Year One FOA

[IbTrojan]

Hiya everyone!

 

I'm in year one and my class is starting to prepare for our final Further Oral Activity presentations but I just don't know where to start.  Now I know you guys can't give me specific ideas and whatnot, I have to come up with that myself. 

 

But I'd very much appreciate any sort of tips as of where to start... and maybe what others have done (if that's okay)?

 

Thank you!! 

[Blackcurrant]

Well, you've been studying (with your class and teacher) topics in Part 1 and 2 ... media, language, context. Is there anything that you think is interesting and worth delving into more?

 

Basically, the FOA encourages you to explore the relationship between text, context and meaning. Text can be visual (image, film etc) or written (a blog) or mutimodal (combined modes, as in blogs, online sites etc)

 

The FOA leaves you a lot of room to be creative so you're not restricted to a traditional presentation. You can perform a radio interview, give a speech -- use any of the genres that you've studied in class or understand well.

 

Steps to an FOA:

 

1. Identify what interests you (subject, area ) -- for example, Ex. "Representations of Race" (Language and Power or Language and Race Issues)

 

2. Decide what *aspect* of that topic, subject, area interests you. --- Ex. "Representations of race in ads / political speeches / educational documents / children's books or stories"  With this example, you'd be investigating how race is represented in language or image (or both) in one or more of these text types.

 

3. Select an actual text (brochure, speech, ad, children's story, image, etc) on which to base your FOA analysis and discussion. You should always have something tangible. 

 

4. Analyse as you would a Paper 1. Make the links between your topic and that text clear.  Keep in mind the *learning outcomes* for Parts 1 and 2. You should probably mention those that apply to your investigation somewhere at the start or end of your presentation, as you would fr your WT.

 

5. Decide on the format of your FOA. For example, what is the best way to show your knowledge and understanding?  Through straightforward presentation or a performance? -- EX: in a radio interview (you are an invited guest linguist), chat host (Oprah Winfrey style), police interrogation, roundtable, political speech, or straightforward presentation with ppt./prezi ...?

 

For #5 you should know that genre very well and base your performance on a genuine model of say a radio talk broadcast that deals with political or social issues. One that exists and that you know.

 

Maybe this helps? 

Edited June 1, 2015 by Blackcurrant

[Blackcurrant]

In my presentation (way back when) I took a passage from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness analysed it for representations of Africa (for your FOA that could be under "Race").

 

Rather than doing a straightforward Ppt presentation, I imagined Conrad defending himself against charges of racism in a modern TV debate (I took a popular BBC model, HardTalk). Another classmate played Tim Sebastian, quoting liberally from Chinua Achebe's famous speech accusing Conrad and Heart of Darkness as racist.

 

It was great fun. 

[IbTrojan]

In my presentation (way back when) I took a passage from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness analysed it for representations of Africa (for your FOA that could be under "Race").

 

Rather than doing a straightforward Ppt presentation, I imagined Conrad defending himself against charges of racism in a modern TV debate (I took a popular BBC model, HardTalk). Another classmate played Tim Sebastian, quoting liberally from Chinua Achebe's famous speech accusing Conrad and Heart of Darkness as racist.

 

It was great fun. 

Thank you! Your steps, examples and personal experience helped me understand what's expected of me for the FOA