Secondessay

Language Skills
Essay
ITTO
18/02/15
James Kelsey
Introduction
Addressing the four key skills in language acquisition are important. The
receptive skills of reading and listening work in tandem with the
productive skills of speaking and writing. These four skills are the building
blocks of language, and learning them is essential to communication. As
explained in the ITTO textbook, theories are divided on the application and
emphasis of these skills. Some theories suggest it is most beneficial to
learn a foreign language in a manner similar to how the mother tongue
was acquired. Of course, we cannot devote two years to the listening
stage just for the sake of emulating the learning process of a child.
However, emphasis on the aural (listening and speaking) skills should be
made during the early stages of skill development. Learning aural skills in
a communicative way is also important. Ideally students should have as
much talk time as possible in class they may have little to no exposure
to the target language outside of it. This aim echoes the aim of the learner
centred method; peer communication is key.
Listening
Listening is the cornerstone of learning a language. It is a receptive skill,
whereby the student absorbs information and vocabulary. However, not all
listening materials are equally valuable. We should aim to wean students
off caretaker audio that being overly simplified audio clips often
accompanying textbooks as soon as practically possible. Authentic
listening materials are far superior in understanding intonation and
idioms. Audio from textbooks is stripped of the musicality of language,
whilst authentic materials are rich with it. Authentic materials also better
prepare students for real world listening; the sterile, careful tone of
textbook audio does not imitate real life. Aside from choosing the correct
material, presenting it effectively is also important. Penny Ur gives some
suggestions on achieving this. Firstly, its prudent to tell the learners the
nature of the text that they are about to hear. Its important to inform the
learners the purpose of listening to this particular piece of audio eg. we
are going to find out their feelings on the matter. And if necessary,
explain to students the task before them. Perhaps they will need to fill in a
chart whilst/immediately after listening. However, preferably students will
first be able to listen to the audio, unburdened by any distracting tasks.
After
listening,
students
may
be
asked
to
demonstrate
their
understanding. Questions, whether asked directly by the teacher or

presented on a worksheet will achieve this.
Speaking
Speaking is a productive skill. In regards to the communicative approach,
which ITTO favors, it is a vitally important skill. It is through speaking with
other learners that the real learning is accomplished. Students generally
begin practicing speaking in scenarios that are controlled, such as a
doctors office or post office. This careful, formal speech pattern is easy
for more novice students to manage. However, for students of greater
experience, practicing less formal, on the spot speaking is important.
Similar to the textbook scripted audio mentioned previously, the English
found in the pages of textbooks do not imitate real life. In reality, English
is rich with contractions, omissions and utterances. For this reason, it

would be a wise choice for the teacher to gravitate towards using
authentic materials. As mentioned before, speaking amongst peers is a
crucial factor in the ability to learn a language. In effect learners teach
themselves, with the teacher acting more as a guide of their learning
journey. Therefore, its important to try and keep teacher talking time
(TTT) to a minimum. This can be achieved through frequently eliciting
answers or opinions, encouraging students to persevere through any
errors in speech, and having students collaborate in pairs or small groups.
For lively conversation to occur, the classroom must be welcoming and
conducive to learning. Often it is worthwhile sacrificing some accuracy in
speech for fluidity. The generation of conversation will empower students,
raising morale and encouraging students to continue their learning
process.
Reading
Reading is a receptive skill. We can read for different reasons. Reading for
pleasure is popular. It involves reading texts that are enjoyable to the
reader. Usually the text isnt scrutinized, just read briskly and without
great concern for the details. It helps to build a learners understanding of
idiomatic expressions as well as the understanding of target language
cultures. Intensive reading, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance
of accuracy. Perhaps also the text will be more academic in nature. The
text can be read for specific information, details or to build skimming or
scanning skills. A balance of these two different approaches to reading will
yield the best results. As Jeremy Harmer opines, to get the maximum
benefit from their reading, students need to be involved in both extensive
and intensive reading. Choosing the appropriate text for the level of
student is vital. For students at a low level of proficiency, childrens books
and short newspaper articles will be suitable. More experienced students
novels, magazine articles and longer newspaper articles may be suitable.
From there, there are multiple stages of reading that should be
undertaken in the classroom. Pre reading, the first of the stages, is done
to activate or build prior knowledge. It will help organise the thoughts of
the reader. During the reading the readers should be able to highlight the
overall meaning of the text. The teacher may ask the student to highlight
or underline the main ideas. Students can also take turns, either in pairs
or in groups, attempting to read to each other and to decipher the
meaning. Afterwards, post reading will be employed. Students will be
asked to demonstrate their knowledge to the class. Going even further
than this, they may be asked to write a sequel to the text. Themes and
information may be analyzed, with similarities and differences identified.
Writing
Writing
is
an
excellent
tool
in
gauging
the
comprehension
and
understanding of students. It can sometimes be a difficult skill, because it

is not only a graphic representation of speech, but a presentation of
thoughts in a structured way. In order to correctly structure and formulate
writing, students must be made aware the importance of pre-writing. If
students dont adequately plan what they will write, they are more likely
to produce a disorganized, grammatically incorrect text. Outlining,

brainstorming and researching the intended topic will assist students in
writing. With the content already established, the student can now focus
solely on grammar. It is important to impart these good writing habits.
Good writing skills allow you to communicate your message with clarity
and ease to a far larger audience than through face-to-face or telephone
conversations. Intermediate students in particular have access to many
writing activities. They may be asked to write a monologue, soliloquy,
dialogue or even a short play. For a group activity students can collaborate
and write their own advertisement for an imaginary company, or speech
for imaginary politician. Although writing may seem like a solitary activity,
it can be more sociable and communicative.
Integrated Skills Activity
The four skills have been discussed in detail. It is easy to exercise one, or
perhaps two at a time. Providing an enjoyable activity that satisfies all
four of the skills criteria is more challenging. Ideally, there should exist a
balance in the exercise, whereby students seamlessly transfer from one
skill to the next. Research has shown that these skills are critical for
learning a second or even a third language (Field, 2009; Greer &
Speckman, 2009), and should be activated whenever possible to increase
the potential for fluency. Its believed that using all the skills to create and
critique a piece of original language will benefit the class. For example: a
poem will be distributed to the students. Before reading it, the students
will be asked if they have read many English poems in the past. A brief
discussion will ensue, allowing students to begin thinking about the

mechanics of poetry. Students will then read the poem while identifying
key themes. After reading it, students will engage in post-reading. They
will evaluate the authors beliefs, writing style and the content itself. This
should provoke some lively debate in the classroom. Next, in pairs,
students will attempt to write an additional stanza to add to the poem.
This is a collaborate process which also satisfies the writing skill aspect.
The students will be given ample time to write their new segment of
poem. It will then be read out loud to the rest of the class, whereupon the
other students will listen intently to their peers. Afterwards students will
demonstrate their learning and comprehension skill by critiquing and
speaking the work of their peers (eg. What they like about it, what could
possibly be improved). Overall this should satisfy all four skills, and
provide a fun and challenging activity for the students.
Bibliography
Field, J. (2009). Skills and strategies: Towards a new methodology for

listening. ELT
Journal, 52, 110-118.
Harmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching: Fourth

Edition. Longman, 2007.
U.K. Part 6: Receptive and Productive Skills. Chapters 14-19, pp. 265-232
ITTO, 2014. A TEFL Certificate Course. Guadalajara: ITTO, Print.

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Language Skills

understanding. Questions, whether asked directly by the teacher or

is rich with contractions, omissions and utterances. For this reason, it

understanding of students. It can sometimes be a difficult skill, because it

to produce a disorganized, grammatically incorrect text. Outlining,

discussion will ensue, allowing students to begin thinking about the

Field, J. (2009). Skills and strategies: Towards a new methodology for

Harmer, Jeremy. The Practice of English Language Teaching: Fourth

ITTO, 2014. A TEFL Certificate Course. Guadalajara: ITTO, Print.

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