Is SiE a discrete skills course?

[Terry Phillips]

Discrete Skills or Integrated Skills?
The question is sometimes raised:
Is the Skills in English series based on discrete skills or integrated skills?
On the surface, it would appear to be a discrete skills series.
• It is certainly true that each skill was initially published as a separate module, and there is only thematic linkage between the four skills in a given theme. Although the course is now additionally published with all four skills modules for a set of themes bound in one volume, this is only as a convenience to clients who use three or all four of the skills.
• It is also true that there is no attempt to introduce integration between the modules in a particular theme. In other words, the discrete skills modules have not become integrated simply by binding them together in one volume.
• Finally, it is undeniably true that there is a strong focus on discrete skills in the series at the presentation stage, because the writers believe very strongly that a clear, discrete skills focus at this stage leads to better learning. This theory is based on the widely-known and well-researched idea from learning theory that learning is a two-stage process, which has to begin with noticing. It is hard to get students, and even teachers, to notice what is to be learnt if there is a fudge in skills focus at the presentation stage.

So, in terms of the presentation stage, and the clarity of objective for students and teachers, the course is quite definitely and deliberately a discrete skills course.

However, on every other dimension, Skills in English is an integrated skills course. This becomes clear when one analyses the integration that actually happens in the world of academic study which the course reflects. The writers have categorised these real-world integrations as:
Receptive skills: Text to notes (to text)
Productive skills: Researched meaning into rehearsed words

It becomes even clearer when examining the integration between input and output in each skills module as shown in the table below. The main output indicates the real world integration e.g. listening in the real world of academia leads to writing, of notes during the lecture and then possibly essays later. In addition, because every module of every skill gives students new information about the real world, there is the opportunity in each module for the input data to lead to subsidiary outputs, as shown.

Listening
Main input: Listening
Main output:Writing
Subsidiary output:Speaking

Speaking
Main input: Listening / Reading
Main output: Speaking
Subsidiary output: Writing

Reading
Main input: Reading
Main output: Writing
Subsidiary output: Speaking

Writing
Main input: Reading / Listening
Main Output: Writing
Subsidiary output: Speaking

Finally, the writers are now producing additional materials which further the integration.
In particular, the full course now offers:
• workbook activities for every skill, which often integrate two or more skills
• projects for every theme, which integrate all skills
Note: These are a work in progress and are complete up to the middle of Level 2 at present.
Details of the integrations in each skills module are given below.

The Listening Module
Integration 1: Listening and writing
The main reason for listening in academic study is in order to take notes for future use in revision for tests and / or essay writing. Therefore the main integrated skill that students need when they are listening to lectures is the ability to take effective notes. This is not an easy skill, as taught in some courses, based purely on the technical ability to render words in abbreviated form and actions as symbols. It is, as taught in Skills, an extremely complex skill, involving at least:
• recognition of the discourse type, so the correct form of notes can be chosen
• recognition of discourse structure, so the note-taker can anticipate the order of information to be heard
• recognition of key words, so they can be recorded accurately
• recognition of important / relevance, so notes can be taken of key points.

Integration 2: Listening, speaking and writing
Non native speakers will never be able to understand and record everything in the single hearing which is allowed in the real world of lecturing. Therefore, students in Skills are taught the vital skill of leaving gaps in notes, and then asking others after the lecture for the missing information. In addition, non native speakers may not understand the relevance of something they have recorded in their notes. Once again, students in Skills are taught how to ask about relevance later.

Integration 3: Listening and speaking / writing
Many lessons end with a final coursebook activity or teacher’s book closure activity which gives students the opportunity to react to the new real-world information which has been presented during the lesson or the theme to date.

The Speaking Module
Integration 1: Reading, writing and speaking
The main reason for speaking in academic study is to present findings of research. This is normally reading research. Therefore in Skills students are taught how to prepare for an oral presentation by reading, taking written notes and translating them into spoken language which is rehearsed before presentation.

Integration 2: Listening and speaking
In general English course books, the main integration is listening and speaking. This is probably because the main focus of general English course books is on interactional and transactional language usage, whereas, as noted above, this is not the main integration in academic study. However, at times it is useful to give a spoken language model and, where this is the case, the Skills course provides a model of spoken production before asking students to reproduce it.

Integration 3: Listening and speaking / writing
As noted under The Listening Module above, many lessons end with a final coursebook activity or teacher’s book closure activity which gives students the opportunity to react to the new real-world information that has been presented during the lesson or the theme to date.



The Reading Module
Integration 1: Reading and writing
Reading is clearly the parallel skill with listening and, in the academic world, there are great similarities between the two . The reason for doing both is the same – gathering new information for exams and essay writing – and the key integration is therefore similar; in this case, reading in order to take notes. It is obviously much easier to take notes from reading research than from lectures because the reader can return and read again. It is also possible to annotate written text in a way that is not possible with spoken, therefore students in Skills are taught the additional skill of marking up input text with underlining etc., and putting post-it notes indicating the need for additional research on a particular point.

Integration 2: Reading and speaking / writing
As noted under The Listening Module above, many lessons end with a final coursebook activity or teacher’s book closure activity which gives students the opportunity to react to the new real-world information that has been presented during the lesson or the theme to date.

The Writing Module
Integration 1: Reading and writing
As detailed above, the key integration in academic writing is with reading, since most academic writing is based on reading research. Students in Skills are therefore taught this integration. In addition, reading texts often provide an excellent model of the target written output.

Integration 2: Reading and speaking / writing
As noted under The Listening Module above, many lessons end with a final coursebook activity or teacher’s book closure activity which gives students the opportunity to react to the new real-world information that has been presented during the lesson or the theme to date.

Conclusion
The Skills in English series presented both discrete and integrated skills as appropriate to student need. At the presentation stage, discrete focus is preferable, to ensure that teachers know clearly the learning objective and students notice the key points to be learnt. Later, integration of the type which genuinely occurs in the academic world is used to ensure fluency in language use.