Developing language skills Essay

1. INTRODUCTIONThroughout the de fragment s eeral years incline program line course bulks run through become the essence to eruditeness the English words successfully. There has always been a major necessity to culture, heeding and fundament but new-fangledly educators name found that communicative competence is an nub(a) asset that needs acquiring. According to this latter statement, recent course books be equipped with altogether(prenominal) quad acquirements in order to achieve a proficient level of English. just, due to new discoveries such as the bookman-centered attainment or Howard Gardners Multiple Intelligence Theory , m any(prenominal) books be inclined to the unalike necessities that better meet the savant. Here, for eccentric, we ar presented with cardinal precise diametrical books directed to teenagers. In the following course books Bachillerato book make Easy and the Basque book Botelln we volition intent to make motley contrasts and equi valences amongst the four major skills to English quarrel knowledge.2. METHODOLOGIESWe must true(a)ize that all course books pee got many methodologies.. We have check overn in Methodological Approaches (See Funiber heart-to-heart 1) that Marianne Celce-Murcia quotes that a historical perspective needs to be taken into reflection to be able to evaluate innovations effectively. As we croup see at that buttocks has been an immense amount of detail added to phrase commandment from the primal 19th century when comparing the Grammar Translation method to the newly adopt approaches although there be still points of the methodologies present within the newer books. Here ar some 2.1. TABLEMADE EASYBOTELLON some(prenominal)Grammar-Translation MethodExercises to yield into L1Use of dictionaryDirect MethodNo use of fuss tongueReading MethodLots of variation material structuralismPlenty of drilling and repetitionContrastive AnalysisBachillerato will focus on on common Sp anish errors, eg. DO/MAKE The theme/ subject field is inclined to a Spanish saying botelln..BehaviouristStimulus, response, reinforcement activitiescognitive ApproachRules argon made clear first before consecrate(TPR)CALLThe course book is equipped with extra material mental imagery books for teachers and a websiteTPRLearn speech through doingCLLExtensive list of themes appreciating the hold backers needs. No school schoolbookbook.Natural Approach Contain all four skills Teacher support.lexical ApproachVocabulary importance.Audio-visual MethodMeaningful conversation and social con textual matter editions.2.1.1 THE encyclopedism THEORIES IMPLICITThis chart fates twain course books seem to have adoptive some essence of the older methodologies. nowadaysadays approaches atomic number 18 much old(prenominal) where teachers bum choose a method that will better grounds the hireer. However, our next research will be on integration and sequestration of reading, typogra phy, listening and mouth skills.3. INTEGRATIONFirst the meaning of integration is the customs duty of all four spoken verbiage skills simultaneously in various activities. nearly exercises begin with reading, perhaps a follow up of discussing the article and at last concluding a written summary of the text. By doing all triad activities we argon utilizing the skills of reading, speaking and writing. As Dr Garza quoted it around teachers recognize that the four address skills support each other and are found together in real-life language use. Also, n sensation of the separate language skills are ever used in isolation (Funiber, Developing language skills in the schoolroom). right away we understand the significance, we can continue to analyse this method in the books.3.1. tip do Easy, from an external perspective looks as though the skills have all been segregated but in fact they have all been integrated. The reading, which is carve up into a before, while and subseq uently reading which are entwined with various well-formed activities for preparation. However when you look at an internal view of the course book we see that there is a high level of integration with the four skills. Take the writing naval division which has various grammar exercises (Language/Vocabulary)Assignment DLSCbefore reach to control understandability of the learner which also holds a cognitive approach to information according to Chomsky. Here, reading and writing are both merged because followed by reinforcing activities. As we have learnt reading in traditional legal injury at least, seems to be a natural bedfellow of writing (Funiber). Lastly, we have a division of the listening and speaking activities from an outer look in the last knave but they arehowever social united through the theme of the subject which locks them together. On the other hit, the Botelln book is relatively distinctive. Firstly, the coiffure that is uses is generally integrating readin g and plentiful of brainstorming writing activities with the closing intention of speaking. However there are activities of listening which is integrated with writing. However there is only the one drill (2) that is segregated which is the skill of speaking as is the final application which perhaps processs the teacher to evaluate the consequence of the learners new acquired knowledge throughout the course. 4. PRODUCT AND PROCESS ASPECTHowever, there are some similarities worth mentioning betwixt the twain course books. They both take a border approach which has the student working up to the final contribution. A process approach tends to focus more on various classroom activities which promote the development of language use brainstorming, root discussion and rewriting (Steele, 2004). In the Bachillerato book Made Easy on page 61, we have before and after writing preparation an insight, planning, top dog mapping, writing first drafts, feedback, editing and evaluating.Che n for voice states that these studies have quantitatively metric improvements in learners test scores following the completion of a dodging training programme (2007). Furthermore, the Botelln book also includes a process approach but in a broader common sense and tends to cover most of the book with an abundant amount of brainstorming activities that drive and lead to a final proposal (writing) and a discussion part (speaking) at the end. As Lynch quotes the route one takes to that goal (1996148). To compare4.1.1 TABLE operation writingProduct writingText as a alter indispensable forcomparisonImitate model textIdeas as a head start pointOrganization of ideas aremore important than ideasthemselvesMore than one draftOne draftMore global, focused onpurpose, theme, text typesetters casei.e. reader is emphasizedFeatures highlighted including controlled physical exercise of those features CollaborativeIndividual fierceness on creative processEmphasis on end harvest-festival* Tab le 1 Product and process writing A comparison (Steele 2004 p. 1)5. AUTHENTICITYNow looking more closely to the aspects of au consequentlytic/ honorable exercises. The significance of an authentic text some researchers have gone on to say authentic materials are materials that we can use in the classroom and that have not been changed in any way for ESL students (Sanderson, 1999). Harmer (1991) defines authentic texts as materials which are designed for native speakers they are real texts designed not for language students, but for the speakers of the language. Authentic texts is language used by natives which have not in any case been manipulated by authors to courting the level of then learners. Although, what matters is the response and expression of the learner, if it in accordance to the text then the response has been made authentic as once quoted by Widdowson (Funiber, Developing Language Sills in the Classroom). In Made Easy, there are many reading activities.In the text Mak ing and keeping friends we can see that there is a previous activity to help the learner think and analyse the text before reading predicting. According to Revell and Breary, a way of dealing with this problem is to get the learners to predict the main points of the text (Funiber). After the reading there are questions to be answered straight after the comprehension if we immediately ask questions then we are denying the materialize to utilize an authentic response (Lynch 1996 124-125). The next authentic text would be the contingent newspaper or magazine article (pag 63) which has probably been falsified to a trustworthy extent to suit the level of the learner. In thespeaking, on page 67, they are able to give their own pictures in relation to the listening previously heard which allows their own expressions to be considered.The listening provides the learner with many varied ideas for brainstorming. However, they are not real life situations, there is no honorable media an d there is an exclusion of body language and facial expression and olibanum there is no possible reply (Funiber). In the Botelln book, we are presented with a real problem of teenage street drinking which induces a genuine problem. The first speaking exercise allows the learner to give real feedback with an authentic and genuine response. Throughout the unit we have, as mentioned above, many reading activities real life opinions, newspaper articles and a diplomatic meeting. This all seem extremely genuine but to what extent is unclear. On another overbearing note, we have two You tube debates Pregnancy Discrimination and The Iraq War. These last two are very opposite to the general and ordinary listening we are used to and they are in fact impossible to manipulate. Following this realistic debate, we have a more general listening about psychological science with Dr. Lindee which although is a very universal reciprocal activity it may have some essence of credibility.6. SIMPLIFICA TIONWiddowson says that text simplification for second language learners is the adaption of a genuine text in order to facilitate reading and comprehension skills. Some authors claim thatAssignment DLSCauthentic materials (genuine) are practically too hard for students who read at lower levels .Though is controversial issue, a genuine text is not necessarily better than an adapted one, what matters if the student responds to it as he would in real life. On the one hand this will benefit the some learners, as by manipulating the text to suit the learners interest this will stimulate their motivation and interests. However, Honeyfield (1977) says that the two principal aspects of text simplification, namely simplifying language and simplifying content, produce material which differs significantly from normal English in the areas of information distribution and common structure. By altering the language,it reduces the colloquial and realness of the language. Now the question remains as to how do we unwrap if the text has been adjusted?Swaffar (1985) says that the primary intent of an original text is to carry meaning, and in her view, authentic messages which put to death this function have the following characteristics authorial cues, repetition, redundancy, and discourse markers. She claims that simplified texts do not have these characteristics because they have a pseudo-intent, which is to teach language, rather than to communicate. Made Easy has three very incompatible texts firstly on page 61 the text holds an easy verbiage, improvident sentence structures, redundancy and a a simple content of subject field. On page 63 however, in activity 6 we have a newspaper report, we are given information with an unsophisticated vocabulary and a structure that is in relation to the grammar explained in the previous activity the report speech. Lastly, there is an essay written in an academic format, supposedly by a native adolescent. There are longer sentences with subordinate clauses and a wider scope of vocabulary.All three text show some sign of simplification which is not ideal because as Willis says, in developing their communicative skills learners need to become aware of the choices realised in genuine language use in order to create prehend meaning (1996 26). This opinion puts accomplishment on fluency. The Botelln gives more of a realistic and matter-of-fact cognizance because all of the texts represent real life opinions which should all fundamental inter act between natives should be genuine. Firstly, on page 64, activity 3, we have 7 different views about the subject of alcohol. By analysing the content we have a very colloquial type of language expressed by native English foreigners living in Spain.Secondly, on page 71, activity 6, we have more viewpoints but there is a more complex vocabulary and structure with more detail, plentiful of subordinate clauses and some acronyms. Lastly, on page 74, activity 7, we have more o pinions but these are inside quotation marks which indicate direct speech and should be understood as a natural and spontaneous spoken English. The amplest difference about the two books when identifying these concepts is on page 77 of the Botelln book on activity 8 There are two virtual debates (Pregnancy Discrimination and the Iraq war) which are provided to the students to watch from the web. This is the closest encounter wehave to real conversation. McCarthy and Carter explain that language in action involves participants in employ language to refer to action in an easy and unproblematic way because they are taking place before their respective eyes (pag. 209).7. SKILLSThe next subject is the relationship between the work and encyclopedism/practice of grammar When teachers first began to adopt a communicative approach to foreign and second language teaching, learning communication was a great deal presented as an alternative to learning grammar. We noted a strong sense of co nvergence between stated beliefs and factual classroom practices. Having our self-experienced English language learning by explicit instruction on the rules of grammar, the belief that grammar teaching should be integrated into speaking, writing and reading. belief that grammar is central to language learning and direct grammar teaching is needed by their EFL/ESL students We think this particular type of study vitally important especially in light of the results of the recent Richards, Gallo, and Renandya (2001) survey that suggest evidence of divergence between teachers stated beliefs and actual classroom practices related to grammar teaching.8. PRODUCTION ORAL AND WRITTENIn Bachillerato Made Easy there is a continual relationship between payoff (oral and written) and grammar because we can see that the step includes a written part where the students carry through sentences to take into account the ways to report what someone has already said, then in an oral practice they repor t the message utilize a reporting verb and making some changes in tenses pronouns, adjectives and adverbs. In Botelln there isnt a relation between skills and grammar because the unit doesnt show any grammar description. They have a brief model to write, read, speak and listen but they enduret have the grammar reference to follow the different skills.What are the opportunities for production do both units provide? Oral communication is a two-way process between speaker and listener where both the speaker and the listener have a positive function to perform (Byrne1986 8). So speaking is therefore an interactive process but we have to recognize that there will be times when the speakers role will be essentially passive which is emphasized in McGregors model of collaborative discourse (see Section 2.2.3) Furthermore writing is labeled as written production and is one of the branches, it is a skill that students must develop. When expressing oneself in a language, this is only done in an oral fashion written communication is extremely important in language learning. So both units provide their students with situations that allow development and progress in the four skills Bachillerato Made Easy the unit provides opportunities with a group work, self-access and presentment Practice Production, for both production skills (oral, written) the unit tends to be teacher-centred, as the teacher leads the activity and provides necessary information.Furthermore it is a student centred activity because the learners in some steps are able to decide what to say, and how to say it, for example for oral production the learners start discussing with a self-assessment task in two different exercises. In the first exercise learners have to reflect about their behaviour in given situations and in the second part they have a free group discussion about the same topic which is presented in all the unit and provide the learners with the necessary structure, vocabulary and grammar ( previously taught). Botelln provides opportunities with interaction where the learners work in groups or independently where they have the chance to work together and interact autonomously and the teacher acts as a facilitator by monitoring their work. For example for the written part they use the steps in the reading part to refute a diplomatic way the topics given. Now the learners are totally trained for talking about different points of view. As we know there are three main decimal points in any unit Presentation, Practice, and Production. A unit which includes all these stages can help learners to learn more efficiently. 8.1 TYPESThe presentation stage involves explaining the aims of the unit so that children know what they will learn and why. It is also during this stage that the teacher explains the new language, including both its meaning andform, and how to say or write it correctly. The goal of the practice stage is to help the children use the new language you have just explained to them. It is at this stage that error correction is most important. The final stage is the production stage. This can help motivate children to communicate meaning with the new language. Children should experiment with the language. For example in Bachillerato Made Easy, they write an essay but in the part for production it is subscribe tod to follow the steps to create the essay description, narration, exposition, and argumentation) or it is better to write a paragraph or notes for a garner to produce learning.In Botelln they make a diplomatic discussion, this part requires more group work and pair work to achieve more examples of communicative language. 8.1.1. ACTIVITIESAssignment DLSCThe variety of the activity types provide opportunities for students to build Awareness or Conceptualize understandings related to the learning. They help the learners to apply their knowledge of the contents using a variety of processes and techniques. The four skills work in tandem w hen the activities that require their use are designed to support learners in the process of learning, creating and producing a specific product. The Bachillerato Made Easy unit presents the following activities for the speaking section (oral) dialogues, role play, talking about themselves related to behaviour in different situations that mention generalization and advice to take into account in our real existence to be good friends. In this activity students are allowed to answer questions using their own words.On the other hand, a written section follows these activities write practice to responding to questions that are related to friendship. In the speaking section the activity discusses some of the issues, factors and solutions for the problem. Apart from that the other activity is to work individually, whether they agree or disagree and to state their own reasons about the proposed solutions. The last activity is a discussion in groups, giving for and against arguments. In t he written section the unit uses a discussion organiser in a written practice where the students have to write some notes proposing a solution which could be appropriate for everybody on the subject of botelln. 9. OPINION AND CONCLUSIONWe can say a textbook is only as good as the teacher who uses it. A textbook is just a tool, in our teaching arsenal. Sometimes, teachers over-rely on textbooks and dont consider other aids for the classroom. Some teachers reject a textbook approach to learning because the textbook is outdated or insufficiently covers a topic or subject area, but we know that a book or a unit is very important to learning the language. So we prefer both units Bachillerato because this unit is considered Authentic and Genuine, the unit plant life with the four skills and other points such as grammar which are vital to learning the language. Furthermore the unit has different activities for each skill. On the other hand the unit Botelln because it is algo genuine altho ugh this unit is more student centred. In this case it is focused on each students needs, abilities, interests, and learning styles, placing the teacher as the facilitator.BIBLIOGRAFY1. Berliner, D. C. (1987). Ways of thinking about students and classrooms by more and less experienced teachers. In J. Calderhead (Ed.), Exploring teachers thinking (pp. 60-83). London Cassell. 2. Chen, Y.(2007). cultivation to learn the impact of strategy training. ELT Journal, 61 (1), 20-29. 3. Gabrielatos, C. (2002). EFL writing product and process. Retrieved on 25 August. 2010 from 4. Funiber, Methodologies and Approaches. Developing Language Skills in the Classroom. 5. Gardner, A., & Johnson, D. (1997). Teaching personal experience narrative in the elementary and beyond. Flagstaff, AZ Northern Arizona Writing cast off Press. 6. Higuchi, M. (1998) exploitation Authentic Texts in EFL Teaching and Learning 7. Honeyfield, J. (1977). Simplification. TESOL Quarterly, 11(4), 431-440. 8. McCarthy, M. a nd R. Carter. 1995. Spoken Grammar What Is It and How fucking We Teach It?. In English Language Teaching Journal, 493 207-18 9. Steele, V. (1992). Product and process writing a comparison. Rowley Newbury House. 10. Swaffar, J. (1985). Reading authentic texts in a foreign language. The Modern Language Journal, 69, 115-134. 11. Swan, M. 1980. Practical English Grammar. Oxford Oxford University Press. 12. Widdowson, H. (1976). The authenticity of language data. J. F. Fanselow & R. H. Crymes(Eds.), ON TESOL 76. Washington TESOL.Assignment DLSC13. Willis, D. et al. 1996. MA TESLTEFL Open Learning Programme Pedagogic Grammar. Birmingham The Centre for English Language Studies, the University of Birmingham.WEB READINGS1. Claridge, G (2005) Simplification in graded readers Measuring the authenticity of graded texts http//nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/october2005/claridge/claridge.html2. Higuchi, M. (1998) Using Authentic Texts in EFL Teaching and Learning http//bambi.u-shizuoka-ken.ac.jp/kiyou4228 021/12_1/12_1_03.pdf3. Md. Kamrul Hasan & Mohd. Moniruzzaman Akhand Kamrul, H. and Moniruzzaman, A. (2010) Approaches to Writing in EFL/ESL context of use Balancing Product and Process in Writing Class at Tertiary Level http//www.nepjol.info/index.php/NELTA/article/viewFile/4612/38234. Tamo, D. (2009) The Use of Authentic Materials in Classrooms http//www.lcpj.pro/skedaret/1277547685-74_pdfsam_LCPJ,%20Per%20shtyp.pdf