Does the Teaching of Listening and Speaking Get Enough Attention?
Curriculum

Does the Teaching of Listening and Speaking Get Enough Attention?

By Mary Ann Zehr — September 03, 2009 1 min read
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Over at my blog about English-language learners, Learning the Language, I discuss how many teachers don’t spend much time teaching oral English to ELLs, particularly in the upper grades. My experiences in observing classrooms indicate that the teaching of speaking and listening often gets squeezed out of the curriculum.

It’s very important for ELLs to practice speaking and listening in English, and I’m sure that some of you have these students in your classroom. But do you feel that all students can benefit from more of an emphasis on oral language, speaking well, or do you see this only as an issue for ELLs?

Mary Ann Zehr
Mary Ann Zehr was an assistant editor for Education Week. Her beats included English-language learners, bilingual education, immigrants, dropouts, achievement-gap issues, and charter and private schools. She was the author of the blog Learning the Language.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Curriculum Matters blog.