Over the past few months, we have been sussing out ways to expand the conversation surrounding research we have been doing here at Cambridge University Press. What better way to do this than through podcasts? Seeing as everyone loves a podcast nowadays, we are hosting a series on language learning.
‘The Speaking Corner’ picks up on some of the research we have shared over the last year, particularly focusing on (perhaps the title gives this away) speaking. This series is an investigation into the research on speaking that we have collected, which we discuss with experts in the field. We focus on speaking because we know it is a big problem area for learners and we have made sure to address it from different angles such as feedback, planning for speaking, motivating speaker role models, using technology and teacher development.
So now, let’s begin with ‘Giving feedback on speaking’, our first episode featuring Philip Kerr. In general, we know that actionable feedback is valuable for learning but there are still a lot of questions that remain unanswered. Should we delay feedback, or correct students right away? Should we avoid being too negative? Is there a particular balance to be kept when trying to develop speaking skills? For more insight into giving feedback, you can take a look at the blog I wrote last year on a research paper we produced with Philip.
The podcast aims to take the conversation beyond the research papers. It takes the view of research informing practice, demonstrated by delving into some of the core topics and discussing how we can bring these to life in the classroom.
Intrigued? You can listen to the podcast here.