An Overview on the Teaching of the Macro Skills

Receptive Language vs. Expressive Language: Talking and Listening

The difference between receptive and expressive language comes down to talking and
listening. Receptive language involves listening and expressive language involves
talking. These two words are probably the shortest and most used definitions to explain
expressive and receptive language.

Receptive Language

Although listening is an important component of receptive language, it involves much

more than just that. What is receptive language? Receptive language is the
understanding of information provided in a variety of ways such as sounds and words;
movement and gestures; and signs and symbols.

What are Receptive Language Skills?

1. Following simple to multistep directions.

2. Answering comprehension questions.

3. Understanding vocabulary words.

Expressive Language

Expressive language is our ability to communicate our thoughts and feelings through
words, gestures, signs, and/or symbols.

What are Expressive Language Skills?

Expressive language skills as a whole means using the unique areas of language
correctly to effectively communicate what we’re thinking. These areas include:

Using the vocabulary words we know (ex., Using words to make requests, to end an
activity, or get attention; labeling items and their categories; describing an object)

Grammar – choosing the right grammar forms, such as using past tense to reflect
something that happened yesterday
Sentence structure – putting words in the right order to make sense

Macro Skills Competencies in the English K to 12 Curriculums

Learners have this ability to use language effectively through their engagement and
study with text. Text means; written (reading and writing), oral (listening and speaking)
and visual communication involving language. A successful learning includes viewing,
listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. When it comes to learning language it
includes exceeding strategies and activities to enhance and focus students from
Meaning and Accuracy of language.

An effective language arts and multiliteracies curriculum satisfies the following

principles:

1. develops thinking and language through interactive learning;

2. develops communicative competence and critical literacy;

3. Draws on literature in order to develop students’ understanding of their literary

heritage;

4. draws on informational texts and multimedia in order to build academic vocabulary

and strong content knowledge;

5. develops students’ oral language and literacy through appropriately challenging

learning;

6. emphasizes writing arguments, explanatory/informative texts and narratives;

7. provides explicit skill instruction in reading and writing;

8. Builds on the language, experiences, knowledge and interests that students bring to
school;

9. nurtures students’ sense of their common ground in using language/s for

communication as present or future global citizens to prepare them to participate in
school and in civic life, and;

10. Assesses and reflects the students’ ability to interpret and/or communicate in the
target language.
Making Meaning through Language

Language is the major tool when it comes to communication (oral and written).
Language is the tool of guiding students through learning and students are train to
adopt the different experiences where communication is dominant.

The Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum (LAMC) is composed of five (5)
intricately intertwined and integrated sub-strands (listening, speaking, reading, writing,
and viewing) that serve as building blocks for understanding and creation of meaning
and for effective communication across curricula (Matrix 1). The revised curriculum re-
organizes the Integrated Language Arts Curriculum according to the content standards
that must be met by all students at the end of basic education. This is not inconsistent
with the proposed 5 sub-strands of the Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum
(LAMC) but fleshes out the areas that children need to learn and that teachers need to
teach in greater detail. Below is the matrix that presents the spread and alignment of the
language and literacy domains with the 5 sub-strands.

1. The K-12 languages curriculum ensures that processes and products of learning
actively foster and contribute to the achievement of the basic education program goals.

2. Competencies are spiraled across the curriculum and year levels. Upper level
courses will focus on writing, comprehension and study strategies.

3. Content includes print and electronic texts that are age, context and culture
appropriate.

Viewing as New Macro Skill

1. Viewing is a process that supports oracy and literacy, and is a part of an

integrated language arts program.1.
2. Understanding visual images and connecting them to accompanying spoken or
written words. What can you see?Viewing:
3. It involves interpreting the images for which words stand and connecting visual
images in videos, computer programs, and websites with What can you
determine accompanying about the weather? printed or spoken words.
4. Enhances reading when students attend to visuals accompanying print (e.g.,
charts, diagrams, illustrations); specific textual techniques (e.g., layout, colour,
symbols); and the assumptions, perspectives, and quality of a variety of media
(e.g., photos, plays, video). Enhances listening skills when students attend to
nonverbal communication and visual elements of performance, video, television,
film, and multimedia presentations. VIEWING
5. Viewing was not a skill that was taught until recently • Students can learn to
“read” the pictures, the diagrams, and the tables, maps and charts. • These skills
 will provide them with increased information about the material. • Many materials
today cannot be accurately interpreted without the graphics. • Many books relate
stories that are incomplete without the pictures
6. Visually Representing in the Classroom • There are many • ways to represent
ideas visually. • – Presentation can be done by • Drawing • Photographs •
Formatting information with a word processing program • Video • Multimedia •
WebPages – and web based correspondence
7. The student analyzes and critiques the significance of visual images, messages,
and meanings analyzes and Critiques  messages, and meanings (visual
representation)  The student understands and interprets visual images 
Understands and Interprets 

Connection of the Macro Skills with Vocabulary, Grammar and Literature

What is the connection of macro skills with vocabulary grammar and literature?

Greatly developing one's macro skills promotes communicative competence, which

involves the competency on the appropriate use of vocabulary, grammar and literature.
Our macro-skills namely, listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and
representing, plays a key role in fostering learners' competence.

Communicative Competence

If one now tries to bring together the ideas on social skills according to Hargie with the
concept of competence according to Weinert, one could define communicative
competence as follows:

Communicative competence is the ability to achieve communicative goals in a socially

appropriate manner. It is organized and goal-oriented, i.e. it includes the ability to select
and apply skills that are appropriate and effective in the respective context. It includes
verbal and non-verbal behaviour.

What are examples of communicative competence?

For example, a competent communicator will engage in turn taking when in

conversations instead of interrupting. A competent communicator would know when
it is appropriate to ask questions to further the conversation, and read nonverbal
cues/feedback from the receiver to know when the conversation is over.
Review on Communicative competence

Intro:

Communicative competence

Communicative competence (or communication skills) is one of the central prerequisites

for a successful Teacher.

What is communicative competence?

Communication competence is needed in order to understand communication ethics, to

develop cultural awareness, to use computer-mediated communication, and to think
critically. Competence involves knowledge, motivation, and skills.

Content-Based Instruction

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) refers to an approach to second language teaching in

which teaching is organized around the content or information that students will acquire,
rather than around linguistic or other types of the syllabus.

According to Krahnke, The term content has become a popular one both within
language teaching and in the popular media. New York Times columnist and linguistic
pundit William Safire addressed it in one of his columns in 1998 and noted

For example, a student learning French might translate the English word for bread to
'pain' in French. The idea is that the new words will be memorized over time, thus this
method focuses on repetition. An alternative to this method is content-based instruction.

Communicative Language Teaching

Communicative language teaching (CLT), or the communicative approach (CA) , is an

approach to language teaching that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the
ultimate goal of study.

earners converse about personal experiences with partners, and instructors teach
topics outside of the realm of traditional grammar to promote language skills in all types
of situations. That method also claims to encourage learners to incorporate their
personal experiences into their language learning environment and to focus on the
learning experience, in addition to the learning of the target language.

Qualities of an Effective English Macro Skills Teacher

- Excellent English pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar skills.

- Confidence and skills to give motivating and interesting lessons to your students.
- Develop your own teaching materials.
 - Assessment.
- Reflecting on your own practice and micro teaching.
- Mastery of your subject.

References:

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