Teaching the four language skills from a communicative perspective: some pedagogical implications

• Autores: Vicente Beltrán Palanques
• Localización: Fòrum de Recerca, ISSN-e 1139-5486, Nº. 16, 2011, págs. 519-527
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • During the process of learning a second/foreign language (SL/FL), learners are expected to acquire a particular proficiency level, in both the written and oral mode, which enables them to employ the language for communicative purposes (Usó-Juan & Martínez-Flor, 2006a). Achieving that aim, however, sometimes appears to be rather complex, especially in FL contexts where the opportunities for practising the language purposefully and for receiving authentic-like instances of input are scarce. Traditionally, English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks have been considered as the core of the instructed setting (Sheldon, 1988). Nevertheless, they have been criticised for not providing an adequate representation of language (Ediger, 2006), and for not accounting for purposeful communicative activities (Hyland, 2003). In order to overcome those problems, different resources such as audiovisual and/or internet sources might be employed (Martínez-Flor & Usó-Juan, 2006a; Beltran- Palanques, in press). Hence, learners can be provided with authentic instances of language, and by designing appropriate activities they might be engaged in purposeful activities. In line with this, it has been valued the use of both audiovisual and internet resources since they permit learners to be exposed to authentic instances of authentic language as well as to explore on-line materials (Martínez-Flor & Usó-Juan, 2006a; Beltran-Palanques, in press). Given the importance of providing learners with both authentic-like instances of language and communicative activities in which language can be employed purposefully, the goal of the present paper is twofold: (i) to provide a revision of the role of the four language skills from a communicative perspective; and (ii) to present a set of activities to teach the four language skills from a communicative perspective