Putting theory into practice: one holistic approach to language learning (original) (raw)

2013

Abstract

Integrated and multi-skills instruction are not common in Japan where language learning is usually divided into a grammar and reading portion and a listening and speaking portion, with these two parts taught by different teachers. The separation of the skills and the teachers fails to offer students with a holistic view of language and how it is used. To address this issue, one university has developed the Four Skills course which makes use of bottom-up and top-down skills in conjunction with very little focus-on-form instruction. Following the Hattie model for successful learning, students are given ample amounts of formative feedback, and learn to give it themselves. Teacher student interaction is a key component: students are encouraged to reciprocate with the teacher over classroom material until the students feel they have reached a satisfactory understanding. In helping students move away from a passive approach to learning, the teacher serves as a mirror to the students who must reflect on their knowledge, their use of it and how it can be expanded. In this presentation, we will outline the design for teacher student interaction in the Four Skills course, and how it is integrated into the main components of the course: vocabulary, reading, writing, listening and speaking. We will also elaborate on each these components by explaining how they are taught, in order to offer participants with a clear idea of how pedagogical material can be designed within a theoretical framework when building a new course.

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