17. INTEGRATING THE
“FOUR SKILLS”
Teaching by principles
H.D. Brown
INTEGRATING THE “FOUR SKILLS”
• Reading class, might include
- a pre-reading discussion
- listening to a lecture
- a focus on a certain reading strategy
- writing a paraphrase of a section
• recent trend toward skill integration
• curriculum designers are taking more of whole language
approach.
WHY INTEGRATION?
Why weren’t courses always integrated?
1.
Focus on the forms (language
rules and paradigms: Teach students a lot about
language
2.
Administrative considerations: Make it easier to
program separate courses
3.
Specific purpose for studying English may best be
labeled by one skill.
WHY INTEGRATION?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Production & reception are two sides of the
same coin
Interaction means sending and receiving
messages
Written and spoken language often bear a
relationship to each other
For literate learners, the interrelationship is an
intrinsically motivating reflection of language,
culture, and society
WHY INTEGRATION?
5. By attending to what learners can do with
language, we invite four skills that are
relevant into classroom.
6. Often one skill will reinforce another.
7. In the real world of language use
involves the integration of skills and
connections between language and the
way think and feel and act.
CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION
• dictated more by the nature of the subject
matter
• medium to convey informational content of
interest and relevance to the learner
- Immersion programs
- Sheltered English programs
- Writing across the curriculum
- ESP, EAP, EOP
CONTENT-BASED INSTRUCTION
• non-language goals
• focus on very useful, practical objectives as
the subject matter
• long-term goals
• some challenges to teacher
- become a double expert
- team-teaching models
- “adjunct” model
THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION
• “weak” version of CBI
• Topic-based instruction
• an equal value on content and language
objectives
• serve the multiple interests of students
• Examples of topics : public health,
environmental awareness, world
economics
THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION
• What is important is to put principles of
effective learning into action.
• major principles
- automaticity
- meaningful learning
- intrinsic motivation
- communicative competence
THEME-BASED INSTRUCTION
Increase students’ curiosity & motivation of students as
they grapple with an array of real-life issues
1.
Use environmental statistics and facts for classroom
reading, writing, discussion, and debate
2.
Carry out research and writing projects
3.
Have students create their own environmental
awareness material
- language experience approach
4. Arrange field trips
5. Conduct simulation games
•
EXPERINTIAL LEARNING
• Experiential learning includes activities that
engage both left- and right-brain processing
• Contextualize language, integrate skills, and point
toward authentic, real-world purposes
• Provide concrete experiences through which
students “discover” language principles
• John Dewey :
⒜ one learns best by doing
⒝ inductive learning that enable students to
“take charge” of their own learning progress
EXPERINTIAL LEARNING
• Learner-centered experiential techniques
- hands on projects
- computer activities
- research projects
- cross-cultural experiences
- field trips and other “on-site” visits
- role-plays and simulations
EXPERINTIAL LEARNING
• teacher-controlled techniques
- using props, realia, visuals, show and tell sessions
- playing games and singing
- utilizing media
• emphasis on the psychomotor aspects of language
learning.
• through action, students are drawn into a utilization of
multiple skills.
• LEA- with widely varying adaptations, students personal
experiences are used.
• The benefit of the LEA is in the students’ intrinsic
involvement.
THE EPISODE HYPOTHESIS
• Oller: “text will be easier to reproduce, understand, and
•
•
•
•
•
recall to the extent that it is structured episodically.”
A familiar setting and ordinary characters whet the
curiosity of the reader.
The interaction of cognition and language enables
learners to form “expectancies.”
Unclear outcome motivates learners to continue reading
and to become more involved in the content
Logically or episodically linked sentences
Universal stories enable students from many different
cultures to understand
TASK-BASED TEACHING
- Meaning is primary.
- There is some communication problem to solve.
- There is some sort of relationship to comparable
real-world activities.
- Task completion has some priority.
- The assessment of the task is in terms of
outcome.
TASK-BASED TEACHING
• Target tasks
- Students must accomplish beyond the class.
- Much more specific and more explicitly related to
classroom instruction
- The task specifies a context
ex) giving personal information in a job interview
TASK-BASED TEACHING
• Pedagogical tasks
- Nucleus of the classroom activity
- A series of techniques designed ultimately to
teach students to perform the target task
ex) exercise, drill, listening, analyzing, discourse,
role-play
TASK-BASED TEACHING
• Dimension of communicative tasks
- goal
- input from the teacher
- techniques
- the role of the teachers
- the role of the learners
- evaluation
TASK-BASED TEACHING
• Focus on a whole set of real-world task
- speeches
-interviews
- conversations
-oral descriptions
- narratives
-media extracts
- games and puzzles
-diaries
- invitations
-labels
• a variety of authentic sources
TASK-BASED TEACHING
• Task-based curricula differ from CBI, TBI,
and experiential instruction in that course
objectives are more language-based.
• While there is an ultimate focus on
communication and purpose and meaning,
the course goals center on learners’
pragmatic language competence.