Teach English in Shuangqiao Zhen - Heze Shi

TeachingEngligh.org.uk states that receptive skills, reading and listening, are “sometimes known as passive skills” (par. 1 “Receptive skills). The term passive means, “Not acting to influence or change a situation” (“passive.” dictionary.cambridge.org). Examining the definition of passive, it is notes that in order for something to be passive it must not “influence or change a situation.” In terms of the receptive skills, they are considered passive because they do not have the generated output that writing and speaking do, they do not have the same “influence” over an output as the productive or “active” (par 1. “Receptive skills”) skills do. However, receptive skills do have an “influence” over the ability of the productive skills when teaching the English language; therefore, they cannot be a passive skill. When obtaining a MFA in Creative Writing, the first thing one learns if that to become a writer one must always be reading. Books are the tools of the writer; without them, a writer cannot know the rules of writing, how to approach character, setting, theme, structure, etc. because that can only be found when sought out in the familiar. A writer cannot begin to understand rules of genre without entering the stories of that genre. Perhaps most importantly, a writer will rarely solve a problem in their own story without seeking the answers in the printed words of another. Similarly, in teaching English, productive skills cannot be productive without using the tools allowed by receptive skills. A student cannot write or speak if they do not have the vocabulary that they would learn from reading or listening, as they would have no knowledge base to produce from. Reading, specifically, generates vocabulary that a student may never use while speaking, however, in writing to create a robust narrative or argument, a student must know more vocabulary than they speak. While listening provides an accurate understanding of conversational English, which allows the student to become fluent in dialect in a way that reading cannot teach. Each skill actively effects how a student uses productive skills to communicate and express their meaning. In terms of Business English, receptive skills are as practical as productive skills. Yes, being able to write emails, memos, and reports or speak in meetings, on the phone, or at conferences are crucial to the Business English world; however, being able to read reports, memos, and emails and listen to clients and ideas are just as vital. Being able to comprehend what is being written and said is as important as being able to respond with a comprehension. One skill cannot exist without the other in Business English; they must all be honed equally. Meaning, that reading and listening cannot be passive skills in Business English because they are used to produce the same way productive skills are. In fact, by examining the use of English in business, it becomes clear that there is no such thing as a passive skill because reading, listening, speaking, and writing are equally important in any form of English production. Each skill “influences” (par. 1 “Receptive skills”) productivity differently; however, they are all necessary to the ability to produce English. The term passive, almost makes the receptive skills seem less important, because it implies they are not as necessary in the production of English. But as seen, on a scale of importance, no skill should be taught or focused on above the other, because no skill is passive. Instead they are all active and all required in the comprehension and use of the English language. Works Cited “passive.” dictionary.cambridge.org. Cambridge Dictionary, 2019. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/passive. 09 April, 2019. “Receptive skills.” TeachingEnglish https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/receptive-skills. Accessed April 9, 2019.