Receptive Skills

The four language skills are listening, reading, writing and speaking. These skills can be
broken down into two groups: receptive (or passive) and productive (or active) skills.

Listening and reading are both classed as receptive skills because they require learners to
receive language and understand it.

Speaking and writing, on the other hand, are productive skills which require students to
produce language for themselves.

Learners often find it easier to develop their receptive skills, especially at the beginning, as
they need to be exposed to the language before they can go on to produce it.

However, all the four skills are linked and need to be developed more or less simultaneously.
For example, if a student is able to pronounce a word correctly, then they are more likely to
be able to understand it when they hear it spoken.

Similarly, working on reading skills can help to enhance a student’s writing. The four skills
naturally support and complement one another.

In the following modules we’re going to look at each of the four skills in more detail and
focus on ways of developing each when teaching EFL.

But first, it’s critical that we explore Learning Styles. These influence what materials
and examples you will use, and the way you will present them, when teaching your
learners. An awareness of learning styles is paramount when teaching the 4 skills, and
vocabulary and grammar.
Unit 1: Learning Styles
1. So, what is a ‘learning style’?

A learning style is a more or less consistent way in which a person perceives, conceptualises,
organises and recalls information. In essence, a learner often has a preferred learning style.

This could be a preference for learning through visual activities as opposed to, for example,
audio activity.

There are other preferences, as we will see below. Proponents say that learning styles are
influenced by the individual’s genetic make-up, previous learning experiences, culture and
society.

2. Identification of learning style – useful or not?

There are different opinions and lobbies as to the relevance of the identification and usage
of learning styles in the classroom. Unfortunately, many of the opinions from either side of
the debate lack real or scientific proof as learning style methodologies remain unproven.

However, our opinion based on our experience is that learner style identification is useful
and is pretty successful, particularly with adult learners.

Many teachers and educators continue to find value and benefit by using learning styles
approaches in one way or another and, as often applies in such situations, there is likely to
be usage which is appropriate and other usage which is not.

So, especially if you are working with young people, use methodologies with care. It is wrong
to apply any methodology blindly and unquestioningly, and wrong not to review and assess
the effectiveness of methods used.

In any case, we feel it’s important that you are aware of learning styles, no matter whether
you end up being in favour of using them or against using them.

3. Different learning styles approaches

There are a many different approaches used to determine an individual’s learning style.

We will focus on two of these.

1. Kolb’s theory

The work of Kolb and others produced the classification of learners into four groups:
activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists.

According to this approach:

● Activists like practical work such as labs, field work, observation exercises and using
visual source material for information etc.
● Reflectors like to learn by watching others, by taking time to consider observations of
their own experience etc.
● Theorists like lectures, reading papers on topics, considering analogies etc.
● Pragmatists like simulations, case studies, homework etc.

Thus, the four types might approach learning a software programme in different ways:

● Activists might just start using it and feel their way into it.
● Reflectors might have a go at using it and then take time to think about what they
have just done.
● Theorists might begin by reading the manual.
● Pragmatists might start using the programme, but make frequent references to the
help files.

The four types of learning can be seen as cyclical stages through which a learner can
progress (Watch>>>Think>>>Feel>>>Do), as well as categorising specific kinds of learning
experience.

2. The VAK approach

This is our preferred approach. It’s simple and easy to administer.

The VAK analysis identifies three learning styles: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (sometimes
an a is added in: kinaesthetic). Sometimes kinesthetic is said to include tactile learning and
sometimes this is added as a separate learning style.

Key points underlying this approach:

● Any individual will operate in all three modalities, but with a preference for one or
two.
● Visual learners are likely to prefer mind-maps, diagrams, picturesque language, flow
charts, use of colour, white space on the page etc.
● Auditory learners are likely to prefer discussion, explaining things to others, using a
tape recorder, and teaching linked to anecdotes/jokes etc.
 ● Kinesthetic learners are likely to prefer group work, using models/objects in
describing things, walking around while learning, hands-on activities, books with
strong plot etc.
● You should be aware of your own VAK preferences. When doing a learning styles
analysis with students, the students should be made aware of their individual
preferences.
● Some research has shown that students can perform better on tests if they change
their study habits to fit their own personal learning styles. For example, visual-
learning students will sometimes struggle during essay exams, because they can't
recall test material that was ‘heard’ in a lecture.
● However, if the visual learner uses a visual aid when studying, like a colourful outline
of test materials, he or she may retain more information. For this type of learner,
visual tools improve the ability to recall information more completely.

General characteristics of the visual, audio and kinaesthetic learning styles based on the
VAK approach

Visual learner characteristics

Visual learners are those who tend to learn best through seeing things. Look over the
characteristics below to see if they sound familiar. A visual learner:

● is good at spelling but forgets names

● needs quiet study time
● has to think a while before understanding a lecture
● likes colours and fashion
● dreams in colour
● understands/likes charts
● is good with sign language

Learning suggestions for visual learners

● Draw a map of events in history or draw scientific process

● Make outlines of everything
● Copy what's on the board
● Ask the teacher to make a diagram/sketch
● Take notes, make lists
● Watch videos
● Colour code words
● Outline reading
● Use flashcards
● Use highlighters, circle words, underline

Best test type for visual learners

Diagramming, reading maps, essays, showing a process

Worst test type for visual learners

Listen and respond tests

Auditory learner characteristics

Auditory learners are those who tend to learn best through hearing things. Look over these
traits to see if they sound familiar to you. You may be an auditory learner if you are someone
who:

● likes to read to self out loud

● is not afraid to speak in class
● likes oral reports
● is good at explaining
● remembers names
● notices sound effects in movies
● enjoys music
● is good at grammar and foreign languages
● reads slowly
● follows spoken directions well
● can't keep quiet for long periods
● enjoys acting and being on stage
● is good in study groups

Auditory learners can benefit from:

● using word association to remember facts and lines

● recording lectures
● watching videos
● repeating facts with eyes closed
● participating in group discussions
● using audiotapes for language practice
● taping notes after writing them

Best test type for auditory learners

Auditory Learners are good at writing responses to lectures they've heard. They're also good
at oral exams.

Worst test type for auditory learners

Reading passages and writing answers about them in a timed test

Kinesthetic learner characteristics

Look over these kinesthetic learner traits to see if they sound familiar to you. You may be a
kinesthetic learner if you are someone who:

● is good at sport
● can't sit still for long
● is not great at spelling
● does not have great handwriting
● likes working in science labs
● studies with loud music on
● likes adventure books, movies
● likes role playing
● takes breaks when studying
● builds models
● is involved in martial arts or dance
● is fidgety (restless) during lectures

Kinesthetic learners can benefit from:

● studying in short blocks

● taking lab classes
● role playing
● taking field trips and visiting museums
● studying with others
● using memory games
● using flash cards to memorise

Key points to consider when you start teaching:

● To what extent does your teaching provide a range of activities to cater for the visual,
audio and kinesthetic learning styles?
● What opportunities do you see to enhance the range of types of activity in your
classroom?
● What learning style preference do you have? Is it visual, audio or kinesthetic? Or is it a
mix of two or more?

Some people find that their learning style may be a blend of two or three styles.

Naturally, it is not always practical or even possible to account for all learning styles in a
class. However, if you do identify learning styles to inform your classroom approach, you
may find that you can gain a deeper understanding of your students' learning preferences
and a greater appreciation of their strengths.

You may also discover that an awareness of the different kinds of learning styles will help
you to create more creative and appealing lessons. This, in turn, promotes more student
engagement, as students will be leveraging learning modes that match their particular
strengths.

Your students' increased engagement and success in learning may also stimulate you to
raise their expectations. This initiates a powerful expectation-response cycle that can lead to
greater achievement levels. This in turn leads to increased motivation for your students and
you.

You can do your own analysis of students’ learning styles through close observation, noting
what you hear and see.

There’s also a range of materials on the internet which will give you some ideas as to how
to approach this – and you can even try out a learning styles analysis on yourself to find out
what preferred learning style you may have if you are not aware of this already.

Please note that materials on the internet may be protected by copyright and you may be
restricted to using materials for your own personal use, i.e. you must not print them off and
use them with a group of students if the materials are under copyright. Check carefully.

The best route is always to carry out your own analysis via your own approach, by observing
your students closely and noting what you hear and see.
Summary – the VAK approach

As with any learning approach, you need to decide whether this offers you any practical
usage. The VAK learning styles approach has its proponents and detractors but, overall, we
feel it serves as a good aid/reminder for you when choosing appropriate learning activities:

1. Structure learning materials around the learners’ strengths

If you have individuals or groups who have particular interests or strengths, e.g. sport, music,
and you want them to be involved and successful in their language learning, then structure
your learning materials around these interests and strengths.

2. Variety brings life to the classroom

Providing a rich mix of learning activities derived from a mix of the different preferences will
result in a lively and engaging classroom for all your learners.

3. A whole person approach

Every individual exercises all preferences to some degree or another. A multi-faceted

teaching approach that appeals to all preferences addresses the whole person in ways that
more one-sided approaches do not.

The VAK approach helps to develop the whole person within each learner, which best serves
the person’s language learning requirements as well.

Give it a try – preferably with older students.

Unit 2: Listening
Although listening is a receptive skill, some students do still find it very intimidating. It may
seem to them that people speak too fast, they don’t understand the accent or can’t tell
where one word finishes and another starts.

Aside from this, listening isn’t just about understanding each word; students may need to
listen for gist or for detail, they may need to infer a speaker’s attitude or comprehend the
meaning behind what is said.

In real-life situations we always have a context when listening; we can see the speakers,
know/can infer their relationship and have an idea of what they’re talking about based on
previous conversations or previous knowledge.

When listening to a recording in a foreign language, however, we don’t have any of this,
which makes listening even harder. It can also be difficult because spoken language is
generally much less well organised than written language.

There may be hesitations, incomplete sentences or a sudden change of topic.

This is very challenging for students and that’s why it’s important to expose them to both
authentic listening material which prepares them for the challenge of real language, as well
as ‘graded’ material to build their confidence.

You should also consider the different types of spoken language which exist. These are a few
examples:
Conversations

Songs

Speeches

Announcements

Advertisements

Stories

Lectures

Listening involves being able to understand a range of different ‘spoken texts’ and to take
meaning from them.

In the classroom we can expose students to a variety of these text types via CDs, DVDs and,
of course, our own speech. As we’ve already mentioned, when listening to a recording,
whether authentic or otherwise, we can’t see the speakers and therefore can’t infer
context, whereas in real life we usually have at least some idea of what we’re going to hear.

So, when using CDs in the classroom it’s a bit unfair to expect students to “listen to the
recording and answer the questions” without any introduction at all. If we approach
listening lessons like this, students are either able to understand and get the right answers or
not, but if not then there’s no way for them to improve.

Instead, there are a number of ways we can actually develop listening skills. The British
Council gives some really fun and interesting pre-listening tasks which can really help. They
include:

Setting the context – giving students an idea of who is speaking, where, when and an outline
of the situation
Warmers to generate interest – if you’re listening to a dialogue about food, you could start
off by asking students their favourite foods etc.

Activating knowledge – asking students what they already know about the topic to bring
relevant vocabulary to the forefront of their minds or giving them a short, fun quiz

Predicting content – once they know the context they can guess what might/might not be
mentioned

Giving students the questions before they listen – this means that they can focus and listen
out for cues in the dialogue rather than being overwhelmed trying to listen for absolutely
everything

Predicting answers – give students time to read all the questions and make notes on
possible answers so that they’re not concentrating on reading a question when they should
be concentrating on listening!

While listening, learners often have to answer a variety of questions. It’s usually best to
start with questions which assess the students’ understanding of the general gist of the
dialogue, such as ‘why did the girl phone her friend?’, before asking them to concentrate
on more specific details i.e. ‘what time did they arrange to meet?’. This way they are less
likely to become overwhelmed and think, ‘I don’t understand anything at all!’.

Additionally, some students may have understood what they heard but may be unable to
vocalise it. For example, if they listen to a story which they have understood, they might not
necessarily be able to re-tell that story. It’s unreasonable, therefore, to ask hugely
generalised questions such as, “Okay, so what did you hear?” that students may not be
able to respond to.

Use tasks such as true/false questions or table completion to help focus students’ attention
and allow you to assess accurately whether they have understood.

After listening, the students need to feedback the answers and this can be done in several
ways.
A good one is getting students to check what they’ve written in pairs and if they have
wildly different responses you may need to play the recording again. If there are still
problems then you need to grade the questions or activities to a more appropriate level and
then build up.

You can grade tasks rather than the recording so that students are exposed to authentic
material from an early stage but aren’t asked to complete overly-complicated activities.

Even a BBC radio interview could technically be used as a listening exercise for lower levels
where you ask them just to listen for who is being interviewed, for example. The same piece
can then be used for more advanced levels as they can be asked to identify attitudes,
opinions and more specific details.

Obviously some recordings are always going to be more appropriate for different levels but
don’t get stuck in the notion that lower levels can’t handle realistic material – they may
find it an interesting challenge!
Effective Strategies/Activities for
Developing Students’ Listening Skills

If your students are going to be able to operate effectively, they need to be exposed to a
wide variety of different listening strategies and activities. Your goal is to make these
listening events interesting, productive, enjoyable and fun (but not too much fun with
adults).

Here are some of the most practical approaches:

1. Strategies

Questions and answers

Very short exchanges can be used to provide elementary or lower intermediate students
with practice in listening and understanding. Exchanges like this can later be practised by the
students themselves, and preferably recorded.

Recording the students on tape is almost always universally enjoyed by students even when
they laughingly protest a little at the beginning because they are shy about hearing their
own voice on tape.

Short dialogues

The way in which the dialogue is recorded will affect its authenticity; traffic noise or café
noise in the background adds a further degree of authenticity.

Short passages

Unlike dialogues, it's not so easy to make the language authentic in a short passage;
however, a story with a touch of humour always appeals to learners. A wide range of factual
questions could be prepared together with one or two deductive questions.
Reordering information

The students are given a number of items on paper, written out in the wrong order: actions,
description, events and so on. They are also given one or more specific tasks, and then they
listen to the text. The task(s) may involve categorising information, reordering actions in the
correct order, classifying events and so on.

Information transfer

Information transfer activities involve students translating part of the spoken message into a
new format, such as a table, chart, picture, map and so on. They may then use this new
format to carry out a further activity, such as working in pairs with a friend to solve a related
problem.

Note that information transfer activities involve any transfer of any information in a text or
utterance to a new format: a listening passage to a table; a reading text to a dialogue; a
telephone conversation to a map and so on.

Using humour to develop listening skills

Language learning is much less painful if the students have something to smile about from
time to time, and a bit of humour can do this.

Dictation

Dictation went out of fashion in language teaching for a long time, but it can be a valuable
form of listening practice and it has now returned in revised forms. The important thing is
that the dictation passage should normally be one which the students have met already.

It would normally be inappropriate with English language students to give them a dictation
passage that they have never met before. This would be tantamount to a test, which is very
different from practice.

Jigsaw listening

This involves students listening to different parts of a passage or a conversation (or different
passages and different conversations), and then coming together in pairs to try to complete
a particular task. Each person has a different piece of information.
The task might, for example, involve completing another dialogue or filling in a table or
drawing a map. With a large class, the students can first be divided into two different groups
so that they listen to two different tapes.

Then they get together in pairs with one person from each group. It is possible to prepare
such materials yourself, but you will occasionally find that jigsaw listening and reading tasks
are provided in your coursebook.

2. Some activities

Choose passages, topics and exercises that are participative, interesting and good fun.

Here are some tried and tested suggestions:

Add on

One student starts off with I went to the market and I bought some apples. The next student
adds to this: I went to the market and I bought some apples and a spoon. This continues
until the sentence is unmanageably long and the students start to get a bit confused.

This could be a competitive game with teams but would be better as a co-operative activity.
It’s good fun and you can change the model sentence to anything you like so that you can
do this again and again in future classes.

Pass the message

This activity can be used to emphasise the importance of listening. One student thinks of a
'message' and writes it down. The student then whispers this to another student, swiftly, and
so on. The message can only be said once, but it must be spoken clearly.

Nevertheless, however clearly the message is spoken, it will almost always be distorted in
some way or other which often produces a comical sentence. It can then be compared with
the original sentence.
Think of a verb

Each group writes a short passage of about 3-4 sentences. The verbs (excluding the verb to
be) are removed from the passage. One member of, say, group A, then reads out the
passage and the other groups suggest appropriate verbs to fit the space.

The final version of the newly constructed passage can then be read in full and is then
compared to the original passage. This will often provide a lot of laughs. It can be done
again in future classes by changing the verb to a noun or adverb, i.e. linked hopefully to
whatever else they are studying.

What’s the word?

You spell out words quickly, and the students have to shout out the word.

Hands up!

You write up 5-10 words relating to what the students have been currently studying. You
then incorporate these words into a passage. You read out the passage. Students put their
hands up as soon as they hear each of the words.

Missing word

You write up 5 words relating to what the students have been currently studying. You read
out a short passage – incorporating 4 of the words. After the passage has been read out,
students suggest the missing word.

That’s not right

You speak out an incorrect sentence-nothing too difficult, e.g. An elephant big is. Students
have to decide what the correct version should be.
Unit 3: Reading
Reading is actually much more complicated than it seems at first glance.

When we read in our own language, we don’t realise all of the skills we are in
fact using to make sense of a text. In a foreign language, though, there are
several things that come into play which we take for granted in English.

You need to understand the individual letters, the words, sentences, connections
between sentences and the type of text. You also need to bring your previous
knowledge of the world to make sense of the discourse.

There are many different types of text, from letters to articles to stories and the
genre of text, as well as other factors, determines how we read it.

We might be skimming for the overall gist or reading for detail, even reading
parts to predict what the whole is all about.

These are the different reading skills we can help our learners to develop so that
they become active readers and get the most out of any reading activity.

Skimming & scanning

We skim a text when we want to get a general impression of what it’s about. You read it
quickly, running your eyes over the words to understand the overall meaning.

We would often skim through the first couple of pages of a book before deciding to buy it,
for instance. With EFL students, this can be a good skill to practice because it gets them to
see the broader structure and meaning of a text without stopping at and worrying about the
words they don’t know.

It also avoids one of the typical complaints that reading in a foreign language is boring
because it’s so slow when you think you have to look up every single word in a dictionary!

Scanning is a similar technique which is also to do with ‘speed reading’. It’s slightly
different, however, in that you scan a text to find specific pieces of information quickly.

You might be looking for a phone number, a name, opening times etc. so you don’t read
the whole text, just parts of it until you find the information you need.
A typical ‘scanning’ question could be ‘What time does the last bus leave?’ or ‘Where
is Lucy going on holiday?’

Reading for detail

Reading for detail is when we really focus on each individual word. This allows you to work
out how each word in a sentence fits together to deduce meaning and can be used to learn
new vocabulary or understand certain aspects of grammar.

Most students are familiar with this method but be aware that often in real life we don’t
read like this except on certain occasions (i.e. to understand a complex set of instructions).
It’s therefore important to make sure that learners are aware of different approaches to
reading so that when they do encounter texts in the real world where they don’t
understand every word, they still have strategies to cope.

Deducing meaning from context

In those instances where some words are unknown, it’s not always useful to go straight to
a dictionary and find a definition or translation. Instead we can encourage students to work
out the meaning of a word from its context.

This involves looking at all the words around it in order to give an educated guess as to its
meaning.

Predicting

There is a lot of information we can get from a text even before we read it.

Help students tap into this useful skill by encouraging them to look at the other visual
information on the page before reading. This could be pictures or photographs, a title or
subheading, even the author’s name.

All of these things can help us predict the genre of a text (letter, newspaper article, novel
extract etc.) as well as possible content and even grammatical structures which may be used.

If we’re reading a letter of application, perhaps readers might expect to see use of modal
verbs such as 'could and would' to make polite requests or some fixed expressions such as
‘enclosed is a copy of my Curriculum Vitae’.

When students predict correctly, they can feel satisfied and reassured that even though
they might not understand every word, they can comprehend more than they may have
thought.
Inferring

Inferring is a slightly more subtle skill.

This is when we can understand the meaning behind the words to deduce attitudes, opinions
etc. For this, students need to be able to recognise register(formal or informal) and style and
identify words and structures that tell us how the writer is referring to something.

This type of skill is often practised at higher levels because it takes a certain amount of
knowledge of the English language.

However, even at lower levels you can grade a task so that it is suitable for lower level
students to infer meaning.

Noticing the unknown words position in a sentence and recognising whether it's a verb,
noun, adjective etc. will help to deduce meaning.
Effective Strategies/Activities for
Developing Students’ Reading Skills
As you can see, there are many different ways of reading a text for a variety of purposes
depending on the skills you want your students to develop. Yet, it’s still necessary, as for
listening, to introduce the task rather than just launching in asking your students to read and
answer the questions.

Here are some of the most practical approaches:

1. Strategies

● Guessing word meanings by using context clues

● Word formation clues
● Considering syntax and sentence structure by noting the grammatical functions of
unknown words
● Analysing reference words
● Predicting text content
● Reading for specific pieces of information
● Learning to use the dictionary effectively.

There are many integrative activities you can use. Use your imagination!

Here are some practical ideas:

● Matching/contrasting – e.g. Matching/contrasting the characteristics of two

individuals in the story
● Timelines – these lines will help them to understand the way a text is structured with
tense changes, linking words and flashbacks
● Character study – depending on the content, you could make this much more
interesting by getting the students to complete, say, a doctor’s report or a police
report on the character
● Students reacting to texts by writing summaries
● Writing new endings
● Re-enacting the text
● Dramatising interviews based on the text
● Carefully listening for key words or phrases from the text which are in authentic video
or audio tapes
● Creating role-play situations or simulations of cultural experiences based on the text
● True/false questions, factual questions and ‘why’ questions as a basis for
discussing the text (not testing)
 ● Gap filling - the gaps might all be factual words from the passage; alternatively, they
might be linking words that hold the sentences together; they could also be
grammatical items
● Distinguishing fact from opinion
● Drawing conclusions
● Relating what they have read to their experiences or to other texts
● Noting contradictions and inconsistencies, perhaps in what characters say and do

2. Some activities

Choose passages, topics and exercises that are participative, interesting and good fun.

These can be used both by younger and older learners. You can just adapt them a bit, e.g.
perhaps only using separate words with younger learners but using sentences with older
learners.

Here are some tried and tested suggestions:

Distraction

To liven up your reading materials, bring a learner from each group to the front of the class
and have them all try to finish reading the extract simultaneously whilst you are trying to
distract them with silly comments, sound effects, funny faces or any other way, without
touching the learners.

Award points for the first person to finish reading or the one who kept a straight face for the
longest.

DVD control buttons

Draw a DVD player style control panel on the board i.e. a box with a series of buttons; play,
pause, slow motion and fast – but not rewind. Use the symbols that you would see on a DVD
player. Have the class read out the extract or story together.

When you hit a button, they must adapt their reading style according i.e. start, stop, slow
down, speed up etc. Develop the game further by adding buttons with happy and sad faces,
musical notes (indicating that they sing instead of read). Be creative. The possibilities are
endless.

One student one word

Before you start reading as a class, put your learners into teams. Go around the room having
the learners read the story or extract- one person, one word. When a learner says the wrong
word or delays for more than 3 seconds, give the other team a point.

Encourage them to be alert and keep a good fast pace going.

Read to me- circle

Get the learners to stand in a circle with their reading books. Designate pairs within the circle
and instruct them to read to each other simultaneously. When you shout ‘switch’, they
turn to the person on their other side and start reading to them instead.

Walk and read

Tell your learners to stand up and hold the reading book close to their faces. Have them
read the book whilst walking around in a certain direction or in any random fashion. Tell
them to hop and skip etc. to mix it up.

Upside down reading

Put learners into pairs. Have them hold their book upside down and race to read through the
extract. After each round tell them to switch partners and do it again.

Banned words

Before you start, say that words with a particular grammatical value are banned, e.g. on,
over, under, before. It could be anything: words that begin with a certain letter or a past
participle verb. Read the text and when a banned word emerges learners must replace it with
a sound or a different word.

Reading bingo

Tell learners to choose 10 random words from a reading extract and write them down. Read
out sentences from the text in a random order. When learners hear their words, they cross
them off. The first learner to cross off all their words is the winner and becomes the reader.

Note that many activities already discussed for speaking, writing and listening can also be
used for intensive reading, e.g. identifying mistakes, reordering sentences etc.