The shadowing method as a technique to enhance speaking skills in high school students.

Abstract

This project inquires how the Shadowing Method in teaching English as a foreign language improves the oral skills of students, taking the experience of teachers with high school students. The study explores the impact that the Shadowing Method has in the classroom, providing results, such as active student participation, and making mistakes in the classroom is part of learning, from the teachers’ perspective, which helps them identify aspects of oral skills that students must improve to provide them with more feedback. The qualitative method was used in this research project, with interviews conducted with five teachers in the English subject who have applied the Shadowing Method. The answers from the interviews with the teachers provide positive aspects, helping in the pronunciation, intonation, and vocabulary of the students. Despite the benefits of using the Shadowing Method, the teachers also mentioned the challenges that the students faced the first time of applying the method. One of them was that they did not understand what the audio said to repeat it, but with constant practice, it could be improved. The results of the project showed that the Shadowing Method is a necessity that all educational institutions must apply to take advantage of today's technology, since English is still taught theoretically, without the opportunity for students to practice the language. The research concluded that the Shadowing Method improves certain aspects of students' speaking skills, providing a positive effect in the classroom. By applying the recommendations mentioned in the project, the Shadowing Method can solve problems that exist in English, creating an effective and practical language learning.