Focal Skills
Encyclopedia
Focal Skills refers to a specific non-traditional program design and assessment regime that purposely structures intensive foreign or second language
instruction to align with student-centered, communicative language teaching
that is skills-focused and content-based. When the principles and processes of the Focal Skills approach are used, the rate of student language acquisition
is accelerated. This finding is particularly evident in the intermediate to advanced stages of acquisition—the stages of greatest concern when instructing a language for use in academic, business or other professional settings.
Focal Skills restructures program design by sequentially focusing attention on the development of one language skill area at a time until its mastery to a chosen threshold level is reached. Assessments in Listening, Reading, and Writing are used to determine whether the threshold level has been attained.
Teaching practices in Focal Skills programs are heavily influenced by the work of Stephen Krashen
. There is an emphasis on comprehensible input using authentic materials. Activities that would raise a student's affective filter are generally avoided. The Focal Skills Movie Technique
is an example of the kind of teaching used in this approach.
Created in 1988 by Ashley Hastings, Ph.D., the Focal Skills program design took into account research and developments in second language acquisition
theory that questioned the efficacy of grammar-based language curricula and the traditional level-based program model developed when structuralist-influenced methodologies dominated the field of intensive second language teaching. In that traditional program model, placement involved determining a student’s level and then assigning the student to courses at that level in a number of skill areas (such as Level 4 Reading, Writing, Grammar and Oral Skills). In contrast, the Focal Skills program student is placed into a module of courses that all address the student’s weakest skill and focus three fourths of instruction on developing that one skill area. The remaining portion is spent in an elective class selected for that week by the student. The skill modules are sequenced as follows: first the Listening, next Reading, then Writing, and finally, Immersion—where emphasis is on oral skills development and on readying all skills for the specific language environments the student expects to encounter.
Upon entry into a Focal Skills program, the student is given a complete battery of Focal Skills assessments, including Listening, Reading, and Writing tests. These entry scores are used as a baseline for measuring student progress, but the student is immediately placed into the first module in the Focal Skills sequence for which the student has not attained the requisite threshold or pass-out score. If the student does not earn the needed score on the Listening Assessment, the student is placed into the Listening Module for instruction—whether the student has already reached the requisite threshold score in other skill areas or not. After each month of instruction in that module, the student is tested again with an alternate form of the Listening Assessment. Once the listening skill is mastered to the requisite threshold as evidenced by attainment of the pass-out score, the student’s placement moves on to the next skill module in which the student is not currently scoring at or above the threshold level. Skills already developed in the previous modules of the sequence are then maintained and further developed while the skill area of the next module is receiving focused instruction. Thus, a student testing out of the Listening Module and scoring below threshold in Reading at intake testing is given a new form of the Reading Assessment. The results determine whether the student has also attained the threshold score in Reading or will need to spend the next month in Reading Module classes, where—while focusing on reading skills development—the instructional methods will exercise and, so, further develop the student’s listening skills as well. Students meeting the threshold on Listening and Reading, but not Writing, are placed into the Writing Module, where they will be exposed to methods that use and further practice their listening and reading skills while focusing on developing their writing skills.
The Focal Skills program model was first implemented at the Intensive English as a Second Language Program at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and later adopted, in whole or in part, at other intensive programs, including the English Language Programme at the United Nations
. Adaptations of the program model have made it workable not only for relatively large programs, such as the ones at UW–Milwaukee, the University of Dallas
, and Palo Alto College
(San Antonio), but also for relatively small programs, like those at the Intensive English Institute, part of the University of Maine
in Orono
] , Kilgore College
(Texas
), and Vincennes University
(Indiana
).
Second language
A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....
instruction to align with student-centered, communicative language teaching
Communicative language teaching
Communicative language teaching is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages that emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a language...
that is skills-focused and content-based. When the principles and processes of the Focal Skills approach are used, the rate of student language acquisition
Language acquisition
Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate. This capacity involves the picking up of diverse capacities including syntax, phonetics, and an extensive vocabulary. This language might be vocal as with...
is accelerated. This finding is particularly evident in the intermediate to advanced stages of acquisition—the stages of greatest concern when instructing a language for use in academic, business or other professional settings.
Focal Skills restructures program design by sequentially focusing attention on the development of one language skill area at a time until its mastery to a chosen threshold level is reached. Assessments in Listening, Reading, and Writing are used to determine whether the threshold level has been attained.
Teaching practices in Focal Skills programs are heavily influenced by the work of Stephen Krashen
Stephen Krashen
Stephen Krashen is professor emeritus at the University of Southern California, who moved from the linguistics department to the faculty of the School of Education in 1994. He is a linguist, educational researcher, and activist.-Work:...
. There is an emphasis on comprehensible input using authentic materials. Activities that would raise a student's affective filter are generally avoided. The Focal Skills Movie Technique
Focal Skills Movie Technique
The Focal Skills Movie Technique , also referred to as the Narrative/Paraphrase Approach, is a language-teaching technique originally developed for use in Focal Skills programs...
is an example of the kind of teaching used in this approach.
Created in 1988 by Ashley Hastings, Ph.D., the Focal Skills program design took into account research and developments in second language acquisition
Second language acquisition
Second-language acquisition or second-language learning is the process by which people learn a second language. Second-language acquisition is also the name of the scientific discipline devoted to studying that process...
theory that questioned the efficacy of grammar-based language curricula and the traditional level-based program model developed when structuralist-influenced methodologies dominated the field of intensive second language teaching. In that traditional program model, placement involved determining a student’s level and then assigning the student to courses at that level in a number of skill areas (such as Level 4 Reading, Writing, Grammar and Oral Skills). In contrast, the Focal Skills program student is placed into a module of courses that all address the student’s weakest skill and focus three fourths of instruction on developing that one skill area. The remaining portion is spent in an elective class selected for that week by the student. The skill modules are sequenced as follows: first the Listening, next Reading, then Writing, and finally, Immersion—where emphasis is on oral skills development and on readying all skills for the specific language environments the student expects to encounter.
Upon entry into a Focal Skills program, the student is given a complete battery of Focal Skills assessments, including Listening, Reading, and Writing tests. These entry scores are used as a baseline for measuring student progress, but the student is immediately placed into the first module in the Focal Skills sequence for which the student has not attained the requisite threshold or pass-out score. If the student does not earn the needed score on the Listening Assessment, the student is placed into the Listening Module for instruction—whether the student has already reached the requisite threshold score in other skill areas or not. After each month of instruction in that module, the student is tested again with an alternate form of the Listening Assessment. Once the listening skill is mastered to the requisite threshold as evidenced by attainment of the pass-out score, the student’s placement moves on to the next skill module in which the student is not currently scoring at or above the threshold level. Skills already developed in the previous modules of the sequence are then maintained and further developed while the skill area of the next module is receiving focused instruction. Thus, a student testing out of the Listening Module and scoring below threshold in Reading at intake testing is given a new form of the Reading Assessment. The results determine whether the student has also attained the threshold score in Reading or will need to spend the next month in Reading Module classes, where—while focusing on reading skills development—the instructional methods will exercise and, so, further develop the student’s listening skills as well. Students meeting the threshold on Listening and Reading, but not Writing, are placed into the Writing Module, where they will be exposed to methods that use and further practice their listening and reading skills while focusing on developing their writing skills.
The Focal Skills program model was first implemented at the Intensive English as a Second Language Program at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and later adopted, in whole or in part, at other intensive programs, including the English Language Programme at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. Adaptations of the program model have made it workable not only for relatively large programs, such as the ones at UW–Milwaukee, the University of Dallas
University of Dallas
The University of Dallas is a private, independent Catholic regional university located in Irving, Texas, established in 1956, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. According to U.S...
, and Palo Alto College
Palo Alto College
Palo Alto College is a community college located in the San Antonio, Texas area. It is a member of the Alamo Community College District.-History:...
(San Antonio), but also for relatively small programs, like those at the Intensive English Institute, part of the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
in Orono
Orono
Orono is the name of three communities:Canada*Orono, Ontario, a town in the Municipality of ClaringtonUnited States*Orono, Maine, a town in Penobscot County, home to the University of Maine*Orono, Minnesota, a city in Hennepin County...
] , Kilgore College
Kilgore College
Kilgore College is a community college located in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment of more than 5000 students.The school was established in 1935 at the height of the East Texas oil boom...
(Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
), and Vincennes University
Vincennes University
Vincennes University is a public university in Vincennes, Indiana, in the United States. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. Since 1889, VU has been a two-year university, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are...
(Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
).