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of literacy, for the development of comprehension skills. The ability to read
and comprehend text will have a bearing on students’ learning in every
curriculum area.
The extent to which students can construct meaning from text will
depend, in great measure, on the quality of language they already possess
and the level of their awareness of the nuances of words and phrases.
However, the students’ understanding of what they read can also be
developed and extended through discussion. Through the writing process the
teacher can consistently guide students towards appropriate forms of
language and develop their sense of language awareness to the point where
they can choose independently the language best suited to the particular
writing task. As a model for the students, the teacher should be conscious of
the importance of his/her own use of language and of the significance of
such factors as clarity of diction, tone of voice, facial expression and gesture.
It is important that students experience challenging vocabulary and sentence
structure. The teacher will also enhance the students’ language development
by consistently drawing their attention to new words and new meanings of
words they already know. The interaction of the teacher and the students is
an essential feature in enhancing students’ language awareness. Through
questioning, prompting and suggesting the teacher can expand students’
vocabulary, enable them to use language more accurately and expressively,
and deepen their appreciation of its communicative power. This interaction
will occur in every curriculum area, so that the development of students’
language awareness will be a factor of their total learning experience. The
student needs to develop the appropriate language needed to perform the
common social functions such as greeting, asking questions, saying goodbye
and expressing appreciation and sympathy. Through the teacher’s example,
prompting and guidance, students will develop a sense of how to use
language appropriately. As students get older, more structured and formal
contexts for developing the appropriate use of language will need to be
created. These contexts could include debates, presentations and
interviewing interesting people.
As an interactor with the students it is the teacher who creates the
general context for oral language activity. This is done in two ways: 1) by
ensuring the desired quality and variety of stimulation in the form of ideas
and topics. The student’s experience, in and out of school, is the natural
starting point but this, of itself, is not sufficient. The elements of content in
the curriculum indicate the variety of stimuli needed for a comprehensive
oral language program; 2) by creating and facilitating the organizational
structures in which talk can take place. These will vary with the nature and
function of the activity but will consist of the various permutations of whole-
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class, group and one-to-one talk and discussion. Whatever the format being
used, the teacher has a crucial role to play in ensuring that the talk is directed
in the most effective way. In a whole-class context, while the teacher will
help to give the most productive direction to the discussion, the students
should be encouraged to make the major contribution. In group and one-to-
one discussion, the teacher can move from group to group prompting,
questioning and suggesting in order to ensure that the maximum learning
potential is derived from the particular activity or topic. A group might
choose a spokesperson who would report back to the class and this, in turn,
might furnish the basis for further whole-class discussion. Improvisational
drama should be an essential element of oral language activity. Through
drama, students can explore ideas, feelings, characters, actions and reactions
in a way that frees them from the constraints of their immediate context and
inhibitions. It can also help to create the contexts in which more formal
social functions can be learned and practiced. It is a teaching medium which
can be used in many areas of the curriculum.
Much of the character and power of the English language is the result
of the influence of other languages in the course of its development. This has
given an enormous richness and expressive power to the language. In its turn
English has influenced other European languages, especially in modern
times. It is important that students, particularly in the later stages of the
school, are made aware of these connections. The curriculum is quite
specific in this regard. It states that the student should be enabled to discuss
the meanings and origins of words, phrases and expressions with the teacher.
It is important, therefore, that students have the regular experience of
examining the origins and history of words. This will not only increase their
awareness of language but extend their knowledge, since both culture and
history are reflected in the origins of words and the course of their
development. There is an obvious point of integration here with the history
curriculum.
Oral language activity can be approached through five principal
contexts: 1) talk and discussion; 2) play and games; 3) story; 4)
improvisational drama 5) poetry and rhyme. In the classroom, talk and
discussion should be characterized by a relaxed atmosphere of informality
which masks a well-thought-out approach to the language needs of the
students. This will consist in providing a range of contexts and strategies in
which appropriate language skills can be acquired. For example, students’
reading, both in English and in other curriculum areas, will frequently
provide a valuable basis for talk and discussion. In learning to initiate and
sustain conversations in these various contexts students need to develop an
understanding of their role as speakers and listeners. They need to have
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