[eng] The main aim of this paper is to emphasize the need to practise more
spoken English within Secondary English classes in Spain. Furthermore, the
reality within the EFL classroom is explored to attempt to understand whether
students are practising the spoken skill sufficiently alongside the other
communicative skills of listening, reading and writing, which are equally as
important within the language learning process. Authors who have studied the
difficulties of promoting the use of the target language within an EFL context will
also be referred to throughout this work. Additionally, other factors such as
student motivation, student anxiety or fear of public speaking are analysed to
reach conclusions on how best to prepare our students to speak in English both
inside and outside the classroom.
The title “Raise your words, not your voice” refers to the need for
students to speak in English in order to better practise oral communication in
the target language and to create speech patterns that make oneself
understood; it is not enough for learners to simply raise their voices, without
prior thought to what is being said out loud. Also, a specially designed student
questionnaire was handed out to students at IES Bendinat Secondary school to
gain feedback and vital insight on their experience of practising and using
English during their time in Secondary school. After gathering and analysing the
results of the questionnaires, suggestions on communicative activities will be
made available for EFL teachers to use in class which aid the speaking process
in English classrooms.