Collaborative Learning Activities to Improve the Speaking Skill development in Eighth-grade Learners

Abstract

Nowadays, learning English as a foreign language has become one of the biggest concerns for the non-English speaking countries. As a result, in Colombia, promoting English as a second language is one of the main purposes in education. Accordingly, Usma (2009) points out the following: Acknowledging the importance of English in the times of competitiveness in the global market, and within the context of different international trade agreements being negotiated with other countries, the national government in Colombia has recently introduced the National Bilingual Program (Programa Nacional de Bilingüismo, Colombia 2004-2019). Among other changes, this policy has introduced the notion of bilingualism where local stakeholders previously talked about foreign language teaching and learning, reduced the notion of bilingualism in Colombia to English-Spanish; established the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2001) as the guiding norm for this reform; and standardized foreign language teaching and learning in the whole educational system.