The pedagogical framework for teaching receptive skills that is taught on pre-service teacher training courses such as CELTA and reflected in the majority of popular EFL coursebooks is often something like this:

• talk about context – check vocab – predict content (activate schemata)
• read/listen to check predictions or some other gist task (global comprehension)
• read/listen to perform a more detailed or specific task (more detailed or specific comprehension)
• some sort of follow-on task (‘using’ or responding to the text in a new or personalised way)

So in essence, typical receptive skills lessons give students the chance to test/practise their comprehension but not to actually understand, build upon and develop the whole range of sub-skills that will make them truly effective readers/listeners.

We’re going to be discussing this issue on Sunday 7^th Feb at 8.30 pm Sydney-time (this chat has now taken place – scroll down for the summary).

Some things to think about before the chat:

• Is it ‘wrong’ to use the skills framework described above? why?
• What ARE the other sub-skills we should/could be focusing on?
• CAN we teach receptive sub-skills – or simply practise?
• What activities/lessons have you used that can help develop these other sub-skills?
• What can we do to adapt/vary our strategies while still using the same coursebook material?

A few bite-size posts for background reading:

• http://elt-resourceful.com/2015/12/01/what-are-reading-skills-theyre-not-only-what-you-think/
• http://elt-resourceful.com/2012/06/15/developing-meaning-building-skills-in-reading/
• http://oupeltglobalblog.com/2012/05/17/decoding-skills-a-neglected-part-of-listening-comprehension/
• http://eltreflection.wordpress.com/2015/08/21/fluffy-post-1-the-absolute-unadulterated-joy-of-questioning-what-you-do/

To view the summary of what was discussed in this chat, click here.

This post by @sophiakhan4