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This unit gave a brief overview of teaching receptive skills (reading and listening), two of the four main skills in any language (the other two being writing and speaking).
First it noted the two reasons for listening or reading, which are gaining information with a goal in mind and entertainment. Receiving directions is a good example of the previous and listening to a joke is that of the latter. There are also times when the two are mixed, like when reading a travel guide to a city you are touring. You can be entertained from such literature, but also learn how to get to certain destinations or learn about interesting things to do.
Then the unit went into the different ways we go about reading and listening. People can scan or skim different content to attain only information they are interested in, or just get the gist of something without gaining a deep understanding. Then, of course, at times people want to pay attention to every detail of what they are reading or listening to in order to truly comprehend something, or perhaps learn something. Furthermore, people are able to deduce or predict certain things about written text or speech through context and/or cultural awareness and understanding. All of these skills are equally important and show that it takes much more than simply understanding the literal meaning of text or speech. This was well-illustrated in the examples of the American football game headline and the ‘you are in a non-smoking area’ sign. As language teachers, we should not focus on one skill more than the others. They are all necessary to maintain good receptivity.
The unit went on to really stress the importance of engaging and creating interest in your students with the materials you choose to use in class. If students are not interested in something presented to them that is intended to promote receptive skills, they may not pay much attention and thus will not practice any of the skills the lesson was designed to exercise. Teachers should try to get to know their students and try to strike a nice balance with a variety of different topics over a period of time. This way, the interests of all the students can be attended to and lessons can be made more personal and entertaining.
Teachers should also try to create tasks for students that promote understanding rather than just checking for it. Students should be encouraged to fill in the blanks so to speak, and try to gain meaning from sentences without understanding every single word.
Still, there may be some issues when practicing receptive skills. To avoid confusion, teachers should teach vocabulary or drill a certain grammar structure beforehand, in order to curb comprehension problems. Also, as mentioned before, the selection of reading materials or audio should be given careful thought. Not only should something relatable and interesting to the students be chosen, but its difficulty level should challenge the students without presenting them with a goal that is impossible for them to achieve.
The unit also highlighted the difference between authentic and non-authentic texts. The former can be used to help teach the students new concepts, forms, vocabulary, etc. Use of the latter can help bolster their confidence by helping to show students what they really know.
