Page 236 - Beyond Methods
P. 236
224 Contextualizing linguistic input
Teaching language as discourse, therefore, demands contextual- ization of linguistic input. It must, however, be recognized that con- textualization of linguistic input that begins with a focus on discourse challenges the traditional way of language teaching. For teaching can no longer depend on a decontextualized set of linguistic items preselected and presequenced by syllabus designers and textbook writers. It has to be consistent with the chief characteristics of lan- guage communication, which relies on a variety of contextual factors.
The emphasis on contextualizing linguistic input has a direct bearing on yet another aspect of language teaching—the teaching of language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing—to which we turn next.
