Dr Rejaul Karim Barbhuiya Assistant Professor, Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), NCERT, Ministry of Education, Government of India
Times have changed. Today is not the time of memorising and copying. Students must be enabled to think for themselves and articulate their thoughts well. They should be able to participate meaningfully and confidently in dayto-day activities – whether it be buying groceries, registering a formal complaint, or voicing opinions freely. A problem-solving attitude, critical outlook, scientific temperament and creativity are nonnegotiable skills in the 21st century.
The National Education Policy 2020 talks about technology playing an important role in improving the learning outcomes and learning experiences of children. With the growing penetration of the internet and the easy availability of smartphones and other electronic devices, both parents and teachers can participate in and supervise children's learning through various online apps, quizzes, videos, e-books, educational games and so on. In a nutshell, digital learning has the potential to impact on what children learn and how they learn.
NEP 2020 acknowledges the multilingual reality of India and asserts that the bridge of home language or other familiar language is absolutely crucial for children in the foundational years, not only to help them to comprehend basic subjects, but also to acquire additional languages like English. Thus, the needs-based and systematic use of learners' home languages should be encouraged in the classrooms, along with an anxiety-free, purpose-oriented and input-rich environment.
In the post-Covid world, more than ever before, the parents' role is being seen as pivotal to children's growth and learning. The National Education Policy 2020 released by the Government of India, recognises parents as equal partners in their children's education. At home, it is important for caregivers to create a safe, engaging and positive environment for children to learn, apply themselves and have fun. Parents can also engage actively with children around their homework, curricular and co-curricular activities and projects.
Aparna Dixit Head of Content and Research, Centre for Learning Resources
Ms Sonia Kumari Assistant Professor, Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi
Dr Aakash Chowkase Post-doctoral Research Fellow, University of California, Berkeley, USA, Department of Psychology
Thanks to globalization and the emergence of technologies, international boundaries have become blurred. English, to a high degree, is a commonly understood medium of communication. It is one of the key tools that students need to perform well today and in the future. According to a global study, while recruiting, 98.5% of employers implicitly or explicitly assess a candidate’s English communication skills! There is therefore a growing demand for English communication skills, because it empowers people and enables them to lead a better life. Functional communication skills, involving aspects of LSRW (listening, speaking, reading and writing), are central to knowledge acquisition, children’s intellectual, social and emotional growth, and life-long learning.
Specifically, strong listening and speaking skills are not only vital in the overall language learning process, but also lead to better reading and writing skills. Yet, these foundational skills tend to be neglected in schools due to the high pupil-teacher ratio, lack of oral language-focused assessment, and most importantly, a lack of systematic and allocated practice time for these skills within the classroom.
Aligned with NEP 2020, NCERT learning outcomes and standardized to CEFR (Common European Framework for Reference) levels, Uolo Speak is a hybrid learning program that focuses on building, applying, practising, and assessing these core language skills.
First, through this book as one of the components of the program, the English classroom becomes an avenue to hone functional speaking skills in real time. The teacher-led activities give learners the opportunity to undertake high-quality, level-appropriate, and experiential activities that help to build confidence and expression in English.
Second, the mobile interface of the product ensures consistent practice of functional LSRW skills. These exercises go beyond traditional question types and employ cutting-edge technology to enable learning and generate instant feedback. For instance, learners practise speaking with Al (artificial intelligence), as if conversing with a real person!
Third, Uolo Speak assessment can be conducted by the school in sync with their academic calendars. The assessment is evaluated by Uolo’s English specialists to give performance report and feedback.
Finally, the reporting methodology used in the above three program components, generates a skill growth chart against CEFR levels for each learner, class and the school. Educators can then clearly identify learners who are reaching, meeting, and exceeding the level requirements, and support them accordingly.
Uolo Speak is a powerful, exciting, and unique experience for learners and teachers. It represents a real life and results-oriented approach to develop essential 21st century functional English skills.
Wishing all teachers, parents, and learners lots of fun and joyful experiences as you embark upon this exciting journey with Uolo Speak.
Dr Laraine O'Connell
I am a veteran English teacher and lecturer, with a great love for English and for teaching. I have taught English and trained teachers over many years. I live in South Africa and it is a wonderful experience working with a company promoting the learning of English in India.
“In the 21st century, language teaching must go beyond traditional approaches and must aim to enable students to use language skills in real-life contexts for a wide variety of purposes.” (NEP, 2020)
According to Vygotsky and Krashen’s theory of second language teaching, language acquisition happens best when learners are engaged in purposeful and meaningful tasks in an anxiety-free, non-judgmental, communication-oriented, input-rich, supportive and stress-free environment, along with a lot of scaffolding practices. (D. Krashen, 1988) Such approach to second-language teaching is also greatly highlighted by the NIPUN Bharat Mission document and NEP 2020. (NIPUN BHARAT, 2021; NEP, 2020)
In this context, the Conversations series and the learning activities designed in it can play a crucial role in creating an input-rich environment, employing diverse avenues for consistent practice in a fear-free and non-judgemental setting, coupled with real-time feedback.
The book also follows the model of ‘Gradual Release of Responsibility’ (GRR), a teaching and learning model that has been widely recommended by the NEP 2020, educational researchers, and practitioners all over the world for its effectiveness in promoting student engagement and deep understanding of content and skills (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983; Duke & Pearson, 2002). Through this model, learners are supported to become independent learners. In this instructional model, the teacher initially takes on the majority of the responsibility for learning, providing explicit instruction and modelling of skills. As learners begin to grasp the content and skills, the teacher gradually shifts the responsibility to them, facilitating a guided practice and a collaborative learning experience. Finally, the learners take full ownership of their learning through independent practice and the application of the skills they have acquired or concepts that have been taught to them.
Following a similar approach, Conversations series offers three core instructional models that are used in every period for building English speaking in learners. They are:
Listen Echo Express and Repeat (E&R)
In this instructional model, the teacher simply reads aloud and models the correct speaking (of stories, presentations, responses) in front of learners. This helps learners receive accurate input for target language and also engage with and understand the content better. Such an input-rich environment makes learners familiar and comfortable with English.
In this instructional model, learners simply repeat English presentations, responses and sentence constructions after the teacher, and try to imitate correct content, pronunciation, flow and expression. Such practice instils a lot of confidence among learners and provides them the required support to be able to speak in English correctly and independently.
In this instructional model, learners follow a speaking cycle, as enumerated below:
1. The teacher asks a question or gives a speaking stimulus.
2. Several learners share their independent responses one after the other.
3. The teacher summarises or rephrases each learners’ response in correct English, if needed.
4. All learners repeat after what the teacher summarises or rephrases, in correct English, and using adequate expression.
The E&R cycle, in this way, not only allows learners to think freely and express independently in an anxiety-free environment, but also allows for the teachers’ intervention in a need-based manner to reinforce English speaking.
To sum it up, this series has been created with a view to do away with the fear of speaking in English among learners, making its fluency a definite possibility in their lives and allowing them to express themselves confidently in real-world situations.
1 What Do You Think? Feelings and point of view
2 Participating in Conversations Engaging in conversations
Understand a person's feelings and point of view
Share personal feelings and point of view
3 Formal Requests Formal conversations
Gather details from others' conversations
Participate actively in conversations
Identify the main idea of a formal complaint / request Articulate thoughts in a formal grievance / request-related conversation
4 Sum It Up Giving a summary
5
Let’s Craft Stories Storytelling
6 Sharing Experiences Recounting a personal expereince
7
What’s Your Opinion? Presenting a point of view on a topic
8 Do You Agree? Agreeing or Disagreeing
Identify key details
Present a crisp and clear summary
Identify key events and the main idea of a story
Tell stories to an audience in an engaging manner
Retell important details after listening to someone's experience
Describe a personal expereince in some detail
Infer someone's point of view on a topic
Express a point of view on a topic with a reason
Critically evaluate different points of view on a topic
Agree or disagree with a point of view 9 Twisting the Story Completing a story Change parts of a story
Present the story to an audience
In order to ensure participation of the maximum number of learners during the classroom presentations and to keep the surprise element going, you can try the following quick games for inviting learners to participate:
• Randomly pick the learner’s name written on chits / ice cream sticks / playing cards.
• Ask the learners to write code names for themselves on a chit. Randomly pick the chit from the jar and ask who it belongs to.
• Call out the roll number randomly.
• Say some unique identification markers, e.g. the one who is carrying a blue water bottle, the one who has a red bag, the one who was born in the month of March, the one whose birth date is 15, the one who has curly hair, the one who has two ponies, the one who was born on the same date on which the lesson is being taught, the one who has the same roll number as the date when the lesson is being taught.
• Throw a ball of paper or a plastic ball and give an opportunity to the one who catches it.
• Throw a ball of paper or a plastic ball and give an opportunity to the person who is sitting next to the one who catches it.
• Sing a song / recite a poem while students swiftly pass an object from one to the other. The one who is holding it when the song/poem ends, has to present.
• After their presentation, each student invites the next presenter.
• Open a book randomly at a page. Call out that (roll) number for presentation.
• Pick any letter flashcard from a pile of flashcards. Choose the one whose name starts / ends with that letter.
• Pick any learner’s identity card / passport size photograph / notebook placed upside down on a table. Call that student for a presentation.
• Roll a dice once to call out a single digit (roll) number, or roll a dice twice to call out a double digit (roll) number for presentation.
• At the count of three, the learners as well as the teacher show a number from 1-10 using their fingers. The learner whose number matches with the teacher’s will be invited to present.
• Play stone, paper, scissor with the whole class. Invite those students first whose action matches yours.
• At the count of three, the teacher as well as the learners will shows a colour flashcard. The learners whose colour matches with the teacher’s is invited to present first.
Chapter Period 1
1
About the Chapter: Through this chapter, learners will develop the skill of sharing their feelings and points of view.
Listening Speaking Outcomes: Learners will be able to:
• understand a person’s feelings and point of view.
Say: Welcome to the Speak class. Today, we will read Chapter 1—What Do You Think?
Instruct: Look at the cover picture for one minute. Observe the things that you see in the picture. Initiate a discussion as per the suggested questions. Follow the E&R cycle.
1. Can you tell me which place is shown in the picture? (A stadium is shown in the picture.)
2. What do you see in the picture?
(I can see a children’s cricket team, the team’s captain and a reporter. I can also see the captain holding a trophy. The rest of the team is celebrating.)
3. What do you think is happening in the picture?
(I think that the winning team’s captain is giving an interview.)
Read aloud/Play a model description of the cover page 2–3 times with expression.
Say: Look at the picture. It shows a stadium where a cricket match was being played. You can see that it is packed with spectators. In the background, the winning team is celebrating their victory. They seem to be on cloud nine. The captain of the team is giving an interview to the reporter.
Instruct: Repeat each line after me.
If learners struggle, break down the sentences into short but meaningful chunks for repetition. For example: The captain / of the team / is giving / an interview / to the reporter.
Say: You just heard the idiom on cloud nine while listening to me talk about the cover page. Let us learn more about it.
Read aloud the idiom, its meaning and the example sentences.
Idiom on cloud nine
Meaning extremely happy
Sentences Rajni was on cloud nine when she got to know that she had won the competition. / Are we going to watch my favourite film tonight? Oh, I am on cloud nine!
Instruct: Repeat the idiom after me—on cloud nine.
Instruct: Repeat the meaning after me—extremely happy.
Instruct: Repeat the sentence after me—Rajni was on cloud nine when she got to know that she had won the competition.
Instruct: Now, why don't you make some sentences with the idiom on cloud nine and tell them to me?
About the Chapter: Through this chapter, learners will develop the skill of presenting their point of view on a topic.
Listening Speaking Outcomes: Learners will be able to:
• infer someone’s point of view on a topic.
• express their point of view on a topic with reasons.
Say: Welcome to the Speak class. Today, we will read Chapter 7—What’s Your Opinion?
Instruct: Look at the cover picture for one minute. Observe the things that you see in the picture.
Initiate a discussion as per the suggested questions. Follow the E&R cycle.
1. Who do you see in the picture? (I can see a girl, judges and an audience.)
2. Look at the title. What do you think is happening in the picture? (I think the girl on stage is sharing her opinion on a topic with the judges and audience.)
3. Why is the man on the stage saying, ‘What’s Your Reason?’ (I think the man is saying so because he is keen to know the reason for the girl’s opinion on the given topic.)
Read aloud/Play a model description of the cover page 2–3 times with expression.
Say: In the picture, there is a girl standing on the stage and sharing her opinion on a topic. The judges and the audience are all ears. They are asking her for the reason that has helped the girl form her opinion. The girl looks confident.
Instruct: Repeat each line after me.
If learners struggle, break down the sentences into short but meaningful chunks for repetition. For example: They are / asking her for the reason / that has helped the girl / form her opinion.
Say: You just heard the idiom all ears while listening to me talk about the cover page. Let us learn more about it.
Read aloud the idiom, its meaning and the example sentences.
Idiom all ears
Meaning to listen eagerly and attentively
Sentences I was all ears when Rina shared details about her trip to Japan. / Shreya wanted him to be all ears when she told him about her tournament.
Instruct: Repeat the idiom after me—all ears.
Instruct: Repeat the meaning after me—to listen eagerly and attentively.
Instruct: Repeat the sentence after me—I was all ears when Rina shared details about her trip to Japan.
Instruct: Now, why don't you make some sentences with the idiom all ears and tell them to me?
The 'Conversations' book follows a unique spiralling approach that systematically builds language skills and enables children to express themselves verbally in real-world situations, thus preparing them for the needs of the 21st century world. Each chapter focuses on building specific and age-appropriate English language competencies by weaving together activities that are contextual, experiential, joyful, and research-based.
• Activity-based Learning: The book offers joyful and experiential activities that build English communication competencies.
• Texts as per NEP 2020 themes: The book has exciting and stimulating texts that pave the way for English communication activities.
• Tech Integration: The book works in sync with the digital world, where various other activities and projects are undertaken. Learner outputs are evaluated through an AI-based speech recognition engine.
• Assessment of Speaking & Listening as per CEFR: The program includes special assessment that allows systematic reporting on growth of English language skills as per the CEFR.
• Teachers’ Manual: The book is complemented by the Teachers’ Manual that enables teachers to conduct each session effectively.
Uolo partners with K-12 schools to provide technology-based learning programs. We believe pedagogy and technology must come together to deliver scalable learning experiences that generate measurable outcomes. Uolo is trusted by over 8,000 schools with more than 3 million learners across India, South East Asia, and the Middle East.