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Enhancing Language for Specific Purposes through
Interactive, Peer-to-Peer Oral Techniques
Susan Seay
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Susan Spezzini
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Julia S. Austin
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Abstract: Language for specific purposes (LSP) is designed to help learners understand and
use language specific to a certain field or occupation. Meaningful and authentic interaction
between and among students using the target language is necessary for students to become
proficient in using that language for communicating in business or field-specific areas. For
meaningful communication to occur, students must be able to interact successfully in all four
language domains. Interactive, Peer-to-peer Oral Techniques (IPOTs) provide a vehicle for
that interaction. As students gain confidence in their ability to engage in authentic field-
specific conversations with classmates, confidence is built for engaging native speakers in
such conversations. This article profiles several IPOTs that can help instructors implement
effective strategies to promote interaction: turn and tell (for verbalizing newly-acquired
knowledge through periodic partner summaries), gap-filling tango (for completing a gap-
filling exercise with vocabulary in the specific discipline), parallel lines (for sharing and/or
collecting discipline-specific information with classmates), carousel charts (for activating
prior knowledge about the content), roaming reporters (for acting as reporters to collect
information being studied), and hot onion review (usually for revisiting content information).
Keywords: authentic learning; communicative language learning; Interactive, Peer-to-peer,
Oral Techniques (IPOTs); interactive strategies; Language for Specific Purposes (LSP);
meaningful interaction
Introduction
If students aren’t talking, they aren’t learning. This nugget of wisdom has been espoused by
educators and researchers for decades (Brown, 2001; Hatch, 1978; Hedge, 2000; Long, 1983),
yet teacher talk still dominates student talk in too many classrooms (Freeman & Freeman,
2007; Sahlberg, 2007). Studies consistently show the importance of having students use the
language they are learning in the classroom (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2008; Freeman &
Freeman, 2007; Hill & Flynn, 2006). According to a 2007 Modern Language Association of
America report, LSP classes should “produce a specific outcome: educated speakers who have
deep translingual and transcultural competence” (p. 3). Doyle (2012) posited that language
learning for specific purposes should be “concerned with the movement of learners from
theory and cognition to praxis (theory applied) and the measurable ability to conduct business
successfully in another language and culture” (p. 111). To meet these instructional goals,
students must engage in meaningful and authentic interaction using the target language.
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In a survey of several textbooks recommended for LSP classes, we noted that there
were few opportunities for authentic student-to-student interaction. In the texts we examined,
the purpose of the textbook or associated workbooks was to familiarize students with specific
workplace vocabulary and language use, and student work was often limited to set exercises
in the texts with little time devoted to student-to-student interaction using the target language
in authentic ways. Even when the exercises in the text were designed to be spoken aloud, with
students each taking a part, they were usually done as whole class exercises rather than as
more meaningful peer-to-peer oral interactions. Whole class participation usually means that
students have the opportunity to speak only a few times during the typical class period and
that is not enough to foster proficiency. Often when activities are designed to be whole class
interactions, rather than peer-to-peer interaction, the students who are extroverts, and/or those
who have higher language proficiency, monopolize the conversation leaving the more
introverted, shy, or lower proficiency students with little chance to interact.
As we noted in our introduction, in some language classrooms, there is more teacher
talk than student talk. IPOTs, implemented through peer-to-peer or small group interactions,
promote students’ use of the target language in ways that researchers suggest best supports
language learning (Brown, 2001; Hatch, 1978; Hedge, 2000; Hill & Flynn, 2006; Long,
1983). They give students practical as well as cultural knowledge of the language. Effective
LSP classrooms should provide many occasions for such authentic interaction using the target
language. IPOTs are an excellent venue for this to occur.
IPOT stands for Interactive, Peer-to-peer Oral Techniques and was coined by the
second author as a quick way to describe student interactive activities in the classroom. IPOTs
are activities specifically designed to engage learners in the type of conversations that are
imperative for effective communication in specific occupational fields. By using IPOTs,
student talk can easily be implemented in the adult LSP classroom (Spezzini, 2009). Many of
these techniques, or adaptations thereof, have been around for decades. However, by having
access to a catchy acronym such as IPOT, instructors seem to more easily remember to
incorporate interactive student talk into their language classrooms.
Using IPOTS allows students to practice and even write their own scripts for
conversations tailored to a wide range of communication needs within the workplace.
Language use and formality differs for communications among factory workers, between
workers and supervisors, middle and senior managers, and corporate employees and their
clients. Dealing with the public is often a requirement for specific occupations, and this
necessitates a specialized knowledge of language use, as well as of cultural norms (Graddol,
2000). IPOTs give students ample opportunity to role play specific scenes and probable
situations they will encounter in the workplace. Obvious advantages of such practices are that
students become familiar with proper stress and intonation, patterns of politeness, cultural and
social norms in the work environment, and formal versus casual language use (Graddol,
2000). Understanding these subtleties may be the difference between being understood or
misunderstood in the workplace.
A benefit of using IPOTs is that the activities allow for participation from students on
many levels of language acquisition. It is easy for the instructor to group students according to
ability levels by placing higher level and more confident students in a role that requires a
higher level of oral participation, and newer students or students with a lower level of English
acquisition in roles that require either repetition of something already said or lower speech
exertion. Another advantage is that IPOTs can very easily be incorporated into the LSP
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classroom. By adapting the content to allow for discipline-specific student conversations,
instructors can continue using the texts and workbooks already in the classroom. An activity
that we have used successfully in LSP classrooms, and one that allows instructors to get
maximum use from the text, is allowing students to write their own scripts for IPOTs using
information from the textbooks and workbooks available in the classroom.
In this article, we describe six IPOTs that are useful for instructors to use in teaching
students language for specific purposes: Turn and Tell, Parallel Lines, Gap-filling Tango,
Carousel Charts, Roaming Reporters, and Hot Onion Review. We have used these many times
with adult LSP learners and have found that language learning is indeed enhanced when
IPOTs, such as these are used. Students enjoy being able to actually use the language they are
learning. They are able to get immediate feedback on pronunciation and usage, while being
afforded numerous opportunities to use the language.
Turn and Tell
Turn and Tell is a popular technique used in classrooms at every level. The benefit of
this technique is that students immediately use the targeted vocabulary as they explain to a
classmate, usually the student seated right beside them, what was just discussed or explained
by the instructor. The procedure is to ask the students to explain something to their neighbor
to the right or left. Students turn and tell their partners something about the lesson and/or
vocabulary just introduced. For students in a business English class, this could be Partner 1
telling Partner 2 how to properly make introductions in a business venue. A follow-up to this
activity could be students actually introducing themselves to each other using vocabulary that
would be appropriate in a formal business venue when introducing clients, as opposed to the
informal language one might use to introduce co-workers or friends. Another quick use is to
have students define for their partner a term just introduced and explained by the instructor. If
the teacher has already given students labels as either A or B, then the activity can be quickly
initiated by asking student A to be the speaker and student B the listener. Alternating the roles
the next time the activity is used assures that all students have a chance to speak and listen.
Turn and Tell can be used at any point in the lesson. The informality lessens stress for learners
and allows instructors to gauge student understanding. In the Turn and Tell IPOT, all students
are engaged simultaneously with half speaking to their respective partner and the other half
actively listening. This activity usually takes only a minute or two, and is concluded as soon
as one student has turned and interacted with another student sitting next to or across from
him or her. Because this activity takes little time to implement, it can be used successfully
several times throughout the class period and does not require students to get up and move
about.
Parallel Lines
Parallel Lines is an activity in which half of the students stand in a line with their
backs against the wall. The other students form a parallel line by standing at a conversational
distance, each student directly facing a classmate. The students in the wall line ask one or
more questions from a 3” x 5” card or a graphic organizer, and their partners in the parallel
line respond. When signaled, the students in the parallel line all move up one spot, with the
head student going to the end of the line and the student next to the head student taking his or
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her place in the line until all students in this line have moved up one spot. While the students
in the parallel line are moving, the students in the wall line maintain their original position.
This continues until the first student in the parallel line is back in his original position in the
line, thus completing the cycle and ending the activity. The parallel line activity allows every
student to engage in multiple conversations with multiple partners. If this IPOT were used to
review construction and engineering terms, the students could have dialog written that would
use the targeted vocabulary. Words like architect, plans, review, supervise, plot, and drainage
could be used in describing a project. Students in the wall line could read the dialog, and
students in the opposite line could ask questions about the dialog they hear. A timer or other
signal is used to alert students to change partners by having each person move up one spot. In
this Parallel Lines IPOT, all students are engaged simultaneously, with half speaking to their
respective partner and the other half actively listening. This activity can be varied by having
one student play the role of the project manager and the other play the role of client, thus
changing both the formality and tone of the language used. For higher-level ability students,
the Parallel Lines IPOT can become less scripted, with students generating dialogue, giving
them practice that more closely reflects a real-world situation.
Gap-filling Tango
Gap-filling Tango is an excellent activity for the integration of reading, writing,
listening, and speaking. To implement this activity, instructors select a script by photocopying
a page from the textbook used in the class or adapting an article from the field of study. The
scripts are given to students who will work in pairs. Instructors create blank spaces (gaps) in
the scripts by using whiteout or correction tape or by retyping the selected passage. Script A
and Script B will have different blanks spaces (gaps). Half of the students will get Script A,
and half will get Script B. Students choose a partner who has the opposite script from the one
they have. Here is an example of a gap-filling tango script for use in the medical field:
Original Script: When you’re short of breath, it’s hard or uncomfortable for you to
take in the oxygen your body needs. You may feel as if you're not getting enough air.
Sometimes mild breathing problems are from a stuffy nose or hard exercise. But
shortness of breath can also be a sign of a serious disease. Many conditions can make
you feel short of breath. Lung conditions such as asthma, emphysema or pneumonia
cause breathing difficulties. So can problems with your trachea or bronchi, which are
part of your airway system. Heart disease can make you feel breathless if your heart
cannot pump enough blood to supply oxygen to your body. Stress caused by anxiety
can also make it hard for you to breathe. If you often have trouble breathing, it is
important to find out the cause.
Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/breathingproblems.html.
Script A would have words removed from sentences 1, 3, 5, etc. and those words would be
replaced with blanks. For example:
1. When you’re _________ ___ ________, it is hard or uncomfortable for you to take
in the oxygen your body needs.
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2. You may feel as if you’re not getting enough air.
Script B would have the exact same words except that sentences 2, 4, 6, etc. would be
replaced with blanks. For example:
1. When you’re short of breath, it is hard or uncomfortable for you to take in the
oxygen your body needs.
2. You may feel as if you’re not getting _________ _______.
Students form tango pairs by sitting in chairs that have been placed beside each other,
but facing in opposite directions so that students sit shoulder to shoulder and face away from
each other. That way they cannot see each other’s scripts but are close enough to hear their
partner read the script aloud softly. When students hear words that have been left out of the
script they are holding, they write the missing words on the corresponding blanks. Students
take turns reading the sentences, with Student A reading first, then Student B. This alternating
of turns is repeated until all the blanks or gaps are filled in. The activity can be ended by
students taking turns reading the completed, filled-in script. The prepared script may also be
used as a study sheet for a quiz or examination.
For more advanced students or to create a more meaningful experience, the scripts can
be created by the students themselves. By working in pairs or groups, they can simulate
situations and scenarios that would naturally occur in the field. In using this IPOT, students
are using the target vocabulary, learning language for specific content, and using all four
modalities of language. Once again, all students are engaged simultaneously with half reading
and speaking to their respective partner and the other half actively listening and writing.
Carousel Charts
Carousel Charts is an activity that is adaptable for use as either an introductory
activity or concluding activity. The idea of the carousel chart IPOT for introducing a topic is
to enable students to activate prior knowledge by thinking of what they may already know
about the subject to be discussed. As a concluding activity, carousel charts allow students to
show what they have learned about the topic. To do this activity, first place several large
poster-sized Post-It sheets on walls spread evenly throughout the classroom. Space the charts
evenly around the room so that students have space to cluster around each carousel chart to
write. Set a time limit for each chart, perhaps 2 or 3 minutes, and ring a bell when students are
to change to another chart. In this way, students are gathered at each chart and rotate when
they hear the signal, ensuring that all students are provided an opportunity to write on each
chart. Be sure to provide markers for students to use when writing on the charts. If space is
limited, not allowing for students to cluster around the charts, students can write on small
Post-It notes and place those on the appropriate carousel chart.
Carousel chart use can take many forms. Here is an example that could be used when
teaching nurses. When teaching nursing vocabulary in another language, instructors may want
to list several areas of nursing, for example, patient care, nutrition, and allergies. Students
would then go to each chart and write down any terms or information they might already
know about the subject if used as an introductory activity, or what they have learned about
each category if used as a concluding activity. After all the students have visited and written
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on each chart, students can be chosen to read each chart to see if everyone agrees that the
information should be on the specific chart. A simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down by students
can indicate their opinion about whether the material belongs on the chart. Students could also
discuss these terms with a partner by doing the Turn and Tell IPOT. By having students state
a reason why they agree or disagree, the instructor can use this as an informal assessment of
student knowledge.
An alternate way to use the Carousel Charts IPOT is to have the groups revisit the
charts after each group of students has written on every chart. This time around, the students
in their groups will discuss what is written on the charts and decide as a group whether there
are any items with which they disagree. They will write down their group decisions and
choose one person from the group to share the findings with the whole group. For every chart,
there should be a group that revisits and makes a group decision about the answers on the
chart. Every group will then share their findings with the whole group. Discussion can follow
if there is whole group disagreement on the chart contents. This part of the adapted exercise
may be conducted in either L1 or L2, but the group findings should be delivered to the whole
group in the target language.
Roaming Reporters
Roaming Reporters is an activity that lends itself to several different applications and
is easily adaptable to language ability level. In the Roaming Reporter IPOT, students take the
role of reporters interviewing each other. Students may write a short script that they will use
in answering questions when they are interviewed, and they can write questions to ask
classmates about the scripts they have written. If students are not yet at a level at which they
can write their own scripts, the instructor may give each student a script accompanied by a list
of questions to be asked. Students take their scripts and questions with them as they ‘roam’
around the room. They will stop and read their script to a classmate and that classmate will
ask questions about the script. Then, they will change roles and the classmate will read his or
her script and the first student will ask questions. After this first exchange, students will find
another partner and repeat the activity. The instructor may ring a bell or use another signal to
indicate time for changing partners. Variations to this activity may be that one group of
students has the script, and another group has the questions to ask. The roles may then change
to give each group experience reading and asking questions. This activity can be used with
any occupation or discipline. An example for students studying Business English might be for
students to be given scripts with descriptions of different jobs and with instructions to
introduce themselves as an employee of a given company who holds that specific position.
The partner would then ask questions about the job-related duties of a person holding that
position.
Roaming Reporters gives students practical practice along with multiple opportunities
for using the targeted vocabulary. In this activity, as with other IPOTs, students speak many
times with many partners, and all students are engaged simultaneously, with half speaking to
their respective partner and the other half actively listening. Students may be given
instructions to speak to three other students, and the activity ends when all students have
spoken to three other students. If there are multiple languages represented in the class,
students may be asked to speak to classmates who speak a different language from
themselves, giving the opportunity to hear the target language spoken in various accents that
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may be present in the workplace. A follow-up activity that would provide writing practice
would be for the students to write a report about the interviews.
In the beginning of the term or if the language ability levels of the students is low, the
instructor may write the scripts, but as students gain language proficiency, they will be able to
write their own scripts. This is also an excellent opportunity for teachers to place less
proficient students with more proficient speakers, with one student given the script and the
other answering without a script. This lessens the affective filter for students who need more
support.
Hot Onion Review
Hot Onion Review is an activity that is most often used as a review activity to check
for understanding of vocabulary and concepts learned. However, this Hot Onion Review
IPOT can also be used as an introductory activity for a new class. To participate in this
activity, students stand in a circle and toss a “hot onion.” The onion is made by writing
questions on strips of paper and forming the papers into one large ball by layering on one strip
at a time. It works best if each of these pieces is approximately one third of an 8½ x 11-inch
sheet of paper. The first paper is wadded into a ball, and each additional paper is pressed
together around that ball until all of the question strips are incorporated into the ball. For large
classes or to shelter class time, two or more onions may be made for two or more circles of
students.
In each circle, a student gently tosses the ball (the hot onion) to the one of the other
students, who then carefully unwraps the outer layer of the onion, reads it aloud, and then
answers the question. After answering, he or she tosses the hot onion to another student in the
circle. This continues until every student has answered a question or until the onion is
completely unwrapped. If used as an introductory activity, the prompts on each paper can be
general questions designed to allow students to get to know one another, for example, “How
long have you worked as a nurse?” or “What do you hope to learn in this class?” When the
Hot Onion IPOT is used as a review activity, the target vocabulary is used for the questions on
the lesson or course content. For example, when used in a class learning travel industry terms,
a question could be, “What does ‘shoulder season’ mean?”
This activity can be adapted by allowing all students in the circle to participate in
answering the question. Another adaptation we have used is to allow the students to prepare
the onions. The questions prepared may ask for definitions of specific vocabulary, for answers
to specific questions one may be asked by coworkers, or an explanation of a procedure. The
Hot Onion Review IPOT is helpful to instructors because it allows a quick check on student
understanding without a formal evaluation. Done before a major examination, it serves as a
review for the students and as a way for instructors to ascertain where additional instruction is
needed to clarify student misunderstandings.
Conclusion
In this article, we have detailed six IPOTs and have offered ways to adapt these
activities. There are many more interactive activities than the six we describe that lend
themselves to meaningful student interaction and that could also be listed as an IPOT. An
Internet search on interactive language learning activities will quickly yield many interactive
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activities for classroom use. For meaningful communication to occur, students must be able to
interact successfully in all four language domains. IPOTs provide a vehicle for that
interaction. They provide enjoyment for students and reduce some of the anxiety related to
learning a new language. As students gain confidence in their ability to engage in authentic
discipline-specific conversations with classmates, confidence is built for engaging with native
speakers in such conversations. If you have not used interactive activities in your classroom,
give these a try. You will see improvement in student learning outcomes, as well as higher
student satisfaction with instruction.
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