Oral English Skills, CEFR B2.2 (3 ECTS)

Location and time

Study sessions are always online at https://hill.webex.com/meet/annika.valo. You do not need a password. Times of study sessions can be found on the course Moodle page and on Tuudo.

Materials

We use the book Way Ahead (Publisher: Finn Lectura; paperback and not available as an online book). The copies of the book are available at SAMK libraries in Pori and Rauma. If you don't live near Pori or Rauma, try to look for it in other libraries in your area (books can also often be ordered to libraries from other libraries). The book is also sold in various bookshops.

Employer connections

The topics of the course and communicative situations practiced during the course are based on the needs of working life.

Exam schedules

There will be an oral exam in pairs at the end based on the topics of the course. For the exam, the student needs to study the material used during the course.

International connections

Moodle and HILL. Weekly sessions are held on HILL. The teacher will send all participants who have been accepted on the course the link to the course Moodle page.

Evaluation methods and criteria

The student takes an oral exam at the end of the course. Assessment: 1 to 5.

Content scheduling

Using various practical activities, the course aims at helping students improve their oral communication skills in various interactive situations. The aims of the course: -to increase courage to participate in discussions and improve active participation in discussions -to build one's vocabulary, pronunciation and listening skills -to understand different kinds of accents in English -to express one's opinions clearly -to discuss appropriately in both formal as well as informal situations

Failed (0)

The student has not taken part in 75% of the classes and/or has not passed the oral exam at the end.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

The student student has taken part in 75% of classes and has passed the oral exam at the end. The student -has enough language to get by, with sufficient vocabulary to express him/herself with some hesitation on topics such as family, hobbies and interests, work, travel, and current events. -uses reasonably accurately a repertoire of frequently used "routines" and patterns associated with more predictable situations. -can keep going comprehensibly, even though pausing for grammatical and lexical planning and repair is very evident, especially in longer stretches of free production. -can initiate, maintain and close simple face-to-face conversation on topics that are familiar or of personal interest. Can repeat back part of what someone has said to confirm mutual understanding. -can link a series of shorter, discrete simple elements into a connected, linear sequence of points.

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

The student student has taken part in 75% of classes and has passed the oral exam at the end. The student -has a sufficient range of language to be able to give clear descriptions, express viewpoints on most general topics, without much conspicuous searching for words, using some complex sentence forms to do so. -shows a relatively high degree of grammatical control. Does not make errors which cause misunderstanding and can correct most of their mistakes. -can produce stretches of language with a fairly even tempo, although they can be hesitant as they search for patterns and expressions, there are few noticeably long pauses. -can initiate discourse, take their turn when appropriate and end conversation when they need to, though they may not always do this elegantly. -can help the discussion along on familiar ground confirming comprehension, inviting others in, etc. -can use a number of cohesive devices to link their utterances into clear, coherent discourse, though there may be some "jumpiness" in a long contribution.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The student student has taken part in 75% of classes and has passed the oral exam at the end. The student -has a good command of a broad range of language allowing them to select a formulation to express them clearly in an appropriate style on a wide range of general, academic, professional or leisure topics without having to restrict what they want to say. Has a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. -consistently maintains a high degree of grammatical accuracy; errors are rare, difficult to spot and generally corrected when they do occur. -can express themself fluently and spontaneously, almost effortlessly. Only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a natural, smooth flow of language. -can select a suitable phrase from a readily available range of discourse functions to preface their remarks in order to get or to keep the floor and to relate their own contributions skilfully to those of other speakers. -can produce clear, smoothly-flowing, well-structured speech, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

Teaching methods

The course aims to help students improve their oral communication skills in various interactive situations by using various practical activities. There will not be written assignments, such as essays, to write in this course.

Evaluation scale

1-5