This document discusses receptive language skills, specifically listening and reading. It defines receptive skills and subskills like listening/reading for gist versus specific information. The document also discusses providing comprehensible input for learners, common difficulties for learners, and strategies to improve learners' receptive skills through activities during pre-, while-, and post-listening/reading stages.
This document discusses receptive language skills, specifically listening and reading. It defines receptive skills and subskills like listening/reading for gist versus specific information. The document also discusses providing comprehensible input for learners, common difficulties for learners, and strategies to improve learners' receptive skills through activities during pre-, while-, and post-listening/reading stages.
This document discusses receptive language skills, specifically listening and reading. It defines receptive skills and subskills like listening/reading for gist versus specific information. The document also discusses providing comprehensible input for learners, common difficulties for learners, and strategies to improve learners' receptive skills through activities during pre-, while-, and post-listening/reading stages.
This document discusses receptive language skills, specifically listening and reading. It defines receptive skills and subskills like listening/reading for gist versus specific information. The document also discusses providing comprehensible input for learners, common difficulties for learners, and strategies to improve learners' receptive skills through activities during pre-, while-, and post-listening/reading stages.
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 25
DELTA 2010-2011
Receptive Skills Required by Learners
Edith Flahive Overview Language Systems vs Language Skills
Receptive Skills
Comprehensible Input
Difficulties for Learners
Strategies to Improve Learners’ Skills
Authentic vs Non-Authentic Materials
Lesson Planning Stages
References Language Systems Language Skills
Lexis Speaking, Writing Grammar Productive Skills Discourse Reading, Listening Phonology Receptive Skills Systems or Skills? Teacher writes a grammar exercise on the board which students copy and
then do. Students read a newspaper article and then discuss the story with each
other. Students underline all past simple verb forms in a newspaper article.
Students chat with their teacher about the weekend.
Students listen to a recorded conversation and determine where it is
taking place. Students write an imaginary postcard to a friend which the teacher then
corrects. Students write a postcard to a friend which is posted uncorrected.
Students identify the tenses used in a recorded conversation.
Teacher uses pictures to teach ten words associated with the computer. Receptive Skills Listening and Reading involve the following sub- skills:
Listening for Gist or Extensive Listening
Reading for Gist or Skimming
Listening for Specific Information or Intensive Listening
meaning is produced. It involves focusing on new words, structures, expressions, functions, pronunciation, etc. Extensive Reading
Purpose: To read longer texts for pleasure. This is a
fluency activity mainly involving global understanding.
“We learn to read by reading” (Smith,
1985: 7). Prediction
Purpose:
To get students to predict what they are going to hear
or read – involves bottom-up and top-down
processing. These predictions will be the result of the expectations they have about the text or their acquired schemata. Inference
Purpose: To use syntactic, logical, and cultural clues
to gain a deeper
understanding of a text.
“Students who can infer meaning from
context have a powerful aid
to comprehension and will ultimately
Listening/Reading for Gist
Purpose: To get the general idea of a particular text, story or
tape-script. Listening to
an entire tape-script with the intention of acquiring an
overall understanding
of what it is about, may be referred to as extensive
listening or
listening for gist.
When applied to reading, this strategy is called skimming. Skimming is in fact Listening/Reading for Specific Information
Purpose: Listening for specific information or intensive listening is where
the students concentrate on a small part of the tape-script in order to
understand some subtle points of detail. With regard to reading this
strategy
is referred to as scanning.
“Skimming and scanning are important techniques; they do not remove the
need for careful
reading, but they enable the reader to select texts, or parts of texts, that are
worth spending
time on” (Nuttall 1996: 49).
Comprehensible Input
We acquire language through comprehensible
input - listening and reading opportunities that are slightly beyond what the learner can easily understand (i + 1) (Krashen, 1982). Difficulties for Learners Listening
The speaker – how many there are, how quickly
they speak, accents.
The listener – participant or eavesdropper, level of
response required, individual interest in the
subject.
The content – grammar, vocabulary, information
structure, background knowledge assumed.
Reading
Intelligibility – the legibility of a text, badly copied, printed,
small type-face, etc.
Unfamiliar words – complex vocabulary.
Lack of background knowledge.
Difficult concepts – abstract theories, etc.
Complex syntax – long sentences containing subordinate or
etc. Cohesion – lack of organisation, faulty punctuation, poor
cohesion. Strategies to Improve Learners’ Skills Listening Give a purpose for listening.
Activate existing knowledge of the topic – make predictions, ask
questions, pre-teach key words, etc.
Make students aware of verbal and non-verbal cues – body language,
facial expression, etc.
Vary speed, pace of activities.
Ensure that students can hear what is being said – no distractions.
Engaging tasks; interactional/transactional.
Comprehensible input.
Visual aids. Reading Know your purpose for reading.
Choose the appropriate reading speed – skimming, scanning.
Get background information – from the text, encyclopedia, internet,
etc.
Use all the information in the book – title, sub-titles, introductions,
summaries, conclusions.
Increase your vocabulary.
Use your dictionary.
Learn the important words that organise the text – cohesive
markers.
Choose the right place to read – quiet, comfortable, good light.
Authentic vs Non-Authentic Materials
Authentic texts are those designed for native speakers, that is, texts not designed for language
students, but for speakers of the language in question. A non-
authentic text is one that has been
written especially for language students. Whether these texts are
always authentic, is not such an
important issue. What is important is that a range of listening/reading
experiences should be
introduced based on speech which is as near to authentic as possible.
“Although the use of authentic text has the advantage of being language put to a real communicative purpose, and Lesson Planning Stages We can identify three stages in the development of
listening or reading lesson:
Pre- or before listening/reading
While or during listening/reading
Post or consolidating listening/reading
Pre-Listening/Reading Aim:
To prepare students for what they are going to hear/
see, activate previous knowledge, focus their
attention
and lead them to an understanding of lexis and
syntax necessary for comprehending the text. Activity Types
Lead in to topic: Ss look at pictures, T gives
background information, Ss read something
relevant. Predicting – speculating about content of listening/reading passages. Discussion of topic, situation.
Written exercise related to the text to come.
Pre-teaching essential linguistic items.
While Listening/Reading Aim:
To help students develop the listening/reading sub-skills
necessary to extract messages from spoken/written language. These activities should not test listening/reading comprehension, or memory, but help students to develop the skills applied in real listening/reading situations. Activities must be chosen appropriately. Activity Types
Marking/checking/arranging items in pictures.
Putting pictures (or other things, e.g., paragraphs, words, events,
etc.) in order.
Completing/drawing pictures.
Completing texts (gap-filling).
Following a route on a map.
Completing charts, grids – transfer information from text.
True/false statements.
Answering multiple choice questions or Wh questions.
Spotting differences, mistakes.
Post Listening/Reading At this stage, students are challenged with activities that go beyond the texts
that they have listened to or read. Accuracy is relevant
but is not the priority.
Aims: To make students aware of the way language works.
To reinforce and extend their vocabulary.
To encourage them to reflect and share opinions about
the text with other students.
Activity Types Checking comprehension of listening/reading texts in a variety of ways: talking about them, discussing students’ reactions, etc. Language work: tasks related to lexis, syntax,
pronunciation, stylistic elements, etc. found in
texts that students have listened to or read. Skills work: mainly speaking and writing related
to the listening/reading topic, but can also be
further receptive skills exercises, listening or References Anderson, A., & Lynch, T. (1988). Listening. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Brown, G; & Yule, G. (1983a). Discourse Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Brown, G; & Yule, G. (1983b). Teaching the Spoken Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Grellet, F. (1981). Developing Reading Skills. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon. Nunan, D. (1991). Language Teaching Methodology. Hertfordshire: Prentice- Hall. Richards, J. C. (1990). The Language Teaching Matrix. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Robinson, F. P. (1970). Effective Study. New York: Harper & Row. Rost, M. (1990). Listening in Language Learning. Essex: Longman. Rost, M. (1991). Listening in Action. Hertfordshire: Prentice-Hall. Underwood, M. (1989). Teaching Listening. Essex: Longman.
