TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM

Content

page(s)

1.0 Introductory

2.0 Transitional

2.1 Principles for Teaching Listening

2.2 Principles for Teaching Speaking

2.3 Principles for Teaching Reading

2.4 Principles for Teaching Writing

2.5 Principles for Grammar

References

SECTION A
0

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM
(Group work)

Introductory
This Section A (Group Work) is aim to demonstrate
understanding of the principles and techniques in the teaching
of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and grammar
in Malaysian primary schools. As much as the English Language
has gained attractiveness and importance throughout the
world, it is well to note that the teaching of English is carried
out in a wide variety of contexts of English as a foreign
language or English as a second language. The teaching of
English has always been an important agenda in the Malaysian
education system. The aim of the English syllabus is to equip
pupils with basic language skills to enable them to
communicate effectively in a variety of contexts thats
appropriate to the pupils level of development. In this task, we
are discussing the principles of teaching the four languages
skills and grammar in the Malaysian schools.

Transitional
In this section, we were asked to discuss the principles for
teaching listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar in
Malaysian primary schools .Then we were asked to present the
information in the form of short notes using suitable graphic
organisers.

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM

Expose students to different

ways
of
processing
information: bottom-up vs.
top-down

P
R
I

Bottom-up :
Knowledge of: ~ vocabulary, grammar,
sounds
Top-Down:

N
C
I
P

Expose students to different

types of listening.

L
E
S

Based on: ~ General knowledge/life

experience (Content schema),
knowledge of situational routines
(textual schema)
Listening for specific information and
listening for gist are two important
types of listening

For

Teach a variety of tasks.

Since learners do the tasks as they

listen, it is important that the task itself
doesnt demand too much production
of the learner

E
A
C
H
I
N

Consider text, difficulty, and

authenticity.

the text itself determines how easy or

difficult something is to understand
Learners need
practice
with
language.

L
I

exposure to and
natural
sounding

S
T

Teach listening strategies

E
N
I
N
G

~Predicting

~Evaluating

~ Inferring

~Monitoring

~Clarifying

~ Responding.

3
municating to get something done, including the exchange of goods and/or services

Design classroom activities that

involve guidance and practice in
both transactional and interactional
speaking

s both establishing and maintaining social relationships

l speech is communicating with someone for social purposes

Plan speaking tasks that involve

negotiation for meaning

has said, clarifying your understanding, and confirming that someone has understood your meaning.

nt of time that learners get to speak in the target language during lessons

Principles For
Teaching
Speaking

Provide opportunities for students

to talk by using group work or pair
work, and limiting teacher talk

age quickly and confidently, with few hesitations or unnatural pauses, false starts, word searches, etc

Give students practice with both

fluency and accuracy

dents speech matches what peopleactually say when they use the target language

ge (SL) context is the language of communication in the society

Be aware of the differences

between second language and
foreign language learning contexts.

e (FL) context is not the language of communication in the society

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM
Exploit the readers
background knowledge.

Build a strong
vocabulary base

Teach for
comprehension.

Work on increasing
reading rate

Principles for
Teaching Reading

Teach reading strategies

Includes all of the experiences

that a reader brings to a text

emphasized the importance

of vocabulary to successful
reading
monitor readers comprehension
processes
readers use both their cognitive
and metacognitive skills
finding a balance between
assisting students to improve their
reading rate and developing
reading comprehension skills
Use a range of reading strategies
that match their purposes for
reading

Encourage readers to
transform strategies into
skills.

An important distinction can be

made between strategies and
skills

Build assessment and

evaluation into your
teaching.

Both quantitative and qualitative

assessment activities should be
included in the reading

Strive for continuous

improvement as a
reading teacher.

Principles for
Teaching
4
Writing

influence reading comprehension

Make
Clarify
Provide
Understand
feedback
formany
yourself,
your
opportunities
helpful
students
and and
for
your
meaningful.
for
reasons
students
students,
for writing
to write.
how their
writing will be evaluated

Teachers view themselves as

facilitators, helping each reader
discover what works best

convey goals to students in ways

that make sense to them.
This
rubric
should
outline
Evaluate
lesson
plans:
howthe
much
weight
of
grammar
and
If
youiswrite
comments
time
spent
reading
or on
talking
develop
a rubric,
a kind
of scoring
mechanics
in
relationship
to isthey
students
papers,
make
sure
Writing
almost
always
improves
about
writing,
and
how
much
grid
that
elaborates
the
elements
feedback
Take
time
should
to
discuss
not
feedback
entail
content
andthe
ideas,
as well as
understand
vocabulary
or in
with
practice
spent
actually
writing?
of writing
thaton
are
to be evaluated
correcting
class
other
features
of writing writing
that you
symbols
use a students

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM

Teach grammar in context

teach grammatical forms in
association
with
their
meanings
5

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM

Teach grammar in order to facilitate

the learners' comprehension and
production of real language

be economical

Principles for
Teaching
Grammar

Teach only the grammar

students have problems with

provide opportunities for

learners
to
put
the
grammar
to
some
communicative use

Economising
on
presentation time in order
to
provide
maximum
practice time

that

Teaching doesn't necessarily cause

learning - not in any direct way

Interpret all rules according to the

level,
needs,
interests,
expectations and learning styles of
the students

start off by finding out

what students already
know

provide the right conditions

for grammar learning

giving a lot of prominence

to grammar

Rujukan
Harmer, J. (2007). The practice of English language teaching (4th ed.). Harlow:
Pearson Education.
6

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM
Hedge, T. (1988). Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Heilman, A. W., Blair, T. R., & Rupley, W. H. (1998). Principles And Practices Of
Teaching Reading (9th. Ed.). NJ: Prentice Hall.
Johnson, K. (2001). An Introduction To Foreign Language Learning And Teaching.
Harlow: Pearson Education
Kathleen, M.B. 2005. Practical English Language Teaching: Speaking. New York,
NY: McGraw Hill
Louma, S. (2004). Assessing speaking. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Ur, P. (2009). Teaching Grammar : Research, Theory and Practice: University of
Vienna
Rob Batstone. (2008). Principled Grammar Teaching : University of Auckland.
Retrieved 16th October 2014 Available:
http://www.finchpark.com/courses/grad
dissert/articles/grammar/grammar-teaching.pdf

_____________ [n.d] Principles For Teaching Listening. __________. Retrieved

20th October 2010 Available :
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/supergoal/Chapter4%20Section3.pdf

_____________ [n.d] Principles For Teaching Speaking. __________. Retrieved

20th October 2010 Available :
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/supergoal/Chapter4%20Section3.pdf

TEACHING OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN ENGLISH FOR PRIMARY

CLASSROOM
_____________ [n.d] Principles For Teaching Reading. __________. Retrieved
20th October 2010 Available :
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/supergoal/Chapter4%20Section3.pdf

_____________ [n.d] Principles For Teaching Writing. __________. Retrieved

20th October 2010 Available :
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/supergoal/Chapter4%20Section3.pdf