teaching 4 skills

7/29/2019 Teaching 4 SKills

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Teaching 4 skills in Practice:

Strategies for Developing Reading Skills

Using Reading Strategies

Language instructors are often frustrated by the fact that students do not automatically transfer

the strategies they use when reading in their native language to reading in a language they arelearning. Instead, they seem to think reading means starting at the beginning and going word by

word, stopping to look up every unknown vocabulary item, until they reach the end. When they

do this, students are relying exclusively on their linguistic knowledge, a bottom-up strategy. One

of the most important functions of the language instructor, then, is to help students move pastthis idea and use top-down strategies as they do in their native language.

Effective language instructors show students how they can adjust their reading behavior to dealwith a variety of situations, types of input, and reading purposes. They help students develop a

set of reading strategies and match appropriate strategies to each reading situation.

Strategies that can help students read more quickly and effectively include

Previewing: reviewing titles, section headings, and photo captions to get a sense of thestructure and content of a reading selection

Predicting: using knowledge of the subject matter to make predictions about content andvocabulary and check comprehension; using knowledge of the text type and purpose to

make predictions about discourse structure; using knowledge about the author to makepredictions about writing style, vocabulary, and content

Skimming and scanning: using a quick survey of the text to get the main idea, identifytext structure, confirm or question predictions

Guessing from context: using prior knowledge of the subject and the ideas in the text asclues to the meanings of unknown words, instead of stopping to look them up

Paraphrasing: stopping at the end of a section to check comprehension by restating theinformation and ideas in the text

Instructors can help students learn when and how to use reading strategies in several ways.

By modeling the strategies aloud, talking through the processes of previewing, predicting,skimming and scanning, and paraphrasing. This shows students how the strategies workand how much they can know about a text before they begin to read word by word.

By allowing time in class for group and individual previewing and predicting activities aspreparation for in-class or out-of-class reading. Allocating class time to these activitiesindicates their importance and value.

By using cloze (fill in the blank) exercises to review vocabulary items. This helpsstudents learn to guess meaning from context.

By encouraging students to talk about what strategies they think will help them approacha reading assignment, and then talking after reading about what strategies they actually

used. This helps students develop flexibility in their choice of strategies.


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When language learners use reading strategies, they find that they can control the reading

experience, and they gain confidence in their ability to read the language.

Reading to Learn

Reading is an essential part of language instruction at every level because it supports learning inmultiple ways.

Reading to learn the language: Reading material is language input. By giving students avariety of materials to read, instructors provide multiple opportunities for students to

absorb vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and discourse structure as they occur inauthentic contexts. Students thus gain a more complete picture of the ways in which the

elements of the language work together to convey meaning.

Reading for content information: Students' purpose for reading in their native language isoften to obtain information about a subject they are studying, and this purpose can beuseful in the language learning classroom as well. Reading for content information in the

language classroom gives students both authentic reading material and an authenticpurpose for reading.

Reading for cultural knowledge and awareness: Reading everyday materials that aredesigned for native speakers can give students insight into the lifestyles and worldviews

of the people whose language they are studying. When students have access to

newspapers, magazines, and Web sites, they are exposed to culture in all its variety, andmonolithic cultural stereotypes begin to break down.

When reading to learn, students need to follow four basic steps:

1. Figure out the purpose for reading. Activate background knowledge of the topic in orderto predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate reading strategies.2. Attend to the parts of the text that are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore therest. This selectivity enables students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces

the amount of information they have to hold in short-term memory.3. Select strategies that are appropriate to the reading task and use them flexibly and

interactively. Students' comprehension improves and their confidence increases when

they use top-down and bottom-up skills simultaneously to construct meaning.4. Check comprehension while reading and when the reading task is completed. Monitoring

comprehension helps students detect inconsistencies and comprehension failures, helping

them learn to use alternate strategies.

Listening Skills

The average college student spends about 14 hours per week in class listening (or perhaps Ishould say "hearing"--there is a difference!) to lectures. See if you can improve your listening

skills by following some of the strategies below:
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Maintain eye contact with the instructor. Of course you will need to look at your notebook to

write your notes, but eye contact keeps you focused on the job at hand and keeps you involved in

the lecture.

Focus on content, not delivery. Have you ever counted the number of times a teacher clears

his/her throat in a fifteen minute period? If so, you weren't focusing on content.

Avoid emotional involvement. When you are too emotionally involved in listening, you tend to

hear what you want to hear--not what is actually being said. Try to remain objective and open-minded.

Avoid distractions. Don't let your mind wander or be distracted by the person shuffling papers

near you. If the classroom is too hot or too cold try to remedy that situation if you can. The

solution may require that you dress more appropriately to the room temperature.

Treat listening as a challenging mental task. Listening to an academic lecture is not a passive

act--at least it shouldn't be. You need to concentrate on what is said so that you can process theinformation into your notes.

Stay active by asking mental questions. Active listening keeps you on your toes. Here are

some questions you can ask yourself as you listen. What key point is the professor making? Howdoes this fit with what I know from previous lectures? How is this lecture organized?

Use the gap between the rate of speech and your rate of thought. You can think faster than

the lecturer can talk. That's one reason your mind may tend to wander. All the above suggestions

will help you keep your mind occupied and focused on what being said. You can actually begin

to anticipate what the professor is going to say as a way to keep your mind from straying. Your

mind does have the capacity to listen, think, write and ponder at the same time, but it does takepractice.

Listening SKILLS:

Listening is not the same as hearing and in order to listen effectively you need to use more

than just your ears.1. Stop Talking

If we were supposed to talk more than we listen, we would have two tongues and one ear.

Mark Twain.

Don't talk, listen. When somebody else is talking listen to what they are saying, do not interrupt,

talk over them or finish their sentences for them. Stop, just listen. When the other person has

finished talking you may need to clarify to ensure you have received their message accurately.

2. Prepare Yourself to Listen


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Relax. Focus on the speaker. Put other things out of mind. The human mind is easily distracted

by other thoughtswhats for lunch, what time do I need to leave to catch my train, is it going to

raintry to put other thoughts out of mind and concentrate on the messages that are being

communicated.

3. Put the Speaker at Ease

Help the speaker to feel free to speak. Remember their needs and concerns. Nod or use other

gestures or words to encourage them to continue. Maintain eye contact but dont stare show

you are listening and understanding what is being said.

4. Remove Distractions

Focus on what is being said: dont doodle, shuffle papers, look out the window, pick your

fingernails or similar. Avoid unnecessary interruptions. These behaviours disrupt the listening

process and send messages to the speaker that you are bored or distracted.

5. Empathise

Try to understand the other persons point of view. Look at issues from their perspective. Let go

of preconceived ideas. By having an open mind we can more fully empathise with the speaker.

If the speaker says something that you disagree with then wait and construct an argument to

counter what is said but keep an open mind to the views and opinions of others. (See our

page:What is Empathy?)

6. Be Patient

A pause, even a long pause, does not necessarily mean that the speaker has finished. Be patient

and let the speaker continue in their own time, sometimes it takes time to formulate what to say

and how to say it. Never interrupt or finish a sentence for someone.

7. Avoid Personal Prejudice

Try to be impartial. Don't become irritated and don't let the persons habits or mannerisms

distract you from what they are really saying. Everybody has a different way of speaking - some

people are for example more nervous or shy than others, some have regional accents or make
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excessive arm movements, some people like to pace whilst talking - others like to sit still. Focus

on what is being said and try to ignore styles of delivery.

8. Listen to the Tone

Volume and tone both add to what someone is saying. A good speaker will use both volume and

tone to their advantage to keep an audience attentive; everybody will use pitch, tone and volume

of voice in certain situationslet these help you to understand the emphasis of what is being

said. (See our page onEffective Speakingfor more)

9. Listen for IdeasNot Just Words

You need to get the whole picture, not just isolated bits and pieces. Maybe one of the most

difficult aspects of listening is the ability to link together pieces of information to reveal the ideasof others. With proper concentration, letting go of distractions, and focus this becomes easier.

10. Wait and Watch for Non-Verbal Communication

Gestures, facial expressions, and eye-movements can all be important. We dont just listen with

our ears but also with our eyeswatch and pick up the additional information being transmitted

via non-verbal communication. (See our page onnon-verbal communication)

Do not jump to conclusions about what you see and hear. You should always seek clarification to

ensure that your understanding is correct.

A good listener will listen not only to what is being said, but also to what is left unsaid or

only partially said.

Listening involves observing body language and noticing inconsistencies between verbal and

non-verbal messages. For example, if someone tells you that they are happy with their life but

through gritted teeth or with tears filling their eyes, you should consider that the verbal and non-

verbal messages are in conflict, they maybe don't mean what they say. Listening requires you to

concentrate and use your other senses in addition to simply hearing the words spoken.
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Listening is the ability to accurately receive messages in the communication process.

Listening is key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively messages

are easily misunderstoodcommunication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily

become frustrated or irritated.

Listening is so important that many top employers give regular listening skills training for their

employees. This is not surprising when you consider that good listening skills can lead to:

better customer satisfaction, greater productivity with fewer mistakes, increased sharing of

information that in turn can lead to more creative and innovative work.

Good listening skills also have benefits in our personal lives, including: a greater number of

friends and social networks, improved self-esteem and confidence, higher grades in academic

work and increased health and wellbeing. Studies have shown that, whereas speaking raises

blood pressure, listening brings it down.

Listening is not the same as hearing. Hearing refers to the sounds that you hear, whereas

listening requires more than that: it requires focus. Listening means paying attention not only to

the story, but how it is told, the use of language and voice, and how the other person uses his or

her body. In other words, it means being aware of both verbal and non-verbal messages. Your

ability to listen effectively depends on the degree to which you perceive and understand these

messages.

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps

the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. Rachel Naomi Remen

We spend a lot of our time listening

Adults spend an average of 70% of their time engaged in some sort of communication, of this an

average of 45% is spent listening compared to 30% speaking, 16% reading and 9%

writing. (Adler, R. et al. 2001).


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8 ways to show speaking skills in a meeting

By Jeff Wuorio

Careers are often enhanced, or blunted, in business meetings. Do you sound like someone on hisway up -- or on his way out?

How you come across as a meeting participant can be pivotal. The skills involved in getting your

point across are not vastly different than those of a keynote speaker giving a speech to a meeting

group.

"Just because the spotlight isn't shining directly on you doesn't mean that you can't be seen," says

Susanne Gaddis, a Chapel Hill, N.C., speech coach and communications authority.

Like public speaking, the art of effective business-meeting communication is very much a

learnable skill. Here are eight important, yet often overlooked, tips on speaking well as a meetingparticipant.

1. Keep it upbeat. Speech tips and body language aside, nothing is more critical to constructivegive-and-take in a meeting than emphasizing the upside. Rather than criticizing, stay focused on

the implicit value of what someone else says. It's not just Pollyannish. A study at the University
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of Michigan suggests that a preponderance of positive remarks at business meetings genuinely

contributes to successful companies. Try keeping score between positive comments and those

designed more to sting than support. "Stay solution focused, offering up twice as many positivecomments as you do negative," Gaddis says. "When it's possible, affirm others' ideas by using

active and constructive feedback. For example: 'I really like Bill's idea on how we can use a

different approach when responding to customer complaints.'"

2. Talk to the entire group. We've all been treated like a fifth wheelbeing part of a group, but

somehow off the planet when someone is supposedly addressing everyone in the room. Don'tmake the same snafu. When speaking in a group, move your eyes around and talk to anyone

who's listening to what you have to say. "When responding to a question, address the entire

group, not just the person who asked the question," Gaddis says. "In this way, everyone feels

included."

3. Reach out and encourage feedback. Another meeting pitfall is that hollow sound of

silencecomments by speakers that disappear over the horizon leaving no follow-up discussion

in their wake. This silence is not golden. So actively encourage comment and feedback based onwhat you have to contribute. Not only does that make for a better meeting, but it can broaden,

amplify and substantiate your remarks. "Get your point across but also open it up for discussion,"says John Baldoni, an Ann Arbor, Mich., consultant and the author of "Great Communications

Secrets of Great Leaders." "Call on people and ask them what they think. The point is not just to

be a participant, but also a facilitator."

4. Mirror the tenor of the meeting. Another business meeting basic is establishing a

comfortable atmosphere where everyone feels at ease. One effective way to achieve that is to

establish a consistency in communication. If, for instance, most participants are keeping theirremarks short, do the same. If their tone is low and reserved, follow their lead. The point is not to

mindlessly mimic but, rather, to affirm and contribute to the overall tenor of the meeting. Andthat makes for productive and efficient give and take. "You can also mirror other behaviors suchas leaning forward, crossing your legs and other movements," Gaddis says.

5. Don't be a time hog. Anyone speaking in a business gathering wants to take enough time toidentify and, if need be, dissect the point he's trying to convey. But it's all too easy to slip into a

filibuster. Gaddis identifies this element as "conversational balance": Be thorough, but don't take

so much time to get your message across that you lose others' attention or, even worse, alienatesomeone who may be waiting his turn to talk. Again, if others are being succinct, try to do the

same. If need be, keep an eye on your watch when you've got the floor so a comment meant to be

short doesn't stretch into a diatribe.

6. Check the cliches and rhetoric. A central tenet of powerful business-meeting communication

is being as clear as possible. Don't muddy your message by wallowing in tired catch phrases --

just watch for facial tics when you suggest "pushing the envelope"or too many rhetoricalquestions that don't advance the discussion. "Be particularly careful with negative rhetorical

remarks like 'What were you thinking?'" says Gaddis.


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7. When and if necessary, take it offline.Not every in-meeting topic warrants brain surgery.

Don't derail meetings or drag them on endlessly by going into detail that can be addressed at

another time. "If you make a point that warrants a lot more discussion, tell someone that you'lltalk about it in greater detail at some other time," Baldoni says. Or address the issue one-on-one

with the questioner after the meeting.

8. Be aware of your body.Not everything you convey to others comes by way of your mouth.

How you say what you say is equally telling in your ability to share your thoughts with others.

Here are a few body language precepts you may wish to embrace (pun definitely intended): Don'tlimit supportive interaction to just what you say. Show it by nodding your head, making eye

contact, raising your eyebrows and making other gestures that demonstrate that your interest and

involvement in the discussion aren't mere lip service.

Writing Skills

Getting Your Written Message Across Clearly

Improve your writing skills

with James Manktelow & Amy Carlson.

A colleague has just sent you an email relating to a meeting you're having in one hour's time. The

email is supposed to contain key information that you need to present, as part of the business

case for an important project.

But there's a problem: The email is so badly written that you can't find the data you need. Thereare misspellings and incomplete sentences, and the paragraphs are so long and confusing that it

takes you three times more than it should to find the information you want.

As a result, you're under-prepared for the meeting, and it doesn't go as well as you want it to.Have you ever faced a situation similar to this? In today's information overload world, it's vital to

communicate clearly, concisely and effectively. People don't have time to read book-length

emails, and they don't have the patience to scour badly-constructed emails for "buried" points.

The better your writing skills are, the better the impression you'll make on the people around youincluding your boss, your colleagues, and your clients. You never know how far these good

impressions will take you!

In this article, we'll look at how you can improve your writing skills and avoid commonmistakes.

Audience and Format

The first step to writing clearly is choosing the appropriate format. Do you need to send an

informalemail? Write a detailedreport? Create advertising copy? Or write a formal letter?The format, as well as your audience, will define your "writing voice"that is, how formal or

relaxed the tone should be. For instance, if you write an email to a prospective client, should it

have the same tone as an email to a friend?

Definitely not.Start by identifying who will read your message. Is it targeted at senior managers, the entire

human resources team, or a small group of engineers? With everything you write, your readers,

or recipients, should define your tone as well as aspects of the content.
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Composition and Style

Once you know what you're writing, and for whom you're writing, you actually have to start

writing.A blank, white computer screen is often intimidating. And it's easy to get stuck because you don't

know how to start. Try these tips for composing and styling your document:

Start with your audienceRemember, your readers may know nothing about whatyou're telling them. What do they need to know first?

Create an outlineThis is especially helpful if you're writing a longer document suchas a report, presentation, or speech. Outlines help you identify which steps to take in

which order, and they help you break the task up into manageable pieces of information.

Use AIDAIf you're writing something that must inspire action in the reader, followtheAttention-Interest-Desire-Action (AIDA)formula. These four steps can help guide

you through the writing process.

Try some empathyFor instance, if you're writing a sales letter for prospective clients,why should they care about your product or sales pitch? What's the benefit for them?

Remember your audience's needs at all times.

Use the Rhetorical TriangleIf you're trying to persuade someone to do something,make sure that you communicate why people should listen to you, pitch your message in

a way that engages your audience, and present information rationally and coherently. Our

article on theRhetorical Trianglecan help you make your case in the most effective

way.

Identify your main themeIf you're having trouble defining the main theme of yourmessage, pretend that you have 15 seconds to explain your position. What do you say?

This is likely to be your main theme.

Use simple languageUnless you're writing a scholarly article, it's usually best tousesimple, direct language. Don't use long words just to impress people.

Structure

Your document should be as "reader friendly" as possible. Use headings, subheadings, bulletpoints, and numbering whenever possible to break up the text.

After all, what's easier to reada page full of long paragraphs, or a page that's broken up into

short paragraphs, with section headings and bullet points? A document that's easy to scan willget read more often than a document with long, dense paragraphs of text.

Headers should grab the reader's attention. Usingquestionsis often a good idea, especially in

advertising copy or reports, because questions help keep the reader engaged and curious.In emails and proposals, use short, factual headings and subheadings, like the ones in this article.

Addinggraphs and chartsis also a smart way to break up your text. These visual aids not only

keep the reader's eye engaged, but they can communicate important information much more

quickly than text.Grammatical Errors

You probably don't need us to tell you that errors in your document will make you look

unprofessional. It's essential to learn grammar properly, and to avoid common mistakes that your

spell checker won't find.Here are some examples of commonly misused words:

Affect/effect
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"Affect" is a verb meaning to influence. (Example: The economic forecast willaffect our projected income.)

"Effect" is a noun meaning the result or outcome. (Example: What is the effect ofthe proposal?)

Then/than "Then" is typically an adverb indicating a sequence in time. (Example: We went

to dinner, then we saw a movie.)

"Than" is a conjunction used for comparison. (Example: The dinner was moreexpensive than the movie.)

Your/you're "Your" is a possessive. (Example: Is that your file?) "You're" is a contraction of "you are." (Example: You're the new manager.) Note: Also watch out for other common homophones (words that sound alike but

have different spellings and meanings)such as their/they're/there, to/too/two,and so on.

Its/it's "Its" is a possessive. (Example: Is that its motor?) "It's" is a contraction of "It is." (Example: It's often that heavy.) (Yes, it is this

way around!)

Company's/companies (and other possessives versus plurals) "Company's" indicates possession. (Example: The company's trucks hadn't been

maintained properly.) "Companies" is plural. (Example: The companies in this industry are suffering.)

To learn more about commonly misused words, misused apostrophes, and other grammatical

errors, take our Bite-Sized Training session onWritten Communication.

Tip:

Some of your readersarguably an increasing numberwon't be perfect at spelling andgrammar. They may not notice if you make these errors. But don't use this as an excuse: there

will usually be people, senior managers in particular, who WILL notice!

Because of this, everything you write should be of a quality that every reader will find

acceptable.

Proofing

The enemy of good proofreading is speed. Many people rush through their documents, but this ishow you miss mistakes. Follow these guidelines to check what you've written:

Proof your headers and subheadersPeople often skip these and focus on the textalone. Just because headers are big and bold doesn't mean they're error free!
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Read the document out loudThis forces you to go more slowly, so that you're morelikely to catch mistakes.

Use your finger to follow text as you readThis is another trick that helps you slowdown.

Start at the end of your documentProofread one sentence at a time, working yourway from the end to the beginning. This helps you focus on errors, not on content.

Key Points

More than ever, it's important to know how to communicate your point quickly andprofessionally. Many people spend a lot of time writing and reading, so the better you are at this

form of communication, the more successful you're likely to be.

Identify your audience before you start creating your document. And if you feel that there's too

much information to include, create an outline to help organize your thoughts. Learninggrammatical and stylistic techniques will also help you write more clearly; and be sure to proof

the final document. Like most things, the more you write, the better you're going to be!

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