[NOTE: This article has not been copyedited due to its length.]

“The more you speak out, regardless of mistakes, the better you will speak.” As language teachers, we know that this “use it, or lose it” approach is paramount for building a robust fluency in any language skill. For ITAs, however, their language use context is far more high-stakes, and their affective filter (Krashen, 1989) is more difficult to overcome than that of a typical language learner, especially for ITAs who will be instructors of record. What this means is that ITAs may feel more apprehensive about “speaking out,” becoming disheartened and demotivated by their mistakes, due to the pressures involved in their spoken English performance. Consequently, ITA trainers must present multiple platforms for individual learners to practice, receive feedback and gain confidence in using teaching speech.

Participation & Feedback Issues in Teaching Speech Simulations

There are several constraints that challenge ITA trainers in their capacity to provide appropriate avenues for teaching speech practice:

• Time and class size: Teaching simulation exercises are hallmark activities for ITA workshops and training courses since they reflect the target language use context and output (Gorsuch, Meyers, Pickering & Griffee, 2013; Madden & Myers, 1994; Schmidgall, 2012; Smith, Meyers & Burkhalter, 2007). However, class sizes and time constraints can logistically prevent ITA trainers from including many teaching simulation exercises within the course duration and from providing subsequent, individualized feedback. This means frequent, quality formative assessment, although essential for learning, is often infeasible (Richard-Amato, 1988).

• Trainees’ affective filters: The urgency of improvement for many ITAs can acutely raise their affective filters, limiting output, reducing participation and even causing fear of teaching simulation exercises and feedback. Therefore, the teaching speech practice activity must be scaffolded (i.e., Zone of Proximal Development) for trainees who lack speaking confidence and/or ability to produce fluent spoken English for the target language use context (Vygotsky, 1978).

• Limited reflection opportunities: Teaching simulation exercises in class are less likely to facilitate the critical reflective process, a metacognitive tool for monitoring outcomes and corresponding thought processes for language acquisition (Coutinho, 2007; Flavell, 1979; Rubin, 1981; Swain, 2005). During class, with peers present, learners may be more reluctant to critically notice their speech’s features, or be overly attentive to every small mistake, causing demotivation, over-compensation, and disfluency. Excluding these extremes, the restriction of time that an in-class teaching simulation exercise presents can inhibit the process of reflection from moving beyond the cursory and obvious.

• Lack of peer-peer interaction: A perennially difficult aspect of managing any course is facilitating quality peer-peer interaction, while maintaining as authentic a language use situation as possible. Teaching simulation exercises tend to produce teacher-dominated feedback, due to peer reluctance to share in a large group, lack of peer feedback training/experience and/or peer inattention from long periods of listening. Nonetheless, gaining knowledge from the teacher only is both wasteful and authoritarian (Gatbonton, 2008; Richard-Amato, 1988).

• Loss of speaking equity: Equal access to trainees’ output can be lost in classroom exercises, as some learners are more prepared to speak up than others, giving talkative learners more of the teacher’s attention and feedback. This lack of speaking equity can impact learner identity concerns (Norton, 1997).

• Complexity of similar tools: While still useful, similar web-based tools present an unwieldy number of features, many of which are unnecessary for ITA training purposes (e.g., EdPuzzle, Kaizena, PlayPosit). We have found VoiceThread to be one of the most directly useful tools for achieving the learning goals of the ITA training class, while also mitigating the issues listed here.

• Limited spoken feedback options: Most web-based tools are more conducive for providing written feedback than spoken feedback. For teaching speech, spoken feedback is essential because it supplies both modeling and listening discrimination input that are crucial for ITAs’ uptake of prosodic features (pausing, pitch, and word stress patterns), accurate sound articulation, and fluency (Gilbert, 2008; Hahn, 2004; Trofimovich & Baker, 2006; Wennerstrom, 2000).

Suggested Solution: Using Voicethread as an Ita Training Tool

VoiceThread, a web 2.0 application, is a tool we have successfully used for ITA training and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) learners’ speaking skills enhancement. This tool mitigates the aforementioned constraints and is extremely user-friendly. Specific features of VoiceThread that render it useful in the ITA training context are as follows.

• Video comments can be recorded by learners and teachers. Recordings are made on any device with a camera, meaning ITAs can make teaching speech samples at their convenience on their smartphones/tablets/laptops, in settings that are more comfortable for them outside of class, or in more private settings during class (see Figure 1). We have had learners bring headphones and record in class; a language lab with headphones and computers could also allow for in-class recordings. The teacher can also provide in-depth comments, pinpointing particular features of the learner’s speech, modeling sound articulation and prosodic cues.

• ITAs can even record in-class teaching simulation exercises for self-reflection and teacher feedback later. We have experimented with this and found that individuals with iPhones, Android devices and laptops/tablets can record themselves “teaching” during the training class, upload their recordings to VoiceThread, self-evaluate, and receive individualized teacher feedback (see Figure 2).

• VoiceThread allows ITAs to be removed from an “audience” which can lower their affective filter, especially in the first few teaching speech activities. Allowing ITAs to acclimate to hearing their voice and self-evaluating early on in the training course abbreviates the nervousness and awkwardness felt when speaking in front of an audience. In short, VoiceThread can serve as a scaffolding tool to boost learners’ poise and fluency in their teaching speech before presenting to a live audience.

• ITAs gain equal access to the teacher feedback because comments can be made on individual learners’ recordings, as well as time for critical self-reflection, via the remotely accessible e-oral feedback. While the remote aspect of VoiceThread may seem to promote decontextualized, non-interactive language use, in fact, the threaded commenting and “groups” functions enhance peer-peer interaction and collaboration beyond what would be possible in a classroom setting.

Figure 1. Trainee's Micro-Teaching Video Example
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Figure 2. Trainer's Video Feedback Example
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Ita Trainees’ Feedback About Voicethread

Informal course feedback collected from our ITA training classes revealed nearly all trainees (all names below are pseudonyms) found VoiceThread useful for their teaching speech improvement. For example, Rajmohan appreciated the self-monitoring and peer-learning afforded by VoiceThread:

I can hear other people's voice records and do my record at home which is very convenient. VoiceThread makes me hear my own voice first time and find my shortcoming. It helps me a lot because I had never heard my own voice before since I thought it is weird (Survey answer, September 7, 2017).

Similarly, Guo described VoiceThread as:

Easy to record. I can go back and listen how I speak. I can also listen how other people speak and to learn from them (Survey answer, September 7, 2017).

This option of re-accessing recordings was strongly welcomed by trainees, as another ITA mentioned:

With VoiceThread, I can record and listen to my record. Sometimes when I am speaking, I cannot notice all that I have to work with. I found myself speaking monotone all the time when I speak spontaneously, which will not happen when I read a paragraph (Maria, Survey answer, September 7, 2017).

Moreover, Michael insisted, “The most helpful thing is the teacher can comment on our assignment and give feedback. Also we can repeat it” (Survey answer, September 9, 2017). Overall, learners highlighted self-evaluation, teacher and peer feedback, and re-recording as VoiceThread’s primary benefits.

Example Voicethread Tasks for Ita Training Courses

We have used this dynamic tool extensively over the last two years, for over 300 students, both ITAs-in-training and EAP students. Example activities used are listed below.

• Read a text (usually an excerpt from a university lecture) aloud to practice prosodic cues // Teacher comments

• Discuss class topics in more detail // Peers comments

• Reflect on teaching speech features from a previous VoiceThread or in-class activity // Self-evaluation comments

• Upload a micro-teaching lesson with video // Teacher, peer and self-evaluation comments

• After receiving feedback, re-record the teaching speech assignment, paying attention to improvement in the feedback areas

Limitations

Despite the advantages above, several limitations exist when using VoiceThread in practice, regarding cost, technology issues, and privacy. Leaving comments and answers are free for an unlimited number of learners. However, creation of VoiceThreads is limited to five for a free account; after that, users must purchase a license (See https://voicethread.com/products/highered). The technology problems usually are with the phone app freezing or logging a learner off. This is infrequent, in our experience, and learners typically encounter this when they are signed in on multiple devices. Also, we have found that long video comments can take a few minutes to load. For privacy, learners may feel intimidated sharing videos or recordings which peers can watch/hear. Jason, an ITA, recounted, “There is no choice in VoiceThread for us to set some recordings as private, if we do not want others to watch it” (Survey answer, September 10, 2017). While there are ways to create a VoiceThread so that learners share recordings only with the teacher, extremely shy learners may still experience a raised affective filter when using VoiceThread.

Implications

The primary usefulness of VoiceThread for ITAs resides in the metacognitive connection (Flavell, 1979), that enables them to monitor, reflect, re-use, and internalize target L2 features. As VoiceThread enables a direct speaking activity, learning by doing is likely to be achieved (Dewey, 1903). The e-interactions between peer-peer and learner-teacher are another advantage, given that interaction is an essential aspect of second language acquisition (Long, 1996). Furthermore, ITAs have indicated their appreciation of presenting remotely, which reduces nervousness.

Returning to the mantra of “use it or lose it,” VoiceThread can initiate ITAs to use spoken English, to keep learning and improving their teaching speech, and thus to gain confidence for their real-world performance. Nonetheless, using this one digital platform is not a panacea; rather, quality teacher feedback, positive dynamics with peers, and self-awareness in learning, are all behind the scenes of any successful tool. We encourage ITA trainers to consider using VoiceThread in their contexts to enhance the confidence and capacity of ITAs in training.

References

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Swain, M. (2005). The output hypothesis: Theory and research. Handbook of research in second language teaching and learning, 1, 471-483.

Trofimovich, P. & Baker, W. (2006). Learning second-language suprasegmentals: effect of L2 experience on prosody and fluency characteristics of L2 speech. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 28, 1-30.

Wennerstrom, A. (2000). The role of intonation in second language fluency. In H. Riggenbach (Ed.). Perspectives on fluency (pp. 102-127). Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

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Taewoong Kim is a Ph.D. candidate majoring in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum at the University of Oklahoma. Based on his 6-year ESL teaching career and an M.A. TESOL earned at Oklahoma City University, his research interests include technology application for language learning, social justice through ELT, metacognition, self-efficacy, and learner identity

Jessica Reynolds is the Director of English Training and Certification Services, a Graduate College program for international graduate instructors at the University of Oklahoma. With 10 years of ESL teaching experience in various countries and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Queensland in Australia, Jessica’s current interests include academic rhetoric/genre writing, learner-centered technologies that enhance interaction, English language testing and internationalizing campuses through collaborative, data-driven initiatives.