メディア・コミュニケーション研究 = Media and Communication Studies;63

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Fertigkeiten in Bewegung? : Zur Neukonzeptionierung der Sprachaktivitäten

Grünewald, Matthias

Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/51191

Abstract

The construct of skills, traditionally separated according to the senses in listening, speaking, reading and writing is a fixed point of reference in the conceptualization and arrangement since the beginning of a scientific approach to foreign language education. However, based on new knowledge and findings on one side and social requirements and needs on the other there has always been a particular importance of certain skills during the proceeding of different language approaches and methods like grammar-translation, audiovisual resp. audio-lingual, communicative or intercultural. A quite important change has been the publication of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) about ten years ago and the changes regarding the language activities. Particularly the accentuation of decoding and production respectively added by the aspects of interaction and mediation i.e. interlingual communication seems to give a new perspective to language learning. The CEFR is an all-embracing concept of foreign language teaching and learning never seen before in the history of language teaching which attracted a great deal of attention and approval but gave also rise to strong criticism and scepticism. Recently, even in East Asia and Japan there is a growing debate about the CEFR and tendencies of an adaption of it as a whole or in parts to the foreign language education at universities. In the course of the article which briefly tries to summarize those developments the focus will be to give a critical review and reassess of the significance and changes regarding the so called skills. After a definition of the term 'skill' there will be a concise description of the history of methods in reference to the skills. Successional there are a summary of the CEFR with a particular focus on skills as well as a discussion of the proposed application of the CEFR in Japan regarding the teaching and learning of German. Moreover, two well-known conceptions of the methodology and didactics of German teaching are reviewed with the result that there are differences but even significant similarities between those conceptualizations and the GER. At the end it is shown and exemplified that both the separated teaching of skills or rather sub skills and a temporally close integration in combining exercises are necessary to meet the requirements of the process of language teaching and learning as well as the needs of the application in everyday life.

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