READING AND WRITING A BALANCE OF SKILLS being able to read and write enables an EFL learner to speak more communicatively

The need for all four skills

There is common view among academics, teachers, and goverment officials in Asia, that Asian ELF learners shouldfocus on listening and speaking skills more than reading and writing, this is serious misperception of the needsof these children and what they are capable of. An ESL lerners may be able to pict up alot of English naturally without learning to read or write, but is difficult for an Asian EFL learner to pick up spoken English in this way. The chilcren need to be able to read and write in order to speak beyond a besic level.

Many teachers feel thet reading and writing are too difficult for the children and that it is more enjoyble to just learn listening and speaking. But it depends on the method. Many common methods of teching reading and writing to both elementary and secondaryschool students are definitely too difficult for many Asian ELF learners, but there alternatives that are not difficult. there are also a lot of children, particularly those who are shy or quiet, who enjoy reading and writing more than speaking.

the arguments against reading and writing are usually maie out of kindness to the children. the intention is to spare them from the traditional Asian secondary school English class that is not communicative, overamphasizes rading and writing, and is demotivating for many students. but the suggestion that elementary school children should do little or no reading or writing is an overreaction to the problems at secondary school. An imbalance of skills at secondary school does not justify an imbalance of skills in the elementary English class.

interviews

four or ten years, I interviewed large numbers of japanese elementary school children. These were children who had learned English for vrying lengths of time at language schools or prevate elementary schools. most of the children produced English like parrots. They could say things like, cat, or I’m fine, thank you, perfectly, but they could not use English flexibly in novel situations.

there were exceptions. there were children who seemed to have internalized English better and were more spontaneous and adventurous,. some of these children had learned English for a years, so it was not a matter of having more knowledge to express themselves in a genuines.

why a balence of skills?

one reason is that it is much easier to learn something if we approach it from a number of different directions. we ted to forget isolated bits of knowladge and useit inflexibly because we have not grappled with it in enough different ways. An Asian ELF learner who learns only arally may just come across a new English pattern in the classroom, and possibly on a tape at home, so she is not approachhing it from enaugh different directions. when she learns to say, read and write the pattern, she is much more likely to be able to internalize the new pattern and it is also much easier for her to do homework between lessons.

READING

APPROACHES TO READING

Approaches to teacing reading are usually divided into whole-language approches and phonich approaches. it also important to look at’ whole-approaches as a separate category because these are commoly used with beginners in Asian EFL classes.

1.       whole-word approach

2.       whole-language approach

3.       phonic approach