Acquisition of language skills

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Acquisition of language skills

• listening
• speaking
• reading
• writing

ORACY
LITERACY
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From oracy to literacy

• Reading and writing float on a sea of talk
• James Britton

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Implications for assessing understanding

• listening
• speaking
• reading
• writing

ORACY
LITERACY
4
Active learning
Requires a response from the learner

• Active listening

interaction with peers

• Active reading

interaction with text
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Active listening

• Interacting with peers
• structured pair work
• structured group work

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Active reading

• Interacting with text
• locating
• organising
• restructuring

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The importance of talk

• developing interpersonal and social skills
• developing understanding
• pair/group work is a safe environment
• provision of good language models

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Language learning in the classroom

• In mainstream classes
• plenty of opportunities for real communication
• no shortage of English speaking models
• maths, science and other areas of the curriculum
  support language learning.

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Learning and language learning

• We need to develop
• new concepts through familiar language
• new language through familiar contexts

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Use of first language in the classroom

• development of concepts
• transfer of skills
• pupils can operate at their own cognitive level
• pupils can take part in lessons
• raises awareness of other languages
• raises status of other languages
• self esteem

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Challenging the status quo

• noise levels
• need for a written product
• marking every piece of work

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Language teaching

• To learn a language it is necessary to
  participate in its meaningful use.
• As language teachers, we need to provide
  opportunities for pupils to interact.

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Activities for interaction
Activities will

preclude interaction
encourage interaction
require interaction
allow interaction