- Home
- English Language Courses
- Our English Courses
- General English
- Study and Work Programme
- Academic English
- Academic English with IELTS 'Gateway to University Programme'
- Pre-sessional Programmes
- EAP Pre-Masters & Pre-PhD Pathway
- Online Summer School 2020
- Part-Time Online Courses
- Part-Time Courses for UCC Students
- Scholarship Programme for Asylum seekers and Refugees
- Price List & Term Dates
- Teacher Training Courses
- Examinations
- How to apply
- News
- Collaborative Courses
- Accommodation
- New Students
- Get to Know Us
- Project 25, Celebrating 25 years of the Language Centre
Focus on Speaking
Course Name: Focus on Speaking
Day(s)/time of class: Wednesdays 6-8 pm (Irish time)
Course length: 12 hours in class + self-study and assignments for teacher feedback
Course dates: 28 April – 2 June 2021
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 4 students will be required for this class to run. If 4 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. Please click here
IT Requirements: a computer, tablet or smartphone with audio and video. A reliable internet connection. You will need to be able to access MS Teams, Zoom or Canvas for your classes, depending on the course applied for.