Based on the Reading Material (Key Concepts in Teaching Macro skills), answer the

following questions below.

1. Identify the definitions of these terms used in the article.

The major skills like speaking, listening, reading, writing, and viewing are referred to as
macro skills, which can be further divided into several micro-skills.

A. SPEAKING- is a difficult task that requires simultaneous focus on pragma linguistic

characteristics, sound system, prosody, content, vocabulary, discourse, and information
structure (Hinkel, 2006). From the immediate and most comfortable to decontextualized
and more formal contexts, it follows a continuum. Additionally, it has been noted that
formal spoken communication and written communication have some characteristics
(Celce Murcia & Olshtain, 2000).

B. LISTENING-Listening is an ability that is frequently linked to speaking.

Understanding verbal data and using receptive, interpretive, or constructive cognitive
processes are both complicated processes (Rost, 2005). According to this definition,
hearing and listening comprehension are nearly identical. Similar to reading, hearing uses
both bottom-up and top-down processing simultaneously, as opposed to using these
processes separately.

C. VIEWING-It is essential for enhancing comprehension of both print and nonprint

information and relates to recognizing, analyzing, interpreting, and creating meaning from
visual pictures. It is essential that speakers and listeners critically assess audiovisual inputs
and derive meaning from them given that viewing has been incorporated into macro skills
and that multimedia technology is widely used (Curriculum Planning & Development
Division, 2010). Media literacy and visual literacy are new forms of literacy that are
necessary for this demand.

D. READING- is typically thought of as a straightforward, passive, linear process. Recent

theories, however, have demonstrated that it is a difficult cognitive process of deciphering
written signals. It is a "linguistic, socio-cultural, physical, and cognitive action" that
entails deriving meaning from and imparting meaning to the written text (CPDD, 2010, p.
31). According to this definition, reading and reading comprehension have very similar
connotations. Many times, reading calls for the simultaneous use of a variety of skills and
subprocesses, including determining the author's intent and mood, locating key ideas,
evaluating the text's context, analyzing and assigning meaning to words, creating meanings
in the sentence and discourse levels, and connecting those meanings to the readers' prior
knowledge (Graves, Juel, & Graves, 1998). Moreover, making sense of the text while
reading is an interactive and problem-solving activity. The following are some qualities
that reading possesses:
(a) reading is a language skill that can be developed through systematic practice;
(b) reading is a two-way process that involves communication between the author and the
reader;
(c) reading is visual, involving the transmission of a message via optic nerves and
requiring good eyesight;
(d) reading is a productive process that has a purpose whether academically, personally, or
professionally; and
(e) reading is the process that is most closely related to writing.

E. WRITING- is the process of putting thoughts into text, whether that writing is printed
or not. They uncover ideas and reformulate them in what is described as a "non-linear,
exploratory, and generative process" (Zamel, 1983, p.165). Writing facilitates efficient
communication, documents and captures thoughts and ideas important to decision-making,
and educates both the writer and the reader. It also enables the writer to reflect on the
world around her or him.

2. Explain the strategies/suggestions given in the article on how to effectively teach

the macro skills below.

A. SPEAKING-Teaching speaking involves effective communication techniques,

discourse organizing, and structuring, small talk or conversational routines, speech acts,
and conversation formulae such forms of address (Hinkel, 2006, p. 116). In a language
classroom, Celce-Murcia and Olshtain (2000) recommended a few productive speaking
exercises. Role-playing is the first exercise that is beneficial since it mimics real dialogue
that takes place outside of the classroom. Other tactics include using the target language
outside of the classroom, having group discussions, getting input from the students, getting
feedback, and using real speeches. Self-evaluation would also aid improve speech
performance in addition to these other exercises.

B. LISTENING-Self-monitoring and analyzing one's understanding process, planning for

listening, and identifying listening issues are some of the most often used metacognitive
tactics for listening. Inferencing, elaboration, and summarizing are a few examples of
cognitive methods. Advanced listeners should use note-taking and other academic
listening exercises, which can be combined with speaking, reading, and writing.

C. VIEWING-Visual literacy is as crucial as verbal and textual literacy, according to

Kang (2004). Improve learning, it forces teachers to consider the potential of visual and
spatial instructional tactics. Visual organizers are one method of putting this kind of
instruction into practice. Visual organizers are "visual systems of organizing and
presenting structural knowledge in a subject domain utilizing spatial frameworks such as
diagrams, maps, or charts" (Kang, 2004, p. 58). Web-like organizers (spider maps and
semantic maps), hierarchical organizers (concept maps and network trees), matrix
organizers (compare/contrast matrix), and linear organizers are the four main categories of
visual organizers (Venn diagram, continuum, chain of events, and storyboard). In addition,
these organizers are mostly used in reading instruction to help students better understand
the relationship between their prior knowledge and new information. Students can actively
construct and interpret knowledge by using visual organizers. Even though these two types
of literacy are fundamental to modern culture, they are still only given cursory attention, if
any at all, in the classroom.

D. READING-One of the best ways to improve one's writing abilities, according to

linguists, is to read well. The reader learns about lexemes, syntax, morphology, and
spelling by reading. L2 language competency and L1 reading skills may have a significant
impact on a learner's ability to read, according to Chun and Plass (1997). Other topic
interests, prior knowledge, and linguistic complexity (Barrot, 2012, Barrot, 2013, Barrot,
2015c) are also factors.

E. WRITING- To teach writing, there are five different methods: the product approach, the
process approach, the genre approach, the process genre approach, and post-process
pedagogy. The final product will be measured using criteria such as language use, grammar,
mechanics, substance, and organization. The product approach concentrates on the end
product's appearance (Brown, 1994). The process has three controlled writing stages and one
free writing stage. It entails giving students a writing assignment, collecting their work, and
then giving it back for more editing. Furthermore, the issues with the product approach are
that it ignores the actual steps taken by the students to produce a piece of writing,
concentrates on imitation and producing a flawless product on the first try, necessitates
constant error correction that deters students from writing, and lacks real-world preparation.

Reference:
 Hinkel, E. (2006). Current perspectives on teaching the four skills. TESOL Quarterly,
40(1), 109– 131.
 Rost, M. (2005). L2 listening. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Handbook of research in second
language teaching and learning (pp. 503–527). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
 Curriculum Planning & Development Division (2010). English language syllabus:
Primary & secondary (express/normal [academic]). Ministry of Education, Singapore.
 Zamel, V. (1985). Responding to student writing. TESOL Quarterly, 19(1), 79–101.
 Hinkel, E. (2006). Current perspectives on teaching the four skills. TESOL Quarterly,
40(1), 109–131.
 Kang, S. (2004). Using visual organizers to enhance EFL instruction. ELT Journal,
58(1), 58–67.
 Chun, D., & Plass, J. (1997). Research on text comprehension in multimedia
environments. Language Learning & Technology, 1(1), 60–81.
 Barrot, J. (2012). The written discourse of interviewing style for a magazine
interview. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 2(1), 93-103.