Excerpt from Historical English Teaching Precedents and the VR System
Multilingual World In many English teaching and learning literature and philosophy there are considered to be four or five important skills associated with learning English effectively. I disagree completely with this, and see it as a narrow conception promoted solely within the discipline of English or the discipline of Linguistics, or even as something of an educational hangover from the formative years of teaching English in the United States (and perhaps other countries). I actually see the situation as more hierarchical. Communication comes first, followed by Communication in English. Communication in English includes Nonverbal Communication, Conversation, Reading, and Writing. Following these, we have component skills of Conversation, which are Listening, Thinking, Speaking, and Lexicon. Nonverbal English Communication is also covered by the VR System, but would consist of a type of “listening” (any sense other than ears), Thinking, and a type of “speaking (body language,...