Proceedings of INTCESS 2023- 10th International Conference on Education & Education of Social Sciences

23-25 January 2023- Istanbul, Turkey

BASIC APPROACHES OF TEACHING INTEGRATED SKILLS

Shakhnoza Mukhamedjanovna Jalolova

PhD, Associate Professor Dr., The National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek,
Uzbekistan, [email protected]

Abstract
This article deals with methods of teaching English for students of higher education institutions. Language as
a means of professional communication with representatives of different cultures, change experience and
establish professional contacts with foreign colleagues. It makes little sense to talk about skills in isolation
since, as Eli Hinkle stated “in meaningful communication, people employ incremental language skills not in
isolation, but in tandem” When we are engaged in conversation, we are bound to listen as well as speak
because otherwise we could not interact with the person we are speaking to (although some people, of
course, are better listeners than others!). Lecturers frequently rely on notes they have written previously, and
people listening to lectures often write notes of their own. Even reading, generally thought of as a private
activity, often provokes conversation and comment. Writing, too, is rarely done in isolation. Much of today's
communication is electronic (for instance, via emails and text messages). We read what people send to us
and then reply fairly instantly. And even when we are writing on our own, we generally read through what we
have written before we send it off. Sometimes, of course, this is not the case when dealing with emails and
text messages, but writers and texters often regret sending their messages in haste! Furthermore, the
appropriate teaching method depends in many ways on the information or skills being learned, and it can
also be influenced by the ability and enthusiasm of the students. Also, integrating the skills allows you to
build in more variety into the lesson, because the range of activities will be wider. Instead of just having
listening, the students can have speaking, reading and writing practice. This can raise their motivation to
learn English. Above all, integrating the skills means that you are working at the level of realistic
communication, which provides all-round development of communicative competence in English. Integration
of the four skills is concerned with realistic communication. Clearly, therefore, if skill use is multi-layered in
this way, it would make no sense to teach each skill in isolation. We will, therefore, look at how input and
output are connected in the classroom, how skills can be integrated, and how skill and language works are
connected.
Keywords: integrated skills, listening, reading, writing, speaking, communicative competence, input, output,
motivation, multi-layered, classroom, inner circle, primary language, second language, learner and teacher.

1. INTRODUCTION
Today, our country is going through a new way of social modernization, industrialization and accelerated
innovation challenges in the new global economic integration. The main objective of independent Uzbekistan
is to move forward to join the top 30 developed countries of the world. In this regard, there is a great
responsibility on teachers and young people of Uzbekistan, to develop national competitiveness until the end
of the century, providing prosperity and universal recognition of the country all over the world. Nowadays
learning foreign languages is one of the most consequential issues which require a proper attention to tackle

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with, especially in our country. After the

proclamation of the Independence, to
reinforce the youth’s knowledge and
education, a huge amount of actions has
been done. Notably, several areas of
knowledge are determined every year in
Uzbekistan, the development of which is
given priority attention. In 2021 physics
and foreign languages have become
such areas. Teaching in foreign
languages is conducted in 25 higher
education institutions in Uzbekistan.
Over the past 3 years, the number of
applicants who have received a language certificate of international level has increased tenfold. The
education system is consistently developing to bring up educated and qualified individuals, train specialists
who keep pace with progress. The material and technical base of universities has been strengthened.
Training of specialists in 64 new specialties has begun within the framework of joint educational programs
with foreign countries.
2. BASIC RESEARCH CONCEPTS OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING
We have already seen how the proportion of native and non-native speakers has altered in the last few
decades, but the way this has happened, and its
implications, needs to be explored further.
In 1985 Kachru described the world of English in
terms of three circles. In the inner circle he put
countries such as Britain, the USA, Australia, etc.
where English is the primary language. The outer
circle contained countries where English had
become an official or widely-used second
language. These included India, Nigeria,
Singapore, etc. Finally, the expanding circle
represented those countries where English was
learnt as a foreign language (though we will be
debating the use of that term in Section B below -
countries such as Poland, Japan, Mexico,
Hungary, etc. We have already seen how
Kachru's numbers have been dramatically
surpassed. But something else has happened, too. It was once assumed that there was some kind of inbuilt
superiority for inner circle speakers (Harmer, 2007, p.17).
Fig. 1: Kachru’s circle
They spoke 'better' English, and there were more of them. Among other things, this situation 'bred an
extremely enervating inferiority complex among many a non-native speaker learner/teacher' (Rajagopalan,
2004, p.114). But since English is now used more often as a lingua franca than as a native language- and
since the majority of competent English speakers are not native speakers, but second-language users - the
inner circle has lost much of its linguistic power, real or imagined (though there are still many people who
advocate using a native-speaker model to teach international English as we shall see in figure 2 below).
Fig. 2: World English and English proficiency
As a result, a consensus has emerged that instead of talking about inner, outer and expanding circle
Englishes, we need to recognize “World Englishes” (Jenkins, 2006, p.159) or “Global English” (Graddol,
2006, p.106). World English belongs to everyone who speaks it, but it is nobody's mother tongue'. Nobody
owns English any more, in other words – or perhaps we could say that we all, “native” and “non-native”
speakers alike, own it together in a kind of international shareholders' democracy since whatever English we
speak – Indian English, British English or Malaysian English – we have, or should have, equal rights as
English Lasers. This does not mean, of course, that there are not “haves” and “have-nots” in World
Englishes (as there are in any language where conflicting interests and ideologies are constantly at play. But
it does mean, suddenly, that native speakers may actually be at a disadvantage, especially if we compare

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less educated native speakers with highly competent and literate second-language English users. The
speaker of World English is, perhaps, capable of dealing with a wider range of English varieties than
someone stuck with native-speaker attitudes and competence; indeed, as Rajagopalan suggests, anyone
who can't deal with a Punjabi or Greek accent (or, as Canagarajah suggests, with an outsourced call center
operative in Delhi or Kuala Lumpur speaking their own special English variety) is “communicatively deficient”
(Rajagopalan, 2004, p. 115). The emergence of global English has caused Kachru to propose a new circle
diagram where language affiliation (and ethnicity) is less important than a speaker's proficiency. He still
wishes to make a distinction between the inner core and everyone else, but outside that inner core, the main
difference is between high and low proficiency users (Harmer, 2007, p.118).
2.1. Principles of Language Teaching
Teaching a foreign language can be a challenging but rewarding job that opens up entirely new paths of
communication to students. It’s beneficial for teachers to have knowledge of the many different language
learning techniques including ESL teaching methods so they can be flexible in their instruction methods,
adapting them when needed.
In a controversial but famous 1993 study by Harvard researchers, Nalini Ambady and Robert Rosenthal,
students observing teachers were able to accurately predict the teachers who were really bad and really
good. It took students six seconds, and remembers they accurately, correctly, predicted, based on outside
evidence, such as test scores, and administrative evaluations of the teachers. Teacher’s presentation, style,
their way of standing up. In other words, while they may have the greatest tasting cake in their hands, how
they present the cake is one of the most important factors for student success. Another way to say this is
that learners often see technique before they see content. Teachers on the other hand, seem to be divided
into two groups: those that think about technique and those that think about content. To explain this in more
general way many university teachers care more about content, they try to cover the whole topic and just
read the lecture for whole lesson, whereas the preschool teachers mainly focus only on technique. They try
to engage children and make them feel secure which most university teachers fail.
One of the top ten problems teachers comment on is lack of student engagement and motivation. In the
world of constant and pervasive technology and a demand for instant attention, more and more students are
losing interest in the classroom. What can we, as teachers, do? How can we engage our students and
motivate them? Let’s start with defining what motivation is according to Merriam-Webster online dictionary –
motivation: noun mo·ti·va·tion \mō-tə-vā-shən\ – 1) the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing
something: the act or process of motivating someone; 2) the condition of being eager to act or work: the
condition of being motivated; 3) a force or influence that causes someone to do something.
The definition is simple enough, but what does motivation look like in real life? How do we generate it in our
classrooms? How does this definition help you? Better yet, what does motivation on the inside look like?
First, it is encouraging to note that we are all born motivated. Think about it. From the moment we are born,
we begin learning. Now think of a small child you know. Chances are, they are curious about everything.
They are eager to explore the world around them. They are internally driven. They want to learn! This drive
to know and to find answers for their own sake is referred to as “intrinsic motivation.” When you hear
someone say – “Science interests me,” or “Learning math helps me think clearly.” – we are talking about
intrinsic motivation. William Glasser’s choice theory suggests how strong intrinsic motivation is in learners
when he states that, “we are born with specific needs that we are genetically instructed to satisfy” (as cited in
Sullo, 2007). In other words, natural curiosity is literally built into our genetic makeup to help us best meet
our basic needs, survive, and thrive as humans. According to Glasser, these basic psychological needs are:
• Belonging or connecting
• Power or competence
• Freedom
• Fun
Belonging or connecting as teachers, it is important to develop the community of our classroom to create a
place where everyone is an active member with a purpose and reason for being a part of the learning
process. Our classroom communities need to provide a space where students feel safe and welcomed by
the teacher and their classmates. The teacher / student relationship sets the tone for the classroom. Not
surprisingly, research shows that teachers who developed good relationships with their students have fewer
discipline problems than teachers who do not make that effort. Fewer discipline problems indicate more
students are engaged and motivated in the work they are doing.

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2.1.1 Power or Competence

Power and competence relate to the ability to do something successfully. When we teach our students how
to learn and what not to learn, we provide them with the confidence, skills, and tools they need to be
competent and successful individuals. They are willing to take risks in their learning because they feel
confident, they have the tools necessary to achieve and master new skills. Modeling and feedback are
important parts of mastering skills. The first time I made this connection was watching my children taking ski
lessons. At the beginning of the day, they could barely stand upright on their skis, but with clear
demonstrations of the correct technique and specific feedback from their instructor within a couple of hours
they were able to successfully ski down the slope. Even though it was difficult, they mastered the basic skills
needed to enjoy the activity and the desire to learn more. They were competent and therefore empowered by
what they had learned.
2.1.2 Freedom
As humans we want the freedom to make choices and be a part of the decision-making process. By
including learners in the decision-making process, they have more ownership of that process. But what does
that look like in the classroom? It could start with the students determining the classroom rules for the
academic year or could be as simple as what topic they will write their essays about or as thoughtful as
determining the criteria for grading that essay. Students that have a voice in the classroom are more
invested in the work they are producing for that classroom and thus more motivated.
2.1.3 Fun
Everything is better when there is a fun element to it. It is our playfulness and enthusiasm that lead us to
discovery and growth. An enthusiastic teacher brings passion, excitement, pleasure, and joy to the
classroom. They bring their classroom to life, engage their students, and encourage exploration. A teacher’s
emotional engagement and enthusiasm can increase student participation, interest, curiosity, and motivation.
These four basic psychological needs create the foundation of our individual interpretation of the world
around us and is the basis for what motivates us. When my students – whether they are energetic 5-year-old
boys or slow thoughtful grandmothers – have these needs met, they are more engaged and willing to learn;
they have the skills and tools needed to succeed; and they enjoy the thrill and excitement they experienced
as young children learning at their parent’s knee. Simply stated, they are motivated. Please note that there
are many ways to motivate, but that intrinsic motivation, sparking that natural, internal motivation inside each
student, will make your students recognize their love of learning and their need to meet these four
psychological needs (Norma, 2005, p.35).
Moreover, teachers should give students real world related contexts and exercises. Mostly teachers provide
students only with theory and with exercises from old sources which do not provide enough practice while
teaching teachers should connect their lessons to the real world and give reasons to study and learn their
subject. We can find a clear example from the book “Martin Iden”. Martin Iden after talking with many
educated people in the house of Morz’s tells that “they have highest degrees in their majors, but they do not
understand anything about life or about their majors” (London, 1909, pp. 303-305). This should be a good
alert for teachers to keep in mind and try to show their students understand the power of their knowledge
they are gaining from their teachers.
2.2. Differences in First Language Learning and Foreign Language Learning
Language is the most significant aspect which makes us different from all other species. Accordingly,
language acquisition is the most impressive aspect of human development both in psychological and
cognitive perspective. However, all the normal human beings acquire the language they first encounter as
children. Then they might learn multiple languages but those languages will always be different from the first
language they acquired by being exposed to. So, it is evident that there are a lot of differences between the
first language and the second language of a person. It’s impossible to continue without explaining basic
concepts and definitions of FLA, differences between first language learning (L1) and FL, and presenting an
overview of theories, methods, and instructional techniques used throughout the years. Such like the
definition of language, there are many definitions on FLA and learning that tend to confuse. But perhaps
what researchers have called the most important conceptualization in the field Taylor and supported by
Brown is the distinction made by Stephen Krashen between language acquisition and language learning in
his theory of FLA. According to Krashen, “acquisition is a subconscious process while learning is conscious”
(Krashen, 1982). But instead of a philosophical approach towards the term, a definition by Gass and
Selinker that establishes that “FLA is the learning of a non-native language after learning of a native

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language has begun and occurring in the context in which the language is spoken” (Gass, 2002, pp. 170-
181). FLA and learning differ from Second Language Learning (SLL), because the environment is of one’s
native language. A first language is the mother tongue or native language of a person while a second
language is a language a person learns in order to communicate with the native speaker of that language.
3. NEW APPROACHES IN TEACHING INTEGRATED SKILLS
3.1. Teaching Language Skills
Teachers tend to talk about the way we use language in terms of four skills - reading, writing, speaking and
listening. These are often divided into two types. Receptive skill is a term used for reading and listening,
skills where meaning is extracted from the discourse. Productive skill is the term for speaking and writing
skills, where students actually have to produce language themselves. There is some concern about
separating skills in this way, especially since they are seldom separated in real life. W e might also want to
question a once commonly-held view that receptive skills are somehow passive, whereas production skills
are in some way more active. It is certainly the case that when we speak or write we are producing language
and no one would argue with the idea that language activation takes place when we are doing this. But
reading and listening also demand considerable language activation on the part of the reader or listener. We
cannot access meaning unless our brains are fully engaged with the texts we are interacting with. In other
words, we have to think to understand, using any or all of our language knowledge to get meaning from what
we are seeing or hearing. But in any case, whether we are reading or speaking we often mix what we are
doing with other skills, as we shall see below.
3.1.1. Skills together
It makes little sense to talk about skills in isolation since, as Eli Hinkel points out, “in meaningful
communication, people employ incremental language skills not in isolation, but in tandem” (Hinkel, 2006,
p.113). When we are engaged in conversation, we are bound to listen as well as speak because otherwise
we could not interact with the person we are speaking to (although some people, of course, are better
listeners than others!). Lecturers frequently rely on notes they have written previously, and people listening
to lectures often write notes of their own. Even reading, generally thought of as a private activity, often
provokes conversation and comment. Writing, too, is rarely done in isolation. Much of today's
communication is electronic (via emails and text messages, for example). We read what people send to us
and then reply fairly instantly. And even when we are writing on our own, we generally read through what we
have written before we send it off. Sometimes, of course, this is not the case when dealing with emails and
text messages, but writers and texters often regret sending their messages in haste! Clearly, therefore, if
skill use is multi-layered in this way, it would make no sense to teach each skill in isolation. We will,
therefore, look at how input and output are connected in the classroom, how skills can be integrated, and
how skill and language work are connected.
3.1.2. Input and output
Receptive skills and productive skills feed off each other in a number of ways. What we say or write is
heavily influenced by what we hear and see. Our most important information about language comes from
this input. Thus, the more we see and listen to comprehensible input, the more English we acquire, notice or
learn. This input takes many forms: teachers provide massive language input, as does audio material in the
classroom and the variety of reading texts that students are exposed to. Students may read extensively or
listen to podcasts. They may interact with other English speakers both inside and outside the classroom. But
students get other input, too, especially in relation to their own output. When a student produces a piece of
language and sees how it turns out, that information is fed back into the acquisition process. Output - and
the students' response to their own output - becomes input. Such input or feedback can take various forms.
Some of it comes from ourselves, whether or not we are language learners. We modify what we write or say
as we go along, based on how effectively we think we are communicating. Feedback also comes from the
people we are communicating with. In face-to-face spoken interaction, our listeners tell us in a number of
ways whether we are managing to get our message across. On the telephone, listeners can question us
and/or show through their intonation, tone of voice or lack of response that they have not understood us.
Teachers can, of course, provide feedback, too, not just when a student finishes a piece of work, but also
during the writing process, for example, or when, acting as prompters or as a resource, they offer ongoing
support. Figure 1 shows the dynamic relationship between input and output:

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Fig. 3: The circle of input and output

3.2. Integrating Skills
In order to replicate the natural processes of skill-mixing which we mentioned at the beginning of this
chapter, and also because we want to provide maximum learning opportunities for the different students in
our classes, it makes sense to integrate different
skills.
Speaking as preparation and stimulus: we often
ask students to discuss a topic as a way of
activating their schemata or engaging them in a
topic that they are going to read or hear about.
Speaking sessions allow students to investigate
their thoughts and feelings about a topic.
Frequently, too, speaking is part of a longer
planning sequence.
Texts as models: especially where students are
working with genre-focused tasks, written and
spoken texts are a vital way of providing models
for them to follow. One of the best ways of having
students write certain kinds of report, for example, is to show them some actual reports and help them to
analyze their structure and style; when getting students to give spoken directions, they will benefit from
hearing other people doing it first. Productive work should not always be imitative, of course. But students
are greatly helped by being exposed to examples of writing and speaking which show certain conventions for
them to draw upon.
Texts as preparation and stimulus: much language production work grows out of texts that students see or
hear. A controversial reading passage may be the springboard for discussion or for a written riposte in letter
form. Listening to a recording in which a speaker tells a dramatic story may provide the necessary stimulus
for students to tell their own stories, or it is the basis for a written account of the narrative. In this way, we
often use written and spoken texts to stimulate our students into some other kind of work (Seidlhofer, 2004,
p.14)
Integrated tasks: frequently we ask students to listen to something (a recorded telephone conversation, for
example) and take a message or notes. We might ask them to prepare a spoken summary of something they
have read, or read information on the Internet as preparation for a role-play or some other longer piece of
work. Almost any speaking activity is bound to involve listening, of course, but sometimes when students are
involved in some kind of cooperative writing they will be speaking, listening, writing and reading almost
simultaneously. Indeed, Task-based learning, or even just working on some single task, is almost predicated
on the idea of skill integration, since it is usually impossible to complete a task successfully in one skill area

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without involving some other skill, too. Skill integration is a major factor in lesson planning. Weaving threads
of different skills and topics is a major art of teachers who plan for a sequence of lessons. Skill integration
also happens when students are involved in project work, which may well involve researching (through
reading or listening), speaking (e.g. in discussions or when giving a presentation) and writing (e.g. submitting
a report).
3.2.1. A basic Methodological Model for Teaching Receptive Skills
A typical procedure for getting students to read a written text or listen to a recording involves both Type 1
and Type 2 tasks. Type 1 tasks are those where we get students to read or listen for some general
understanding, rather than asking them to pick out details or get involved in a refined search of the text.
Type 2 tasks, on the other hand, are those where we get students to look at the text in considerably more
detail, maybe for specific information or for language points. Moving from the general to the specific by
starting with Type 1 tasks and going on to Type 2 tasks works because it allows students to get a feel for
what they are seeing or hearing before they have to attack the text in detail, which is the more difficult thing
to do. The procedure for teaching receptive skills generally starts with a lead in. This is where we engage
students with the topic of the reading and we try to activate their schema (plural schemata), a term which
was best described by Guy Cook as 'our pre-existent knowledge of the world' This is the knowledge that
allows many British, Australian, West Indian, Pakistani and Indian people (for example) to make sense of
headlines like England in six-wicket collapse (a reference to the game of cricket), whereas many Canadians
would instantly understand what it means to be sent to the penalty box and why being sent there might give
another team a power play (both terms come from ice hockey, Canada's national sport). All of us, at
whatever age, but especially from late childhood onwards, have this pre-existent knowledge which we bring
with us to all encounters with topics and events. The job of the receptive skills teacher, therefore, is to
provoke students to get in touch with that knowledge or schema. They can then predict what a text is likely
to be about, and what they are going to see or hear. We can provoke this kind of prediction by giving them
various clues, such as pictures, headlines or book jacket descriptions. We can give them a few words or
phrases from the text and ask them to predict what these might indicate about its content. We can
encourage a general discussion of the topic or ask students to make their own questions for what they are
going to read about. Whatever alternative we choose, the point is that prediction is vitally important if we
want students to engage fully with the text. Once students are ready to read, we set some kind of a
comprehension task so that they will read or listen in a general way-trying to extract a mostly general
understanding of what, superficially, the audio or written text is all about. The students read or listen to the
text and then the teacher directs feedback. Here we may suggest that students go through the answers in
pairs or small groups. This is partly so that they get more opportunities to work together, and partly so that
when we go through the answers with the class, individual students do not get exposed as having failed in a
task. Sometimes the teacher directs a text-related task immediately this Type 1 task has been completed. A
text-related task is any kind of follow-up activity and might be either a response to the content of the text or a
focus on aspects of language in the text (Ur, 1996, p.360). However, we will usually get the students to look
at the text again for a Type 2 task in which they are required to examine it in more detail. The
comprehension cycle is repeated and then the teacher involves the students in text-related tasks (of course,
it is possible that students might be involved in more than one Type 2 task cycle).
3.2.2. A basic Methodological Model for Teaching Productive Skills
A key factor in the success of productive-skill tasks is the way teachers organize them and how they respond
to the students' work. Here we set down a basic methodological model for the teaching of productive skills. In
the lead-in stage, we engage students with the topic. Perhaps we ask them what they know about a certain
subject (e.g. we ask them what experience they have of tourism if we are going to have a tourism debate, or
we might, if we are going to role-play checking in at an airport, get them to think about the kind of
conversation that usually takes place when people check in. When we set the task, we explain exactly what
students are going to do (Schmitt, 2002, p.225). At this stage we may need to demonstrate the activity in
some way. For example, if we want students to work in pairs, we can Show the class how the activity works
by being one of a public pair ourselves so that everyone sees die procedure in action. We may get students
to repeat the task instructions back to us (either in English or in their L1, depending on which is appropriate).
We will also make sure that students are given all the information they need to complete the tasks (e.g. role
cards, etc. for a role-play). Once the students have started, we will monitor the task. (Scarcella, 1992, p.230)
This may mean going around the class, listening to students working and helping them where they are
having difficulties. With writing tasks, we may become actively involved in the writing process as we respond
to the students' work and point them in new directions. When the activity has finished, we give task
feedback. This is where we may help students to see how well they have done. As we said, we will respond

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to the content of the task and not just to the language the students used. We will show positive aspects of
what they have achieved and not concentrate solely on their failings. Finally, we may move on from the task
with a task-related follow-up (Seidlhofer, 2004, p.24.).
Teachers on the other hand, seem to be divided into two groups. Those that think about technique, and
those that think about content. Let me try to represent this visually. The relationship between technique and
content is like points on a graph. On the X axis, we have technique represented by this blue line, and on the
Y axis, we have content, represented by the red line. Now, let me ask you a question. University teachers,
are they more interested in content or technique?
Well, in my teaching experience, I would say that many university teachers care a lot about content. Perhaps
this is because many perceive themselves as researchers, writers of books and articles. I remember hearing
one educational expert remark that professors think of their bodies as nothing more than transportation for
their brains. As a teacher trainer myself, as I do training, I am often surprised at how few university teachers
have received any training about technique at all. Isn't it weird that some of our brightest minds in the world
have taken hundreds of courses, but never taken any courses, not one, on how to teach? They would fall
into the high content, low technique area of the spectrum. At the other end of the spectrum, let's talk about
teachers in primary and middle schools. Do they use techniques? In fact, before primary teachers are ever
given a chance to teach students, they are often given many courses on how to teach, and make things both
interesting and easily understood for students. They use colors, games, and stories. They use their hands
and bodies. Bodies are not just transporting for their brains. They are taught techniques that break down
information, and make it easy for a learner to understand. Techniques, such as group work, flash cards,
color coded board work. However, the opposite problem can often happen here. While techniques are
usually studied and utilized, sometimes primary and middle school teachers are not given the freedom to
choose their own books and materials (Rajagopalan, 2004, p.400).
And thus, they spend most of their time thinking about technique, and not about the content. Another
problem in the balance of content and technique is the fun teacher. You know the one. His class is one game
after another. You get to laugh a lot, he tells lots of funny stories about his three dogs, but how much have
students learned? Do the games provide instruction, as well as, fun? (Hinkel, 2006, p.113).
Do the stories teach a key learning point? Or has much of the valuable class time been more social than
educational? This is not meant as a criticism of teachers on either end of the spectrum. Certainly, there are
university teachers that use fantastic technique and primary teachers who create amazing content. And a fun
teacher can also be an excellent educator. The point is, and what I want you to consider, is who you are.
And where you will find the happy balance between both content and technique. As you train yourself, as a
language teaching professional, keep in mind the tremendous difference that both content, and technique is
important in delivering lessons.
3.3. Integrated Skills in ESL/ EFL Classes
One of my favorite images for teaching ESL/EFL is that of a tapestry. The tapestry is woven from many
strands such as the characteristics of the teacher (e.g. personality, teaching style, beliefs about language
learning, and prior experience), the learner (e.g. personality, learning style, language learning beliefs, and
prior experience), the setting (e.g. available resources, institutional values, and cultural background), and the
relevant languages (e.g. ESL or EFL, as well as the native language of the learner and that of the teacher).
For the instructional loom to produce a large, strong, beautiful, colorful tapestry, the just-mentioned strands
must be interwoven in positive ways. For instance, the instructor's teaching style must address the learning
style of the learner, the learner must be motivated, and the setting must provide resources and values that
strongly support the teaching of the language. However, if the strands are not woven together effectively, the
instructional loom is likely to produce something small, weak, ragged, pale and not recognizable as a
tapestry at all (Watson Todd, 2003, p.29). Besides the four strands mentioned above-teacher, learner,
setting, and relevant languages-other important strands exist in the tapestry. In a practical sense, one of the
most crucial of these strands consists of the four primary skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing.
The strand also includes associated or related skills such as knowledge of vocabulary, spelling,
pronunciation, syntax, meaning and usage. Optimal ESL communication is present when all the skills are
interwoven during instruction. The Idea of Language-as-Skills Literacy-as well as language itself-is
sometimes viewed as a set of skills. According to Barton, the skill image is a well-known, school-based
metaphor. In this metaphor, "these skills are ordered into a set of stages and then taught in a particular
order. Literacy is seen as a psychological variable which can be measured and assessed. Skills are treated
as things which people own or possess; some are transferable, some are not. Learning to read becomes a
technical problem, and the successful reader is a skilled reader. As a school-based definition of literacy, this

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view is very powerful, and it is one which spills over into the rest of society” (Barton, 1994, pp.85-87).
Although I adopt some parts of the language-as-skills idea, I reject others. For instance, I agree that it is
possible to assess the language skills. However, I do not think that the language-as-skills concept
necessarily implies that language skills are divisible into clearly defined stages that should be taught in a
particular order. Likewise, I do not think that learning to read (or to use language in general) is merely a
technical problem, nor that a skill is something that one "possesses" like a baseball glove or a TV. Instead, I
view the main skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) and the associated skills (syntax, vocabulary
and so on) as overlapping areas of competence. The "skill strand" of the tapestry leads to optimal ESL
communication when the skills are interwoven with each other during instruction. This is known as the
integrated-skill approach.
3.3.1. Segregated-Skill Instruction
In the segregated-skill approach, the mastery of discrete language skills like reading or speaking is seen as
the key to successful learning, and there is typically a separation of language learning from content learning.
This situation contradicts the integrated way that people use language skills in normal communication, and it
clashes with the direction in which language teaching experts have been moving in recent years.
Skill segregation is reflected in traditional ESL/EFL programs that isolate language skills for instructional
purposes. These programs offer classes with titles such as "Intermediate Reading," "Basic Listening
Comprehension," "Advanced Writing," "Grammar I and II," "Pronunciation," and so on. Why do ESL/EFL
programs offer classes that segregate the language skills? For one thing, teachers and administrators might
think it is logistically easier to present courses on writing divorced from speaking, or on listening severed
from reading. For another thing, they may believe it is instructionally impossible to concentrate effectively on
more than one skill at a time.
In many instances, an ESL or EFL course is labeled by a single skill, but fortunately this segregation of
language skills might be only partial or might even be illusory. If the teacher is creative, a course bearing a
discrete-skill title might actually involve multiple, integrated skills. For instance, in a course on "Intermediate
Reading" the teacher probably gives some or all of the directions orally in English, thus causing students to
use their listening ability to understand the assignment. In this course students might discuss their readings,
thus employing speaking and listening skills and certain associated skills such as pronunciation, syntax and
social usage. Students might be asked to summarize or analyze readings in written form, thus activating
their writing skill. In a real sense, then, some courses that are labeled according to one specific skill might
actually reflect an integrated-skill approach after all (Watson Todd, 2003, p.65).
3.3.2. Two Forms of Integrated-Skill instruction
The two types of integrated-skill ESLIEFL teaching are content-based language instruction and task-based
instruction. The first of these emphasizes learning content through language while the second stresses
doing tasks that require communicative language use. Both of these benefit from a diverse range of
materials, textbooks and technologies in the ESL or EFL classroom. Content-Based Instruction In content-
based instruction, students practice all the language skills in a highly integrated, communicative fashion
while learning content such as science, mathematics, and social studies. Content-based language
instruction is valuable at all levels of proficiency, but the nature of the content might differ by proficiency
level. For beginners, the content often involves basic social and interpersonal communication skills, but past
the beginning level, the content can become increasingly academic and complex. The Cognitive Academic
Language Learning Approach shows how language learning strategies can be integrated into the
simultaneous learning of content and language (Thornbury, 2001, p.55).
At least three general models of content-based language instruction exist: theme-based, adjunct, and
sheltered. The theme-based model integrates the language skills into the study of a theme (for example,
urban violence, cross-cultural differences in marriage practices, natural wonders of the world, or a broad
topic such as "change"). The theme must be very interesting to students and must allow a wide variety of
language skills to be practiced, always in the service of communicating about the theme. This is the most
useful and widespread form of content-based instruction today, and it is found in many innovative ESL and
EFL textbooks. In the adjunct model, language and content courses are taught separately but are carefully
coordinated (Thornbury, 2005, p.58).
Task-Based Instruction Another mode of skill integration is task-based instruction in which students
participate in communicative tasks in ESL or EFL. Tasks are defined as activities that can stand alone as
fundamental units and that require comprehending, producing, manipulating or interacting in authentic

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language while attention is principally paid to meaning rather than form. The task-based model is beginning
to influence the measurement of learning strategies, not just the teaching of ESL and EFL. As the author of
the original "Strategy Inventory for Language Learning, I am currently leading a research group in developing
a "Task-Based SILL." This new questionnaire allows students to assess their own learning strategy use as
related to specific language tasks (Walker, 2001, p.61).
In task-based instruction, basic pair work and group work are often used to increase student interaction and
collaboration. For instance, students work together to write and edit a class newspaper, develop a television
commercial, enact scenes from a play, or take part in other joint tasks. More structured cooperative learning
formats can also be used in task-based instruction. Task-based instruction is relevant to all levels of
language proficiency, but the nature of the tasks varies from one level to the other. Tasks become
increasingly complex at higher proficiency levels. For instance, beginners might be asked to introduce each
other and share one item of information about each other. More advanced students might do more intricate
and demanding tasks such as taking a public opinion poll at school, the university, or a shopping mall.
I advocate a combination of task-based and theme-based instruction in which tasks are unified by coherent
themes. This combination is becoming a trend in ESL/EFL instruction.
The integrated-skill approach, as contrasted with the purely segregated-skill approach, exposes ESL/EFL
learners to authentic language and challenges them to interact naturalistically in the language. In the
integrated-skill approach, learners rapidly gain a true picture of the richness and complexity of the English
language as employed for communication. Moreover, the approach stresses that English is not just an object
of academic interest or merely a key to passing an examination; instead, English becomes a real means of
interaction and sharing among people. This approach allows teachers to track students' progress in multiple
skills at the same time. Integrating the language skills also promotes the learning of real content, not just the
dissection of language forms. Finally, the integrated-skill approach (whether found in content-based or task-
based language instruction or some hybrid form) can be highly motivating to students of all ages and
backgrounds (Ur, 1996, p.128).
Integrating the language Skills in order to integrate the language skills in ESL/EFL instruction, teachers
should consider taking these steps: Learn more about the various ways to integrate language skills in the
classroom (e.g., content-based, task-based, or a combination). Reflect on their current approach and
evaluate the extent to which the skills are integrated. Choose instructional materials, textbooks and
technologies that promote the integration of listening, reading, speaking and writing as well as the associated
skills of syntax, vocabulary and so on. Even if a given course is labeled according to just one skill, remember
that it is possible to integrate the other language skills through appropriate tasks. Teach language learning
strategies and emphasize that a given strategy can often enhance performance in multiple skills.
Moreover, we need to keep in mind some important information about the ideas and beliefs of our classroom
while teaching ESL/EFL students. What really comes across when you read book Left Back, which is a
history of American educational policy over the last hundred years, is that there has always been a certain
amount of tension about what a school was for. The author Diane Ravitch finds that when we look at the
American education system, one of the ideas that have grown increasingly popular is the view that school
can be a place which solves the problems of society. If there is a problem on the streets with homophobia,
healthy eating or integration, for example, then we try to solve it with anti-homophobic education, lessons on
obesity, or discussion groups on tolerance. However, the more a school focuses on social policy the more
they are distracted from what they are really there to do, which is to educate kids. With careful reflection and
planning, any teachers can and strengthen the tapestry of language teaching and woven well, learners can
use English effectively for communication (Walker, 2001, p. 21).
4. CONCLUSION
All in all, when we communicate, we often use more than a single language skill. On the telephone, for
instance, we listen and speak-maybe we also write down a message and read over what we have written.
Integrated approach helps to build new knowledge and skills on to what students already know and can do.
So, if students are able to read a short story, this skill will help them to write their own story. Also, integrating
the skills allows you to build in more variety into the lesson because the range of activities will be wider.
Instead of just having listening, the students can have speaking, reading and writing practice. This can raise
their motivation to learn English. Above all, integrating the skills means that you are working at the level of
realistic communication, which provides all-round development of communicative competence in English.
Integration of the four skills is concerned with realistic communication. This means that we are teaching at
the discourse level, not just at the level of sentences or individual words and phrases. Discourse is a whole

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unit of communicative text, either spoken or written. Integrating the four language skills enhances the focus
on realistic communication, which is essential in developing students’ competence in English. Two ways of
integrating skills: simple integration, whereby a receptive language skill serves as a model for a productive
language skill, and complex integration, which is a combination of activities involving different skills, linked
thematically. Integrated language learning can be more motivating, because the students are using the
language for a real purpose, in­stead of, say, just practicing the grammar. Integration requires skillful
teaching, but it can bring worthwhile results.

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