The approach to building basic vocabulary involves identification of the most basic vocabulary, the benefits of extensive reading, the strengths of explicit instruction in vocabulary and the importance of using word notebooks and dictionaries. English-language learners (ELLs) face a learning paradox: on one hand they need vocabulary to be able to read...
Thankfully for the human brain and its workings, all four fundamental skills of English Language Learning are inescapably interconnected. Contrary to expectations, this connection does not observe the traditional pairing between the productive (writing-speaking production) skills and that of the receptive (listening- reading reception)...
I think I can read your mind as you are reading the title of the article. "Reading? Why taboo? Who is it taboo for?" As social media lovers would describe it, the relationship of reading with all three stakeholders is rather complicated and multi-faceted:
Parents take it for granted that learners should read aloud long texts and translate them word...
Unlike listening comprehension, reading comprehension is not something for which our brains have evolved. Whereas oral comprehension seems to develop “naturally” with minimal deliberate intervention, reading comprehension is more challenging and requires deliberate instruction.
Humans have been accomplished in oral comprehension for 100,000 years or...
Do something for me if you will. Google the word “brain”. The first result you get is the link to Wikipedia’s “Human Brain”. Click and start reading. Go on! That’s it… Now somewhere between the words brainstem and skull bones I bet my bookshelf you would start thinking about the last time you cleaned the floor and how you’d look with your hair...
The following article refers to the theory, and the practice needed, for developing the Reading and Listening skills effectively. However, before getting into details concerning the two skills it would be helpful to provide a definition to the term ‘skill’ as far as language teaching is concerned. A ’skill’ is an action or procedure which may be developed...
Listening is receiving language through the ears. It involves identifying the sounds of speech and processing them into words and sentences. When we listen, we use our ears to receive individual sounds (letters, stress, rhythm and pauses) and we use our brain to convert these into messages that mean something to us. Listening in any language requires...
When discussing about writing, it is useful to consider some fallacies that have dominated EFL teaching in the last few decades. The first one concerns the widespread idea that if speaking comes naturally, so does writing. It is true that one way or another, learners will develop the skill of oral communication and most of them will eventually manage...
Have you ever asked your students how they feel about writing? Have you ever received responses such as ‘Writing is difficult’ or ‘Writing is boring”? In my experience, such responses are quite common and they got me thinking about why students might feel this way.
Text By Maria Stefanidou, EFL Teacher, BA, CELTA, Delta
Indeed, the ability to write in a...
