Focus on Speaking

Course Name: Focus on Speaking

Day(s)/time of class: Wednesdays 6-8 pm (Irish time)

Course length: 6 weeks, 12 hours in class + self-study and assignments for teacher feedback

Course dates for 2022:

Block 3: Wednesday 19 January to Wednesday 23 February

Block 4: Wednesday 02 March to Wednesday 06 April

Block 5: Wednesday 27 April to Wednesday 01 June

You can continue from one block to another if you wish or blocks can be taken independently of one another. Please indicate on the application form which block(s) you wish to take.

Level(s): B1+ and higher

Course cost - €150*⁺

*Returning students receive a loyalty discount. Please email infolang@ucc.ie for details.

⁺UCC staff and students should email infolang@ucc.ie to enquire about special offers.

Course overview

This course will help you to improve your speaking skills. You will receive some input from the teacher on how to speak more fluently and have plenty of opportunities to practise speaking with your classmates and receive feedback from your teacher.

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, you will:

Have received some general tips on how to improve the fluency of your spoken English.
Be able to speak more clearly by improving your enunciation.
Be better able to participate in group discussions.
Have improved your ability to ask for/give clarification when needed.
Have improved your ability to effectively respond to other speakers in conversation.
Be better able to express your likes/dislikes.
Be better able to agree and disagree appropriately with other speakers.
Have learned some functional language chunks to help you when speaking.
Have the opportunity to give your opinion on controversial issues (speaking critically).
Be better able to make speculations.
Be better able to discuss hypothetical situations.

Weekly course plan (may change slightly depending on class needs)

Week 1:	Expressing likes and dislikes Small talk
Week 2:	Participating in group discussions Speech clarity - enunciation
Week 3:	Common discourse markers for speaking Speaking for an extended period of time
Week 4:	Expressing lack of understanding/asking for clarification Speaking critically
Week 5:	Making speculations ( in the present and in the past)
Week 6:	Speaking about hypothetical situations (in the present and in the past)

Student Feedback/Assessment

Students will receive regular feedback from their teachers on their progress. Due to the nature of this course, there will be no formal end-of-course assessment.

Minimum class numbers:

A minimum number of four students will be required for this class to run. If four students do not sign up, you will be offered to transfer to another course (depending on level), postpone to another term, or a refund.

Online class connection requirements

Microsoft Teams application - cameras on during class time.

A good internet connection and a quiet space where you are free to speak (headphones/earphones optional)

Attendance/End of course certificate:

Attendance will be taken in every class. If you attend 80% of your lessons, you will receive an end-of-course certificate. Please advise the teacher if you know in advance that you will be absent.

How to Apply

Open for applications: Part-time application form

IT requirements to join our courses:

All students are required to bring to class a fully-charged laptop (with audio and video) and headphones to ensure full participation and access to course materials and a more valuable student experience. A reliable internet connection is required (this is provided by UCC for on-campus students). You should download Microsoft Teams to your laptop before starting your course. UCC recommends the use of Chrome browser for best interaction with all its applications. Please note that a laptop is a device that is suitable for study purposes and students who use another device such as a tablet will not be able to access some functions. A smartphone is not considered to be a suitable device for study purposes.