Monday, February 27, 2012

Module 6

Developing listening
skills should be as important as speaking, reading, and writing skills’
development. Teachers should provide learners a lot of tools to make them competent
enough to convey and interpret messages. Listening activities make available a
variety of styles and registers required to enhance the effectiveness of communication
and improve the learners’ abilities to decode according to different contexts. Based
on the students’ needs teachers may incorporate or exclude certain tasks in
their lessons, they may reduce or increase practice nevertheless it is
essential to keep a balance between Productive and receptive skills. I really
think listening practice makes possible to help students to understand and
perceive cross-cultural variation. Communication language teaching should be
the frame of the instruction, the language goals should be focused on all the
components of communication and students have to use the language productively
and receptively.

Module 6

Monday, February 20, 2012

Module 5 Writing Up a Storm

In my opinion using new forms of communication, particularly applying new ways of written communication (shortened forms, abbreviations, symbols (emoticons), etc) is applicable as long as its effectiveness remains. I consider relevant and indisputable the fact of language evolution and how it is functional through users, but the point is how this evolution generates principles and conventions which are not comprehensive to all of the receptors. I think this effect may exclude individuals, (not all of us understand these new meanings or grammar so we may feel we do not belong to specific communities). As language teachers, we should be aware of the difference of the nature of oral and written forms and how they should be developed; when talking and listening to someone there is always the chance to reformulate, complement, give explanations and details to make ideas clear. Additionally body language, gestures, tone of voice, etc contribute to clarify messages. On the contrary written communication does not have that possibility; the author of the writings is not available to facilitate interpretation there is not any assistance for understanding just the printed words. That is why this type of communication should be precise and consequently it should be taught this way if possible (according to students’ levels).
As language teachers we should develop certain accuracy level in writing. I think formative feedback is a key element to reach this goal, when teachers guide individual writing process based on learners’ skills and tools given it is possible to expect some precision.