Current perspectives on teaching the four skills

Abstract

This article presents an overview of recent developments in second language (L2) teachin g and highlights the trends th at began in the 1990s and the 2000 s and ar e likely to con tinue to affect instructi on in L2 skills at least in th e immed iat e future. Also highlighted ar e recen t developments in inst ru ct ion as th ey pertain spe cifically to th e teaching of L2 sp eaking, listen ing, readi ng, and writing. In th e past 15 yea rs o r so, seve ra l crucia l facto rs have co mbined to affect cu rren t persp ec tives on the teaching of En glish worldwide: (a) the declin e of methods, (b) a growing emphasis on both bottom-up and top-down skills, (c) th e cre a tion of new kn owled ge abo u t En glish, and (d) integrat ed an d contextualized teaching of multiple language skills. In part becau se of its comparatively short history as a discipline, TESOL has been and continues to be a dynamic fie ld, one in which new venues an d perspectives are still un foldin g. The growth of new knowledge about the how and the wh at of L2 teaching and learning is certain to continue and will probably remain the hallmark ofTESOL's disciplinary maturation. T oday, it is a truism to say that each era in the history of secondlanguage (L2) teaching has been marked by expansions of kn owl-edge and pivotal advancemen ts in dis ciplinary theory and practice. One unfortunate sid e effec t of ongoing dis ciplinary innovation and a searc h for the best teaching m ethod is what Richards (2005) referred to as "the theoretical flavor of th e month " (n.p.), alluding to recurrently fash ion-able theories of language learning and use that claim to be based on th e findings of current research. H owever, implicit in a view of the ongoing development of L2 teaching is an expectation that what is cu rren t, innovative, and central in L2 pedagogy today is likely to bec ome a stepping-stone in the expans ion and refinement of disciplinary kn owl-edge. This overview of th e current perspectives in L2 teaching highligh ts the trends that began in th e 1990s and the 2000s and are likely to con tinue to affect instruction in L2 skills at least in the immediate future. In the current dynamic perspectives on foundational L2 skills, fou