- Published: September 15, 2022
- Updated: September 15, 2022
- University / College: Newcastle University
- Language: English
- Downloads: 23
The third skill, writing, requires a more advanced levelof knowledge regarding grammar and vocabulary. A written text usually has agiven structure and implies the use of creativity within its boundaries, therefore the learner’s attention and abilities are put to the test. Thedifficulty of the task depends on the type of text that is being written, proving this way the quality and quantity of one’s attainments. Step-by-stepand moving from words to sentences, to paragraphs and eventually to completetexts, a student gains information about linking words, logical structures, anduseful expressions.
In addition, through writing, one can easily learn to usethe right degree of formality needed both in written works such as personal, academic or professional and in speaking in various situations: In the Englishlanguage classroom, writing activities serve two different purposes. On the onehand, they help your students to learn the kinds of personal, academic, orprofessional writing which they will use in their daily lives. On the otherhand, writing in English has a more purely pedagogical role. It reinforces thelearning which goes on through the medium of the listening, speaking, andreading skills. (Peace Corps 99-100) The lastand most complex basic skill is speaking. It requires one or more abilities atthe same time, being the most spontaneous act of communication both in nativeor foreign languages. Although it isoften underestimated and disregarded in the classroom due to the difficultythat is involved in teaching and evaluating, it is essential in a student’sskill set because of the overlapping of essential abilities: “..
. thesefour skills do not separate out into four neat segments. They overlap.
Theyflow in and out of each other. You may emphasize speaking in a particularactivity, but at the same time you will also require your students to listen, and maybe to read and write.” (Peace Corps 40).
Moreover, Michelle Maxom describes themost important competences that need to be learned in order to achieve animpeccable speaking skill: accent, emphasis, pronunciation, and intonation (Maxom 171-182). From expressing an opinion to rephrasing and discussing a complex subject, there are many exercises that are used in practicing this ability both inindividual study and in a classroom. Finally, the process of learning a new language is in most cases influenced by provenanceexterior to the actual educational system or traditional classes, such associal media, movies, games, phone applications, and even music. Even if thesesources tend to be unsafe and may contain some errors, they are a free way oflearning and improving skills. To a beginner’s level they may be of great help, but advanced language users often chose an experimented teacher instead.
Inconclusion, learning a foreign language implies acquiring and improving skillsof listening and understanding, reading comprehension, writing and speaking. Evenif they are generally taught independently, in most cases a learner will usemore than one at once in general communication. Each skill has its ownexercises that enhance the learner’s abilities and alongside the exteriorsources of information they create a complex learning environment with manyopportunities of improvement.