Teaching Language Skills to English Young Learners in Korça, Albania: Listening & Speaking

Abstract

Learning to communicate a foreign language is a very complex process which involves the development of the four skills: listening, speaking, writing and reading. The aim of this article is to focus on teaching of two skills: listening and speaking to young learners of Korca, Albania. Of the four skills, listening is naturally the irst skill young learners need to develop before they feel ready to speak, read and write. They listen to the teacher when he/she is greeting them, introducing new words and expressions, asking questions, giving instructions and practicing better through the teachers’ praises and feedbacks. By listening to all these, understanding their meaning and learning how to pronounce words correctly, they are preparing themselves for the next skill: speaking. In speaking, young learners learn how to use the right pronunciation, stress and intonation patterns in order to communicate successfully. The targets of this article are the English teachers who teach in grades 3 – 6 in public elementary schools in Korça, Albania and they are asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the basic principles of listening and speaking skills and which activities they use to teach these skills. These activities have multiple functions as they make young learners think, concentrate on their work and then speak and participate in conversations. Activities may be seemed as challenging, but teachers can make them fun and purposeful, creating an enjoyable atmosphere and motivating young learners to listen and speak. Also teachers are asked about the beneits of young learners from speaking and listening skills. By providing daily opportunities to use English orally the teachers will help the young learners use the language naturally and develop luency. Listening to English through different activities makes young learners more motivated to listen carefully and understand the texts. Most of them require little technology, need minimum preparation and can take place regularly in the classrooms.