Topics for Extemporaneous speaking (Part 1)

Topics for any extemporaneous activity vary depending on the theme or occasion. If it's for a class use, there could be plenty of issues that you may want to include in this activity like the advantages of disavantages of the internet, the risks of child abuse, globalization issues, divorce, gay marriage, animal rights, saving the environment or global warming, junk food and so on and so forth. When I used this method in my classes I was able to come up with 62 different topics which I individually wrote on small pieces of paper which I rolled for my students to pick. It is so easy to think up of topics for this activity. It's anything goes from garbage to religion to reincarnation.

It is different when there is an occasion like English Week, or Accountancy Day, or Nutrition Month and you have extemporaneous speaking contest as one of the highlights of the celebration because you need topics that revolve around the theme of the affair. This is what I am going to start here-----a series of suggestions on possible themes to be used on certain occasions especially done in school.

If you have any occasion in which you might want suggestions as to theme and topics, you may leave your comment here or use the message box for your concerns.

Here are some suggestions. I would like to work on one occasion at a time. Around this time schools have just celebrated Nutrition Month and are now preparing for the celebration of Linggo Ng Wika (Pilipino Week). My suggestions will be in English of course.

Theme # 1: How do we make the Pilipino language more relevant to the fast-changing time?

a) How can the Pilipino language adapt to the language used in the internet?

b) With the sudden influx of call centers requiring good English from our graduates, do you think our national language should support and give way to the schools' efforts to respond to the demands outside?

c) More and more Filipinos are becoming exceptionally good in the Universal language but very poor in their own native tongue. What do you think of this? Is this good or bad for the individual and for the country?

d) Our very own telenovelas and TV shows are the best places to learn Pilipino. React to this. What happens to the classroom?

e) There is a need to revamp the Pilipino language in order to make it more responsive to the demands of the time. Discuss.

f) One of the best ways to improve our economy is making Filipino as our medium of instruction. Discuss.

g) Let us be more nationalistic. Instead of encouraging our students to speak a foreign language or English, schools should encourage students to speak our very own language on campus and off.