Macro Skills

 

WHAT ARE THE 5 MACRO-SKILLS IN ENGLISH

Macro skills are most commonly referred to listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing in English language.

 Listening -This basic skill is about hearing and perceiving other people's opinions, and absorbing facts and emotional intelligence derived from the spoken word. However, not every person must hear to listen.

 Speaking -Speech is a vital form of self-expression; it is also an important tool for survival. For example, speech can be used to indicate danger, or to defend against threats.

 Reading -Literacy is the key to social progress; without the reading skills needed to get an education, citizens will lag behind. Many people still struggle with illiteracy or learning disorders, such as dyslexia; however, there are excellent new methods for tackling these issues.

 Writing -Writing is another fundamental tool for expression ideas, facts and figures. Cursive writing and printing are important methods, but both are slowly being replaced by typing, since the world has become centered around electronics, computer keyboards, and texting devices.

 Viewing -is the fifth macro-skill today. It refers to perceiving, examining, interpreting, and construction meaning from visual images and is crucial to improving comprehension of print and non-print materials. This is the skill to be taught as the learners are exposed on multimedia.

WHAT IS MACRO-SKILLS -Introduction of Macro Skills In learning, there are four macro skills that we must deal within order to communicate effectively. Macro skills refer to the primary, key, main, and largest skill set relative to a particular context. It is commonly referred to in English language. The four macro skills are reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Each skill has its reasons of why we should be knowledgeable on how to communicate using the four macro skills.

These skills are essential for communicating. It is tough to study a balance of the four macro skills which are writing, reading, writing, and listening. Being good at only one of these communicative skills will not help us smooth away the difficulties in communicating. With these four macro skills, it can make a big difference in your workplace in social situations and personal achievements.

Learning and consistently seeking to improve these macro skills are important for effective communication and to be successful in many different perspectives. Ideas, emotions, opinions and feelings need to be conveyed in different manners and in a variety of ways. To know when to use which macro skill to acquire, access, encounter, and evaluate information and ideas is a higher order of thinking skill that can be learned overtime with much practice and strategies. In each skill, it is equally vital as each is related. These can be divided in to receptive; reading and listening, and productive skills which are speaking and writing. Within each skill, there are sub skills, for example, in writing there are specific.

IMPORTANCE OF MACRO-SKILLS -Macro-skills in communication are the most important skills in teaching a particular language. Each of them is indispensable in the learning process and teaching performance on behalf of the learners and mentors. These skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing will use as the main vehicle to obtain definitely a certain language and to serve as a conduit to encompass widely the interrelated realms of communication and global community.

The learners’ ability to speak is marvelous and his mastery in other areas of learning such as listening, reading and writing gives a clear indication that he has the distinct opportunity of being a learner of a fantastic classroom teacher.

Communication Skills is something that can bridge you between the unknown world and the known world with sufficient information to dish out. Likewise, it’s about expressing and conveying your thoughts, emotions, notions and concepts with another human beings.

Communication Skills is the key progress and advancement in continuing to learn things more accurately and effectively. Without communication nothing would get done and the world would pretty much stand still. All five macro skills of communication are indispensable in everyday life and should never be underestimated.

MACRO-SKILLS LESSON PLAN

Language teaching covers four macro-skills needed for communicating, listening, speaking, reading and writing. Good language teachers plan lessons, and sequences of lessons, which include a mixture of all the macro-skills, rather than focusing on developing only one macro-skill at a time.

Listening and speaking are oral skills. Reading and writing are literacy skills. Each week teachers should include some activities which focus on developing the students’ oral skills (e.g. pair and group interactions and games) and some activities which focus on literacy skills (e.g. reading and analyzing texts and then students write their own).

The four skills can also be grouped another way. Listening and reading are (<https://www.indigoz.com.au/language/teachmacro.html#How_do_you_teach_receptive_skills>)receptive skills since learners need to process and understand language being communicated to them in spoken or written form. Speaking and writing are known as (<https://www.indigoz.com.au/language/teachmacro.html#How_do_you_teach_productive_skills>)productive skills since learners need to produce language to communicate their ideas in either speech or text.

It is common for language learners to have stronger receptive than productive skills, that is they can understand more than they can produce. Teachers often (<https://www.indigoz.com.au/language/teachmacro.html#What_is_the_connection_between_receptive>)link activities for developing (<https://www.indigoz.com.au/language/teachmacro.html#What_is_the_connection_between_receptive>)students’ receptive and productive skills.

TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT OF MICRO-SKILLS

When we learn a language, there are four skills that we need for complete communication. When we learn our native language, we usually learn to listen first, then to speak, then to read, and finally to write.

These are called the four "language skills": also known as "macro skills' Macro skills are most commonly referred to listening, speaking, reading and writing in English language.

Macro skills are most commonly referred to listening, speaking, reading and writing in English language. Listening: This is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret and evaluate what he or she hears.

Listening

-This is a communication technique that requires the listener to understand, interpret and evaluate what he or she hears. Listening effectively improves personal relationships through the reduction of conflict and strengthens cooperation through a collective understanding while speaking is vocalization of human communication. Being able to express an idea, concept or opinion through speech is essential in the communicative process and languages are about communication. A good language teachers plan lessons, and sequences of lessons, which include a mixture of all the macroskills, rather than focusing on developing only one macro-skill at a time.

Listening

-Is the most important skill in communication. It is a mental operation involving processing sound waves, interpreting their meaning, and storing them in memory. It is a communication technique that requires the listeners to understand, interpret, and evaluate what they hear. It paves the way for other skills to tower over the others because of its significance in terms of speech, discussion and freedom of expression. They serve as an approach to make everybody comprehend which is being said. It is closely related to speaking and it enables the persons to soak in any information that is given to them; consequently, the information can be passed on to another party later on after the conversation. On the other hand, learners will develop prediction and anticipation skills in listening. Without listening, communication will be crippled. It is vital and should be a main part in communication.

IMPORTANCE OF MACRO SKILLS IN COMMUNICATION

The macro skills have four skills which is listening, talking reading and writing. Therefore the macro skill is important in communication so we can communicate and understand with each other. Listening is the most important skills in communication, it is communication technique that requires the listeners to understand, interpret and evaluate what they hear. Talking is vocalization of human communication. Reading involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency and motivation. Writing is an act of discovery of communication. Therefore, the macro skills is connected or importance in communication because all of the skills is needed in communication.

Developing Listening and Speaking Skills in a Competence Based Curriculum

When we learn a language, there are four skills that we need for complete communication. When we learn our native language, we usually learn to listen first, then to speak, then to read, and finally to write. These are called the four "language skills" also known as "macro skills'. Macro skills are most commonly referred to listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English language.

What are the four macro-skills? Language teaching covers four macro-skills needed for communicating – listening, speaking, reading and writing. Good language teachers plan lessons, and sequences of lessons, which include a mixture of all the macro-skills, rather than focusing on developing only one macro-skill at a time.

	Oral skills	Literacy skills
Receptive skills	Listening	Reading
Productive skills	Speaking	Writing

Listening and speaking are oral skills. Reading and writing are literacy skills. Each week teachers should include some activities which focus on developing the students’ oral skills (e.g. pair and group interactions and games) and some activities which focus on literacy skills (e.g. reading and analyzing texts and then students write their own).

The four skills can also be grouped another way. Listening and reading are receptive skills since learners need to process and understand language being communicated to them in spoken or written form. Speaking and writing are known as productive skills since learners need to produce language to communicate their ideas in either speech or text.

It is common for language learners to have stronger receptive than productive skills, that is they can understand more than they can produce. Teachers often link activities for developing students’ receptive and productive skills.

How to Develop the Four Macro-skills The Four Language Skills

When we learn a language, there are four skills that we need for complete communication. When we learn our native language, we usually learn to listen first, then to speak, then to read, and finally to write. These are called the four "language skills":

∙ Listening Skill

∙ Speaking Skill

∙ Reading Skill

∙ Writing Skill

Instructional Tips

Whatever method you use for teaching listening, keep a few key instructional tips in mind that will help both you and your students navigate the learning process.

∙ one, keep your expectations simple, as even the most experienced listener would be unable to completely and accurately recall the entirety of a message. ∙ Two, keep your directions accessible and build in opportunities for students not only to ask clarifying questions, but also to make mistakes.

∙ Three, help students navigate their communication anxiety by developing activities appropriate to their skill and confidence level, and then strengthen their confidence by celebrating the ways in which they do improve, no matter how small.

Good listening lessons go beyond the listening task itself with related activities before and after the listening. Here is the basic structure:

◻ Before Listening -Prepare your learners by introducing the topic and finding out what they already know about it. A good way to do this is to have a brainstorming session and some discussion questions related to the topic. Then provide any necessary background information and new vocabulary they will need for the listening activity.

◻ During Listening -Be specific about what students need to listen for. They can listen for selective details or general content, or for an emotional tone such as happy, surprised, or angry. If they are not marking answers or otherwise responding while listening, tell them ahead of time what will be required afterward.

◻ After Listening -Finish with an activity to extend the topic and help students remember new vocabulary. This could be a discussion group, craft project, writing task, game, etc.

Reading Strategies

Here are some strategies for improving your comprehension skills:

1. 

Examples of Skimming:

∙ The Newspaper (quickly to get the general news of the day)

∙ Magazines (quickly to discover which articles you would like to read in more detail)

2. Scanning -Scanning is used to find a particular piece of information. Run your eyes over the text looking for the specific piece of information you need. Use scanning on schedules, meeting plans, etc. in order to find the specific details you require. If you see words or phrases that you don't understand, don't worry when scanning.

Examples of Scanning:

∙ The "What's on TV" section of your newspaper.

∙ A train / airplane schedule

3. Extensive reading -Extensive reading is used to obtain a general understanding of a subject and includes reading longer texts for pleasure, as well as business books. Use extensive reading skills to improve your general knowledge of business procedures. Do not worry if you understand each word.

Examples of Extensive Reading:

∙ The latest marketing strategy book

∙ A novel you read before going to bed

4. Intensive reading -Intensive reading is used on shorter texts in order to extract specific information. It includes very close accurate reading for detail. Use intensive reading skills to grasp the details of a specific situation. In this case, it is important that you understand each word, number or fact.

Examples of Intensive Reading:

∙ A bookkeeping report

∙ An insurance claim

MACRO-SKILL IN TEACHING

It is a technique that requires listener to understand, evaluate, and interpret what he or she hears and involves personal relationship that allows personal growth and development achieve future objective and solve problems successfully.

Macro skill in teaching

Macro skill refers to a primary key, main and larger skill set relatives to a particular context. It is commonly referred to a English language. The (4) four macro skills are listening speaking writing and reading.

It is to develop the four primary skill and language learning.

 Listening

 it is ability of a person to hear and receive a message and to be able to understand the information accurately.

 It has three common modes the competitive passive and active

 Speaking

 it is done through vocalizing and interpreting all the information of a person.

 It depends on the context of the message or information.

 Speaking can be formal or informal.

 Reading

 It is a third skill in learning it is a process of looking in a written symbols in written form and the brain will convert it into words, sentences and paragraphs which contains message and information.

 Writing

 To communicate thoughts and ideas through writing by using symbol this facilitates communication to establish relationship concept and ideas.

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