time.
It is the teachers responsibility in knowing their learners and selecting the
appropriate topic for them to discuss about. Once they are able to do so,
the learners can be enjoying while being actively learning. The students
may not be bored as they constantly speak to different people.
Although there are positive outcomes to use this method, there are
also setbacks that may be included if the method or activity is not done
properly. Since it allows students to move around, learners might be
confused with the rules and what they are supposed to do. It stated that
they might not be able to create a deep discussion if they dont have the
right vocabulary to express what they want to say. The activity also takes
up a lot of time in planning and also a lot of time in executing the process.
Learners can also go off topic since the teacher isnt able to hear what all
of the students are talking about.
I noticed that in their study, they used university students who
studied English for about 8 years. The tile specifically states that it can
apply Speed Speaking in foreign classroom learning, but I wonder how
effective this would be if teachers used this type of learning method to
younger students who have less experience with English. Would it still
work on younger children? How many years does a student need to learn
that foreign language? Would it matter if those students learned the
language elsewhere? Even with this, how often should teachers do this
method in the classroom?
For the survey questionnaires that were asked, it was evident that
teachers and students had similar answers in why it is difficult for students
to learn English. The answers to these questions were that students are
too shy and lack confidence in speaking, dont know enough vocabulary to
be able to express themselves, and ineffective teaching methods. It was
interesting to see the similarity and see the same problems that occur
with learning English. For confidence to occur, learners need to be actively
involved in learning rather than doing it passively. By learning passively,
students only memorize vocabulary yet they arent able to use it in a
sentence.
Overall, I think Speed Speaking is a great method for teachers to
use when handled and planned correctly. If the learners are interested in
the topic given, their minds will become stimulated every step of the way.
It allows the students to interact with their peers and speak to others
naturally. This can be a fun way for learners to build on their listening,
speaking, writing, and reading skills to make it balanced.