Introduction
Learning the English language can be done through speaking, reading listening or writing. There are basic interpersonal communication skills that are required in learning a second language and they have an impact on how a person learns the language. I came about this topic through my experience in learning academic English language. The topic interests me because many people do not agree on the most important way of learning the English language. Initially, I assumed that writing is the most important way of learning English but through research, I discovered that all the four techniques as all important since none of them can stand on its own.
Is it true that all the four ways of learning academic English are equally significant and none is more important than the other? For success in a classroom, a student needs to have cognitive academic language p
...roficiency and it takes a longer time period. The acquisition of cognitive language proficiency needs knowledge in linguistics, cognitive and social-cultural psychology. Listening and writing are regarded as receptive skills and they are important when learning a language. Speaking and writing are the productive skills which are developed after the receptive skills. The paper is going to focus on the four ways of learning the academic English language and their importance.
Learning academic English language
According to Stæhr, (p. 149) developing and comprehending the English language requires the skills of listening, reading, and writing. "Vocabulary size and the skills of listening, reading and writing.” Is a paper that is written by Stæhr whereby he focuses on the English language. I came about the source on the internet and I started with it because it focuse
on the importance of three of the techniques of learning the English language. I was looking for a source that has researched on some of the ways of learning academic English language and Stæhr suited well. The paper examines the relationship between the three ways of learning the English language and their importance.
It gives results of a research that were carried out on language skills and the significance of reading, listening, and writing. The target audience in the paper was learners of academic English language. The purpose of the paper was to show the importance of listening, reading and writing in learning academic English language. The source is a research paper and the main argument is that all the three ways of learning are significant and none is more important than the other. The research found out that the receptive skills were strong with the amount of reading, listening and writing abilities. The size of the vocabulary was associated with the listening ability hence the proficiency in the English language.
According to Stæhr, (p. 148) learning a new language is difficult but easy with the necessary requirements. All the three techniques of learning a new language are important and they all need to be incorporated together for success in learning the English language. Stæhr indicated that reading allows a learner to acquire a lot of knowledge. Reading enables a learner to be a good write since a person acquires a lot of vocabularies and phrases through reading. Reading is important, especially in academic learning.
Through reading, a student is able to enhance academic skills like writing essays, assignments, and presentations. However, listening moderates the ability to learn
the English language since it influences the size of the vocabulary. The source changed my perspective on learning the academic language since I now understand that listening and reading are as much important as writing. The source is valuable since it made me understand that I have to listen, read and write to be proficient in the English language. However, the source made me question the importance of speaking in learning academic English. The source made me research more on the importance of speaking in learning English.
I came across "Teaching English language learners: What the research does-and does not-say,” by Goldenberg, on the internet whereby he talks about teaching the English language. I was looking for sources that talk about the four ways of teaching and learning the English language when I encountered the source. The source talks about teaching English learners and the most efficient ways of doing it. The main audience in the source is English teachers and professors and the purpose of the source is to provide teachers with strategies for making teaching easier and enjoyable.
The main argument in the source is the use of all four techniques of teaching to achieve effectiveness. The source focuses on making teaching significant in all lessons. The teacher should use oral communication and also write it down where all students can access it. The teacher is also supposed to teach the students to read the content loudly to improve their pronunciation skills. The source encourages the use of listening, speaking, reading and writing in a lesson. The students should listen to the lecture, and then the teacher should ask them to read loudly. Reading loudly
ensures that the learners read and at the same time speak. The lessons should be summarized through writing which gives the learners an experience of all the four techniques.
The source has an impact on the importance of reading out loudly. It changed my perspective on the difference of reading quietly and loudly since I initially thought there is no difference. The source is valuable since I now understand the importance of using the four ways of learning at all times and in all lessons. However, the source made me question how the four techniques should be used by the student outside the classroom. The source led me to search for more information on the response of students outside the classroom
Evans and Christopher, (p. 5) talk about the importance of Employee Assistance Programs, especially in languages. I came across "Why EAP is necessary: A survey of Hong Kong tertiary students," in the library while looking for information on the importance of academic language. The target audience of the source is employee and employees from countries that are not from native English speaking countries but working in countries that use the English language for communication. The main argument is the importance of having employee assisted programs to boost their academic English language. The source is a research on Hong Kong undergraduates and the language problems they experience. The study indicates that a lot of students have academic problems especially in cohesion, grammar, and styles. Speaking is also an issue especially in pronunciation and fluency with inadequacy in receptive and productive skills. Therefore, employee assisted programs are necessary to boost these skills.
Listening is the first step in learning
a new language. After a student is able to listen, then speaking is easier. From there, reading and writing are much easier. Listening enables a learner to receive the language but without practice, it is not important. Reading enables a student to be fluent in English. It is important for learners to read a lot in order to be successful in learning the English language and also communicate fluently.
Through speaking, a student learns how to write and at the same time how to read. Through speaking, a learner is able to listen to one's own pronunciation and is able to write as well as read the English language. Speaking allows a learner to internalize around fifty thousand words. For a learner to be good and successful in the English language, the learner needs to do a lot of practice. Listening does not give a learner practice or experience meaning it requires the rest of the learning techniques for a student to be successful. The listening skills are important since they help learners in the development of the conversational skills.
Students acquire these skills through many channels like news and listening to other people or music. An efficient listener is able to understand and therefore can be able to communicate effectively. Through listening, a learner is able to learn better. Speaking is very important in learning any language. A learner needs to master how to pronounce certain vocabularies in English to learn. Learning how to pronounce these vocabularies can only be done through speaking. A learner gains partnership in the process of communication, listening more than speaking enables people to acquire more knowledge meaning that the technique
of listening is important. The source changed my perspective on employee assisted programs since I thought it was just a way of wasting funds. The source made me question how students can avoid going in the EAPs and learn the English language on their own and as a result, I looked for another source.
According to Andrade, (p. 142) students in international institutes are faced by adjustment issues as a result of language barriers hence they require support for proficiency. I came across "International students in English-speaking universities adjustment factors." on the internet while looking for the importance of listening, reading, speaking and writing. The source is a study on international students in native English countries. The target audience is students who are not native speakers of the English language and other students aspiring to seek for higher education in foreign countries.
The main argument is the importance of the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Through listening, one is able to expand knowledge into new horizons with all the information gained in listening. Listening enables a learner to acquire a lot of knowledge since all focus is directed into listening. Listening enables a new learner to acquire knowledge on how fluent people speak. Speaking enables a learner to express words and phrases that have been written in the English language. A person is able to express all the academic syllables through speaking.
Writing is very important in acquiring knowledge in any language since it enables students to be expressive especially academically. A student is able to refine their language through writing since a person is able to draft something and then edit it through revision. Reading
enables a student to explore more on vocabularies and phrases hence, are more successful in learning academic English language. The source has an impact on how international students should behave to adjust in a new environment and how to handle the challenges of being proficient in the academic English language.
Conclusion
All the four ways of learning are equally important in learning academic English language. Through the four sources, I learnt that learners of the academic English language should incorporate all the four techniques to excel in academic proficiency. If I were to continue with the topic, I would focus on the relationship and the difference between English academic proficiency and academic achievement. Overall, I learnt that to develop academic language proficiency, a student needs to use all the techniques of learning which are listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Work Cited
- Andrade, Maureen Snow. "International students in English-speaking universities adjustment factors." Journal of Research in International education 5.2 (2006): 131-154.
- Evans, Stephen, and Christopher Green. "Why EAP is necessary: A survey of Hong Kong tertiary students." Journal of English for Academic Purposes 6.1 (2007): 3-17.
- Goldenberg, Claude. "Teaching English language learners: What the research does-and does not-say." (2008): 8.
- Stæhr, Lars Stenius. "Vocabulary size and the skills of listening, reading and writing." Language Learning Journal 36.2 (2008): 139-152.
