FLUENCY: being natural when speaking.
Features: pausing, rhythm, intonation, stress.
Some elements: speech rate, interjections, interruptions, communication of ideas, continuous speech
LISTENING: understanding what is being said
Features: comprehension
Some elements: perception of some speech elements, sound discrimination
GRAMMAR: the way in which words and phrases are combined to make meaningful sentences
Features: competence
Some elements: the way a speaker manages the patterns of a language
FUNCTIONS: using the language for specific purposes
Features: speaker’s ability to use L2 for certain tasks and functions
Some elements: requesting, obtaining information, formal and informal conversations, giving instructions, creating with the language
VOCABULARY: giving meaning and describing thoughts and ideas
Features: content and function words, compound words and idioms
Some elements: choice of words and topic
PRONUNCIATION: way sounds of a L are produced, and how they are perceived.
Features: ability to recognize different accents
Some elements: sounds, accents, sound clusters, and liaisons
Which of these skills are really developed/ enhanced in our FL / L2 class?
When I was at secondary school I had many teachers and most of them focused only on the Grammar part and just a bit on the Functions and Vocabulary. They were very little concerned on the other components, and I think that this is still happening in most of our L2 classes at secondary schools. That's why, in my case, it was a great challenging to start to speak in English and communicate at the beginning of the career.
ResponderEliminarI remember my first class for the admision examination at the IFD, and the impact caused to me when listening to a 100% class in English.
ResponderEliminarNowadays it is natural for us to listen to a class, or probably a movie without subtitles, or a song without checking the lyrics. And I believe that this was naturally stimulated by our adapting skills and survival instincts, by the simple fact of having an everyday contact with 100% classes in English. So I think Listening would be the more developed skill, because we need it in order to pass through the different subjects, because we practice it every single day and because it's SO natural that we don't pay attention to it.
I think that secondary school teachers are mainly focused in developing grammar estructures instead of practising speaking or listening skills. It should be important to pay more attention to those skills that encourage students to comunicate. On the other hand, learners of secondary school are not able to produce a written text because they have not enough practise in class.
ResponderEliminarIn our class I think that the fluency and listening skills are enhanced, because our classes are completely in English, and the more we talk the more natural we get.
ResponderEliminarCan I have the full reference for that source? I'm interested in reading it but I can't find it. Thanks.
ResponderEliminar