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The two main productive skills are Speaking and Writing. Writing is the more complicated skill to develop as it requires more accuracy. Speaking can be corrected on the spot. Communication is something all people do on a daily basis. Why people communicate can be summed up into the following: 1.for communicative purposes, 2.have something to say, 3.want to listen to something, 4.an interest in what is being said. Accuracy and fluency for language learners are equally important skills to develop but both are taught at different stages of the lesson. Accuracy lessons focus on producing correct language whereas fluency activities allow the students to experiment and get creative with the language. Typical speaking activities used in the classroom: 1.Controlled activities (accuracy based) - drilling, prompting. 2.Guided activities (accuracy based with slight freedom) - model dialogues, guided role-play. 3.Creative communication (fluency based) - free role-play, discussions, information gap-filling, debates, simulation, communication games. The students that are usually reluctant to speak exhibit some of the following signs: 1.lack confidence 2.fear making mistakes 3.intimidation by peers 4.lack interest in the topic 5.have previous learning experiences 6.have cultural reasons. Techniques to help encourage students: 1.pair-work 2.group-work 3.plenty of controlled or guided practice before fluency activities 4.giving speaking activities with purpose 5.changing the classroom dynamics 6.careful planning 7.giving time to students who need preparation before certain fluency activities. Teachers should encourage students to improve on their handwriting skills. Spelling abilities are to be encouraged to developed as well as readers can misunderstand texts or the students can be perceived as uneducated. Punctuation is used differently in different languages, so it is necessary to allow the students to develop on that aspect as well. Creative writing in important as it allows the students to become creative with the language which is necessary for fluency and accuracy.
